Editorial illustration: Pearl City Local. Created with AI.

The Matcha Social celebrates its grand opening at Pearlridge Center on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 10 a.m.

The new matcha and specialty drink shop is at Pearlridge Downtown, in front of the escalators.

Founder and co-owner Tamara Chandara and her husband, Rocky Chandara, also run Saap Saap HI, a Lao fusion food truck known for its fresh, house-made Lao sausages.

The couple launched the food truck in June 2024, and a matcha pop-up this past June convinced them to open a shop of their own.

Chandara and her son, Shaiden Lam-Ganal, gave a sneak peek of the menu that included a Pumpkin Pie Matcha, Kinako Brown Sugar, Strawberry Matcha and an iced Biscoff Coffee Cloud.

The shop's ceremonial-grade matcha comes from Hon-Yama in Shizuoka, Japan.

It is made from the Yabukita cultivar and harvested during the first flush season by a third-generation, family-owned producer whose operations date back to 1948.

The cafe also puts an emphasis on organic and local ingredients.

Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.