My Instagram feed is packed full of random restaurants, stores, and cafes around DC that I save but never visit because they’re usually overhyped. However, when I was offered a ride to Maketto in NoMa, I decided to pay it a visit to see if it was worth the hype.
Maketto is a Taiwanese and Cambodian restaurant, cafe, and marketplace combo. During the day, they rotate through different meals and menus, and on Saturdays at 9 a.m., they have an Asian treats bake sale. It has an evolving list of treats and is only open while supplies last, so get there early!
We got there at 9:45, as it is a trek to get there, and had to wait in the freezing cold for 20 minutes. Once we finally made it inside, we ordered at a small table set up at the front before heading to the bar area to pick up the pastries and drinks. The inside was set up with restaurant-like seating, but with cafe ambiance. The cafe was bustling, but it only took us a few minutes to find an empty table.
Since we got there a little late, a couple of things were sold out (including the garlic bread croissant, unfortunately). We got three pastries: pumpkin honeycomb cake, Japanese creme sandwich, and dreamsicle pineapple bun. To top it off, we tried two different coffees: the pandan latte and the honey five spice latte. The total came to just $28, which felt like a steal in this economy.
We started with the pumpkin honeycomb cake, which is a spongy Vietnamese cake meant to resemble the texture of a honeycomb. It does have an interesting structure, and you could see the honeycomb texture, but when you bit into it, it just tasted like an average slice of pumpkin bread. Near the bottom of the slice, it was less spongy and more chewy and mochi-like. But overall, this was kind of a let down.
Next we moved to the Japanese creme sandwich, which was two pieces of fried bread stuffed with whipped cream and topped with slices of strawberry. We took one bite and felt our cholesterol levels spike.
The whipped cream was underwhelming and not sweet, and the bread was oozing oil and fried flavor. The textures were good, but the flavors were not. It felt like something you’d beg your parents to get at a fair and then regret later when your stomach started twisting into itself.
Lastly, with our hopes low, we turned to the dreamsicle pineapple bun. I’m a frequent pineapple bun consumer, so I was a little scared.
But we took one bite and it was delicious. It had a little twist and added whipped cream to the usual pineapple filling. Unlike in the creme sandwich, the unsweetened whipped cream perfectly matched the sweet pineapple filling. The topping of the bun added the perfect crunch. This was by far the best part of our visit.
After waiting fifteen more minutes for the lattes, we hoped they would be good. They did not live up to our expectations. The pandan latte just tasted like a plain subpar latte and was not worth the $5. The first sip of the honey five spice latte was bearable, but upon the second sip, we could not drink any more.
I’m a big fan of fun-flavored lattes, but this one just did not work.
Throughout this trip, I’ve come to realize there is a reason why I don’t try things on my Instagram feed: they usually let me down.
While I would take a trip back solely for the pineapple bun, their rotating menu does not support this idea. Overall, I rate Maketto overhyped. •
