Leaf N Cream
Quality and fair pricing make Tustin tea and açaí shop among the best in a crowded field
If you want to see an example of dedication, here’s one: Leaf N Cream. Dedication isn’t just simply remaining in the same Tustin plaza with Vietnamese sandwich shop THH through a decade of success; dedication is sticking around the Union Market food hall at The District at Tustin Legacy through its decline, continuing to serve drinks as other businesses peeled off one by one. Leaf N Cream did both of those things at the same time – and more importantly, it makes really good drinks and acai bowls.
Most of Leaf N Cream’s $6-7 specialty drinks have individual names hinting at their atypically good looks: The Mermaid, for instance, layers butterfly pea tea, strawberry, and lychee jelly, while Mr. Mango is a mango slush mixed with cheese foam. You can also build your own drink for $5.50, adding a la carte elements such as boba for 75 cents to $1 each. We’ve enjoyed every drink we’ve ordered here thanks to properly balanced ingredients and strong flavors.
Also shown here are two of Leaf N Cream’s excellent açaí bowls: the mesmerizing Blue Fantasy and more traditional Classic. Presentation counts for a lot, and these $11 açaí bowls are some of the nicest looking ones we’ve seen in the county, delivering a breakfast (or lunch) worth of nutritious fruit, granola, and sometimes chia in a clear bowl that attractively shows off their layers. We’d rank these next to Toast’s unconventional açaí on beauty – they’re enough of a draw that part of our group routinely splits off from a visit to THH and opts for Leaf N Cream bowls instead.
Even in an area that has lots of tea shops and quite a few açaí options, Leaf N Cream is certainly worthy of multiple revisits. This isn’t the fanciest place selling these items, but it’s one of the best.
Stats
Price: $
Service: Counter
Open Since: 2015
Addresses
14089 Newport Ave.
Tustin, CA 92780
Instagram: @leafncream