What Started As a Matcha Craving Turned Into a Full-On AI-Made Map
I wanted an excuse to visit more matcha spots around New York City—and also, I’ve been curious about what AI tools can actually do when it comes to creative projects. I’ve been experimenting with “vibe coding” lately — building projects based on aesthetic direction and cultural resonance, not technical expertise. I wanted to test how far I could go using only prompts to build something functional, beautiful, and community-worthy.
So I tried something simple: I opened rabbitOS—an AI agent platform from the team behind Rabbit R1. This is is not just for app development; it can handle pretty much any task, like researching/processing data, generating code, editing files, etc. I typed in a prompt about making a matcha map of NYC, and waited.
Within 20 minutes, I had a fully functional, interactive map—styled like a retro video game, listing cafes from Brooklyn to the Upper West Side, with everything from drink recs to GPS coordinates.
Sure, the design and some content still need tweaking, but it’s honestly solid for something built from a basic, slightly grammatically chaotic prompt. And I didn’t even have to search for matcha mug icons—rabbitOS sourced everything. Imagine what it could do with clear visual inspiration and more detailed direction.
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The Prompt That Built It
I started by logging into this page with a super simple creative brief—I was mostly curious how detailed my prompts actually needed to be. Luckily, rabbitOS asked a follow-up question, which helped steer things in the right direction.
In a colleague’s computer, they tested a different the version. I tried with this prompt directly, and it worked just as well.
“Make an interactive map of matcha shops in NYC, styled like a Japanese video game from the 90s. Include locations, shop details, and a nostalgic visual layout.”
Within a few minutes, rabbitOS returned a folder with all the files: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, plus documentation explaining how everything worked. It also included a UI panel that showed me exactly what tasks the agent completed and which assets it sourced.
Then I ran a second prompt:
“Add matcha shops that don’t have the word ‘matcha’ in their name.”
It worked out perfectly and also adjusted the non-mobile-optimized styling it had previously.
P.S!! There is one important tip here. Make sure you don’t let your computer go to sleep or refresh the browser; the project will not be saved. But if you have a previously saved version, you can always drop it back in and keep building off the last save (hence why you see the screen started with a message stating archive(2). zip. I was trying to reupload the first output that I used for preview.
The Output
This map is also a low-key demo of what happens when creative tools become actually accessible. If you’re an artist, writer, designer, or just someone with ideas but no developer background, this kind of AI tech changes the stuff you create. You don’t need to wait on a team or the budget. You can just… start.
All it takes is a prompt and a point of view.
The outcome was definitely a step up from my usual chatbot experiences—the UI and summary felt more like an actual production-ready site than just a text dump with wireframes. It also added things I didn’t specifically ask for, which can be extremely helpful if you’re looking for a more comprehensive output (aka the summary landing page below). But if you already know what you want, you might want to include a prompt to set some boundaries or limit the output.
Check out the landing page that has all the info of the project: https://matchamap.netlify.app/
📍 Interactive Pixel Map
→ Clickable matcha icons across NYC—each opens shop info, drink recs, and notes on the vibe
📖 Cafe Guide
→ 20+ verified matcha spots, listed with address, lat/long, and signature drinks
📁 Project Files + Docs
→ Everything you need to host or remix it—Netlify-ready, editable, and open source
🧾 Prompt Log
→ See exactly what was asked and what the AI built in response
Join the project!!
I believe projects like this are meant to be shared. This map was never meant to be static. Matcha and clean eating culture are evolving fast—new cafes are opening, pop-ups are popping, and aesthetics are shifting. What started as a test of AI tooling became a living documentation of a cultural scene.
So I decided to open it up.
I want people to co-build it with me: to add shops, improve visuals, refine the copy, test layouts, or remix it into something new. I’ll credit everyone who contributes, and we can collectively shape the next version of the NYC Matcha Map.
You can:
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📍 Submit a favorite matcha spot (email below!)
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🎨 Suggest new visual styles (dreamy? vintage kawaii? coquettecore?)
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🌐 Fork the project for your own city or drink scene (boba? bookstores?)
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📣 Spread the map to friends, tea people, or your IG story
Want to Help Build the Next Version?
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Contact us with your ideas
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I’ll review, add it to the next map update, and credit you on the site
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If you have a link (Insta, portfolio, newsletter), I’ll include that too
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Want to fork the code and build your own version? Just LMK and I’ll link it under “Remixes.”
