Hamada Ya Bread Bar & Coffee

Not a big fan of pudding… But this one from Hamada-​ya! Gosh!!! Sooo good~~ real vanilla seeds and good caramel underneath !! Only u satisfied thing is that too sweet for me… Anyway, if this Hamada-​ya could carry more cakes, that will be perfect! inside of the mitsuwa market !!

The custard here is the best I’ve had outside of Japan. It’s super silky smooth, creamy, and has tons of vanilla seeds swirling throughout. There is even a diggity bomb layer of caramel sauce at the bottom that gets coated all over everything with each spoonful.
In addition they sometimes have amazing seasonal items such as grapefruit yogurt tarts and coffee jelly drinks that are pretty much to die for.
It’s super interesting to me that an amazing place like this is hidden away in a strip mall — it’s heaps and heaps better than many other bakeries in town.

Despite waiting for a parking spot for 20 minutes, the green tea soft serve with red bean paste was completely worth it! So delicious and creamy — and the graham cracker cereal hidden on the bottom was an awesome surprise. A must have while in LA area!

why oh why is this place ALWAYS out of boba milk tea? i live across the street and every single day i come by and see the sign «out of boba milk tea. come back tomorrow.» but they don’t ever have it. why dont they just remove this from the menu rather than get my hopes up all the time?

The BEST soft serve green tea I have ever had in my life. No joke. For mine, I added mochi and azuki (red bean) and this, unknowingly, had created the ultimate party in my mouth.
It’s something about the strong green tea flavor that you can’t find in ice creams or smoothies. It must be the special dust they sprinkle … Or perhaps I was just extremely hungry when I ate this. Either way, I’m hooked :0

Hand down THE BEST custard ever!!! It’s so darn good!!! I come here every time I’m LA! They also have a really good new drink-​milk coffee jelly. It’s really good too!

These people make the very best Boston Cream Donut you will EVER have! It’s more like a large cream puff filled with a dense, rich custard. The dark chocolate coating is like Dove and isn’t skimpy at all. It melts the minute it contacts your skin. PERFECT!
But the real treat for me are the Spicy Curry Donuts! I actually heat them up for breakfast! a soft donut filled with spicy curry. YES! CURRY!!! So good!
The staff are always very friendly and know their products well.
Their offerings seem to partially change based on the season and available fresh ingredients but, I’ve loved everything I’ve tried. GO!

Everything that my friends have told me about this place is 100% true. The matcha soft serve is amazing. I could actually taste the matcha in it. Decent price and awesome customer service.

There is one thing about this place that makes it my fav for boba– their iced green tea has macha in it :)
This is the only place I’ve been where it is served like this, most places just have regular (clear) iced green tea. Their staff are ridiculously sweet and attentive, the location has a decent parking lot except on Sunday’s during the time the farmer’s market is also running.

Mmmmmhh green tea everything at it’s best! Located inside Mitsuwa market, this tiny little frozen yogurt, Asian dessert, coffee, tea place is pretty satisfying for a little stand :) Tried the green tea frappé, Mixed match green tea and vanilla yogurt, and the matcha green tea yogurt. If you have a craving for match green tea this is the place to try it. Be warned, on the weekends the parking lot gets pretty full and you’ll most likely be parking near the CVS. Stick to the matcha yogurts as they are refreshing and they put a cinnamony cereal at the bottom of your yogurt, which really gives it that extra special yumminess that your mouth needs and craves. My frappé was just ok, as they aren’t as flavorful as the yogurts. If I’m ever in the area again, I will just get the vanilla mixed with matcha yogurt, it was soooooo good!

I’ve been to Mitsuwa a dozen times, so I don’t know why I’ve always overlooked Hamada Ya. Luckily, the sweet tooth in me finally took over and dragged me over to look at the pastries in awe one day.
Per someone’s Unilocal review, I ordered the ice green tea ($ 2) which was incredibly refreshing, light, and delicious. It was so good, I had to ask the girl what the brand was (Yamamoto sweetened iced green tea) so that I could go buy and recreate at home. Definitely recommend!
For pastries, I’ve only tried the cream puff, and I’m definitely a fan. More cream than Beard Papa’s in my opinion, which isn’t a bad thing at all. Different shape than Beard Papa’s though, where the pastry is split, so it can be a bit more messy eating. Awesome dessert though, especially if you just finished having ramen next door at Santouka. There are so many dessert options, so if cream puffs aren’t your thing, there’s bound to be something that tickles your fancy. :) Somehow I’ve never gotten around to trying the green tea soft serve, but that will change in the future. Hello, matcha & vanilla ice cream? Yeah, my self control has no chance.
The sandwiches there are also pretty bomb. I’ve tried the egg salad & tonkatsu. Egg salad is on the creamy side, and doesn’t have too many add-​ins (such as celery or anything). I can’t eat too much of it, so I always opt for the half/​half with the tonkatsu. That sandwich is pretty filling, tonkatsu sauce isn’t over the top, and you can have it heated up so don’t worry about eating cold meat. All sandwiches are made with the bread they sell, and that bread is pillowy soft. My bf loves it, and can eat an entire loaf of bread (just bread, no toppings) in one sitting.
All in all, don’t overlook Hamada Ya for being small. It’s a hidden gem with great options for desserts, drinks, and snacks. Service is always awesome, and I always make a point to stop by when I’m at Mitsuwa grocery shopping now. :)

I came in with the sole purpose of trying their matcha soft-​serve. I am a huge fan of all things matcha (lattes, kit kat, ice cream, milk tea, etc. etc.)
I opted for the mixed matcha + vanilla option so my palate wouldn’t be dulled by one flavor, and got mochi as a topping (can never go wrong with mochi!) But the square cereal topping in the bottom was a no… I didn’t know that was automatically added and I wish I had known beforehand so I could have opted out. But the rest of it was really good so whatever. A bit pricey, but less than what you’d pay at Yogurtland for the same amount (plus Yogurtland’s green tea flavor is way duller).
Oh, and after asking the cute hapa (95% sure he was hapa!) cashier about the consistency of their boba, I decided to try the coffee boba milk tea. It was solid; they actually use real coffee instead of powder like a lot of boba places. Boba was okay, I would have preferred it to be a little softer.
I wish this place was in the Mitsuwa closer to me :(

This is a hidden gem inside of Mitsuwa Market.
This specific Mitsuwa is much smaller than the one in Torrance but it still has all the essentials — produce, food court, and a soft serve place!!! By the way, the one in Torrance lacks a yummy soft serve place.
I absolutely love their green tea soft serve. For $ 4 (I know a little steep but it is worth it) it is wonderfully creamy and the matcha flavor is on point. For an additional 80 cents, you can add a topping, and the red bean complements the matcha nicely. They also add a complimentary childhood favorite of mine on the bottom of the soft serve — Golden Grahams! This little surprise adds a great crunch to each bite of your ice cream.
I know I am going to be hooked and will be coming back regularly.

They take credit cards.
Located inside the Japanese market as part of the food court. Tasty baked goods, soft serve and coffees.
Really amazing green tea soft serve. We got the mixed. Half vanilla and half green tea. It was served with some golden graham cereal at the bottom of the cup. Great dessert after eating in the food court.

Stopped off at Hamada Ya Bread Bar & Coffee for an early morning meeting. The kiosk is located inside the Mitsuwa store. It has 20+ kinds of danishes and several coffee choices. The server was super friendly and nice.
I ordered a Japaese danish roll filled with crème. Both my guest and I thought that the danish was cold and the filling was tasteless. I’d like to try other items at this store in the future. Maybe I ididn’t pick the right item?

This place has some great desserts! Have no idea about the coffee or anything else they sell because I go strictly for the desserts! Nice choices with lots of variety and nothing has ever seemed «old» like you get at other dessert places.
I know I am playing right into the fat American stereotype by going to the Asian market and heading right for the desserts booth and I’m ok with that– now give me another cream puff!

AHH I LOVE YOU!
Green tea and vanilla swirl mixed soft serve — strong green tea taste — the way I like it! This is the best frozen green tea dessert that I’ve ever had. It probably also hit the spot really well since I spent a a whole day in the hot sun at Venice Beach.
It’s so adorable since they put cereal on the bottom. So cute!
Green tea latte — good, but the star is the soft serve ice cream. GET IT!!!
Overall? 5 stars — recommend? YESSSSS If you’re in the area, step inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace and order one!
Takes card!

This place actually has matcha green tea soft serve! I haven’t seen it anywhere else… plus the soft serve is actually very tasty. Makes me miss those summer days in Kyoto.
Their breads are also super yummy and soft. They have seasonal flavors too, like strawberry and pumpkin.
It’s also conveniently located inside Mitsuwa… so I’m always tempted to grab a little snack after grocery shopping ;)

This is a such great gem inside Mitsuwa Marketplace. It’s a tiny bakery adjacent to the bookstore. Though not as well-​known as some of the Asian bakeries in SoCal like JJ Bakery, 85 °C, and Paris Baguette, it offers some delicious items that I find irresistibly good and the quality is consistent. I actually stumbled upon it while waiting for my ramen order at Santouka last week. I got a green tea latte To Go and discovered that there’s more to this place than baked goods and coffee which they actually do quite well.
I absolutely love their creamed cornet ($ 2.20) which is a cream puff like pastry, but tubular form. It’s flaky and chewy filled with lightly sweet fresh whipped cream and custard. I can probably devour 2 – 3 of them myself. I know, it’s so awful (and soooo not good for my waste line! Hehehe) — but so yummy and worth every caloric intake. And their green tea ice cream is wonderful. Not overly sweet and the matcha is potent yet on point. It’s actually soft serve froyo and can be topped with assortment of toppings like red bean, nuts or chocolate chips, mochi, caramel and chocolate sauce for 50 cents extra. Though a bit expensive $ 3.50 for a small cup, it’s quite delicious. I got mochi with mine and really enjoyed it.
As for the green tea latte, simply terrific. Green tea latte at Urth café is $ 5 and here it’s only $ 3.50. Sure no artistic floral or animal design on top, but texture and taste is just as good. Soothes the soul…
I didn’t expect to find good Japanese bakery inside this marketplace. Along with great ramen and good fried tempura, I now have scrumptious desserts to compliment my insatiable appetite. And unlike most of the eateries in the food court, they actually accept credit cards. No more running back to the car and looking for coins in the ashtray… sheeeez! I can’t wait to come return.

Unlike the Patisseries Japonaises Francaises such as Frances in Little Tokyo, or Chantilly & Bön Jour in Torrance, which pride themselves on making tres hautes patisseries in rather chicly decorated ambiance, Hamada~ya is more of the typical Japanese bakery found in almost every neighborhood in Japan. Most are more than competent, and take pride in creating a more down home style of treats preferred by the majority of Japanese. So Hamada~ya is not the place to have a craving for a refined, subtle Japanese style version of Charlotte Russe, Saint Honore, or Meringata a la Fiorentina.
Perusing the choices offered at Hamada~ya, I spied a Karei Pan or Curry Bread in English. However, the «bread» is closer to a donut at least in American English parlance since the dough is fried with a bit of roux thickened curry sauce hidden inside the doughnut which has a bit of Japanese Panko breadcrumbs on the outside of the donut to add a crunchy texture to the softer doughnut like feel. Opening up the inside of the Karei Pan reveals a soft feel of the yeasty fried dough & a release of the brown curry fragrance & oil from the frying. This Karei Pan at Hamada~ya is exemplary to what could be gotten in Japan.
Why PAN meaning bread in Japanese? It’s the Portuguese word for bread. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to make contact in Japan. They stayed in Japan for almost 90 years until they got kicked out for meddling in Japanese state affairs such as siding with certain Japanese lords to further Portuguese interests when the Japanese lords should have been loyal to the Sho-​gun. That and the news that the Japanese Shogunate government got about European nations invading Native American lands, toppling the Aztec & Inca Empires, and enslaving the Native Americans, freaked the Japanese government at the time.
In many ways, Karei Pan reminds me of something an Indian cook would create if he were also cognizant of Japanese cuisine. The Indians are very proficient in fried foods such as Pakora, & Puri or fried bread. In fact, the Japanese Karei Pan could be a close analog to having curry stuffed into a Puri & fried.
I would pair the Karei Pan, which deserves 4 Unilocal stars, with a good dense Japanese beer such as Coedo or Ginga Ko-​gen. Both of which are heavy on the hops to add a clean bitter finish to cut the oil in the fried Karei Pan as well as heavier body to match up to the heavier taste & aromatics of the slightly sweetened curry. These beers can be obtained en site at Mitsuwa Market which houses Hamada~ya.
I chose the Pumpkin Kuri-​mu Pan or Cream Bread as a seasonal food. When I opened the bread apart, there was a sweet, pleasantly yeasty bouquet which was intoxicating with a just baked aroma. The mouthfeel of the bread was soft, pillowy, velvety. The good yeast used also added a great mild, subtle fermented flavour in the bread as well as having a delicate sweetness. This would pair well with a dark tea such as Irish or English Breakfast.
However, the pumpkin filling was rather dry & crumbly with bland, insipid flavour that does not enhance the wonderful Hamada~ya Pan. The crème or, in this case, condensed milk was not used generously to add a pleasing dairy flavour, and therefore I would rate it 2 Unilocal stars.
In my estimation, the pumpkin should have been spiced with some cinnamon, cloves, & ginger to approximate the seasonings in an American pumpkin pie. Or why not be more original & use nutmeg, mace (from the same seed), cardamom, anise, etc. to make for a more interesting treat?
I know that only two samples of what Hamada~ya makes do not represent all the baked goods that it carries so my initial rating will be 3 Unilocal stars. Perhaps sampling more of Hamada~ya’s wares will prove to be more revealing.