HARBS

Love the mille crêpe and chocolate custard cake!
But if you’re looking for a better «crêpe» cake then I would recommend lady m than harbs.

Harbs is a cake shop straight from Japan, a common and reliable cake chain. Yes, everything in this cake shop is as Japanese as it can get, including the furniture and décor. If you’re traveling more than 30 minutes, they will provide you with ice packets that go inside the box to keep the cakes fresh! Another detail common in Japanese shops.
If you are familiar with Japanese cakes, you will understand why there is so much cream in the cake. They are certainly not as sweet as American cakes. Some cakes are not as favorable for me, even though I love matcha and chestnut. I prefer Lady M cakes for that. However, I highly recommend all of the fruit cakes at Harbs, especially the Fruit Mille Crêpe and the Strawberry Shortcake. It’s $ 10 per slice because it’s a huge slice!
Iced coffee drinkers will also love the detail and care Harbs puts into their drink. Their ice cubes are not made of water, but of coffee– so you won’t get coffee that is watered down. I have a friend that specifically comes here for their iced coffee.
If I were only doing a review for their cakes, I would give them 4 stars. But the other star goes to their lunch specials and spacious shop. For lunch, they have Japanese style sandwiches which come with a side salad, tea/​coffee (free refills) and a small slice of cake for $ 20. If you know about Japanese bread, you will understand why I’m enthusiastic. It’s really a deal. Moreover, their space is excellent and never crowded. I have never had to wait, even on Christmas when I went to get my Japanese Christmas Shortcake. On the same day I passed by Lady M, and there was a long line to enter.
I particularly love the «nook» in the back and how the servers never bug me to leave. I honestly hesitated from providing a review because I love how empty it is… If you want to have a relaxing and spacious cake/​coffee/​tea time with friends, go here… but not too often :)

Dessert here is very Asian like. No icing or any kind of load-​it-​with-​sugar idea, instead it’s light and lovely. All cakes are made for the best of taste instead of the the best of look. You can really taste the natural flavor of each ingredients. No matter what you choose, it can’t be wrong. My favorite is the fruit layers crêpe cake and the fruits are always so fresh.
If the price can be more moderate, I’d give it a five star.

Taste is ok, but a little pricy. Recommended by a good friend in Japan, but kinda disappointed…

This is such a cute café! All the cakes are gorgeous, not too sweet, and the waitress was excellent at describing the taste of each cake so we could pick which one was best for us. I ordered the Fresh Fruits Cake — which was light and fluffy and tasted more like fruit and whipped cream that happened to be in cake form — and my friends got the Lemon Yogurt Cake and Blueberry Mille Crêpe Cake. I do wish the cake had been a little sweeter, and the tea I ordered was just okay, but this was a great café to sit and talk with your friends. While the cake is beautiful but just okay, the service and atmosphere are excellent so I would go back.

So I came here super excited to try some of the flavors you see in the Unilocal pictures but this place is SEASONAL so they didn’t have any of the previous posts! I was really bummed to come in and see none of the crepes and cakes that I saw in the Unilocal pictures. I decided to still purchase a slice. It was piece of cake with strawberries within it. It was pretty good. Didn’t have too much of a sweet taste but still was great. There was one lady there who was extremely nice but another woman working was a little rude. I really just came for the cake so I didn’t really mind the customer service. I do want to stop by for the next season to see their new cakes and see if the ones I wanted came back.

HARBS is a world of its own. The first time I thought maybe it was just me, but after waiting a sufficient interval we stopped back and tried again and they really are different. When you enter you see only a few large cakes, most of them quite exquisite in appearance, and sold in the range of $ 8 – 11 per slice (prices shown for whole cakes are often in excess of $ 100!). Their offerings are displayed in an immaculate front showcase in a pristine storefront; there is also table service in a rear tea room. All of the uniformed staff appear to speak Japanese, as well as English. Their work combines western aesthetics and a distinctly non-​western palate, thus one slice we tried this weekend included candied chestnuts as well as red bean paste, while a chocolate cake was not merely a sophisticated «dark chocolate,» but distinctly bitter, and studded with rather too large chunks of walnut. They very carefully wrap each slice and you do well to take them up on their offer of a freezer pack to help preserve the fresh creams with which they decorate.

This place really reminded me of the cafés in Japan with its super cleanliness & calm piano background music. There’s actually another branch in Ikebukuro, Tokyo! Anyway, I ordered a berry berry surprise (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries w/​chocolate chiffon, custard, & whipped cream) & their seasonal houjicha caramel. The tea was fabulous! I love houjicha & this was just delicately scented w/​caramel — no need for sugar! This is a great alternative to coffee! They served a good sized slice of berry cake, which was light & had super fresh berries & wasn’t too sweet — the way Asian pastries often are. I would’ve liked it better w/​vanilla chiffon, but it was a pretty good cake nonetheless. It’s better than a lot of other bakeries that use canned fruit! Other orders on the table included their orange mint tea, which is mint tea served w/​actual fresh orange slices in a glass teapot & genmaicha, also served in a glass pot so you can see the actual leaves & puffed rice! I’m definitely coming back here for dessert & might try their lunch set menu at some point. The service is also great! Very attentive!
The only thing I’m docking a star for, & I wish it was only half a star, is the price. $ 7.50-$ 12 for a slice of cake is a pretty penny, but it is fresh fruit, though.

Walked in really excited about the cake display. Just had Lady M last night so I thought I would try the layered cake here and compare. The layered cake cannot compare to Lady M. In fact, it was really different — lots of cream and fruit. We also got the cheesecake, which was whatever. I would not recommend the cheesecake. The food would have gotten three stars as it was very average. It was the service that made it two stars. We asked for the bill three times.
Probably would not come back.

This store deserved a 4 star rating. Solid 4 star.
I ordered strawberry cake and hot green tea.
The strawberries on the cake are very fresh and the cream is very smooth. It tasted so great especially with hot unsweetened green tea together.

Went to get 2 slices of cake. I have had it before for my birthday but never had to go buy it myself. I got there at 5:30pm on a Tuesday night and it was empty. I got a slice of their signature mille crêpe and the pear mille-​feuille. The person asked me when am i going to eat it and i said in a couple hours. So she gave me an ice pack (like Royce!!). Oh I love Japanese’s thoughtfulness. I am not sure how people don’t like the mille crêpe. it is more delicate and a different taste than Lady M. who doesn’t like fresh fruits?
If you want to buy a whole mille crêpe cake, it’s $ 100. I mean that’s kind of ridiculous. How is that legal lol

I don’t know why this place has some mediocre reviews. I thought everything was the
.
We shared their mille cake, which was ten thin layers stuffed with a variety of fruit pieces, and I loved every single bite of it. It was so thin and crêpe-​y and just soooooooo heavenly.
I also loved how their iced café au lait is served with coffee ice cubes so your drink never gets watered down. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?
Yes, it’s a little pricey but it’s worth it.

Lunch set — coffee breakfast sandwich and cake. Amazing value. Had the Vegetarian Omelette light fluffy and the right balance of flavor. The spinach mushroom and bacon was coated with light mayo was the winner. The toast was so perfect.
Banana Cream Pie. will be back. Amazing value and very high quality ingredients. So good

Food: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Cleanlines: ⁴⁄₅
Price: ⁴⁄₅
HARBS is near Chelsea Market and is within walking distance. On the corner of 9^th Avenue and 22^nd Street, you will be welcomed to a very well air conditioned café with a fantastic array of cakes.
There were so many beautiful and delicious looking cakes that my friend and I took forever just looking at them. They had everything from mousse cakes, crêpe cakes, ones with fruit, with chestnut (love!), chocolate… It is officially on my bucket list to try each and every one of these cakes. I love cake that much! I especially want to try the Grapefruit mousse cake…
We thought that we needed to order the cake before being seated (all the seats are inside past the cakes) as another customer was ordering them. Turns out that he was taking them to go and we could order after being seated!
The café also had a grand menu set up for those who wanted takeout. They have a great selection of teas both available hot and iced all independently packaged from Japan and I recommend you to try one! Their coffees look very appealing as well but I’m a tea drinker so I prefer tea. :D If you come during set lunch hours (11am-​3pm) they have a great lunch set that I’d come and have on a regular basis! Sandwich + drink + cake = happy Jessica. :)
The café has two seating rooms and you’re allowed to sit anywhere you want, so my friend and I went for one of their classic booths. We were brought menus but we already knew what we were going to order: D so we just told our waitress our decisions very easily — The Royal Milk Tea Cake and two Iced teas — Orange Mint and Earl Grey.
We were brought our Iced teas first and we were very surprised at how it was brought! I asked the waitress how it was steeped and she proudly told me that it was first steeped in hot water, then poured over ice to preserve the original tastes. You can see that we were also brought a long glass full of ice to keep the tea really iced! It was really refreshing to have such iced tea on a hot humid day and we were both very happily satisfied by such details.
Both of us loved our teas and I especially enjoyed their Orange mint. The teapot was enough for about a cup and a half — enough for one person.
My friend and I instantly knew that we wanted to try the Royal Milk Tea cake without any hesitation for two main reasons: (1) we both love Royal Milk Tea, and (2) there were only a few slices left! This meant that it was quite popular and that it must be delicious… so that’s what we ordered. It was better than we imagined it to be and very well balanced. I would’ve preferred a little more cake than whipped cream, but my friend liked the cream more than the cake… so I guess it really depends on your tastes! We had no trouble sharing the cake because I obviously liked the cake part and she liked the cream part… You were really able to taste the milk tea throughout the entire cake and it was a dessert that even those without a sweet tooth would’ve enjoyed.
Overall I highly recommend this place if you love cake/​desserts, want a nice date with your loved ones, or if you’re just in the area! The service we received at HARBS was very good — everyone was so kind and friendly, which was something that I kind of rarely saw in New York, given the business of the city. The great service was definitely appreciated and it made our time at HARBS that much more memorable and satisfying. Our desserts and drinks were also top notch and I will make sure that I return to HARBS on my next trip to New York!

I notice there is usually no line outside, but it does not undermine how good this place is. Many people order take-​outs and I think it may be because they don’t know that there are 2 more rooms with quite many seats inside. I saw people came in in groups and people came in alone, but most of the time it is quite quiet.
This bakery has become one of my top favorite places for an afternoon tea break. There is Alice’s Tea Cup, another afternoon tea place with a lot more kinds of tea and real scones in Upper East Side, but I would prefer this Japanese cake and tea bakery because:
1. seriously who wants to wait for a tea break. I had to wait for half an hour at Alice’s when it wasn’t even rush hour.
2. Harbs serves your tea hot or cold as you wish,
3. the MILLE CREPE here is so good. Lady M has mille crêpe for $ 8.50/slice, Harbs’s crêpe is $ 10 but Harbs’s crêpe is better because there are so many kinds of fruits inside — strawberry, kiwi, cantaloupe, banana, and the very sweet and fresh honeydew.
and 4. takeout cakes have free ice packs that can keep the cakes cool for 2 – 3 hours. Because it is the Japanese service.
Overall, I really enjoy the time and the food I had at Harbs. I will definitely come back again. If you want to eat soft cakes with a fork and you are used to the mild level of sweetness in Asian goodies, definitely check this place out.

So I am a Lady M addict and one of my friends told me to try this spot since I love all things crêpe cake. When arrived I was a little hesitant to go in because there was no line… In New York City a line typical signals that the place is golden. I shook off my fears by convincing myself that there was no line because it was Wednesday afternoon…
The service was prompt and friendly. When I inquired about the crowd pleaser I was told which ones to try and the lady who was helping me then also shared her personal favourites which I appreciated.
So how did the cake measure up? It was a bust! While the cake was fresh it was not worth the $ 10 and $ 8 a slice that I paid. The milk tea cake tasted like it had green tea. This was not what I expected based on the description. Please note that the cake was fresh but not what I was expecting. I guess tea meant green tea… The crêpe cake which is their best seller was a HUGE disappointment! While I appreciated the fruit, it was so overpowering to the point that it was more like fruit with cream. Due to the cake having chunks of fruit in it one also has to use a knife to cut.
Pros: outstanding customer service and great packaging.
Cons: not worth the cash, and the taste is not memorable.
While I am glad that I checked this spot out I will be returning to Lady M.

I would give 4 stars to Harbs for its green tea mouse cake and the star Mille crepes, that’s something superb the first time I visited with my BFF after the sleep no more show. We were the two guests that day, not as crowded, kind of enjoying the ambiance and privacy joyfully.
We did try our best to be under control, cause it’s almost 11pm, however, it’s too tasty to stop or slow down, alright, take it as a treat for a 3hr running up and down in the McKittrick hotel then. We ordered a Sakura teapot as well, which was smooth and nice. We even had a pretty interesting conversation with the waitress, she also mentioned that for people with a interest/​passion in pastry, you may be able to find a position here, I may want to try some time. Pretty satisfied! I do expect to try all the other cakes, assuming it’s consistently good.
However, but, …
One day, after the artexpo event, I went to Harbs, expecting the same fantasy. First of all, as said, no seats at all during the peak time, so I decided to take away. I got the chocolate custard cake, as well as the seasonal Sakura cake. They put the ice pad in the box, so within two hours, the cake should be good enough. Arrived home, I opened the box, and tried the Sakura cake first, it does look lovely and tasty, however, no surprise. I tried the chocolate custard as well, some of the layers is so hardened that I couldn’t quite appreciate it, and as said, it contains some alcohols, somehow not too strong and sweet, I didn’t finish it actually. A little disappointed, I think I do love lady m more, more consistency across all the difference types of cakes.
Since Harbs in Manhattan is by far the first and only store outside of Japan, so still recommend you to try the crepes or green tea mouse cake if you visit New York.

Went in because my frd told me it tasted good… I didn’t have time to eat there (they hv a dining area in the back), so I took two pieces to go.
It was my first time so I had to choose all these cakes in front of me. Asked a simple question to the cashier which ones are better to my taste, but she doesn’t seems to understand/​know the product well…
When i opened to eat it, found out that they didn’t even give me a spoon/​fork… I mean, if you r to charge a piece of cake for $ 10, at least spend 10 cents on a plastic fork?
I got the famous fruit crêpe: with all honesty, it’s too sweet and too creamy. There are only 5 layers, with lots of cream in between… If you’ve had Lady M’s crêpe, you may not want to spend extra $ 2 on this one, seriously… I haven’t tried the other piece but it also looks very overwhelming now…
Overall I don’t think it’s worth the price…

My first-​day-​sweet-​treat starts here — HARBS. I heard all the negative review of this place, about their teas, about their disappointing cakes. But for a sweet fanatic, I need to try it myself and let you to know my own perspective on this place.
Location: At 9^th Ave, close to Doughnut Plants. The decoration of this store is really Japanese style. Why? Oh, everytime I saw brownish wooden decoration, I just assume it ‘s either Chinese or Japanese.
Service: Pretty informative. The girls are definitely trained by Japanese company. They have professional smiles with caring service. And when I asked them about the halt cake and was told that it was seasonal so I had to wait until next year to get it, they kinda show some sympathy for me. Okay, maybe that’s just my day dream. Service is caring. Tea is constantly filled up and girls came here in the right time to give the menu. Thanks!
Cake: Okay. I would say if they are not that famous, I would say not bad. I had the chocolate custard cake. The quality is definitely fresh and cake is well designed and decorated. The cream is smoothy. But I expected more, since they are famous.
My friends’ strawberry cake is okay too. I just wish that there would be more creative in it.
Overall, it is a 3.5 but the service makes up a .5 star.

Cozy Japanese café found in Chelsea, perfect to have desserts and tea to go along with relaxing hangouts with friend (s) and/​or date (s). Servers are friendly, but not attentive. They never come back to check how you’re doing, so took awhile to get their attention to either order or ask for the check. That and the steep prices are the only setbacks.
Mille crêpe: Good. Fresh and abundant layers of fruit. Light and not overly sweet cream. Personally, I prefer Lady M mille crêpe.
Green Tea Mousse Cake: Amazing. The cream is light and fluffy. The cake is spongy and light. They didn’t skimp on the matcha so it tasted like a true green tea cake. Loved the red bean layer on the bottom. It boosts the simple/​common green tea cake to another level. Perfect amount of sweetness. Favorite of the two cakes I’ve tried so far.
Apple Cinnamon Tea: Good balance of flavors.