Hi-Collar

A very charming Japanese coffee shop offering a variety of coffee, food and pastries. We tried the Tokyo blend iced coffee which was done right, refreshing and with depth. We were full so didn’t try the food, but some girls next to us had katsu sandwich whose katsu was freshly delivered from the curry establishment (curry ya) and another girl the café’s famous omurice– looking fluffy and tasty. We got the delicious chocolate hot cakes, not too sweet and quite light. Highly recommended!

One of my favorite places to get brunch! Love the atmosphere and the food. The ladies behind the counter are always so lively and fun! Sometimes this place can get a little cramped but for the food it’s worth it. At times the omelette on the omurice can either be a hit or a miss. When it’s good, it’s really moist and runny good that falls and draped over the rice when split with a knife. When it’s not, it’s like a huge spongy block of egg. I’m not sure why there’s this inconsistency but either way it’s still good.

Good spot, very small, only bar seating, isn’t too loud but doesn’t get too quiet most of the time.
Drinks
— Roman — Taru Sake & Sherry Wine w/​Cinnamon Stick — Not a very strong drink but the aroma is good.
— Denshin Rin — Easy to drink, stronger than the Roman, slight fruitier taste. Pretty expensive at $ 19 a glass, good but would try something else next time
Food
Pasta Dinner — I didnt enjoy this much as it had a creamy taste to it that I dont overly enjoy.
Chazuka — Raw Tuna with Soup Rice, sprinkled with seaweed. I enjoyed this dish, good aroma, good taste, bit salty in a good way. Would def get again.
Overall a very good experience, very small place, so it might get crowded.

another cozy place in L.E.S. (a little tight on the walking /​waiting room if it’s a full-​house) with a calm and quiet atmosphere and lovely décor and interior (check out their bathroom!). Both coffee and food are great here. The Tokyo Blend Pour Over as well as the Hot Cakes with gelato on the side were so delicious. My friend who came with me also enjoyed the Cold Brew Mizudashi Iced Coffee, Pork Katsu Sandwich and the Chocolate Parfait.

Beautiful interior, small and cozy, their Japanese cold drip coffee is pretty good. I also loved their hot cakes, very fluffy, but can be a bit heavy, however it’s probably the best morning combo with Japanese coffee!

4 stars for the menu, 3 stars for dining comfort.
This café is literally one counter long and four — five feet wide. The counter is large and will fit about 10 people across (comfortably), but it is definitely not a great place to meet a date or have lunch with a friend. Partially because you won’t be able to sit facing your companion, but mostly because there is not enough space to have a ‘private’ conversation. I appreciate that they offer coat hooks behind the counter and bag hooks under the counter, which helps to maximize space and minimize clutter, but it only helps so much.
I’d read up on the menu before coming in, and originally I’d wanted to try the Katsu sandwich. However, it seemed like most Unilocalers recommended the Omurice, so I went with the Original Omurice instead — adding on katsu as an additional topping.
The first thought that went through my head when I got my omurice was… I paid $ 4 for THAT much katsu!!! (Literally, like 3 baby strips of katsu!!!) I would not recommend getting the katsu because it definitely wasn’t worth the additional cost, and I actually found the katsu quite dry.
Otherwise, I found the Omurice to be extremely filling, and the perfect comfort food to warm up my belly on a cold winter day. The original sauce is a mixture of katsu sauce and ketchup, which was actually really delicious and creative!
Given the small space, they most likely don’t have a full kitchen in the back. I think a lot of their food is prepared elsewhere (next door?) beforehand and then heated up and served. I could hear what I thought was the beeping of a microwave coming from the back, and someone delivered a covered plate of katsu midway through my visit. As for the egg topping of the Omurice, I’m assuming they probably have a portable stove top in the back that they cook this on, which is impressive considering how perfectly runny the omelette was.
All in all, definitely a pricey place to have coffee or lunch. My lunch rang up to $ 15 and change not including tip. I might be back if someone else suggested it (and was willing to pay for my meal), but I think one visit is enough to satisfy my curiosity for this place.

Beautiful decoration from the floor to the ceiling
Great service
Unique coffees and drinks.
Loved everything

The omurice here is to die for. Everything else they have is really good, but I come here for the omurice.
The coffee selection is really cool as well, I recommend ordering the siphon coffee or at least asking a friend to do it so that you can watch them make it (it’s fun). I haven’t developed my coffee taste buds enough to tell if it tastes different though.
Did I mention to try the omurice? I like it with the demi-​glacé sauce.

I was hoping to grab dessert and dinner, and headed to Hi Collar after seeing pictures of delicious dessert and coffee. Unfortunately, when I arrived, I was presented with only a drinks and snacks menu. But the bartender was kind enough to show me the lunch menu and offered his recommendations. He was super helpful and let my party sample about five to six sakes before deciding on which ones to order. We finally decided on two and wasn’t disappointed. There is a nice speakeasy like ambience and great to catch up for drinks or nice for a date. I will definitely be back for lunch!

IMPECCABLE JEWEL! My late breakfast was a feast of intricate ritual and humbleness.
Katso Sando — my new favourite (I must confess I am finding a new favourite by the hour, here in NYC) sandwich. Pork & some kind of sweet/​sour Japanese barbecue sauce on a perfectly cut rectangular white bread is the base of this simple, yet extremely tasty sandwich. It comes with a side of pickled onions, celery and red pepper (ew. Not into red peppers, but the celery and onions were perfectly balanced), and also a little dish of mayo with bits and pieces of hard boiled egg. BALANCED TO THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG.
Coffee — I had a rich blend (I am not a coffee connoisseur. I just drink it. A lot. I also know the rituals. I Simply cannot remember all the blends. :(oops) prepared in a siphon. LOVEIT! The taste seems to erupt from the freshly ground beans. The china they serve is stunning. Each one unique. Check out the pictures to see the ones Gus and I got.
Hot Cakes — Japanese style pancakes served with local maple syrup and their speciality butter. Hmmm-​mmmm! Orgasmic!
Service is very low profile, eloquent and exact.
The place is small, just a bar that opens for coffee in the morning and becomes a sake bar at night.
Enjoy!!!
Don’t forget to visit the bathroom while you are there! It’s a golden oasis for you to get fixed up before heading out into the streets again.

Hi-​Collar is literally a bar, aka with one bar table top featuring about 10 seats right in front of the liquor bar, served by 1 – 2 bartenders/​servers.
I’ve been here once at night after dinner and once for lunch, one of my very close foodie friends told me about their menu (at the time I was very into Japanese lunches), it turned out that they offer a different menu throughout the day. I had several teas here, they were ok, their desserts were also just ok, the green tea cake was alright. My friends tried their iced coffees and found them somewhat unique, like a frappuccino, or a bubble tea kind of drink.
They have such good katsu sandwich and omelette rice, especially the katsu, we tried pork (I don’t usually eat pork), which was so crispy on the outside but juicy inside, that completely overturned my perspectives of pork katsu. I got the omu-​rice with gravy, sooo hot and creamy and tasty. Overally it’s a quick lunch spot or at night a nice and quiet sake bar. It’s so small that I guess you can’t really sit there for too long, because you’d feel pressured to leave if there’re guests waiting. The servers are extremely polite and nice though.

A 5-​star coffee experience.
Yesterday, my boyfriend and I enjoyed brunch here. We each had different iced coffees (I had a cold brew and he had a Tokyo blend), and they were each fantastic. We also loved the food — I had the omelette with mushrooms and cheese (it was super fluffy, and served over tomato rice with a ketchup-​y sauce), and he had the pancakes (which were absolutely perfect).
The restaurant is essentially an impeccably decorated bar, so not much room here for large groups.
Definitely not your typical NYC brunch, but super tasty and very interesting. I will definitely be back!

Came here for light lunch and catch up time with a friend at 12:30PM and was the first party here.
There is only bar seating (it’s a café by day, sake bar by night).
We ordered a katsu sandwich and a tamago sandwich to share. They’re both small and on the pricey side, but they’re delicious. The tamago is soft and fluffy and just melts in your mouth, while the katsu is juicy and crispy. (Come early if you want the katsu sandwich — they only have 10 servings a day.)
They specialize in coffee, but I wasn’t feeling it today. My friend ordered the apricot tea, which was decent and comes in a french press pot. I ordered a matcha banana shake, which was super delicious (albeit expensive), and a hot royal milk tea (overpriced, average).
The décor in here is minimal, but it just feels like you’ve been teleported to Japan. Also, all of the dishware is beautiful. It’s a great place to catch up with a friend over some coffee — I watched the barista make several drinks and they provided excellent service.
Definitely want to come back for the hot cakes and to try their coffee!

Like everyone has already said, their katsu sandwich (limited to 10 servings a day!) and hotcakes were really good. They offer a variety of options for coffee and other beverages, and it’s fun to watch the Japanese baristas with fedoras make coffee with various interesting looking tools right at the bar. The venue is well-​decorated and has a cozy, cute feel.
That being said, however, there are a couple of downsides to this place. Firstly, the venue is very small and narrow, which means you have to awkwardly stoop over the bar table while sitting on a rather uncomfortable, high rise chair throughout your meal and you are literally sitting shoulder to shoulder with people around you. Secondly, the portion is really small for the price you pay. My delicious katsu sandwich was gone in 3 – 4 bites.
I would recommend that you either come here for early, light lunch or just coffee on your own, or with one more person at max.

QUICK POINTERS
* Counter service [1]
* Narrow and small space; limited seats
* Slightly pricey but definitely worth for the quality
FOOD (experience)
* Chocolate Parfait [2]
* Katsu Sandwich [3]
* Tamago Sandwich [3]
* Hot Cakes [4]
OVERALL
I would recommend stopping by here if you plan on making multiple eating stops throughout the day, like me and my friends are guilty of. Perfect place if you’re just looking for some place light to eat, or to grab a cup of coffee or tea. Avoid rush hour because number of seats is limited. 2-​stars for food (quality and craftsmanship/​presentation), 1-​star for service, and 1-​star for the welcoming and genuine atmosphere of the restaurant.
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[1] I’m a personal fan of counter services because they allow for more intimate conversations and relation between the server and guest. Plus, I take great joy in watching them put the foods together.
[2] Perfect blend of taste, both in terms of flavor and texture that lets you actually appreciate each ingredient. Not at all overwhelming in sweetness nor chocolaty factor.
[3] Both make for perfect light weight pairings with a good cup of tea! I’m usually more accustomed to the Tamago Sandwich pairing with tea, but the Katsu sandwich has definitely made me re-​consider my favorites. So Tamago for the vegetarians and Katsu for the meat lovers.
[4] «Oh my goodness it’s so fluffy!» Yes! Nice, warm, airy, and very delicately made in front of you.

Seems like if you’re coming here for late night dessert, you better not. At night this place is a sake bar and if you’re not here to drink, they’re going to give you attitude about it and charge way too much for just dessert.
The reviews for this place was impressive so my boyfriend and I wanted to check it out after a night happy hours and speakeasy. At this point (11 pm ish) we just wanted some desserts. There were about 4 people at the bar and we were seated at the end. We asked if they had a dessert menu and the guy stressed listed things off. We picked the deluxe, but he made it a point to tell is that this was a sake bar and that we should be ordering drinks.
It took them about 15 min to assemble this plate that consisted of two rolls, some ice cream and canned fruits. Most expensive dessert that wasn’t even that spectacular. Extremely disappointed. If you didn’t want to serve us dessert, just tell us it’s not available.

Came back to try their LUNCH MENU.
PROS:
— No wait on Monday Afternoon. Place was empty when I came in.
THE OKAY:
— KATSU SANDWICH $ 13– the highly acclaimed katsu sandwich was MEDIOCRE. Yes it’s moist but the sandwich was kind of cold. I would have expected the katsu to be hot as it should have just came out from fryer but it was not.
— MISTY VALLEY MIZUDASHI ICED COFFEE $ 5 (coffee brand: 1000 faces from Ethiopia) [blueberry cobbler and dark chocolate]: This was alright. I am not a coffee expert so I had the barista recommend me a flavor and she told me most female customers liked Misty Valley for its fruity taste but I did not taste the blueberry and dark chocolate flavor as the description said it should taste like. I like that Mizudashi Coffee is NOT ACIDIC OR BITTER but the coffee in general tasted WATERED DOWN.
NOTE: $ 10 Minimum per person and to use credit card.

Hi-​Collar
NY Manhattan East Village
1pm Thursday 14^th May 2015
Five Stars
This is a cool experience. It reminds me of an old fashion ice cream/​coffee counter owned and operated by actual Japanese people. I ordered a Japanese Ice Coffee ($ 3.8) with Fordenza Brazilian Coffee Bean ($ 1 extra). She personally measured and ground the beans. Then she did a pour over. The coffee came in a copper mug with cold draft ice. The coffee was strong and enjoyable.
The 6 Japanese girls sitting to my right ordered food which looked delicious. The pasta of day, the tobiko omelette, and Katsu Sandwich looked amazing.
I will have to return.

Hi-​Collar gives you a glimpse of historical Japan. True to the original form of Japanese coffee houses, Hi-​Collar embraces Dutch style in its interior design and has an impressive offering of coffees, teas, and kissaten (Japanese café) food.
Japan was introduced to coffee at around the end of the 18^th century by the Dutch living in Nagasaki at the time. By the end of the 19^th century when coffee could be imported in to the country in bulk, drinking coffee became widely popular.
Historians say the first coffee shop opened its doors in Tokyo in 1888. The well-​to-​do romanticized North American culture, so at the time, coffee houses were the place to be seen, much like when Starbucks first embarked on establishing its coffee empire. Donning North American clothes and being coifed accordingly was a status symbol.
When at Hi-​Collar, be sure to try their coffees. Prepared cup-​by-​cup using one of several filtration methods — be it siphon, cold-​brew or pour-​over, the café has you covered. And the variety of beans?! Endless. Consult the brew master should you get lost in the sea of options.
To go with your beverage, try their katsu-​sandwich, which sells out early in the day, or the mentaiko-​pasta. These are my favorite dishes in the restaurant. For dessert, you can’t go wrong, going with one of their daily specials or their «hot-​cakes», which is what the Japanese call the pancake.

What an adorable Japanese café!
A matronly Japanese woman greeted us on a sunny Sunday. Beautiful cherry blossoms were perched on a vase behind her. Slim East Villagers filled the narrow bar, sipping their afternoon cup of joe.
There were two empty seats in this 13 stool café. Our group contained 6 people.
We opted for the Hi-​collar take out menu.
At Hi-​collar, they offer hot drip coffee or cold brewed hand dripped coffee. The beans are ground per order– which makes the wait slightly longer but oh so fresh!
The cup of hot coffee on this breezy Sunday afternoon was wonderful. The quality could rival one of my favorites– Blue Bottle.
Will definitely be back!