HARBS
“However, I highly recommend all of the fruit cakes at Harbs, especially the Fruit Mille Crepe and the Strawberry Shortcake.”
“The environment and service is better than lady M.
Like their idea of herbs.”
“My willpower buckled under the sight of their chestnut-sweet potato confection.”
HARBS
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Working: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
8 reviews
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HARBS – perfect spot for a girls delightful afternoon tea time (like many Japanese style food, the cakes are beautiful, delicate, light in sugar and delightful). It has been sitting on my to-visit list for more than a year now! I'm so glad that I finally visited with my friend who had always wanted to visit too!
Staff was super friendly. We got the Sakura (the Japanese name of cherry blossom) cake, the Mille crepe, coffee and seasonal Sakura tea. Everything was wonderful and delicious yet not too sweet. Sakura tea is flavorful with plum and light salted Sakura.
I can't decide which cake I like better, they are both pretty good. The Mille crepe cake is fresh, fruity (6 layers of fruits! Honey dew, strawberry, kiwi fruit and banana. The crepes are so soft that they are insensible without a texture in my mouth. There weren't too much cream that would overwhelmed the fruits. It was just the right light amount to accompany the natural sweet of the fruits. Very well executed cake! The Sakura cake is very delicate and beautiful. The jelly-like mousse is drier than mousse cakes I had at other Japanese bakeries (prob make the shape more stable?). I especially like the light salted Sakura on the top, a little surprise in a desert yet gentle and balance.
The visit was wonderful. Lastly, it's hard for me to compare HARBS with Lady M. They are different. The Mille crepe here is a focus on fruits while lady M is very creamy. However, For a sit down afternoon tea I would prefer HARBS over Lady M because the sitting area is very cosy, comfortable; staff is super friendly; plus they also offer free refilling of tea and coffee!
My friend surprised me with a Chocolate Strawberry Cake from this place and it is DELICIOUS! I am a big fan of desserts and huge critic and this one definitely made my list! The strawberries were SO FRESH! The chocolate was super airy and the cream was so light! I will definitely come by one day to try their other desserts!
After a satisfying brunch, walked by this place for a sweet cap off to the meal. Wonderfully looking cakes lined in the front, friendly servers, and a larger-than-it-looks interior to enjoy the food.
Looking at the prices – value-wise, the lunch set was the best option. For $19 – choice of sandwich, coffee/tea, and a slice of the day's cake. Settled on the croque-monsieur, english breakfast tea, and the mille-crepe slice. I wasn't really all that hungry, so thought I could take the sandwich to go, yet was informed that wasn't an option. Cake is solid (creamy, filled the fruit flavor), but tinier than if you bought just the cake slice outright. Sandwich is toasted very well, served with a basic salad and boiled potatoes.
Service is okay – again wish they let me just take the sandwich to go. Prices are definitely on the high end for slices and drinks, so more of a once-in-a-while type of spot.
I like the cakes here! I am a big fan of Lady M but sometimes think its cake too creamy and sweet.
Greatly, I found this place. It offers a diverse kind of layered cakes as well as other cakes, but all in a lighter version.
They have layered cake with a variety of fruits inside.
Also, the chocolate cake, the strawberry cake all taste yummy!
The location is not convenient to me – on the far west side. But should be a good option if you walk around the High Line and stop by for an afternoon-tea rest.
I love Harbs. I've been to Harbs twice now, each time sitting down at the restaurant and getting cakes and teas to share. I came here on a Sunday afternoon and the place was not too crowded and with prompt service. Unlike other sit-down dessert parlors like Lady M or Laduree, you can actually sit down at Harbs and enjoy a nice afternoon out with friends without feeling rushed by the hordes of people waiting for seats.
Harbs cakes are good in that they are not overly sweet. During my recent visit we ordered the strawberry cake and the royal milk tea cake, both having just the right amount of sweetness to not overpower the delicate flavors of the fresh strawberries and milk tea. I also ordered a pot of their seasonal lemongrass green tea, which was a good palate cleanser in between bites. I would definitely recommend this place to dessert lovers out there!
My experience here was spectacular! When my friends and I walked in, all the employees warmly greeted us with smiles. We were one of the only ones in the restaurant so it was a nice semi private dining experience.
The lunch combo comes with a sandwich of your choice, a salad, a slice of the cake of the day, and English breakfast tea or coffee. All for $19. I loved the BLT sandwich. What made it stand out the most was the toast and mayo. The toast had a milk essence and was nice and fluffy. The Japanese-styled mayo had a special sweetness to it making the flavor of the sandwich very unique.
The cake of the day was Strawberry Mousse. What I enjoyed the most was the fact that you can taste the realness of the ingredients. The strawberry mousse tasted like real strawberries, not artificial syrup.
The ladies that worked there were super sweet (hehe). Not only were they super polite when serving our food, but they were attentive in refilling our tea and coffee. I ordered a Crêpe Mille cake to-go. The employee that helped me also packed my cake nicely and walked around the counter to hand me my cake. These are things that really make a dining experience pleasant.
I don't come to NYC often, but that might change soon~
Great cake options. Many are unique in ingredients or presentation. It's pricy but the quality is certainly there.
In my last visit, I ordered an entire White Peach Cheesecake. The peaches were fresh and balanced so well and the cheesecake was smooth and lite. It isn't a thick sort of cheesecake and could easily be consumed in bulk because it's so delicious. With such an abundance of cake options, you'll want to plan on a few trips back.
Certainly one of the pricier cakes I've eaten but you get what you paid for. Not being a typical fan of sweets and cakes, I find myself enjoying these cakes very much.
Some of their popular cakes are seasonal. Would be nice to get an idea when those season periods are so its easier to schedule for celebrations and such.
Everyone talks about Lady M, which I thought was probably overvalued too much. HARBS definitely has everything Lady M carries, and even more.
My friend and I dropped by HARBS after a short lunch in Chelsea market, and both of us were looking for some place delicate and hearty. We quickly decided on the the Mille crepe and Sakura seasonal cake for share, paired with Sakura tea and Manhattan blend. Forget about those traditional types of cake, which were pretty much loaded with cream and calorie (yet way too sweet), this fruity crepe was something else – refreshing, spongy, yet still carried the creamy texture. The Sakura cake, on the other hand, had a jelly texture, which made a perfect combination with the marinated Sakura bulb on top.
Strongly suggest the seasonal Sakura tea. It was hard to describe, but having one bite of Sakura cake and one sip of Sakura tea absolutely made my whole afternoon shine! HARBS also does refill for coffee and teas, while Lady M does nothing.