La Cote d'Azure Cake Shop — Restaurant in Tsukuba

This location can be quite busy (there will sometimes be a line of cars outside the parking lot, waiting to get in), but there is a good selection of cakes inside. They have a full display of packaged gift cakes, too, so you can get both freshly made cakes to dine in or to go as well as frozen, room temp, and chilled cakes/pastries to take with you. There is also a dedicated counter for custom-order cakes. This place is always busy and you might need to wait 5 to 10 minutes to pay. You order first, then get a ticket with a number. Once your order is fully and expertly prepared, you get called and can pay. They take many forms of payment, including PayPay.

The prices are quite high, compared to other cake shops, but reasonable in view of the quality and what you'd pay in Tokyo for the same thing. They have plenty of outdoor but no indoor seating.

Their chocolate cakes are particularly good because they have both dense chocolate and lighter, mousse-type cakes. This store does not cater to the lactose-intolerant as most cakes have fresh cream in them. They are heavy in flavor and very, very rich. The lattes are good, too, as they are heavy in milk and have a deep-roasted flavor. I recommend getting the seasonal cakes (like the chestnut Mont Blanc) since they are usually pretty excellent in both flavor and texture. The cakes with fruit in them are also excellent and bursting with flavor. The packaged snacks are of very high quality and they have many frozen desserts that are great (like the cheesecake).

The parking area is covered in cameras that automatically recognize and read your license plate. After you buy something, you need to tell them you drove there and they will give you a QR code on a slip of paper. You get 1 hour of free parking with that. When you leave, you use the machine in front of the store to find your car (you type in the 4 numbers on your license plate); it then shows you a picture of your car and you scan the QR code. If you stayed longer than an hour, you will need to add money. It will then complete the transaction and you can leave without issue. If you try to drive off without paying or scanning, the store will know your...

Went here to get a cake for a friend's birthday. Has a small selection of large cakes that can be split between people. The selection for small personal cakes, however, is fantastic. They both look and taste delicious. If you are getting a cake for a birthday, they can put a cookie on it with "happy birthday _" written in either...

A fine bakery close to the Tsukuba center that has many enticing desserts to buy and try: from big cakes, small lemon cakes and cheese cakes, to raisin cookies; there is something for everyone. The only problem that I find is the lack of tables and chairs, being "to take home" the main choice,...