Hanamizuki Cafe — Restaurant in New York

I have been wanting to try the cute Japanese lunch set from Hanamizuki Café for a while. I finally got the chance to visit over the weekend. The inside is kind of small, but with a very high ceiling, it feels bigger. Also, bright white walls and ceiling and light-colored wood makes it look more open too. I liked the simple interior with small or not invasive decorations.

They have table seating on the left, and counter seating to the right. They have WiFi, so they had few people working on their laptop at the counter while enjoying their lunch. It is always nice to have WiFi…even if you don’t need it. Knowing that they have WiFi somehow put your mind to ease.

At the back of the restaurant is where the ordering counter is located. This is not a “waiter” service kind of place, so you need to go to the counter to order and pick up your food. They are mostly pre-made, so it is really fast.

We were there for their Rice Ball Combo, which you can get at a discounted price during lunch time (11am – 3pm). Lunch Special Rice Ball Combo comes with choice of two rice balls, choice of miso soup, choice of sozai-side dish, and Japanese pickles. If you choose “Premium Rice Ball,” they are 75 cents extra each. The rice balls are kind of small, but very, very tasty. The soups are pretty good too, they are so much more than regular old miso soup.

We also had Green Tea Roll Cake to share. It was soooo fluffy, airy, great green tea flavor. It was dessert heaven… They also have chocolate and vanilla flavor, I might have to try them all the next time. I am really glad I finally got to visit and try their lunch combo! Read my full review of this cafe and food on my food blog,...

The cutest Japanese café serving onigiri and kakigori, run by a lovely mother-and-daughter duo. It felt like stepping into a cozy scene from an anime. The matcha shaved ice, the drinks, the illustrated menu…everything was so charming and perfect for any matcha lover.

It was pretty busy when I visited on the weekend, but they still greeted me with the kindest smiles and made me feel so welcome.

＊Matcha Shaved Ice $14.80 ＊Mango Shaved Ice $14.80 The best matcha kakigori I’ve had outside of Asia—especially impressive at this price point. Even the ice itself tasted like matcha/mango ice cream, not just plain ice with syrup. I loved the toppings: the matcha warabimochi and red bean were perfect complements.

＊Onigiri $5.50/pc (Musubi, Mentaiko, Sukiyaki, Salmon) A huge step up from store-bought onigiri. These rice balls were fresh, warm, and loaded with delicious toppings. The musubi and mentaiko were my top picks. It was actually my first time trying musubi, and the rice mixed with sun-dried tomatoes was such a great touch.

＊Mango Matcha Latte $6.75 ＊Strawberry Hojicha Latte $7.00 Reasonably priced for flavored matcha/hojicha! You could tell right away from the vibrant colors how rich the tea flavors were. I especially loved the housemade fruit syrup . Both drinks were great, but the hojicha stood out for me as it’s tough to find a good hojicha...

It’s rare to find a place that specializes in rice balls in New York City, so I was thrilled to discover it. But I was disappointed in the execution of the rice balls. In Japan, a typical rice ball restaurant makes them fresh so the rice is warm and the nori is crisp. But at this place, they are premade and the rice comes room temperature. One of my rice balls even came wrapped in plastic! (Wrapped in plastic is OK when you get it at a grocery store but in a restaurant?) And it doesn’t take long to make a rice ball so I don’t understand why they choose to pre-make them. I’d be happy to wait a few more minutes if they did it that way. I do like the simplicity of the menu and the set option, which gives you two rice balls, miso soup and a little vegetable dish. But the set meal with a cup of coffee and a tip cost me $25. It’s fine to pay that amount of money for lunch, but since you don’t get much food, it feels like a very light lunch. As far as the atmosphere, it’s pleasant and cute, with somewhat dim lighting and there’s a steady flow of customers. But when it’s full, there isn’t a clear system for getting the next available table — just whoever can grab one first and as a customer, it would make things easier if they had a list so people don’t have to compete...