HARBS SoHo Japanese Bakery: $19 Mille Crepe Slices Daily

HARBS, at 465 West Broadway between West Houston and Prince Streets in SoHo, is the Japanese cake house New Yorkers send visiting friends to when they want one slice that looks as good as it tastes. The glass case holds tall cakes built from thin crepes or chiffon sponge, light whipped cream and a lot of fresh fruit. Slices are cut to order and served at the table, so this is a sit-down Japanese bakery rather than a grab-and-go counter.

HARBS has been serving New York since 2014. In a customer notice on its site, the company thanks guests for putting their trust in HARBS in NYC for all the years since then, and the local operating company is listed as Shigemitsu New York. The brand's cakes follow a Japanese style that prizes freshness and balance: sponge that stays soft, cream that is barely sweet, and fruit cut in thick, generous pieces.

There used to be a second Manhattan branch in Chelsea, but only the SoHo room remains open today, so this is the address to plan around. The location helps. West Broadway is one of the gallery and boutique streets of SoHo, and a long sit over cake and tea between shops is exactly what the room is built for.

Inside, the space is bright and calm, with plenty of seating and a long view of the cake case. Unlike most Japanese bakeries in the city, where you pick up tongs and a tray, everything here is ordered from a server, plated and brought to your table with a pot of tea or coffee.

The signature is the fresh fruits mille crepe, $19 a slice on the official cake menu. Thin crepes are stacked with light whipped cream and a generous mix of fresh seasonal fruit, so every forkful cuts through several layers of crepe, cream and fruit at once, and the cake stays light enough to finish. One slice is easily big enough for two people who have just eaten lunch.

The strawberry cake is $18 a slice and is the Japanese classic: airy sponge, cream and whole berries, closer to a shortcake you would find in a Tokyo department store than to an American layer cake. For autumn, the waguri tarte is $20, a tart built around Japanese sweet chestnuts, the kind of seasonal cake that appears in Japan when the weather cools.

HARBS also posts a rotating seasonal list. The current one on its site runs from October 14 to November 22, so a visit this month will turn up cakes that will not be in the case by December. Ask your server which seasonal slices are still available, because popular cakes can run out by late afternoon.

The menu is not only sweets. HARBS serves savory Japanese cafe dishes, and the omelet rice is $25. Omurice is a Japanese diner staple: rice fried with seasoning, wrapped in a soft omelet and sauced, and it makes a good reason to come at midday rather than just for dessert.

The best value is the prix fixe at $30, which the menu describes as any omelet rice or pasta of your choice, served from 11 am to 6 pm. Savory plates stop being served at 6 pm, so later arrivals will find cake and drinks only. If you want both lunch and a slice of mille crepe, the earlier part of the day is the time to come.

HARBS takes reservations for whole cakes for pickup through its online reservation page. The rules are strict and worth knowing before you plan a birthday: make the reservation two days in advance and pay at the time of booking. The site states that once an order is placed it cannot be refunded.

Because the cakes are tall and loaded with fresh fruit, carry the box flat and plan a short trip home. A taxi is safer than a crowded subway platform. If you only need a few portions for a small group, buying several slices from the case and boxing them up is a lighter option than committing to a whole cake two days ahead.

Weekend afternoons are the busy period, when shoppers and tourists arrive at the same time, and a short line can form at the door while tables turn over. Weekday mornings right after the doors open at 10 am are the easiest time to walk in and choose from a full case.

Groups of four or more should come early on weekends. Sharing slices is normal here, and ordering two or three different cakes for a table is the best way to taste the range. Pair a fruit-heavy cake with black tea, and save coffee for the chestnut tart.

From West Broadway, Washington Square Park is a short walk north across Houston Street. On a fine day, the fountain and the arch make a good place to walk off a slice. Heading west on Houston brings you to Film Forum, the independent cinema, which pairs well with an afternoon of cake if you time a matinee.

SoHo's cast-iron blocks between Prince and Spring Streets are themselves worth a slow loop. Look up at the facades on Greene and Mercer Streets, where ornate cast-iron fronts line both sides of the street and reward anyone who walks slowly with an eye on the cornices.

Address: 465 West Broadway, New York, NY 10012, between West Houston Street and Prince Street. Phone: 212-473-1981. Hours: daily 10 am to 8 pm. The nearest subways are Prince Street on the R and W and Spring Street on the C and E, each a few minutes' walk away.

Seating is generous for Manhattan, and slices are served at the table. Whole cakes need two days' notice and prepayment. Before or after your visit, the Karpo APP can suggest a gallery, bookstore or dinner spot nearby in SoHo.