Fantastic coffee and cinnamon rolls!

Hey everyone!
I know that last week I talked about a cafe in Tsukuba, and I am doing it again this week. I wasn't planning on writing about two cafes in one month but this cafe must be written about. I have gone to this cafe twice. Both times, it was a delicious and fun exerpeience. The sweets are fantastic and the coffee is excellent. Today, I will be talking about L'hirondelle Coffee & Bakes.

L'hirondelle Coffee and Bakes

L’hirondelle is located in the Amakubo area of Tsukuba. The café is on the same street as Matsumi Park and right across from Azuma Junior High School. If you plan to go to L’hirondelle by car like we did, there are a few parking spaces next to the café. The café shares parking with a few other restaurants and shops in the same building. There is a wine shop, a halal supermarket, and a Sri Lankan restaurant. Biking here is also a good option, and there should be a bus stop nearby.
My first trip to L’hirondelle wasn’t with Mrs. Ibaraki Eats, unfortunately. She was working and would have to wait until the next Monday. I visited L’hirondelle for the first time a few weeks ago with a buddy of mine. We planned to grab a coffee and then head to Tsukuba Brewery to pick up some beers to take home.
My buddy drove us to L’hirondelle and parked next to the café. From the outside, the café looked brand new. Its large, clean windows showcased the inside of the café. It looked very promising, so we headed in.

Inside

When we walked inside, we were greeted by the café’s wide, open space and an interior that looked brand new. I believe L’hirondelle was built at the end of last year. There are no traditional tables around the café, and the middle of the space is completely open. Instead, a long wooden bench stretches around the café. Along the benches are small round tables where you can place your coffee and treats.
Before sitting down, we walked up to the long, new-looking wooden counter area and placed our order.

The Menu

Great news, everyone! The menu is available in both English and Japanese. It’s divided into a coffee section and a tea section. As for the sweets, there is a smaller, separate menu that lists the special desserts of the day. On the day we visited, the featured sweets were an espresso cheesecake and a cassata.
If you’re looking for even more sweets, you’ll have to look away from the menu and toward the display case next to the register. The selection in the display case seems to change from day to day. When we visited, there were cinnamon rolls, nut granola cookies, sesame pound cake, and a special Japanese sweet.
My buddy and I ordered a few coffees and desserts. We couldn’t wait to try them.

Cortado

This was the coffee that I ordered: the cortado. A cortado is a Spanish espresso drink that is typically served with a one-to-one ratio of espresso and steamed milk. Cortados still have that strong espresso flavor, but the milk helps cut the acidity, which makes them smooth and easy to drink.
L’hirondelle’s cortado looked fantastic. I took a sip and it was incredible. The balance between the milk and espresso was perfect. It had that bold espresso flavor, but the milk made it nice and rich while still being easy to drink.
Drinking this cortado made me want to lean back against the glass and relax in the café for the rest of the day. Honestly, I could easily order another twenty of these over the course of a week.

Nut Granola Cookie

After taking a few heavenly sips of my delicious cortado, I took a bite of the nut granola cookie. This cookie was great. The nuts and granola were all held perfectly together by the melted marshmallow in the middle of the cookie. The flavor was light and pleasant, making it very easy to enjoy.
I would definitely recommend this as a breakfast cookie since it wasn’t too heavy.

Cinnamon Roll

If you are lucky enough to see the cinnamon roll in the sweets display case, order it. Get some coffee, of course, but your priority should be the cinnamon roll. I’ve been let down by a lot of cinnamon rolls in Japan. Some of them looked amazing, but after taking a bite, I was hit with a hard and unpleasant taste and hardly any cinnamon flavor.
L’hirondelle’s cinnamon roll may be one of the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had in Japan. And yes, I’m including all of Japan in that statement. I’ve tried cinnamon rolls in Tokyo, and I don’t think any of them even come close to the amazing cinnamon roll that L’hirondelle makes.
When I first looked at L’hirondelle’s cinnamon roll, I was in awe of how beautiful it was. Its layers were perfectly wrapped into a roll, topped with a white, gooey icing. Some people love biting straight into a cinnamon roll and eating it as it is. Personally, I love biting into the end of the cinnamon roll, unraveling it by hand, and then eating those soft, sweet, long pieces one by one.
This cinnamon roll did not disappoint in that regard. The long pieces came off smoothly and perfectly when I tore them away. The cinnamon roll was incredibly soft and warm. When I put a piece in my mouth, it felt like it melted instantly, filling my mouth with sweet cinnamon flavors. It was magical. I could eat this cinnamon roll every day if I could.
My buddy was also a huge fan of the cinnamon roll. He liked how well it paired with his coffee and even thought about taking one home.

Espresso Tonic

My buddy and I visited L’hirondelle on a Saturday. That same night, I told my wife about the café, and we decided to visit it for our morning coffee on Monday. I needed to get some things done in Mito that day, so before heading there, we stopped by L’hirondelle to grab some coffee and sweets.
My wife was amazed by how new and spacious the café felt. She ordered a café latte with a nut granola cookie. I was a bit disappointed that the cinnamon roll wasn’t available that day, but we ended up getting another sweet instead. I also wanted to try another coffee from the menu. On Saturday, the espresso tonic had sold out, so I decided to give it a try this time.
Usually, espresso tonics have one or two shots of espresso poured over tonic water, and baristas often add a slice of lime as well. This drink can be tricky. You’re either going to get a bubbly espresso-flavored drink or a lighter drink where the lime flavor is too strong. It’s hard to get the balance just right.
L’hirondelle gets it perfect.
The drink was refreshing, with the perfect balance of espresso and bubbly tonic water. I especially loved the foam on top, which added a nice flavor to the overall espresso tonic. My wife liked it too, and she really enjoyed her café latte. She said it wasn’t too strong and was very easy to drink.
It was a great start to our little adventure to Mito.

Banana Pound Cake

Since we couldn’t order the cinnamon rolls, we settled for the banana pound cake instead. My wife was also a bit disappointed that she couldn’t try the cinnamon rolls, but once she took a bite of the banana pound cake, her disappointment quickly disappeared and was replaced with a face of pure bliss. She loved every bite of it.
The cake had a layer of buttercream on top that enhanced the flavor and made the pound cake even more moist than it already was. I took a bite and loved it as well. It tasted incredibly fresh and had that rich banana flavor that you hope for in a good banana pound cake. It was a great way to start our day. My wife is already hoping we can go back to L’hirondelle soon—she still needs to try the cinnamon rolls.
Both of my visits to L’hirondelle were magical. The coffee was excellent, the sweets were out of this world, and the owners were extremely nice and welcoming. I hope to make this café a regular spot that I visit during the week.

So if you find yourself around the Amakubo area of Tsukuba and are in the mood for some coffee and sweets, why not give L’hirondelle a chance? Who knows—you might see us there, drinking some excellent coffee while (hopefully) enjoying a cinnamon roll.
Enjoy!

For more information on L'hirondelle, check out their Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/lhirondelle_coffee/