During Golden Week, I found myself driving around the Mito area with nothing to do. I had already had a big breakfast, but I could have gone for some coffee and sweets. Luckly, a friend had told me about a little place in Mito that did both. Off I went to High Harbor in Mito.
High Harbor
High Harbor is located in the Senbacho area of Mito. It is snuggled in a neighborhood away from the main streets of Mito. My wife was working during this time, so this was a solo Ibaraki Eats outing.
When I arrived at High Harbor, I parked at the back of the cafe and the owner of the place was in the garden area, chilling and reading a newspaper. He promptly informed me that I parked in the wrong area.
High Harbor's parking is a small walking distance away from the cafe. The parking lot is in front of a house with a bunch of chopped wood in front of it. I guess this is the owner's place.
Inside
After parking at the right parking lot, I walked inside and immediately liked the place. It felt like a great place to sit down, chill out, and have a nice cup of coffee. The owner came out from the back and handed me the menu. Have you ever been to Bikuri Donki and opened up their wooden menu to order a Hamburg steak? High Harbor had the same kind of menu but smaller. It was hard to read the menu and there was no English on it. Luckily, the owner was next to me and explained that they had a bunch of different blends of coffee, pasta, and homemade ice cream. I decided to get a coffee with homemade ice cream.
Mexican Blend
I have to apologize. I didn't write or remember what this coffee was called on the menu. I do remember that the owner told me it was a Mexican blend. I sipped my hot coffee as soon as it came to my table, without sugar or cream. It was good. It was a strong coffee with a light after taste which I like. This blend really woke me up and it was nice to sip in the relaxed atmosphere. It also went great with the homemade ice cream I ordered.
Caramel and Cinnamon Homemade Ice Cream
There are two homemade ice creams you can choose from at High Harbor. The kinako and black syrup ice cream, which is super Japanese, or the caramel and cinnamon ice cream. I went with the caramel and cinnamon ice cream that day.
When my ice cream finally came to my table, my first thought was "this is going to be interesting." I got a spoonful of ice cream and gave it a try. This ice cream took my senses for a wild ride. It was so weird but so good. It smelled like a sweet soda when I held the ice cream close to my nose. Then when I put it in my mouth, the caramel and cinnamon flavor mixed around and hit my taste buds like a ton of bricks. It was a bit odd but fantastic. I enjoyed every spoonful of this ice cream and can't wait to try the other option.
High Harbor was a nice relaxing break from my drive home to Tsuchiura. The atmosphere is nice, the coffee is good, and the homemade ice cream is amazing. I hope I can go back soon with my wife so we can try different coffee flavors and homemade ice cream. I also want to have said coffee and ice cream in the small garden area and enjoy the day.
So if you are around Mito and would like to relax with some delicious coffee and ice cream why not give High Harbor a chance. Who knows, you might see me there, enjoying a cup of coffee and cooling down with some fantastic homemade ice cream.
Enjoy!
For more information on High Harbor, check out their Twitter account:
A special thank you to Adam Suslak for another great recommendation.
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