HINAR Dessert Bar & Café

While Roxy's anchors its corner with burritos and backyard-cookout energy, HINAR operates in a different gear entirely: this is where the neighborhood comes to Instagram a matcha latte so green it looks Photoshopped, then stay because the cake underneath that single carnation flower is actually worth the markup. It's not trying to feed you cheap or fast—it's selling you a moment, and the room knows it.

The space is airy, unexpectedly roomy for East Village, with outdoor seating that catches the post-beach crowd and enough table real estate that groups can sprawl without elbowing each other's pastries. The vibe skews casual but curated: staff in matching uniforms, everything spotless, the kind of place that takes its aesthetic as seriously as its menu. You order at the counter, find a seat, and settle in.

The cakes are the anchor—cheesecakes with floral toppers, banana krokan that reviewers warn is sweet enough to split, slices engineered to photograph well but soft and creamy enough that you're not just eating set dressing. The matcha is vivid, almost shockingly green, the kind that makes other cafés' versions look tired. Portions trend generous; locals know to share the larger pastries unless you're committed to a sugar coma.

Downsides: the drink menu is narrow, and if you're expecting complexity beyond sweetness, you might leave underwhelmed. Prices run high for what amounts to cake and coffee, but you're paying for the whole package—the look, the space, the fact that this is where East Village brings out-of-town visitors when they want something prettier than a taco shop. It's not a quick pit stop. It's the spot you choose when the point is to linger.