Shinmei Street is one of the most prominent streets in Aizuwakamatsu City. On this street you will find the famous castle of Tsurugajo, Oyakuen Garden, shops and local food. This is the street that also hosts festivals at various times of year, crowded with people buying treats from the food stalls, playing games at the booths or watching parades.
On this street, you will find a quaint little patisserie where you can take a break from sightseeing, and buy a few edible souvenirs. They serve meals during their lunch hours from 11am to 2:30pm, but their handmade pastries are available all day. They also make cakes and cookies that are boxed and displayed for your convenience.
Their freshly-made pastries are on display in a glass case. When I visited, I opted for a tea and pastry set. While it can be seen as a bit pricey (average of about 300 yen per pastry), you are also paying for the freshness of the pastry and time to relax and people watch through their floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
I ordered a milk tea and a Hazelnut Mont Blanc pastry. I am quite picky about milk tea, but this one was homemade and tasted amazing. The Mont Blanc wasn't too sweet and it was light and airy. My friend ordered a pastry which was like a strawberry cake, and a latte. The staff seated us at a table and brought us our food on nice plates. The atmosphere was a nice place to relax our feet and enjoy great homemade pastries.
Cafe Patisserie Ar. not only has a variety of pastries available for you to enjoy inside the cafe, they also have tables and shelves packed with an even larger selection of baked goods. They are open from 10am - 7pm, perfect time for a midday break from sightseeing.
Cafe Patisserie Ar. is located along Shinmei Street, parallel to Noguchi Street, which is an traditional road paved with cobbled red stones and old buildings turned into restaurants and cafes. It is located near Nanukamachi station, which is another traditional street where you can try your hand at the old art of painting candles, or painting the area's famous Akabeko cow.
