We were looking for a café/brunch place near Senba Lake. While looking at Google Maps we stumbled upon Buon Lavoro Café in Mito which had great reviews. The café was a short four minute walk from the lake and located just off of Sakura-dori. It was in a building attached to a small apartment building. Lunch/brunch was served from 11:00 to 14:30.

The interior was pretty small with several tables and a few counter seats. It had a very minimal and quaint vibe. There was dark flooring and furniture mixed with white walls and forest green accents. There were some baskets at the entry to put our bags in and numerous racks to hang up coats and jackets. Each of the place settings were put on these cute stands.

Buon Lavoro Café Menu

The lunch menu was comprised of pastas, paninis, café drinks, and desserts. The pastas on the menu were either oil, tomato, or cream. A rotational list of ingredients were written on these cute blackboards that explained what would be added to the pasta. Each of the pastas and panini came in a set with a salad and drink. For ¥300 more we could add a dessert to our meal. Which of course we did.

We ended up going with a caprese panini and a smoked salmon with avocado panini. To drink we chose the orange juice and caramel macchiato. For dessert we decided to try the chocolate cake, soufflé cheesecake, and the adult tiramisu.

Buon Lavoro Café Food Review

First up was the salad, which had nice tangy dressing.

The presentation of the panini with its angled cut, stacking, and clean white plate looked great. There were generous portions of salmon and avocado in mine. The warm bread with the salmon, avocado, and a creamy aioli type spread were wonderful. 10/10 would get again. I had to hold myself back from eating the whole panini. Amy’s was quite good as well. The warm bread had melted the mozzarella cheese and the tomato slices and pesto spread were a great combination. Our only gripe was that the panini were a little messy. When we took a bite, fillings would come out the other end. By the end of the panini, there was a small pile of fillings on the plate. This was a small price to pay as both the panini and their fillings were absolutely delicious. The small side of potato wedges were a nice supplement.

After we finishing our paninis, our desserts and drinks came out. Our only regret was that we got the orange juice. The orange juice was good, but it was just orange juice. The overly tart flavor did not go well with the desserts and caramel macchiato. The caramel macchiato looked and tasted amazing. The caramel drizzling helped cut the bitterness of the expresso. We definitely want to try more of there café drinks in the future.

Buon Lavoro Café Desserts Review

The desserts looked and tasted great. The presentation with the whipped cream, mint, powder sugar, and fruit looked sharp with there white plate and silver fork. The chocolate cake was quite dense. It had a muted chocolate flavor and went well with the whipped cream. The soufflé cheesecake was light, fluffy, and had a very smooth texture. The tiramisu was soft and spongey with just a hint of coffee flavor. We also want to try more of their desserts the next time we come.

Final Thoughts

We can’t wait to go back! The high reviews on Google Maps were well warranted. The food was wonderful and reasonably priced. There was a good variety on the menu with rotational pastas, so there will always be something new to try. If you happen to be by Senba Lake and are looking for a brunch place, then we highly recommend Buon Lavoro Café in Mito.

We also learned that they serve dinner as well, so we’ll have to come back for that.

Here is the link to their website.

More to Come…