A café is a nice place to stop, take abreak, refuel, and maybe enjoy some air conditioning or ambiance. Lots ofpeople prefer their favorite local hole in the wall or the beloved Starbuckshere in America, but what about over in Japan? Tokyo is known for its themedcafés, but which ones should you visit?
The 21 best themed cafés in Tokyo, inno particular order, are as follows:
- Vampire Café
- ARTNIA Square Enix Café
- Ninja Akasaka
- Maidreamin
- PEANUTS Café
- Gundam Café
- Moomin House Café
- Pompompurin Café
- Swallowtail Butler Café
- Cinnamoroll Café
- Kawaii Monster Café
- Pokémon Café
- Alcatraz ER
- Little TGV
- 8bit Café
- Godzilla’s Restaurant
- Rokunen Yonkumi
- One Piece Café
- Totoro Cream Puff Café
- Doraemon Café
- Straw Hat Café
In this article, I will cover each of thecafés listed in more detail, providing you with their phone number, location,and even a website if I can. I’ll also tell you everything there is to knowabout these establishments, such as where you can find the café, what kinds offood/drinks they have, and what makes it worth visiting in the first place.Let’s go!
What to Expect From This Article
Tokyo’s 21 Best Themed Cafés
1. Vampire Café
Halloween is coming up next month, but theVampire Café in Ginza maintains the spook factor all year long. As the nametells you, this café has a rather macabre theme: vampires.
A Diamond Dining establishment in theheart of the Ginza shopping district, you have to climb to the seventh floor ofthe building here to reach the Vampire Café. With lots of maroon velvetcurtains, candles, and even coffin-shaped booths and menus, this place reallytakes its theme seriously.
Some of the rooms, like bathrooms andmirrors in halls, have blood streaks, but don’t worry, as it’s not real blood.If you’re hoping to come in here for a quick beverage, keep looking, as theVampire Café has more restaurant vibes than those of a quick in-and-outestablishment. All the food, besides being delicious, maintains the creepyvibes in its presentation.
Contact info: 104-0061Tokyo, Chuyo City, Ginza, 6 Chome-7-6 | 81-3-3289-5360
2. ARTNIA Square Enix Café
If you happen to pass through Shinjuku andyou’re a huge fan of Square Enix, then you will not want to miss the ARTNIASquare Enix Café. Located at Square Enix’s Shinjuku headquarters, aka a giantskyscraper, the building should catch your attention anyway.
Inside, you’ll find a shop where you canbuy as much merch pertaining to Square Enix’s intellectual properties as yourheart desires and your wallet allows. Then there’s the café, a clean, whitespace with plastic tables and chairs and artfully arranged ceiling lights.
Lattes decorated with Final Fantasy characterartwork and delicious fluffy pancakes topped with fruit and a sweet dollop ofwhipped cream are just some of the food items you can sink your teeth into whenyou visit this café. When you’re done eating, work off your meal by taking inthe small museum within the café, which fans lovingly refer to as the FinalFantasy shrine.
Contact info: ShinjukuEastside Square, 6 Chome-27-30 Shinjuku City, Tokyo | 81-3-6457-6714
3. Ninja Akasaka
If you’d like to take in true ninjaculture, then mosey your way over to Ninja Akasaka.This restaurant/café, as the name implies, will let you experience a healthy doseof authentic ninja-ness. For starters, all the food has ninja-inspired names,such as the shuriken star-blades grissini or ninja-style roast lamb with Koreanflavoring.
The presentation of your dishes stickswithin the theme perfectly, too. Food is served with ninja blades protrudingout of the center of some dishes or with decorative shurikens (bet you neverthought you’d eat anything with decorative shurikens, huh?). The bonsai treeshere are even edible, and they’re a sweet treat to boot. Just maybe askpermission before you start snacking.
Within the establishment, you’ll findrock-clad walls, small manmade ponds with dragon sculptures spitting out water,and sliding wooden doors that give the place a real Japanese flavor withoutbeing over-the-top.
Contact info: TokyoPlaza Akasaka, 100-0014 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Nagatacho, 2 Chome-14-3 |81-3-5157-3936
4. Maidreamin
Maidreaminis definitely the type of place that comes to mind when you think about athemed café in Tokyo. The café is filled with maids who, according to thewebsite, “do their best…to put smiles on masters and princesses’ faces.”
Depending on the uniform the maids wear,they’re at different levels. For instance, the plainest dress is that of atrainee. Next, there’s the regular maids, then the dream maids, and finally,the kiralis maids at the highest level. Also, the maids will have badges ontheir uniforms that let you know what they can and cannot do. Those maidswearing yellow badgers can perform 10 or more songs and those with pink badgescan do a live show.
You can even pay extra to take photos withthe maids so you have a memento of your unforgettable day. This costs between800 and 1,500 yen depending on the package you choose. Of course, there’s foodand drinks, too.
Contact info: 3-16-17Sotokanda, Chiyoda, 101-0021 Tokyo Prefecture | 81-3-6905-7735; you can alsovisit more than 15 other Maidreamin locations
5. PEANUTS Café
If you like Charlie Brown, Snoopy,Woodstock, and the gang, then make it a point to stop by the PEANUTS Café atsome point during your trip to Japan. It’s Tokyo’s little homage to the greatAmerican comic. While the café maybe doesn’t look as bright and flashy as someof the other places on this list, its menu is utterly charming. Plus, it’slocated near the Meguro River, so it makes for a nice sightseeing destination.
The interior has really great Peanutscollectibles, including some merch that was limited edition. After you’re donetaking in all the cool stuff, head upstairs and get ready to eat. You can enjoya slew of items here, including drinks, desserts, and salads. Some of the menustandouts are a berry cheese cream, walnut and carottes rapees, and goose eggsliders with buns embossed with Snoopy’s face.
If you truly love Snoopy, make sure youshop the café’s selection of clothing, dishware, and more featuring the lovabledog mascot and other Peanuts characters. When getting off at NakameguroStation, you can easily get to the PEANUTS Café by walking for less than 10minutes. Don’t miss it!
Contact info: 2Chome-16-7 Adobadai, Meguro City, Tokyo | 81-3-6452-5882
6. Gundam Café
With the Gundam statue such a belovedTokyo landmark, it make sense to have a Gundam Caféin the vicinity. You can get there from the Toei Subway by walking threeminutes, the Tsukuba Expressway from Akihabara Station by walking only twominutes, and the JR Line from Akihabara Station by foot in one minute.
The menu includes alcoholic beverages inGundam-etched glasses, food like sandwiches and pizza, and ornate desserts.Make sure you order a latte, as the staff here will decorate the foam to looklike your favorite Gundam characters.
When you’re finished eating and sipping,don’t leave the café without checking out the attached shop. Here, you can findgreat souvenirs and maybe a gif or several for yourself. The Gundam shop isstocked full of keychains, t-shirts, mugs, posters, and even Gundam ramen. Yep,you read that right. Gundam ramen.
Contact info: 1-1Kana, Hanaokacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo | 03-3251-0078
7. Moomin House Café
The adorable Moomin House Caféis dedicated to a Finnish series of comics and books that began in the 1940scalled the Moomins. These curious characters include Moomintroll or Moomin, themain character, his friend Snork Maiden, Sniff, Moominmamma, and Moominpappa.
The café is decorated with all thingsMoomin, including the wallpapering and the artwork. You may even spot someplush Moomin characters sitting at the booths. Besides the sweet quaintness ofthis café, it’s also got pretty delicious offerings. One dish, the SouvenirMoomin House Pancakes, may cost 1,800 yen, but it’s totally worth the price.
That’s because this breakfast or dessertincludes milk-based pancakes (a unique take on a standard pancake recipe) andceramic figurines of all the Moomins, one of which you get to keep.
Contact info: 131-0045Tokyo, Sumida City, Oshiage, 1 Chome-1-2 | 81-3-5610-3063
8. Pompompurin Café
In case you’re not familiar, Pompompurinis a giant golden retriever wearing a beret. He’s a Sanrio creation and hasbeen around since 1996. Although he’s not as well-known as Hello Kitty, he didget his own café, so there.
The Pompompurin Café is anything butunderstated. The door is surrounded by a giant outline of the sweet dog. Onceyou get inside, you’ll see the décor has Pompompurin everywhere, from giantceramics in the main entry to plushes, toys, and all the merch you can shake astick at everywhere else. The lovely white and yellow striped benches arereminiscent of the dog’s color scheme as well. The café opened in 2014.
You can get lunch or drinks at this establishment,with the most noteworthy dish the chicken-coconut curry. Not only does thishave authentic Japanese curry with a twist, but the meal comes out shapedlike…yes, you guessed it, Pompompurin.
Contact info: CuteCube Harajuku, 150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 1 Chome-7-1 3 |81-3-5786-0770
9. Swallowtail Butler Café
If Maidreamin is more for the men, thenthe SwallowtailButler Café is for the ladies.Instead of women in maid costumes, this establishment has men in butleruniforms. Meant to mimic the premise of some anime, women can come alone orwith a partner.
The Victorian theming throughout makes theSwallowtail Butler Café a fun place to visit regardless. The exterior has fauxivy crawling along the entry sign, and inside, plush curtains, crushed redvelvet surfaces, posh artwork, floral wallpapering, and ornate light fixturesabound.
As you might imagine, such an upscaleestablishment has a fine dining menu, with dainty desserts and fancy drinkssure to make your mouth water.
Contact info: 170-0013Tokyo, Toshima City, Higashiikebukuro, 3 Chome-12-12 | 81-3-5957-1555
10. Cinnamoroll Café
Getting back to the cutesy stuff, next, I’vegot another café for you that’s dedicated to a Sanrio character. This time it’sthe adorable Cinnamoroll, a white dog with long ears, little pink cheeks, andblue eyes.
It’s a newer café, having opened its doorsin 2017. According to Sanrio lore, Cinnamoroll used to reside in Café Cinnamon,so he may know a thing or two about cafés. If you’re near Shinjuku Station, youonly have to walk six minutes to get to this fun establishment.
You can get a full meal here, with drinks,food, and dessert. Some favorite dishes include the shortcake, the beefstroganoff, and the omu rice. All three meals have traces of the adorable dog,whether the food is shaped like him, served in cups and on plates with hisface, or even straws with Cinnamoroll paper inserts.
Contact info: ShinjukuMarui Annex, 160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, 3 Chome-1-26 | 81-3-6380-1175
11. Kawaii Monster Café
I hope you’re not feeling overdosed oncuteness yet, because I absolutely have to talk about the Kawaii Monster Café.During the day, they’re a saccharine café filled to the brim with colorfulcakes, candy, and other sweets. There are some savory items, too, I swear, likesalads and sliders.
By night, the Kawaii Monster Cafétransforms into a party zone with events like Tokyo Under Land, ThursdayBurlesque, Tokyo Pop Culture Night, and Kawaii Night. While the overwhelminglycolorful and cute aesthetic doesn’t die off once the sun goes down, theestablishment does become more decidedly risqué.
This café is pretty much the physicalrepresentation of Harajuku: trendy, colorful, bright, brash, and fashionable.Don’t miss your chance to visit and take some awesome pictures to decorate yoursocial media feed.
Contact info: YMSquare, 150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 4 Chome-31-10 | 81-3-5413-6142
12. Pokémon Café
Pokémon is a franchise that needs nointroduction. Debuting in the late 1990s, Pikachu and the gang have caught onwith billions of people, not only in Japan, but in the US, too. I remembergrowing up with the Pokémon games on Gameboy as well as the trading cards andanime, and I’m sure lots of other people do, too.
The Pokémon Café is a chance to reliveyour childhood while making awesome new memories. All the dishes are emblazonedwith the faces or body shapes of your favorite Pokémon, from Pikachu pancakesto curry or rice balls that look like Eevee evolutions Espeon and Umbreon.There’s even an Eevee burger with little ears!
The café doesn’t scream Pokémon in itsdécor choices, but that’s okay. The signage and ceramic Pokémon at the tables areenough to get you excited for your experience, not to mention the boatloads ofmerch you can buy from the café.
Contact info: Nihombash*takashimaya S.C. East Building, 103-0027 Tokyo, Chuo City, Nihombashi, 2Chome-11-2 | 81-3-6262-3439
13. Alcatraz ER
Once again, I’m taking things in a totallydifferent direction, from fuzzy childhood memories to sweaty, sleeplessnightmares. That’s because the next café on the list is Alcatraz ER. If youwere spooked by the Vampire Café, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
What to say about this creepyestablishment? Well, for one, it’s perfect for Halloween. The entire place iskept intentionally dark, with the lights either dimmed or red for a scaryeffect. Costumed characters like clowns and other macabre specters lingerbehind cages or bars for photo ops. There’s a blood infusion co*cktail to drinkwhen you get thirsty. You can pay 890 yen to see a nurse take what looks likereal blood and then serve it to you through an IV tube. Well, it’s in a glass,but still.
You can even get beverages with a vibratorin the glass, so yes, this isn’t a kid-friendly place at all. If theblood-splattered menu or décor didn’t tell you as much, then the sex toycertainly should. That said, if you want a heart-pounding good experience inTokyo and you’re ready for some thrills and chills, you know where to go.
Contact info: 150-0043Tokyo, Shibuya City, Dogenzaka, 2-13-5 | 81-3-3770-7100
14. Little TGV
If you’re a big fan of trains, then you’lllove Little TGV. This railroad-themed café in Akiba is dedicated to thelocomotive and has some maids serving you food and drinks as well. The NewAkihabara Electric Railway, of which you’ll see a lot of signage at theestablishment, isn’t real. Rather, it’s a fictional part of Little TGV’smystique.
For instance, you get a train ticket togain entry to the bar/café, which does have a cover charge of 500 yen. All thetrain memorabilia is the real deal, from old blueprints and schematics toframed photos, Tokyo train maps, and so much more. The café even repurposes oldtrain seats for their booths.
The co*cktails are named after trains ofyore, and some dishes even come in a ceramic serving platter that looks likethe front car of a train. Tamagoyaki cars on an edible track are another reallycute touch that make Little TGV an awesome place to go.
Contact info: 101-0021Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Sotokanda, 3 Chome-10-5 | 81-3-3255-5223
15. 8bit Café
If you’re a gamer, then Tokyo is likeheaven to you. You’ll feel right at home at the 8bit Café as well, anestablishment for all things old-school video gaming. There is a cover chargeof 500 yen, but once you do get in, you can stick around for hours playinggames like the original Mario Kart and many others. These are theJapanese versions of these games, by the way.
Now, granted, compared to many otherplaces on this list, the 8bit Café is small. If it gets busy, as itoften does, then the space can feel admittedly cramped. During less busy times,you can take in the wealth of video game memorabilia that surrounds the café,including original handheld consoles, controllers, and other odds and ends.
When all that gaming leaves you parchedand hungry, you can grab a bite to eat and some drinks. There aren’t full mealshere like those you’d find at the other cafés on this list, but rather smallsnacks. Make sure you eat a full meal before or after you come here.
Contact info: 160-0022Tokyo, Shinjuku City, 3 Chome-8-9 | 81-3-3358-0407
16. Godzilla’s Restaurant
Can’t get enough of the kaiju? Anotherspot I recommend you check out is Godzilla’s Restaurant. This establishment atHotel Gracery Shinjuku is on its reception floor. In case you’re not familiar,that hotel has a giant Godzilla that looms over the building. Depending on ifyou’re a guest at the hotel and where you’re seated at the eatery, you can seethe ginormous monster himself.
All the food has a Godzilla theme, as youmight expect. For instance, there’s a little dessert that looks like anerupting volcano. The plate is dusted in powdered sugar save for two Godzillafootprints. Another sweet dish is a layered cake with a chocolate strip featuringGodzilla’s name as well as a whole chocolate Godzilla served alongside it.
If you’re lucky, you might hear the hotel Godzillaroar during your visit. This Shinjuku staple is Tokyo culture at its best!
Contact info: HotelGracery Shinjuku 8F, 1-19-1 Kabukicho, Shinjuku 160-8466 | 81-3-6833-1702
17. Rokunen Yonkumi
Do you think back longingly to your daysat school or wish you could have experienced what it was like to attend classesin Tokyo? You can kill two birds with one stone at Rokunen Yonkumi. This caféin Shinjuku translates to “Class 4 of Grade 6.”
Yep, that means it’s back to school foryou! That’s the theme of this establishment, the simplicity of being a studentagain. The entire café looks like a Japanese classroom, complete with brightartwork on the walls, a chalkboard with hand-drawn scribbles, and wooden deskswith equally rickety chairs.
One thing this place has that your schoolnever did? co*cktails! These come in science beakers, and you can even add PopRocks to some concoctions to see what happens. You know, for science.
Contact info: 6nen4kumi Shibuya, 32 Udagawacho, Shibuya City, Tokyo | 03-5292-0640
18. One Piece Café
Appropriately enough, you can find the OnePiece Café in Tokyo One Piece Tower. This indoor theme park, which has beenaround since 2015, honors the anime called One Piece. That long-runningmanga and anime is about a boy named Monkey D. Luffy who consumes a Devil Fruitand can become like rubber. He has a team called the Straw Hat Pirates as well.
You’re already spending your day drinkingin all things One Piece, so you might as well do so literally at the OnePiece Café. The menu has foods themed to all the characters, such as Perhona’sPrincess Bacon Cheeseburger or Luffy’s Favorite Beef Pizza. Save room fordessert with items like Sabo’s Chocolate Mint Sundae, Trafalgar Law’s No-BakeCheesecake, and Corazon’s Pumpkin Mont Blanc.
Oh yeah, and there’s a wealth ofco*cktails, too, and not all are alcoholic. These include Luffy’s My Juice withstrawberry syrup, lemon, and pineapple jelly. Brook’s Cookie & Cream Lattehas no booze and is quite decadent. If you want alcohol, try the pirate winewith crushed ice or the pirate highball.
Contact info: OnePiece Tower Tokyo, 4 Chome 2-8 Shibakoen, Minato City, Tokyo | 81-3-5777-530
19. Totoro Cream Puff Café
Within the precious Shiro-Hige’s CreamPuff Factory hides the Totoro Cream Puff Café. Yes, it’s named after the famousMy Neighbor Totoro character. Outside of all the busyness of Tokyo, theTotoro Cream Puff Café will certainly put a smile on your face!
To get there, you have to venture toSetagaya City to Shiro-Hige’s Cream Puff Factory. This takes you about 20minutes by subway if you go to the Setagaya-Daita station and get on at theOdakyu Line. You’ll know you made it to the right place if you’re greeted byTotoro signs, plushes, and other merch.
The sit-down café has savory meals likefour mushroom and pancetta pasta, but the star of the show is undoubtedly thecream puffs shaped like Totoro himself. You can select from such cream puffflavors as cream cheese, raspberry, chestnut, chocolate, and custard and cream.
Contact info: Shiro-Hige’sCream Puff Factory, 5 Chome-3-1 Daita, Setagaya City, Tokyo 155-0033 |81-3-5787-6221
20. Doraemon Café
The Fujiko F. Fujio Museum also goes bythe name the Doraemon Museum. Fujio, which really consists of the team of MotooAbiko and Hiroshi Fujimoto, created Doraemon. He’s a robot cat who teams upwith a boy. Doraemon has existed since the 1970s and is a very popular popculture figure in Japan.
The Doraemon Café on the grounds of themuseum will fill up your stomach and continue the sense of whimsy of your day.Besides the full-sized ceramic statues of Doraemon all over the eatery, the caféalso serves food like crème brulee with Doraemon on it. He’s even on thenapkins!
Other must-have eats are the lattes withDoraemon’s face and the dessert with Doraemon pancakes, green tee ice cream,sky-high whipped cream, and powdered sugar with syrup. That ought to get yourstomach rumbling.
Contact info: FujikoF. Fujio Museum, 2-Chome 8-1 Nagao, Tama-ku, Kawasaki City, KanagawaPrefecture, 214-0023 | 81-570-055-245
21. Straw Hat Café
Before, we talked about the Totoro CreamPuff Café, but that’s not the only eatery in which you can see Totoro. There’salso the Straw Hat Café or the Ghibli Museum Café, which is of course locatedat the Ghibli Museum.
You don’t even have to be a fan of StudioGhibli to have a fun time at this café. If you’re a foodie, you’re going to loveit. That’s because there’s a variety of dining options at the Straw Hat Café.You’ve got vanilla soft serve ice cream in a tall cone, sandwiches, pasta withrich, chunky sauce, and then cake, salad, and co*cktails.
The latte art is worth seeing, and you caneven sample dishes made famous in Studio Ghibli films if you’re still feelinghungry. From Howl’s Moving Castle, there’s the famous fried bacon andeggs. You can nosh on the same rice balls as seen in Spirited Away aswell.
Contact info: Inokashira-Koen,181-0013 Tokyo, Mitaka, Shimorenjaku, 1 Chome-1-83 | 81-422-40-2411
Conclusion
The cafés in Tokyo are anything butboring. The themed ones especially can either be tender reminders of your childhood,sugar overloads, or terrifying spots that will leave your heart pounding. Nomatter where your adventures in Tokyo take you, you can find a themed café tomatch your interests. These one-of-a-kind spots will make you fall even deeperin love with Japan. Have fun!
