Take a seat at the Mad Hatter’s tea party, meet Chef Pikachu, or snack like a ninja — you can do it all at these Tokyo themed restaurants. Sometimes food can be fun, and in Tokyo, it can also be terrifying, magical, beautiful, or disgusting, too. Experience some unusual meals at Tokyo’s best themed cafés and restaurants.
First, some tips: As expected, at a theme restaurant, you’re not only paying for the food, you’re also paying for the experience. As a result, prices are more expensive than a regular restaurant. And there’s almost always a seating charge (of about ¥500, but rarely more). The food is usually pretty average, izakaya-style fare. It’s often best to go for snacks and drinks rather than a full meal. Desserts can also be some of the most fun and more affordable options.
Be aware that some of these spots are quite tight on photography, so remember to ask permission first. If you’re looking for the cute and cuddly animal cafés — check our alternatives here.
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Okay trainers, this first one is for you: the world’s first Pokémon Café. (It’s no longer the only one, since another opened in Osaka).
Décor wise, it looks more like an ordinary café – save for the Pokemon centerpieces at the long, communal table (there are also tables and chairs that seat two to four). It’s with the food and presentation that the Pokemon Café excels. Well, the food is not amazing but it is not bad either, and the presentation is very adorable. (An omelet shaped like Pikachu? Extremely cute). There are also special mugs and plates that you can purchase, plus limited edition goods like a Chef Pikachu plushy.
This is important: reservations are absolutely essential, and not always easy to come by. Each booking is for a 90-minute seating, during which — if you’re lucky — there will be a surprise visitor.
Whether you know Pom Pom Purin or not, this café is a very cute spot. It is up on the second floor of Harajuku’s Takeshita Street and filled with adorable desserts and drinks. Sanrio’s Pom Pom Purin is a golden retriever who wears a brown beret and the end of his name means pudding, meaning he lends himself well to a delicious dessert.
The interior is filled with large merry-looking characters, his theme colors of yellow and brown along with stylized chairs and decorations.
The menu is all familiar dishes but with a Purin-twist, be it a sleeping rice Pom Pom beneath a souffle omelette blanket in your curry or a smiling face atop your parfait. Mains start from ¥1,300, while desserts range from ¥700 for a custard pudding (his favorite) to ¥1,500 for waffles and seasonal specials.
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Next to the museum, you will find the PEANUTS Cafe. This café is one of three Snoopy-themed cafés in Tokyo — the others are in Harajuku and Nakameguro. Given that each has its own unique concept and feel, fans make it their mission to visit each one.
This particular PEANUTS Cafe is themed after the Peanuts gang’s “POTLUCK Picnic” so has more of an outdoorsy vibe. Regardless of where you are sitting, you get a great view of the surrounding greenery because of the large windows. Some lucky guests can even see the different statues of Snoopy, located just outside the park.
The menu has been inspired by both the characters as well as the special exhibitions. To celebrate the new Traveling PEANUTS exhibition, the café has introduced a few new special dishes including Spike’s Mexican Taco Set, ¥2,420, and Snoopy’s “Grand Slam” Crepe, ¥1,342. There are also some special drinks like “Peppermint Patty’s Chocolate Mint Milkshake”, ¥990.
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At the Sanrio Cafe Ikebukuro, you can dine alongside your favourite Sanrio characters as well as enjoy some rather adorable-looking dishes. This cafe is split into two sections, with a seated area and a take-out kiosk. The seated area is an immersive sanrio experience, with its Sanrio light shades, decorations and plushies.
In this area, you can enjoy savory and sweet foods that resemble the most popular Sanrio characters including Cinnamoroll, Kuromi and Kitty herself. You will be paying ¥1,300 for the bigger dishes, around ¥400 for sides, and between ¥300 to ¥800 for a drink.
If you don’t have time to stay, you can always take-away. Plenty of portable food like meat buns, roll cakes and drinks can be ordered from ticket kiosks in front of the take-out area. Items on the takeout menu are between ¥300 to ¥700.
Everyone’s favorite white rabbit, Miffy, has her very own cafe in Daikanyama. Taking inspiration from the picture books, this cafe has a lot of character and even a Miffy statue waiting to greet you. On the menu is a selection of sandwiches, hot foods, and dessert as well as original drinks. From time to time, the cafe also has a special limited edition menu. There are even items avaliable for takeout including Miffy shaped financiers, biscuits and fruit juices. Prices for drinks start around ¥690 and ¥1,390 for food.
Sadly, this cafe does not take walk-ins, so you will need to book a spot in advance. You can do this through the official website, just note that you will be asked to input your card details. Given that Miffy is a pretty popular character, spaces fill up quickly. Note that reservations for the following month begin on the 10th of each month.
Tokyo has a couple of different Alice-themed cafés, owned by the same company and adhering to slightly different themes. While the Shibuya and Ginza sites have closed, they still have restaurants in Shinjuku (Alice in Fantasy Book) and Ikebukuro (Alice in the Old Castle) — both with elaborate decorations and centerpieces like hanging heart chandeliers and wall murals. There’s also a restaurant in Osaka called Alice in Fantasy Land, in case you’re in that part of the country.
The food is quite elaborate and it suits an afternoon tea more than a substantial meal (desserts are always more fun anyway). Cheshire Cat parfaits, cute puddings, and a layered Mad Hatter cake — you’ll have plenty to choose from. The afternoon tea set is ¥2,500 and includes unlimited tea and coffee until closing, so you can relax and catch up.
This is one of the priciest of the themed cafés though. We often judge by the price of fries, and here they are ¥760 which is up there, but fish and chips is only ¥110 more so who knows. This is definitely a cute catch-up spot, but don’t go too hungry as you might end up spending more than you planned.
Other themed cafés and restaurants
Ninja Asakusa
Asakusa ¥15,500
Photo by istock.com/DiamondDogs
Achieve your childhood dreams and become a Ninja for the day at the Ninja Cafe, located in Asakusa. As part of this experience, you get the chance to wear a Ninja costume and learning three cool tricks including how to use a shuriken (throwing star), a blowgun and sword. Both children and adults can join in on the fun.
After an exciting but challenging session, recharge with some traditional Japanese food, all Ninja-themed food of course. On the menu is Ninja curry and an original “Ninjutsu” dessert. You can even try out a Ninja-ale and beer from the bar.
Reserve a space at this one-in-a-kind experience on Klook.
The Vampire Cafe
Ginza ¥700 to ¥4,500
Photo by istock.com/mattjeacock
Perfect for those who love a meal with bite, the Vampire Cafe is a sinister spot for lunch in the glitzy shopping area of Ginza. Decked out in red velvet and chandeliers, the classic Dracula look is here in full swing, with a few different areas to choose from, inclding curtained-off “couples tables” and larger options for groups.
Menus are filled with haunting options and since presentation is key, there are pictures too, so you can order something suitably-themed. There are flaming plates, glowing cocktails, and symbols of the occult — all completed with hefty dashes of fake blood and swathes of cobwebs. As usual, portions are a tad small but let’s not pretend we’re here for a healthy and filling meal. There are set courses available starting from ¥3,850 per person, which is a good option if you’re in a group and want a deathly banquet served up by vampiric staff. The restaurant has a seating charge of ¥500 per person, so keep that in mind if you’re on a budget.
If you want to relive your old school days or want to take a step back into the daily life of one of your favorite manga character’s, this school-themed izakaya is for you. It’s designed to look like the average elementary school classroom, and comes pretty close.
The staff are dressed as teachers and the main room is a large classroom, complete with tiny tables, blackboards toys, and drawings. One of the highlights is getting to fill your basket with unlimited sweets — whether they fill you with nostalgia or are a chance to experiment, it’s fun to try a good few before your food arrives.
The menu options are classics, like kyū-shoku, the Japanese school dinners of youth: think curry rice, “after-club-activities rice croquette” and “athletic club onigiri.” There is normal izakaya fare too though. The drinks are pretty fun, with popping-candy colas and science-set flavoring kits to play with.
There is a menu rule that each customer must order a drink and two food plates, but prices are low as far as themed places go so it isn’t bad. There is a ¥500 seating charge, which makes sense given the unlimited sweets part. And remember to study for your pop quiz!
If you like things retro, then step inside this game lover’s paradise for an afternoon of drinks, Tetris, Mario, and more. The café/bar is small and tucked away beneath a sex shop, but at least the sign makes for a good conversation starter. Inside you’ll find all the consoles you remember from childhood and plenty you don’t. And best of all they will be in perfect working order.
Take a seat on the gaming thrones, have a go on a Game Boy Color while you wait for your drinks and admire the incredible collection of relics and models from times gone by. There are two-player games and all the favorites like Mario Kart, so it’s great for a date or friends, especially if you have a competitive relationship. It’s not a cave if that’s what you’re imagining, it’s actually a bright and colorful room with enough space to relax.
The café hosts are super friendly and they have delicious homemade lemonade. The food and drinks are not themed, but the room will be plenty enough to keep you happy.
A railroad theme crossed with a maid café, this cute/mildy-creepy restaurant has even created its own fictional train company called the New Akihabara Electric Railway. The café is small but has original train seats and decorations, with old-fashioned signs, clocks, train-line signs, and even tickets which are stamped when you are served.
Drinks are themed around the colors of Tokyo’s trains, so there’s Cassis orange for the Ginza Line for example. The food is creatively shaped, with Shinkansen rice balls and train-like egg sushi.
They have a minimum spend per customer of ¥450, and the menu also features plenty of regular izakaya food ranging from ¥400 to ¥850. This is a smaller and independent theme café, meaning you’ll be mingling with regulars and locals too.
Located in Ryōgoku, the heart of sumo in Tokyo, this restaurant seats you alongside a sumo ring and serves up the protein-heavy dishes traditionally served to wrestlers. The dohyo is perfect for performances of traditional sumo songs, drummers, a sumo stand-up and, of course, the occasional sumo match.
As well as being sumo-themed, the restaurant focuses on the Edo period, which was the height of the Sumo age. You’ll be seated among sliding screens and Edo-style storefronts with woodblock prints, while sumo wrestlers make the rounds and greet guests.
There are all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink options, but these do need to be reserved ahead of time (aside from one “on the day” option). The most appropriate dish to try is the chanko nabe — a protein-filled hotpot served to wrestlers to maintain their energy and weight. Chanko pots range from ¥900 per person to around ¥2,800. There is also a regular izakaya menu to choose from too, with grilled meat, sushi, and sides. The courses are actually pretty decent, with an all-you-can drink and course combinations costing just ¥3,500 and coming with seven courses. Also, as always, keep in mind that lunch prices are cheaper but menu options are limited.
Lastly, be sure to check the calendar for the days with performances scheduled, with bonus options of drumming and shamisen (traditional stringed instrument) performances on certain days.
Pop-up cafés and restaurants
The Oh My Cafe has many Disney-themed limited-time events. | Photo by Alex Ziminski
Anime, movie, and TV trends tend to die out fast, so certain cafés in Tokyo have come up with a brilliant business model — hosting limited-edition restaurants that won’t outstay their welcome. They have themed menus and dishes and sell plenty of merchandise. Some past examples include the Chainsaw Man and Stranger Things.
These collaborations can sometimes happen with already established café chains (see the Stranger Things pop-up collab with Pronto). But some venues are known for hosting them. If you are looking at catching the latest pop-up cafés while in Tokyo, make sure to check out our events page or take a gander at these venues:
Animate Cafe holds month-long anime collaborations and has several locations in Ikebukuro, from takeaway to eat-in.
Oh My Cafe in Tokyu Plaza Omotesandō has a love for Disney collaborations and have had Peter Pan, Star Wars, and Toy Story events in the past.
While we do out best to make sure all details are correct, they are subject to change, so please check before visiting. Ths article was originally written in 2018 and was most recently updated in April 2024.
