6 Amazing Themed Restaurants in Tokyo To Try, Japan

  

Visiting Tokyo is always a very exciting thing, whether it is the first time or if you’re a coming back traveller, and if you know a thing or two about Tokyo or Japan in general, then you have seen all the cute mascots, characters and so on. And this transcribes into food; here are all the themed restaurants in Tokyo you must try when visiting!

When you read about themed restaurants in Tokyo, the robot-themed restaurant in Shinjuku probably comes first into your mind. Yes, that one which everybody has at least once heard about whether you’ve. However, you will quickly realise there is much more than just this crazy restaurant in Tokyo.

Themed Restaurants in Japan are entirely something. Something you wouldn’t see in the western part of the globe. Japanese people are fond of themed restaurants; some are permanent, and some are temporary.
Let’s not lie; we are just as fond of those themed restaurants as they aren’t something we can find quite frequently outside Asia.

There are many of them; you can find a lot about various mangas/animes (One Piece, Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Jujutsu Kaisen, etc…) or Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty or Pompompurin, including the most famous.
Video games aren’t left behind either, and it’s not rare to find Final Fantasy pop-up café.

Amazing Themed Restaurants in Tokyo To Try, Japan

If you follow me on social media, you know that I love Tokyo; it’s one of the cities (and Japan in general) I wouldn’t mind travelling to over and over. I believe that everyone should experience Tokyo at least once in their life if they have the possibility!

And, if you’re planning a trip to Tokyo for the first time, the chances are that you are looking for some great activity to do in Tokyo for your bucket list, then check out my themed restaurant list! Let’s start the list of those 6 cute restaurants in Tokyo.

One Piece Baratie Restaurant – Odaiba, Tokyo – NOW CLOSED

Sadly, this One Piece themed restaurant is now permanently closed.

The first themed restaurant I visited during my first trip to Tokyo back in 2012, now (2021) seems to be a long time ago! I did go back on my other trip to show it to the friends I was travelling with after that. It’s still a trendy-themed restaurant in Tokyo.

The popularity of this One Piece Restaurant is no wonder when you know how famous One Piece is both in Japan and worldwide. Plus, many people are pretty fond of themed restaurants, as you don’t only come for the food but also for the experience that comes with it.

For example, you can take a photo with Zeff, the cook of the Baratie, who comes now and then to interact with the customers.

There are a lot of choices on the menu that follow the manga. I tried their Chicken and fries, nothing fancy, but a pretty sure meal, in my opinion. So if you come back, some of the dishes may have changed.

The menu doesn’t change much throughout the year, as you can see from the photos taken two years apart, except for limited editions for some events.

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#2 GUNDAM Café – Akihabara, Tokyo Yokohama Satellite

This one is pretty easy to spot in Akihabara (although only if you exit at the right place; Akihabara has many exits). It’s located at the Electronic Town exit and next to the AKB48 Cafe.
Since it was too early for dinner and we had had lunch, we only had weird-coloured ice cream when we checked out this Gundam-themed restaurant.

The location in Akihabara is now closed since 2021.

I’m not a huge fan of Gundam, but we went in for a friend, and it was still pretty cool to see how it was displayed.

That’s one of the things I like about themed restaurants. You don’t have to be a hardcore fan or anything to enjoy their unique universe and decorations.
Plus, you get food just like in any restaurant, so even if you’re let down by the decorations (you most likely won’t, but one can never be entirely sure!), there’s still the food bit to be happy about!

They also have a giant screen where they air the anime’s opening. There are various signs on the wall from everyone who contributed to this anime over the years.

Another popular themed café to try if you’re in Akihabara, primarily found in this district, is the Maid Cafés. I never went to one myself as it never appealed to me. A lot of people had a good experience with them.

Unlike other themed restaurants, they make the experience a bit further; most of the time, you have to say a cute formula to get your food, and you also get to choose your waitress, which is pretty much the main appeal for many people. While you can visit one without knowing Japanese, it’s best to know at least the basics to get a whole experience interacting with your waitress.
Most also offer to take photos with the maids for an additional cost.

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If you are curious about Tokyo, then check out those 20 amazing Tokyo quotes to fuel your wanderlust! They are also perfect for your travel photos as an Instagram caption!

And make sure to check out the best accommodations in Tokyo on Booking.com

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#3 Pomponpurin Cafe – Harajuku, Takeshita Dori, Tokyo

We had to take a little ticket asking us to return at the written hour for this one. Takeshita Dori is the street that would give any agoraphobic person a nightmare for days with how dense the population is in this long but not-so-wide street filled with hundreds of shops and cafés.
We hit it up way past lunchtime, thinking we would be lucky and not have to queue.

We were proven wrong, and it’s pretty crowded even after lunch hours as people go there for desserts also. However, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been in peak hours since the Japanese, like the British, have this odd passion for queuing.

Pompompurin is an official Sanrio character (Hello Kitty and Gudetama friends, who are not on this list, have their themed restaurants and so on) to find a little shop at the entrance of the cafe area if you want some goods.

That is the case for most themed restaurants; they almost always have a little shopping section where you can buy goods, and a lot of the time, if it’s a pop-up-themed cafe, you’ll be able to find some limited editions. With one of the dessert dishes, you get a tiny pomponpurin mug to bring home!

#4 Cafe Mugiwara & Sanji Oresama  – Tokyo SkyTree NOW CLOSED

Yes, another one-piece-themed restaurant is located on the ground floor of the Tokyo SkyTree. There is even a theme park all about the manga that you can use on its own or with the deck’s visit tower if you’d like.

It is in the Sky Tree next to another restaurant, “Sanji Oresama”. As for the Baratie, there’s a bit of a queue but nothing terrible. However, it might be different during peak times.

We both picked the same dish, “Straw Hat Omelet.” It was good but had WAY TOO MUCH mayonnaise on the top.

The atmosphere was nice and friendly, and since the dishes aren’t the same as at The Baratie, it’s worth going if you’re curious about it and don’t know where to have lunch and dinner when you visit the Tokyo SkyTree.

#6 Cinnamoroll Cafe, Shinjuku

Cinnamoroll Cafe is the latest cute-themed restaurant I ate at in Tokyo in 2019 with my brother (he wasn’t too thrilled about the whole cutesy experience, but he agreed to come with me, yay).

This time, we ordered a different dish to try; however, my brother destroyed his before I could take a photo because who cares about taking a cute image for Instagram?
He’s right. Enjoying your food is better than letting it get cold, but cute photos are fun sometimes!

Cinnamoroll is yet another Sanrio character, just like Pomponpurin above on this list. It is the second Cinnamoroll permanently opened in Japan, the first being in Kyoto.
The Cinnamoroll cafe has a short menu; we tried the Omu Rice and the Beef Stroganoff. Most people around us were having dessert, which the café seems most famous for! It was decent, nothing special in taste, but the presentation and the drinks were perfect.

The decoration includes many cinnamoroll stuffed toys that you can take cute pictures with, and again you can shop for certain goods there.

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That’s a wrap on those six excellent Themed Restaurants you must try in Tokyo that aren’t the robot restaurants of Shinjuku!

One of the themed restaurants I regret not going to is the Final Fantasy one, but it was super crowded, and you need a ticket to access it, which neither my friends nor I had!

There are many other themed restaurants, such as Alice In Wonderland or Pokemon, Hello Kitty, and Sailor Moon, but those are the ones I’ve been to so far! Some more famous ones are the Vampire Café, the Ninja Café or the Kawaii Monsters Café if you’d like to check them out!

Hopefully, I will do more in the future!

And, yes, I like One Piece.
Although it can be a little more expensive than regular restaurants, trying one-themed restaurant in Japan is nice, so add them to your Tokyo Bucket List!

If you’d like to see more of my content, follow me on Instagram over @ cpt_lyne!

This list has been made based on my own experience; it will maybe grow in the future! If you have some recommendations, let me know in the comments!

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6 Amazing Themed Restaurants in Tokyo To Try, Japan

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✈ Best Travel Ressources To Plan Your Next Trip

✈ How To Find Flights?

– Skyscanner; it is a good comparator for finding the cheapest flights.
– Google Flight is also a good help when it comes to comparing flights.

✈ Where To Book Accommodations?

– Booking.com: plenty of options and ways to get discount the more you book.

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My go-to website when I need to book an activity is GetYourGuide when I can’t get a ticket directly on the website or if it’s easier to go through them.

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– TheTrainline: If you love to travel by train like me, then TheTrainline needs to be your go-to website for train travel in Europe. It is very reliant and easy to use.

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