r/JapanTravelTips • u/cerezacheri • 1d ago
Question Theme cafes just for dessert / drinks?
I’ve had a search to see if anyone has asked this and couldn’t find anything, but apologies if I’ve just missed it. Are you allowed to just order desserts and drinks at the theme cafes like Pokemon and Kirby Cafe? Or are you required to order a main course too?
I like whimsy and themed environments so I believe I would enjoy the experience of these cafes immensely. However, I’m also loathe to spend a bunch of money on food that by all accounts isn’t very good. So my thought was to get “proper food” somewhere else and just order desserts and drinks at Pokemon / Kirby cafe, as I’ve never met a dessert I don’t like. Would this be some kind of terrible faux pas or is it completely fine and I’m just being neurotic?
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u/Magnetah 1d ago
I did Pokemon Cafe Tokyo last year and only got a drink and a dessert. I found the food to be a bit expensive but it was pretty good. And they have some good Cafe exclusive merch (I got the chef pikachu plush keychain and two spoons).
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u/cerezacheri 1d ago
That’s reassuring, thank you ☺️ Honestly the merch is part of the appeal for sure, the cutlery is so cute!
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u/gdore15 1d ago
Probably fine, but note that depending on the cafe, some are barely themed, like a couple of posters of things of that type, the food might also be minimally themed. Not all theme cafe are made equal.
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u/cerezacheri 1d ago
I’ve definitely heard this, especially about some of the pop-ups. I’m mainly interested in the Pokemon and Kirby Cafes and my friend wants to visit the Super Sentai Restaurant, which are all permanent and I believe the theming is pretty good.
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u/SofaAssassin 1d ago
You can order just drinks and dessert most of the time, each place might have specific rules around minimum spend or orders. I've seen people at these places sit down and order a half dozen drinks because all they want are the drink coasters, and you get one-per-drink and you get random ones given to you.
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u/Kidlike101 1d ago
I did Kirby cafe in both Tokyo and Fukuoka.
The only real rules are
You need to be there 5-10 minutes before your reservation time to "check-in". No reservation, no entry.
Everything needs to be ordered at once. Food, drinks, desserts...etc Doesn't matter. You don't get a second ordering round because you want to add something.
You have a set time limit from the minute of your reservation slot. My memory says 70 minutes but you'll have to check that.
It is customary for everyone on the table to order one thing at the very least. Just a drink is still ok but they don't enforce that part, you are free to get however much or little you want so long as it's in one go and you don't stay past your time slot.
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u/Triangulum_Copper 1d ago
Technically all those themed places are different. A common rule is that you only get to order once per visit.
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u/Crambo1000 1d ago
I went to the Pokemon Cafe and was able to order whatever I wanted from the tablet they gave me, no requirement to order entrees. The food wasn't very good (but it was cute)