Japan With Kids: Want A Pokemon Cafe Reservation? How To Book The Pokemon Cafe In Tokyo, Japan
Post updated on 21/11/2025 to reflect our most recent experience of booking and dining in the Pokemon Cafe Tokyo in 2025.
Wondering how to get into the Pokemon Cafe Tokyo? Want that elusive Pokemon Cafe reservation? Believe it or not, this is one of the questions I am asked most about our time in Japan!
Of all the things we did in Japan, by far the hardest to book was the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo! We had no idea how popular this cafe was when we promised the boys lunch there on our first trip to Japan, and making sure we could book it was a huge source of stress.
We have now been to the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo twice. And I can firmly say that getting a Pokemon Cafe reservation is a nightmare! In fact, on our second visit, we just couldn’t get a reservation at all: I ended up buying a Pokmon Cafe reservation with an agency, and you can read all about that experience here.
But I do recommend you follow the tips here and try to get your Pokemon Cafe reservation for free first! (I very much resented spending money on something that I could have got free of charge!)
Was the Pokemon Cafe worth it? So worth it, mostly for the kids (who are die-hard Pokemon fans), for the themed food, and for the chance to meet Pikachu. In fact, although we’ve already visited twice, we’re planning to go back to the Pokemon Cafe a third time on our trip to Japan next year.
Want to make that elusive booking? Let’s dive right in! Here’s what you need to know to get a Pokemon Cafe Reservation in Tokyo:
- How To Get A Pokemon Cafe Reservation
- What’s On The Pokemon Cafe Menu Right Now?
- Can You Meet Pikachu At The Pokemon Cafe Tokyo?
- Our Pokemon Cafe Experience
- Pokemon Cafe Prices: Is It Good Value For Money?
- Where Is The Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo?
Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
How To Get A Pokemon Cafe Reservation
There are two Pokemon Cafes in Japan- one in Tokyo and one in Osaka. I say this because someone in front of us in the queue in the Tokyo Cafe actually had a reservation for the Osaka Cafe, so worth being careful when you make your booking!
In order to make your reservation you need to know the following tried-and-tested tips:
- You can make your reservation 31 days in advance of your trip. Booking can only be made via the official website. I’ve linked it here.
- Reservations open at 6pm Japanese time, which is 9am UK time, and these Pokemon Cafe reservations go in seconds, so have all your devices loaded and be ready!
- Have your laptop, phone, and as many other devices as you can open and ready to go. The site is so popular it crashes, often midway through a reservation. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! Mike and I worked together to get our first reservation with 5 different screens on the go.
- If you’re not successful straight away then keep checking back. People will put a slot in their basket but not complete checkout which means that there may be no reservations left at 9am but a few will be available again at 915.
- Have a couple of dates in mind that you can go in case you aren’t successful first time. You will have to go through the whole thing again and again, but it’s worth making the effort for. We went on our 3rd preferred date after 2 failed booking attempts!
- During your booking, you’ll land on a screen that will ask if you want to purchase some souvenirs. These are exclusive and can only be bought at the time of reservation- we didn’t add them because I didn’t want to slow the booking process down and I assumed we could buy them when we got there, but we couldn’t. Don’t make that mistake if you want to get as much exclusive merch as possible. Having said that, there was plenty of other things you could order on the day.
Planning a Family Trip to Japan?
Make it stress-free, affordable, and unforgettable with my 40-page Japan Family Travel eBook.
🚅 Includes sample itineraries, budgeting tips, kid-friendly activities, and packing checklists.
👉 Grab Your Copy Here
What’s On The Pokemon Cafe Menu Right Now?
The Pokemon Cafe menu changes occasionally, but the core items on the menu are almost always the same.
The most popular main course on the menu is the Best Friends Forever Curry Plate. This is A classic staple of Pokémon Cafe! A special curry plate from Pikachu! A Poké Ball made from hamburg steak alongside either a Bulbasaur avocado potato salad, or a chicken cutlet Charmander, or a seafood gratin Squirtle.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth then try the Pikachu Souffle Pancake, Berry Chocolate Parfait, or Poké Ball Dessert Bowl.
👉 You can see everything we ate during our visit to the Pokemon Cafe here.
Can You Meet Pikachu At The Pokemon Cafe Tokyo?
This is another question I’m asked alot! Can you meet Pikachu at the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo? The answer is yes: Meeting Pikachu was the absolute highlight of our Pokemon Cafe experience for both my kids. He came out and danced around the table, with staff encouraging guests to clap and dance alot (in their chairs, you can’t get up and move around for safety reasons).
Although we met Pikachu on both our visits to the Pokemon Cafe, I have heard that there are other characters that you could meet instead. These are regularly updated but Snorlax, Eevee and Gengar are all on the current roster with the classic Pikachu. But Pikachu is by far the most regular guest appearance!
🛒 After you’ve finished eating, make sure you save time to stop by the Pokemon Center and shop all of the unique merchandise. You can read my Ultimate Guide to Pokémon Center Tokyo complete with Free Shopping Checklist for Families here.
Our Pokemon Cafe Experience
On both of our visits to the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo, our Pokemon cafe experience was a good one! We were greeted and seated quickly, and each place setting had a cute Pokemon place mat that you could either use or take home.
We ordered via a tablet, and this was available in both English and Japanese which made the ordering experience smooth and easy for us. We all ordered Pokemon plates for our main course: these were beautifully presented themed plates that included a poke-ball shaped pot of macaroni cheese, a burger, a tempura prawn, a little salad, and the rice is shaped like Pikachu.
For drinks and dessert we all ordered different things ranging from personalised coffees to make your own milkshakes (which is called Moo Moo Milk and mixed at your table) or that delicious glowing Gengar grape smoothie. I ordered a chocolate sundae which was fantastic and Mike ordered strawberry mochi in a poke-ball.
Halfway through our meal Pikachu came out to dance and the children were encouraged to dance, count, and clap with him. This was all presented in simple Japanese but we understood enough to know what was happening and what to do. (Dancing and singing has no language barrier, especially for kids!)
On the subject of language barrier, If you don’t speak any Japanese then don’t worry! You don’t need to know a word to enjoy clapping and dancing with Pikachu, and because you order via tablet it is one of the easiest experiences for non-Japanese speakers to enjoy.
The whole experience lasted around 90 minutes in total and we were one of the last tables in our time slot to leave because we were having so much fun and just taking it all in. It was such a great experience which we followed with time to explore the Pokemon centre. Definitely a great experience for Pokemon fans in the city!
Pokemon Cafe Prices: Is It Good Value For Money?
Look, I’m not going to lie and say that this is the cheapest dining experience in Tokyo. It isn’t! If you’re a big Pokemon fan it’s still worth every penny (more for the experience than the food itself) but if you’re not a fan of Pokemon, it isn’t worth visiting.
To give you an idea of the Pokemon Cafe prices, i’ve listed the current prices for some of the most popular dishes below:
- Curry plates (Pikachu, Bulbasaur, or squirtle) – These are priced at 2,420 yen (£11.80)
- Pokemon cafe kids plate (For children aged 12 and under) – 1,540 yen (£7.51)
- Pokémon Cafe’s Pikachu Souffle Pancake – 2,090 yen (£10.19)
- Sprigatito’s Melon Soda Float – 1,265 yen (£6.17)
🍜 You can view the Pokemon cafe menu in full here
Where Is The Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo?
We were expecting to see a stand alone store, but actually the Pokemon Center Tokyo DX is located in the Takashjimaya Department Store on the 5th floor. This is a huge building and I won’t lie, we were confused at first.
There is a separate entrance and a separate lift to get to the centre which is located on the right-hand side of the building.
When you walk into this entrance you will see full wall murals of Pokemon characters, so you’ll know you’re in the right place! Get into the lift and go up to the 5th floor. As the door opens, the first thing you’ll see is a huge Snorlax statue, so you know you’re in the right place.
To the left is the Tokyo Pokemon Cafe and to the right is the Tokyo DX Pokemon Centre.
Have you been to the Pokemon cafe? How was your experience? Or do you have any questions about our trip? I’d love to hear from you!
WANT MORE POSTS LIKE THIS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX? HIT SUBSCRIBE BELOW
Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
8 Comments