Tokyo’s 14 Most Bizarre Theme Bars and Restaurants

The most surreal restaurant in Tokyo, Kagaya, has a new location in Hatanodai. When you first meet Mark, he seems to be the typical owner of an izakaya or Japanese home-style pub. However, the dining experience catapults into befuddling territory as soon as he presents the menus. It’s best not to spoil the surprises—but be prepared for frog costumes, frenetic dancing, and even puppets. Mark has a background in traditional Japanese theater that elevates his performances, which are sure to leave you laughing and scratching your head.

Celebrate strong women at Muscle Girls, a friendly bar staffed by young bodybuilders who pump iron at a women-only gym. The bartenders sport neon activewear and are eager to flex their biceps and perform pull-ups for cheering customers. Order a cocktail or protein shake, and dare to challenge a Muscle Girl to arm wrestle. Clients can play games and take photos with the powerful ladies for an extra fee.

Pompompurin Cafe is one of Tokyo’s cutest theme restaurants. It celebrates Pompompurin, a rotund yellow dog mascot created by Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty. Take photos with enormous statues of the character and his animal friends, and eat adorably decorated food like a hot chocolate with the puppy floating on top. Some of the flavor combinations veer on the odd side, such as dog-shaped chocolate pancakes with a pasta bowtie and a side of mashed potatoes.

Catch ‘em all at the Pokemon Cafe, a love letter to the world of Pikachu and other pocket monsters. The yellow chubby-cheeked mascot is everywhere you look: there’s a giant statue of him at the front and stuffed toys at the tables. Pokemon Café’s menu cleverly uses ingredients to re-create characters, such as using white rice to build Snorlax’s big belly. Every so often, people wearing full-body mascot suits jiggle through the room to meet customers and snap photos.

As its name suggests, Deathmatch in Hell is a bar for dark culture and horror movie lovers. The Golden Gai drinking hole only holds a dozen or so customers, who gather to watch and fawn over cult B-horror films. In line with the gory theme, the walls are splattered with demons and pentagram posters, and all the cocktails cost ¥ $ 666.

A dystopian, cyberpunk Blade Runner world comes to life at Neo Shinjuku Atsushi. The bar imagines that society has collapsed in the near future, leaving behind a crumbling neon-lit ruin. Neo Shinjuku’s post-apocalyptic menu includes a vacuum-packed cheeseburger and drinks conceived by ChatGPT. Sip on sake made from seahorses and a cocktail injected with carbon dioxide as you envision your bleak Mad Max future.