Tokyo is the largest city in the world by population, with over 37 million residents, and it’s known for its unique restaurants and quirkiness. When visiting Tokyo, although there are many things to see and do, travelers should take the time to delve into the café culture and try some of the most unique dining experiences in Japan’s modern capital.

10 Reissue

This Tokyo coffee shop takes latte art to the next level. At Reissue, guests receive 2D and 3D foam art in their lattes, including pop culture characters, animations, and animals as the customer requests. Reissue is unique and extremely Instagram-worthy, making it a must-visit stop for any traveler touring Tokyo's top coffee shops and cafés. They are open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily with a break for lunch. Besides latte art, their menu includes curry, cheesecake, chocolate cake, tea, and more.

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9 Café Kitsuné Aoyama

True to its name, Café Kitsuné Aoyama is a fox-themed café in Tokyo. The venue serves adorable, fox-themed treats, sweet drinks, and other desserts. Travelers can enjoy these unique pastries and coffees in Tokyo, but the café also has several other locations around the world, including in Brooklyn, NY, USA, in Bangkok, Thailand, and in Seoul, South Korea. The interior of the Tokyo location is tastefully decorated, spacious, and busy yet peaceful. Travelers can visit here solo or bring friends.

8 Maidreamin

There are plenty of maid cafés in Tokyo, but one of the most popular is Maidreamin in Akihabara. The servers at the café are young women dressed up in fun maid costumes. They sing and dance to entertain the guests but also chat and interact with them throughout the meal. Japanese pop music sets the tone for the venue, and the colorful design of the room ensures everyone has a great time. The menu is extensive, with various meal sets and a long list of desserts to choose from. However, the entertainment and quirkiness factor of this café is the highlight rather than the food.

7 Alice’s Fantasy Restaurant

Located in the vibrant nightlife district of Shinjuku, Alice’s Fantasy Restaurant is a café that will take travelers down the rabbit hole to another world. Elaborate decor depicting scenes and characters from the classic tale, Alice in Wonderland, lines the walls of the restaurant. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and is accessible from JR Shinjuku Station (East Exit) and Seibu Shinjuku Station (South Exit). The restaurant also has an Osaka branch called Alice’s Fantasy Land.

6 Milky Way Café

The Milky Way Café in Tokyo serves everything star-themed imaginable. It’s located in Ikebukuro, an area with tons of great cafés, so consider making a day of exploring the many places to grab a treat in this part of the city. Star-shaped tables and platters make this a unique experience and a fun place to enjoy ice cream, waffles, sandwiches, and much more. The quirkiness here is out of this world.

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5 PomPomPurin Café

PomPomPurin Café is located in Shibuya, a lively area of Tokyo with lots of shops and restaurants to explore. The café is based around a beloved dog character (of the same name) who is a good-natured golden retriever. PomPomPurin features artwork and depictions of the Sanrio dog within the food items as well. The interior of the café is vibrant yellow and has cozy booths where you can sit with friends for hours. The coconut chicken curry, featuring the dog’s face made of rice, is a standout menu item.

4 Ninja Akasaka

This renowned restaurant in Tokyo is ninja-themed and serves high-quality meals prepared by skilled Japanese chefs. The restaurant is themed for the Edo period when Ninjas existed in Japan. Guests enjoy dinner and a show, with skilled performers executing ninja moves and demonstrations throughout your meal. Waiters are also dressed in traditional ninja garb to complete the unique experience.

3 Panda Café Suginami

Travelers who are animal lovers can humanely enjoy an animal-themed café without visiting the ones that house live animals. The Panda Café Suginami is an adorable spot to have coffee and some panda-themed treats near Toyko’s Asagaya Station. Everything inside the café is focused on pandas: there are panda-shaped spoons, panda-themed tissues, and figurines of the creatures around the shop. The menu has lattes, parfaits, and desserts that incorporate the panda into their presentation design. Everything travelers order here is extremely photo-worthy.

2 Peter Rabbit Garden Café

Tokyo's Peter Rabbit Garden Café is a fun spot to reminisce over fond childhood memories of this furry storybook character. Peter Rabbit makes appearances throughout the café as a stuffed animal, in book form, and of course, in latte art and meal designs. The entire café is designed based on this fairytale character and the venue has two menus, the Grand Menu and Peter Rabbit's Summer menu. The Grand Menu is more extensive, featuring elegant choices like Peter Rabbit's Tea Stand (for high tea) or more hearty meals such as the Victoria French Toast and Roast Beef or the Ribby's Cottage Pie. There are also many themed omurice dishes for guests who want to enjoy a themed plate that incorporates flavors of Japanese cuisine.

1 Shiro-Hige's Cream Puff Factory

Shiro-Hige's Cream Puff Factory is a fun Tokyo café specializing in cream puff pastries designed to look like adorable anime characters. Fans of the famous Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro will recognize this crispy brown puff pastry as Totoro himself. These cute little guys cost anywhere from 460 yen to 500 yen per cream puff and come in a variety of cream flavors. Some cream flavors are seasonal (like Chestnut or Matcha Cream) while others are available in all seasons (like Custard or Chocolate). In addition to their unique cream puff pastries, the café also serves other baked goods such as cakes and cookies.