Restaurants are Always Better Themed

Hey, it’s Julia. I’m back (finally) from my self-declared hiatus.

Well, I’ve been busy “researching” the topic of today’s blog post, namely, the many strange/themed cafes and bars of Tokyo. And let me tell you, there are a lot. Maid cafes, cat cafes, dog cafes, haunted bars, hammock cafes, asylum-themed bars...you name it, it probably exists somewhere in Tokyo.

So, I decided to try out a few of these cafes, specifically a hammock cafe and a ghost-themed bar (both were close to where I live). I was going to go to a cat cafe as well, however, eating organic food surround by cats is oddly expensive.

The hammock cafe, or actually I think they called it a cafe/hammock gallery, is called “Mahika Mano” and can be found in Kichijoji, Tokyo. I’m pretty sure this is a one-of-a-kind place, and actually I really recommend you check it out if you are ever vacationing in the area: it’s very modern and artsy. The main idea is that instead of chairs, you get to enjoy your food while sitting in these cute, little individual hammocks (though there are larger hammocks too in case you want to take a nap or something).

The food was pretty good as well. It was all really healthy and there were a lot of vegetarian options, in fact most of it was vegetarian, which is really rare for Japan.

Next, the ghost-themed restaurant. Actually, there are quite of few of these kind of places throughout Tokyo. I think they’re pretty popular. So, the concept is like haunted house meets bar and grill. It was pretty cool, and I enjoyed their flaming ribs. Chefs literally light the meat on fire right in front of you at your table.

There is also a “Russian roulette” plate for those who are feeling brave. Customers receive a plate of gyoza or cream puffs and and everyone in your party has to chose one at random, except one is filled with wasabi. I was the lucky one who picked the wasabi filled creme puff, but whoever “wins” gets a cool ghost hat, so it was all good.

The most surprising thing, however, was the family next to us who was there to celebrate their child's first birthday. The kid seemed pretty into it though.

Reviewing restaurants is pretty fun, I should do this more often. If only I got free food too, haha.

Well, see you next time!