In a country known for its themed cafes and cute restaurants, Kirby Cafe stands tall and proud as the Whispy Woods.
And rightfully so! Not only is it wonderfully decorated with tiny Kirby plushies, Waddle Dee figures, and a big Whispy Woods in the middle of the restaurant, the food is something you would “Kirby” in a second.
Whether you’re a fan of Kirby or just fond of cute cafes and good food, Kirby Cafe is one location you should definitely add to your Japan trip bucket list.
Below, you’ll find our recent visit to the cafe’s Tokyo Skytree branch and a quick guide on how to reserve a spot for this popular cafe. Ready, poyo?
We also have guides and reviews of other cafes in Japan.
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What Is Kirby Cafe?
Kirby Cafe is a themed cafe inspired by the Kirby game series and characters.
It is an official cafe by Nintendo that started as a temporary pop-up cafe during summer of 2016.
The initial locations eventually closed down, only to open again permanently at Tokyo Skytree and Canal City Hakata.
Its tagline is “Delicious Times, Precious Memories” – and based on my overall experience, they got that right!
Inside Kirby Cafe Tokyo Skytree
The Tokyo cafe is nestled in a nice garden outside of Tokyo Skytree’s fourth floor.
Before stepping inside, you’ll be greeted by Kirby and Waddle Dee statues wearing chef and server hats. Cute!
Once inside, a staff member will confirm your booking, and all you have to do is show your booking confirmation that was emailed to you.
After that’s done, the Kirby fun begins!
The Ambiance
Kirby Cafe is one of the most well-decorated themed cafes ever.
With the majestic Whispy Woods towering over the cafe and every nook and cranny a Kirby-filled surprise, the overall ambiance is simply magical.
Near the entrance is a big plate with a welcome sign, as well as Kirby and Waddle Dee plushies and a huge spoon and fork.
A staff member will gladly take photos for you here, and you can even carry the huge cutleries for your photo op. You’ll then be guided to your table.
My partner and I were seated right under the great Whispy Woods. The tree statue has a counter table surrounding its roots, with tiny Kirby figures and apples decorated at the foot of the tree.
There’s a sectioned area at the back for a more exclusive dining area.
The music in the cafe is a remix of classic Kirby themes, which fans will get a kick out of.
If you want to bring such tunes back home, you can buy the remixed versions as albums called The Sound of Kirby Cafe and The Sound of Kirby Cafe 2.
Big windows, wooden floors, brick walls, vine decor, and good tunes really give the place a bright and refreshing atmosphere.
The Food
Unlike other themed cafes that use tablets, Kirby Cafe has a menu book, and you’ll have to inform a waitstaff of your order.
Don’t worry, the menu has an English description and pictures for easy ordering. Plus, you get to enjoy the artwork in the menu too!
IMPORTANT NOTE: When we went there, we were told we can only place our orders once due to how busy the cafe gets. Finalize all the foods and drinks you want to try because you won’t be able to order again. Some menu items can only be ordered once per table too. This might change in the future, however.
We started with drinks, an appetizer, and salad. You’ll get a random coaster for each drink ordered.
I got the Green Greens drink, which seemed like your standard carbonated drink with sweet syrup until you reach the “apples” at the bottom of the drink. Very refreshing and actually not too sweet, which I enjoyed.
My partner got Kirby’s Cheerful Marshmallow Au Lait (hot). You can either pick Kirby or Waddle Dee for the marshmallow on top. This drink has a lot of whipped cream!
For our appetizer and salad, we got the nachos with chili, as well as the caprese salad. The nachos and chili tasted good, although we wish it had more chili and cheese on top.
For the salad, the presentation was the true stand-out, with the ceramic Kirby looking like it’s about to vacuum up the entire thing!
Now, on to our heftier orders. Looking at the pizza menu, we simply couldn’t pass up pizza Kirby!
We ordered the Maxim Tomato Margherita, which tasted pretty good, although the slightly soft dough was a surprise. If you pay a bit more, you can bring home the plate.
Next, we got the Waddle Dee Is Napping omurice and Chef Kawasaki’s curry dish. Both dishes tasted great, with the omurice a favorite of ours.
We did not expect the huge portion for the omurice compared to Chef Kawasaki’s dish too.
Finally, on to our most awaited part – dessert! And yep, we ordered three: the classic Invincibility Candy Parfait, the new Crowned dessert, and the must-try Car Mouth Kirby cake!
The new dessert is apparently Magolor’s creation, which might sound ominous, but it’s actually a delicious concoction of Blue Curacao-flavored jelly, cheesecake, mango, and popping candy. The cafe just started offering it on March 3rd, 2023.
I ordered it thinking it was a drink, but the waitstaff told me it was actually a dessert. And yep, the jelly was too thick to drink. Ya got me again, Magolor.
The Invincibility Candy Parfait has been on the menu for a while. It’s a tiny parfait with syrups, candy, and jelly.
This is perfect for those who just want a tiny dessert after their meal, but honestly, we could’ve skipped this since we got so full already.
And for the best dessert we got, may we present car Kirby in all its glory! Car Kirby was a great surprise in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and it even showed up as a dessert in the game’s cafe minigame.
It’s a sponge cake with a blancmange on top, with jam, fruits, cream, and cream puffs around it.
The attention to detail is amazing, and I highly recommend it, especially since you can only order one of this per table or group.
The Goodies
Aside from the free coasters you get per drink, and the plates and mugs that you can buy with your order, the cafe has a shop located near the cashier area.
From pizza magnets to pajamas, your heart will be Kirby-filled with all these merch.
And if you have a Nintendo account, you can do an account check-in in the cafe to get free exclusive stickers!
How To Book For Kirby Cafe
As wonderful as the cafe is, booking a spot at the Tokyo branch can be really difficult. You have to be fast! Now that Japan has opened its borders again for tourism expect a hectic experience during booking.
Reservations only open on the 10th of every month, at 6 PM Japan time. So if you want to book a spot for June, you have to reserve it on May 10th.
Here is the official website. Pick your desired cafe location and click the button for the cafe to go to the booking page.
Click the ENG button at the top before scrolling down. Scroll through the rules (read it later, time is of the essence) and tick the box to proceed.
You’ll get a prompt saying you only have 10 minutes to finalize your reservation once you’ve clicked a timeslot. Click ok.
Select the number of people going with you. You can go solo or have up to 8 people. Then, quickly pick a timeslot under your desired date.
TIP: Finalize a few timeslots ahead in your mind so you won’t panic when your first choice is unavailable or taken.
Prepare these ahead: Your name, your name in Katakana, phone number, and email address.
After securing a timeslot, you have 10 minutes to fill up your personal info. You will need the information mentioned above.
While some have said, they just typed their name again or used Hiragana and got through, others couldn’t proceed unless they typed their name again in Katakana.
I suggest preparing your Katakana name ahead of time. Use a Katakana converter online, and copy and paste it somewhere on your computer or phone, like a notepad app.
You can use your own phone number with your country code. Alternatively, you can use your hotel’s phone number.
After typing your info, answer the part about allergies or if you’re booking for a specific event, like a birthday. TIP: Using your phone’s camera, use Google Lens’ translate feature. Hover it over words for a quick translation.
If you were quick enough, your booking should be successful. You’ll get an email confirmation immediately. Pat yourself for a job well done.
How To Get There
Tokyo Kirby Cafe is on the 4th floor of Tokyo Skytree. Here’s a handy guide on how to get there by train.
You can also catch the Skytree Shuttle, which departs from Tokyo Station, Tokyo Disney Resort, Ueno-Asakusa area, and Haneda Airport.
Is Kirby Cafe Worth Visiting?
Yes, poyo!
It is by far one of the best-themed cafes right now in terms of food and decor. Even if you’re just tagging along with someone who’s a fan, you’ll still enjoy the cuteness of the place.
Now that tourism is in full swing again in Japan, expect new things to come from Kirby Cafe.