If you want to be sad and eat delicious food at the same time, there’s no better place than the Banana Fish collab cafe.
On a warm Friday afternoon, I headed to B3 of Omotesando Hills to attend the “BANANA FISH Cafe and Bar – New York Night –” cafe at BOX cafe&space in Tokyo.
▲ The essence of 🍌🐟
Weekends generally tend to be pretty busy so a reservation is recommended. Online reservations for the Banana Fish cafe cost 715 yen per table. Reservations are on a first-come, first-serve basis. For weekdays, walk-ins should be fine!
Going In + Interior
▲ Check-in is done while you wait in line. You’ll be handed the menu where you have one chance to decide everything you want for the meal.
▲ You don’t see much brick in Japan so the interior having a brick design to emulate a New York feel was a great touch.
Food + Drinks
▲ His main dish of the night (彼の夜のメインディッシュ). As featured in episode 9, “Save Me the Waltz,” this was a yummy plate of roast beef sitting on some creamy mashed potatoes with a side of mushrooms. The red wine sauce had great acidity! [1,760 YEN]
▲ NY style cheesecake ~with caramel and nuts~ (N.Y.スタイルチーズケーキ～キャラメルナッツ～). Comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I got my hopes up thinking this would be real NY style cheesecake but it’s definitely Japanese style, which means it’s too fluffy and not cheesy enough for my tastes 🙁 [1,320 YEN]
▲ Shorter (ショーター). Mango and oolong tea with some chunks of frozen mango on top. The flavors mixed really well! [990 YEN]
▲ Don’t expect it to quench your thirst though, it’s really mostly just ice.
There are also time-limited dishes available. Check out the full menu on their official site.
Merchandise
▲ The merchandise corner, complete with a Christmas tree.
▲ The random paper ornament (total 8 designs) you get for making an online reservation, as well as the Shorter coaster that came with the drink.
Leaving the Cafe
▲ After all your food is served, the staff will hand you a small box to put your money in. You can pay for your meal with cash or card. They’ll finish the transaction and bring back change as needed so there’s no need to stand and wait at the register.
The cost is a bit pricier than the average collab cafe but it’s worth it! The food quality was quite good so you don’t even need to season it with your tears!
▲ Merch haul. Fate swept my money away like a flood.
Nitty Gritty Details
Café Period for BANANA FISH Cafe and Bar – New York Night – in Tokyo
Nov. 25, 2021, to Jan. 16, 2022
The same cafe is also running in Osaka from Dec. 2, 2021, to Jan. 30, 2022.
Address
BOX cafe&space 表参道ヒルズ店
東京都渋谷区神宮前4-12-10 本館 地下3階
English:
BOX cafe&space Omotesando Hills store
Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 4-12-10
B3 level
Official site: https://bananafish-cafebar.jp/
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/bananafish_cafe
