Square Enix’s themed cafe is back, and this time, it’s expanding beyond the borders of Japan, with a new permanent branch in Shinjuku, alongside a first-ever outlet in Los Angeles opening in Spring 2026.
The first cafe opened in 2016 in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, offering fans a spot to try out themed food and buy official merchandise from some of the studio’s most popular games like the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises. The store would go on to move to a different location in the area in 2020, but closed in Spring 2025.
Since then, numerous pop-up cafes have opened in Japan, but now, a permanent store under its full name, Square Enix Cafe & Shop, will be opening in Shinjuku, expanding on the space currently occupied by a pop-up cafe near Shinjuku Station.
Fans across the Pacific are also in for a treat, as the cafe will be making its debut in the United States, specifically in Los Angeles’ 1st Street in Little Tokyo, with the new store marking “the first time an official Square Enix cafe offering a full, authentic menu will open in the U.S.”, according to Square Enix’s press release.
Still, fans should expect some differences between the Tokyo and Los Angeles branches, notably in terms of food. The new Shinjuku branch is set to be operated by the Tokyo-based Newton Corporation, which operates the Pasela group, Square Enix’s partner for previous restaurant ventures, while the Los Angeles store will be operated by J-Pop Culture Cafe Inc., so it remains to be seen if there will be any coordination between the two to ensure food recipes or preparation match.
While both branches are also set to feature attached merchandise stores, it’s also unclear if these will be available only to diners. The previous Akihabara store allowed even non-diners to browse and buy its merchandise, so hopefully this remains the same.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
