Is Sanrio Café Ikebukuro Worth Visiting in Tokyo? An Honest Review!

Kawaii fans, did you know that you can visit a Sanrio Café in Tokyo?

It’s a whimsical restaurant where you can dine with Hello Kitty and her friends and munch on Sanrio burgers and sweet treats. 

As a huge lover of Sanrio characters, especially Kuromi, I enjoyed a solo dinner here one evening and had a wonderful time. 

Here is a complete review of the adorable Sanrio Café Ikebukuro and whether it’s worth visiting. 

What is Sanrio Café Ikebukuro?

Sanrio Café Ikebukuro is the place to go in Tokyo if you love all things cute. 

It’s a café decorated with all your favourite kawaii icons like Hello Kitty, Kuromi, My Melody, Keroppi, Hangyodon, Pompompurin, Pochacco, Kiki, Lala, Rock, Badtz-Maru, and Cinnamoroll. 

Not only is the decor on point, but it also has a delicious and themed menu of Sanrio burgers and desserts. 

You really don’t want to miss out on this enchanting experience in Tokyo.

Do you need a reservation?

No, the great thing about visiting the Sanrio Café Ikebukuro is that you don’t need a reservation to dine there.

You simply show up and see if there is a table free. Depending on when you visit, there may be a long wait.

I visited for dinner late evening on a Sunday and was seated straight away. It was also pretty much empty at this time. 

But, I didn’t mind as it was a very peaceful place and I had my choice of table. 

Where is the Sanrio Café in Tokyo? 

There are currently three Sanrio Cafés in Tokyo with similar names:

1. Sanrio Café Ikebukuro
2. Sanrio Café Harajuku
3. Sanrio Garden Café

Officially, the Harajuku branch is called Sanrio Kawaii Factory Store & Café, but everyone simply calls it ‘Sanrio Café’, which can be confusing. 

Don’t mix these locations up, as they are in completely different areas of Tokyo! You also need a reservation to visit Harajuku’s branch. 

I visited Sanrio Café Ikebukuro, which is in Sunshine City Mall. This was my favourite place to eat and shop in Tokyo. 

It’s a huge shopping centre that’s filled with themed character shops and cafés. 

The nearest metro stop is Higashi-Ikebukuro Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line.

It can be a bit of a minefield trying to find the café as it’s such a big place. 

But, you’ll find it in the basement level of Sunshine City near the entrance of Chiikawa Park. 

Arriving at the Sanrio Café

You’ll know when you’ve arrived at the Sanrio Café Ikebukuro, as there is a huge neon sign above the restaurant. 

It’s a gleaming white brick building with a pink food van inside. It’s pretty hard to miss. 

There are also some adorable neon signs of Hello Kitty as an ice cream and the Little Twin Stars as coffee cups. 

These make great photo opportunities and get you excited for what’s in store.

Sanrio Take Out Counter 

Just outside of the seating area, you’ll find a Sanrio Take Out counter where you can buy some Sanrio drinks, cakes and ice creams.

This also has a limited number of counter seats if you’d prefer to have a quick kawaii snack. They even had a Hello Kitty piano.

There’s also a tiny gift shop selling a limited selection of keychains and badges. But, being honest, the choice was underwhelming. 

If you want to shop for Sanrio souvenirs, I’d head to the official store nearby.

I was debating whether to get a takeaway at this point as it looked so cute, but it was late, so I decided to sit down and have a proper meal.

This was helped by the fact that the indoor café looked so inviting and was decorated with all the most popular Sanrio mascots. 

Inside Sanrio Café Ikebukuro

As soon as you step inside, you’ll be greeted by all your favourite Sanrio characters. I gasped as it was so lovely.

Although the wallpaper appears ordinary, if you look closely, it’s actually a pattern of your favourite mascots as coffee cups!

You’ll find Hello Kitty, Pompom and Cinnamoroll teacups hanging from the ceiling, as well as other characters mounted on the walls. 

There’s also some cute framed Sanrio artwork, bookshelves with Sanrio stories and a plethora of Sanrio plushies.

This was my version of heaven. I had my choice of seating, so I sat under my favourite character, Kuromi. 

It was such a delightful setting, and I couldn’t wait to get started.

What’s on the Sanrio Café Ikebukuro menu?

This Sanrio Café has an exclusive menu that brings your favourite characters to life on your table.

They have 11 choices of Sanrio character latte art that adds a bit of magic to your caffeine fix.

There are also colourful Hello Kitty smoothies and some Sanrio ice cream sodas.

If you’re feeling peckish, you can order Hello Kitty pork buns (these sell out quickly), Sanrio character pancakes and even soup with Sanrio croutons.

Hello Kitty Burgers

The most popular dishes at this café are their Sanrio burgers. On my visit, they had:

1. Hello Kitty burger (hamburger with Mexican sauce) 
2. Kuromi burger (hamburger with BBQ sauce)
3. Hangyodon burger (shrimp cutlet)

Although I love Kuromi, I’m not the biggest fan of BBQ sauce. So, I ordered the Hello Kitty burger instead.

It was beautifully presented with Hello Kitty stamped into the brioche bun, and it even came with a cocktail stick of her bow! 

I also received a free Sanrio Café coaster as a souvenir. I loved collecting these in Japan.

Most themed cafés in Japan have meals that leave much to be desired in terms of quality and flavour.

But let’s be real, we’re not eating in a themed café for gourmet food, we’re here for the aesthetics.

Surprisingly, I found that my burger here was delicious. It had so much flavour and the sauce wasn’t spicy at all.

The fries were also perfectly cooked and had a good crunch.

I also ordered a cup of my beloved green Fanta melon. It came in a Sanrio Café cup, and the straw had Hello Kitty’s bow on it. Too cute!

Sanrio Character Desserts  

If you want a sweet treat, the Sanrio Café Ikebukuro offers an adorable dessert menu.

You can try their Sanrio Pancakes, Daifuku sets, Dojima roll cakes, crepes, ice cream and even a Cinnamoroll Cinnamon Roll. 

As I had just had a huge burger, I didn’t have room for one of the bigger Sanrio roll cakes.

But I did fall in love with the smaller Hello Kitty Doughnuts that they had on the menu.

I chose the pink strawberry version, and it was delicious and not overly sweet.

It was the perfect ending to my kawaii meal, and I left utterly stuffed.

Is the Ikebukuro Sanrio Café worth visiting?

Yes, if you’re hungry and love all things kawaii, then the Sanrio Café Ikebukuro is the place for you.

It’s a magical restaurant filled with adorable mascots and serves up food shaped like your favourite characters. What’s not to love? 

As a huge Sanrio fan, I had a whimsical time here and would go back in a heartbeat to try more of their cute treats. 

Don’t skip the Sanrio Café in Tokyo. It’s a delightful place that you and your stomach won’t regret visiting. 

Opening hours

Sanrio Café Ikebukuro is open from 10 am – 9 pm every day with the exception of some national holidays. 

This gives you plenty of time to experience some Sanrio cuteness in Tokyo.

The best times to visit would be early in the morning or late evening to avoid a queue. Also, weekdays will be much quieter than weekends. 

More kawaii things to do in Ikebukuro

Sunshine City Mall in Ikebukuro was easily my favourite area to eat and shop in Tokyo. 

It’s a huge shopping centre that’s filled with themed character shops and cafés. 

You’ll find a Ghibli Shop, Disney Store, and Kiddy Land with huge Rilakkuma, Miffy and Snoopy sections. 

There’s also an amazing Sesame Street Market, which was healing for my inner child.

If you’re a Pokémon fan, then you’ll love it here. You can visit a Pokémon Centre, Pokémon GO labs and a Pikachu Sweets Café.

Also, if you love Chiikawa and friends, you can visit Chiikawa Park.

It’s an adorable exhibition filled with kawaii photo opportunities, character greetings and a huge store selling exclusive merchandise. 

Read more of my Japan travel guides

Sanrio Puroland – Tokyo’s Hello Kitty Theme Park

Pokémon Café in Japan – how to reserve

Pikachu Sweets Café – a Poké Paradise in Tokyo

Shibuya Sky Review – Is this viral viewpoint worth it? 

Kumachan Onsen – Tokyo’s Viral Teddy Bear Hotpot

Why you must visit the Snoopy Café in Japan

Visit the Kawaii Chiikawa Bakery in Tokyo

The Snuggly Duckling – Tangled Restaurant in Tokyo DisneySea

Why you must visit the Harry Potter Shop in Harajuku

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Where to find Alien Mochi at Tokyo Disney

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10+ Akasaka Harry Potter Things to do

Is the Tokyo Harry Potter Café Worth Visiting?

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