ARTNIA

Artnia Square Enix Café and Shop

The Artnia Café is situated close to the Higashi-Shinjuku station. It looks like a white blob surrounded by office buildings and looks a little bit out of place. Unlike the Square Enix Café in Akihabara, you don’t need a reservation. It is not possible to reserve anyway. The Artnia is usually not crowded unless there is a special event. The menu is not very different from other cafés. You have your usual pasta, sandwiches and other light meals. But the desserts make the hearts of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest fans leap. You can enjoy Moogle, Chocobo and slime pancakes and parfaits decorated with famous Final Fantasy weapons. You should also try ordering a cappuccino. You can choose a latte art from Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, but which character you get is random. After 5 PM they also offer cocktails that are named like famous summons from Final Fantasy. Enjoy your afternoon with a Shiva or Ifrit cocktail. After you are filled up with pancakes you can also have a look at the shop area, where you can find all sorts of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts merchandise. There also is a separate “crystal room” with lots of figures on display that looks pretty stunning. In general, the menu of the Square Enix Café in Akihabara is more interesting, but the menu there changes every month due to collaboration with different franchises. So Artnia is a nice alternative when the current collaboration theme in Akihabara is not your cup of tea or if you didn’t manage to get a reservation.