Experiencing CAPCOM BAR for the first time is a thrilling experience, both due to the concept by which it was inspired and the way guests are welcomed. Since CAPCOM BAR is a product of two big companies, it was decided it should be located inside one of the many buildings belonging to Pasela Resorts, to be precise, the first floor. At the door, people are received by a member of the staff who will explain to them the rules, such as the bathroom’s location, the way to order food and drinks, and how and when it is possible to purchase merchandise. After the short explanation (unfortunately in Japanese), visitors are guided in the inner part of the building toward a door which reminds a little of Resident Evil: Revelations and which is the entrance for an unbelievable place. The bar extends from the right to the left and it is actually pretty large. The first thing you will notice once inside is the great amount of action figures from the Street Fighter, Sengoku Basara, and Monster Hunter scattered all over the place, cosplay jackets and giant posters of characters from different sagas, original sketches, dolls, and… actual weapons from Resident Evil!

CAPCOM BAR was, in fact, thought to be not only a restaurant to enjoy themed-food and drinks but also to be a place in which customers can have a complete experience in an environment where they observe and interact with the company’s products such as in a real art gallery. Still, CAPCOM BAR isn’t just a place where you only enjoy a nice meal while looking at dolls and posters. Indeed, visitors can also watch the newest promo trailers of games already published or in development thanks to big TV screens placed in front of the tables, borrow books for reading while having a meal, and play their favorite videogames through console available for free. Also, you can play together with your friends by using food on the menu. There is a Russian roulette made of takoyaki in which one special takoyaki filled with wasabi (a super spicy sauce) is hidden amongst others. The one who picks it will suffer a very spicy punishment!

Even more interesting, ordering drinks can be a very fun experience, too. In fact, drinks and some food are named after famous characters from the Devil May Cry, Street Fighter, Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright, and the Resident Evil sagas, so for each of them, there is a character’s quote corresponding with the drink. If you order Ryū’s cocktail, for example, the member of the staff who will serve it to you will certainly yell “Hadoken!” in your face, while if you ask for the onion rings pater, the whole staff will turn into a court for a moment and yell “IGI ARI! (“objection”)” all together in chorus. You can order anything you want by using a preprinted list on your table and you will want to spend time turning the pages of the menu that is graphically awesome!

Of course, there are more surprises in store for fans. Together with the food and drinks list, there is also another preprinted sheet for the merchandise, and all the available goods (properly numbered) can be find on the menu. Some items are limited edition and can be found only at CAPCOM BAR, so it is possible you will find out many of them are already sold-out. Gadgets which can be purchased are diverse and varies from simple keyholders to cups, stickers, dolls, T-shirts, and posters from all of the biggest sagas, such as Sengoku Basara and Monster Hunter. They get changed seasonally and their price goes from 800 up to 3000 yen.

As for the food and drinks, they were designed in a clever way, since many of them associates by color or shape to some characters and monsters but are still actually pretty cheap. Indeed, prices range from 480 to 900 yen for the drinks, and 800 to 2000 yen for food. For example, a Street Fighter’s Ken no Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku cocktail will cost you only 580 yen, while the famous onions pater (that is actually huge) will cost you no more than 580 yen. The best part is that the food and drinks has some special mark or symbol on it which reminds of the character or monster it is inspired from.

Also the desserts part is fun and cheap. You can enjoy a strawberry parfait inspired by Devil May Cry’s Dante for 730 yen or a Nero & Kyrie roll and ice cream for even less. Unfortunately, for the most part, the desserts will be on the menu only for a short period of time, although some of them are evergreen and will always be there waiting to be eaten. The most interesting on the evergreen desserts’ list is probably the Lickers’ Brain Cake inspired by the well-known creature from Resident Evil. You can order it together with an Anti-Virus cocktail, and the funny thing is that when you will stab it with the provided blade, the person who served you will pretend to have a headache!

Now, compared to normal restaurants or eateries, CAPCOM BAR wasn’t designed to be very big, so it has a limited seating capacity of only 32 tables. That is why it is recommended to make a reservation before deciding to visit the place, so as not to risk to be left at the door. The reservation can be made through Pasela’s website and it is free of charge. However, you will need to understand a little Japanese to be able to complete the reservation on the official site, although there are some sponsored travel websites in English which could make it for you.

Also, it is not recommended to just suddenly show up and hope to get a table as like many other themed cafés, CAPCOM BAR has a pre-programmed time system too, so you can’t visit the place anytime. There are 5 time slots per day (11:30~, 14:00~, 16:30~, 19:00~, 21:30~) and visitors are allowed to stay up to a maximum of 2 hours before the next group’s turn. In case you get there earlier than expected, you could also take a look around the area surrounding the building. CAPCOM BAR is located in one of the most entertaining quarters in Shinjuku – Kabukichō – which features many other interesting places, ethnic and traditional restaurants, and shopping malls selling also Lolita and steampunk clothes.