Order up! Square Enix opening cafes in LA, Tokyo

Final Fantasy developer-publisher Square Enix will open two new officially licensed cafes. The Japanese video game studio, perhaps best known for iconic and longstanding game franchises like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest, and Chrono Trigger, announced in a news release on Friday that it will open two permanent cafe locations — one in Los Angeles, California, and the other in Shinjuku, Tokyo — sometime this spring. 

Both cafes will feature Square Enix IP-inspired menus and licensed merchandise, though the studio’s news release specifies that retail offerings will be available through “attached merchandise shop spaces.” Square Enix says “[b]oth Cafe & Shop locations will be must‑visit destinations for all SQUARE ENIX fans.”

The Los Angeles-based Square Enix cafe, operated by J-Pop Culture Cafe Inc., will be the first full stateside spot. Tokyo’s Newton Corporation-operated Shinjuku location, however, is far from the country’s first. The new cafe opening comes about one year after the March 2025 closure of another Square Enix cafe. A related report from The Japan Times says the old Akihabara cafe “close[d] its doors for good” on March 31, 2025, after nine years. The write-up cites “poor quality” food options and gambling-adjacent gacha offerings.

At the time of writing, there are no tentative opening dates or menu offerings for either cafe location. Square Enix has shared the addresses of the new shops. Hurry — jot these down: