Maidcafe Maidreamin Shinjuku East-exit Store — Restaurant in Tokyo

Came with a friend during after-lunch hours on a weekday. This was our first maid cafe experience.

The first floor was slightly over half full. Almost every stereotype you'd expect to find was here: the table of disinterested male tourists, the older man sitting by himself, the guy who is greeted by the maids by their first name because it's clear that they're a regular, and the occasional female customer who's really into maid culture.

It was kind of odd since the only tables that had any conversation were my own and a pair of women sitting across from us. Everyone else seemed to just sit there and just stare at the girls or at their phone.

There's a relatively cheap cover charge, but I figured since we were leaving that week, we may as well go all out. Ordered their 1 hour AYCD option and the highest package set, which was a dance from one of the girls, an entree, and a dessert.

The entree was curry rice and an omelette that one of the girls decorated in ketchup with an animal of your choice. To be fair, it was fairly standard and the curry was lukewarm. The dessert that followed was a standard ice cream dessert with jelly and stuff like Pocky stuck inside of it. It's sweet and it's cute, as for whether the flavors make sense, well that's clearly not the main purpose of the dessert.

At the end of the meal, they asked which girl I'd like to perform the dance. I chose the one who interacted with us the most, but also partly because the other girl had visible cuts on her lower left arm (hopefully, she's doing well). They played JPop, most likely an anime OP or ED, dimmed the lights, and did an idol-ish dance for everyone. Everyone seems to fall into a daze and the contrast between her high energy dance and everyone's low energy rhythmic clapping was kinda jarring. Well, except for the one fellow who clearly loved maids or the anime song cause he was singing along to the chorus loudly.

Had a Polaroid picture with the maid afterwards, and we left fascinated and in wonder. There's something about maid cafes that capture a certain facet of Japanese culture. Not so much relative to maids themselves, but in their dedication and devotion toward a central theme and the people who flock to support them based on their personal interests.

If you come, come with an open mind and understand that the patrons are there to live a small fantasy and want a space where they are free to express their interests in maids without judgement or...

Similar to what another commenter said, they definitely try forcing you leave a 5 star review on Google for them at the end of the meal. I’m pretty sure most of the 5 star reviews here are because of that, we certainly were fooled.

Our personal experience: went with a group of friends shortly after they opened. The meal was below average. Personally, I disliked the food and it was the 1st meal that I did not finish during our 10 day Japan Trip. For others, it might be fine. The part that made the experience go downhill quickly was paying for the meal. They brought the receipt over and after reading it, it looked way higher than what it should have been. After double checking with the group, we saw they charged me for 8x what the actual cost was. Then after telling them about this, they refunded me however I didn’t notice it on my credit card statement until returning to the United States, but they still didn’t refund the full amount. Luckily, my credit card company was able to help get me the remaining amount.

The main reasons for the 1 star review are

1. The situation with the payment is pretty crazy, first time I've gone through this experience.
2. Mediocre food.
3. How forceful they are in having you leave a 5 star review. Other restaurants may ask you to leave a review, but I've never experienced someone wanting to watch you over your shoulder leave the review.

Overall, if you JUST want to experience a maid cafe, it seems okay (not really my cup of tea though). However, because of this experience, it'll definitely be the last time I go to one.

Lastly, again, keep in mind, most, if not all, of the ratings here are probably inflated due to them pressuring you to leave a 5 star...

My experience at Maidcafe Maidreamin in Shinjuku East was exceptional! The servers, dressed as maids and deeply committed to their roles, transformed every moment into an entertaining spectacle. Their performances included delightful dancing and singing, adding a unique charm to the cafe's ambiance. The venue itself buzzed with an atmosphere of fun, perfectly suited for all ages, offering a blend of entertainment and culinary delights.

The menu was diverse, featuring both food and drinks that catered to a wide range of tastes. Among the highlights were the chicken skin yakitori, which stood out for its rich flavor and perfect preparation, and the grape soda highballs, a refreshing and inventive beverage choice that my wife and I found particularly enjoyable.

One of the most remarkable aspects of our visit was the ease of communication. Despite our lack of Japanese language skills, we faced no obstacles in interacting with the staff. The 'maids' were not only fluent in English but also skillfully maintained their playful and engaging characters throughout our interaction, enhancing the overall experience. This combination of great food, lively entertainment, and seamless communication made our time at Maidcafe Maidreamin a truly memorable and...