Swallowtail — Restaurant in Tokyo

(English below.) あらきださんはすごくかっこよかった！あらきださんのおかげで楽しい思い出作りました。

I have always loved the concept of butlers since high school, so coming to this cafe has always been the dream. I was not disappointed. Reservations online are necessary. Single person spots fill super quickly but 2 and 3-4 spots are often available a bit more often.

(Keep in mind that you will get the most out of this place if you know Japanese or go with someone who does since the butlers speak entirely in Japanese. There are English menus available, though.)

You are greeted by a footman who checks your reservation. You can arrive 10min early, but any earlier and they’ll turn you away, recommending you to check out their gift shop across the street where you can buy the tea they serve in the cafe as well as pastries and merch.

You are invited by the footman to sit in an inner room just inside the front door. Then the main butler will greet you and take any belongings except for your bag (things like coats or umbrellas, etc.) and tell you that using your phone is prohibited and that they’d like you to keep it in your bag. All the staff are impeccably dressed.

Then you are shown to your table by your butler for the night. It seemed like each table had its own butler who was in charge of it. That same butler helps push in/out your seat whenever you get up or sit down and will serve all the items you order. Our butler this time was Arakida, and he was amazing, so sweet, and very funny.

I’ve only ever gone for dinner time. Their dinner experience is a set 4 course menu that changes every month. You cannot change anything in the course, but you can decide which tea to drink from a very large selection of teas. There are 5 non-caffeinated teas as well for people like me who refrain from drinking caffeine at night. They will offer sugar/milk with it as well, though I just drank mine straight. It is served in pretty cups. The butler will pour you more tea whenever your cup is empty. Basically the theme is that you should never do anything yourself. The butler will do it for you.

Conversation with the butler is mostly driven by you. You can ask them whatever you’d like and they will give fun, role play driven answers. You are the lady/lord of the estate, and they are your ever present servant. Our butler claimed to have worked at the manor’s library before the cafe, and before that he had traveled Japan. It was really fun to interact with him and experience the role playing, as it made the experience more enthralling and real.

At the end, they’ll give you a check which you’ll pay from the table just like you would in America (but is very rare in Japan where most of the time you take the check to the cashier yourself). The dinner was ¥6300/person. Then the butlers will see you out.

It’s a very fun and fancy experience, and many customers take this chance to dress up as well to fit the vibe. The food was very delicious as well, and fancy in its presentation. Definitely recommend this place if you can...

Vegetarian or Halal food.

So after good experience before, one of my friend asked me to accompany her to check her bucket list: having dinner in Butler Cafe.

This time I was served by Saiki-san. As I promised before, I tried my best to use 日本語. Even though I cannot speaking properly and my butler can speak English, everything went smooth. Miscommunications happened, but it is not in the important part. Saiki-san was so patient serving my request. I don’t mind if my food contains no meat and just get half of the menu, but they insisted and changed everything for me 😭😭😭

I mean how can they know that I cannot eat gelatine or even jelly! It is not a common knowledge. But they even provided me vegetable jelly 😭😭😭

I told them “I am so mendokusai..” and finally Saiki-san told me, “if you request for Halal or Vegetarian before coming, we tried to prepare it!” I WAS SO SURPRISED! Swallowtail cafe is indeed dedicated.

Please call them in advance, they have butler who can speak English and France 😭 Awesome, right? Probably, all of your requests will be hard to accommodate, but better save than sorry ;)

TIPS: Tried your best to use Japanese, the butlers will be more relax.

Come for dinner! It is not too crowded than lunch, then you will have more time with your butler.

Try to go to toilet, they will escort you.

Check the video on youtube. So you can imagine how it will be.

Even you can speak Japanese, if you’re foreigner, they will give you a English-speaking Butler. So, no worries.

THIS IS NOT HOST CLUB ;D don’t be afraid! (like I was before). It is just a place for fine dining. That’s all. The butler will go along with you. If you want to be clingy, you will have a cheesy chit chat, but if not, they will serve you properly like a princess.

If you’re fluent in Japan and you see your butler isn’t really busy, try to ask anything, like your schedule etc.

You have locker, they will put your big bag inside the locker, but I don’t think you can bring cabin-sized luggage, put it inside the coin locker in the station.

The only thing that I hate is the location. I am just stupid with the map and in Ikebukuro, it has 2 parts, East and West of the station. If you go out from North Exit, then I bet you can just go down the underpass and cut the walking time into half!

I prepared for 40 mins arrived earlier than the schedule, but still I got lost and late for 5 mins 😢

Food is xoxo. So, I hope next time I can request for Halal (if possible) or just go for full vegetarian ❤️

Don’t forget to share you experience here! Enjoy!

——————————💕 First time Story: We finished our tea time with full belly and full heart ❤️ Thank you Kurosaki-kun, また会いましょう！ Next time I will speak Japanese more often ❤️

So, for foreigner, don’t be afraid to come! They can speak English :3

They also have shop just beside K-Books. Make sure to visit it. The shop sells cookies, butler’s pictures, and even the opera’s CD and DVD! The butler indeed...

Disappointing Experience – Not Worth the Price

I had high expectations for this butler café, but unfortunately, it was a major disappointment and a complete waste of money.

Unreasonably Expensive Dining The dinner course does not allow ordering from the tea menu, making the minimum charge 7,300 yen, which is excessively expensive for what is offered.

Misleading Advertisement About English Service The website claims that English service is available, but in reality, the butlers’ English proficiency was extremely poor. Communication was limited to a basic level using a translation app, and I could not enjoy any aspect of the expected butler experience. Given the high price, the café should have staff who are fluent in English. If they cannot provide proper English service, they should not accept reservations from English-speaking customers.

Lack of Consideration for Waiting Guests I arrived about an hour early on a freezing winter evening, only to be told that waiting inside was not allowed. As a result, I had to spend my time in a convenience store just to stay warm before my reservation. This lack of hospitality was frustrating.

Terrible Food Quality for the Price The food was shockingly bad considering the price. At this price range, there is a certain level of quality one would expect, but the ingredients and taste were far below acceptable standards. If you plan to visit, do not expect good food—this place is purely for the experience.

Overall, this café is not worth the price, and I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a genuine butler...