'Stranger Things' cafe in Tokyo serves up Demogorgon pasta and Eleven's waffles

The pop-up in the Shibuya district has been extended several months due to demand

Pronto cafe, in Tokyo, Japan, has been taken over by Netflix's 'Stranger Things'. All photos: Pronto

Aug 15, 2022

Japanese fans of the sci-fi hit Stranger Things can chow down on demonic pasta and rock out to retro 1980s tunes at a pop-up cafe inspired by the Netflix Inc horror drama.

The shop, which is located in the fashionable Shibuya district of Tokyo, and is a partnership with local restaurant chain Pronto Corp, recently extended its run by several months due to overwhelming demand.

Stranger Things has remained one of the streamer's top 10 shows in Japan since the release of its fourth season in May.

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Millie Bobby Brown in season one and season four. She's often described her role as Eleven on the show as 'life-changing'. All photos: Netflix

The interior features replicas of shops and sets from the show, set in fictional US town of Hawkins, Indiana, along with its dark-mirror underworld that the pre-teen protagonists call the "Upside Down".

Patrons can take pictures next to the drama's signature Demogorgon monster, while songs from the show, such as Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill, play in the background.

Diners can nosh on food inspired by the show, such as squid-ink pasta arranged like the monster's head or the waffles craved by the psychically powered star character, Eleven.

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To reduce the spread of Covid-19, now battering Japan in record infections, the cafe requires visitors to make a reservation and only about 20 patrons are allowed inside every hour.

"Every day at midnight, I have been trying to book a table on my phone," said mother Kimiko Nakae, 29. "Finally there's an opening today because someone had cancelled the reservation."

Tokyo has a long tradition of themed restaurants and cafes, featuring everything from ninja waiters and exotic animals to vampire-inspired cuisine.

But like many tourist-oriented businesses, the sector has been hard hit by the pandemic. The Lockup, a chain of haunted prison eateries, ended a 23-year run when its final location closed last month, joining the fate of the famous Robot Restaurant, a gaudy music and dance spectacle in Kabukicho that closed in March 2020.