Alice in Wonderland Cafe - Eat Me, Drink Me

So, anyone care to guess how many Alice in Wonderland themed cafes there are in Tokyo? No? Well I'll tell you anyway - there are five, and that doesn't include the one inside Tokyo Disneyland. As a matter of fact, the Alice cafes are a successful chain, and there's pretty much one branch in every major district of Tokyo. In light of their success they even opened one in Osaka. Not bad, I'd say, seeing as most themed restaurants don't get to expand. I've known about them for a while, but today I figured would be a good day to take advantage of my proximity to one, and so I did.

Actually, every branch of the Alice cafes are decorated very differently. Some are more cafe-like than others, but the Ikebukuro branch, Alice in an Ancient Castle (they're all named differently) felt especially luxurious when compared to the pictures I've seen of the other branches. Upon descending the spiraling stairs leading to its entrance and walking down a dimly lit hallway, you're immediately greeted with a very posh looking dining area with rich-looking curtains and chandeliers. Between that and the aquariums, and the VIP-looking guest table in the center of the cafe, you'd have a hard time knowing what the theme was - until you noticed the checkered floor, the illustrations on the ceiling, and of course, the waitresses dressed as Lewis Caroll's titular character walking around.
Greeted by one such waitress, I was given a headband with rabbit ears, and brought to my table. I hesitated a few seconds before putting them on, but eventually caved. Part of the experience, right? But as I looked around me, I realized every person seated at tables small or large were wearing a set too. And there was the desired effect: a restaurant full of people with bunny ears or top hats. Using customers as an accessory to amplify the theme - clever business and not at all unpleasant!

If you've been keeping up with my themed restaurant escapades, you'll know that the next thing I'm about to say is kind of a given. Food in this kind of establishment is only moderately delicious, with a more than moderate price tag. Rather than paying for a quality dish made with quality ingredients, you pay for a meal that fits the theme. Like my pictured Cheshire Cat pasta and cocktail, which, added to the 500¥ cover charge you pay for entrance, gives you very little for the total price of 2500¥. On the bright side, my meal's smiling back at me! Hurray!
 As I footed the bill, the staff also gave me a pouch of tea as they saw me off. The strawberry tea was the restaurant's own exclusive brew. "Be careful. That's potent magic. You'll shrink if you drink it!" she said. It was worth a chuckle, and now I feel a little better about that 500¥ cover charge! All's well that ends well.