Square Enix Opening Cafes in Los Angeles and Shinjuku

Square Enix announced today that it’s opening two permanent Cafe & Shop locations, with one coming to Little Tokyo in Los Angeles and the other to Shinjuku, Tokyo. Both are set to open in spring 2026, and while specific opening dates haven’t been shared yet, this marks the first time an official Square Enix cafe with a full authentic menu is coming to the United States. As someone based in Southern California, this one immediately caught my eye.

The cafe portion of each location will offer menu items inspired by various Square Enix IPs, which is a format that rotates depending on which games the company is currently promoting. Existing Square Enix cafes in Japan, like the Eorzea Cafe in Shinjuku, run a reservation-based shift system where customers get 90 minutes per shift to eat, shop, and take in the themed decor. The adjoining shop spaces carry official merchandise, and given Square Enix’s track record with premium goods, expect prices to match. The Los Angeles location is at 316 E 1st Street in Little Tokyo and will be operated by J-Pop Culture Cafe Inc., while the Shinjuku location sits across three floors of the PASELABO TOWER and is operated by NEWTON CORPORATION.

As someone who visited the Eorzea Cafe in Osaka in 2022, I’m looking forward to making a stop at the Los Angeles location when it opens. Little Tokyo has been undergoing a transformation of sorts the past couple years and it’s nice to hear that it’ll be home to something as mainstream as a Square Enix cafe.