I know, you are wondering why I am writing about the place that is now closed since we visited in January 2023? Well, they still have shops, pop up stores, markets, and park. You never know when they re-open the Moomin Cafe again! (Hoping and wishing bigtime here). We made it to the Solamachi location by the Tokyo Sky Tree about a month before they closed. There was a cute 3D Moomin pointing to the Moomin Cafe, carrying a stack of pancake.
Japan does such amazing job when it comes to creating food and drinks of characters. When we went to Cheburashka Cafe in 2017, it was so incredible! This Moomin Cafe was adorable, and with the wall facing street being all window, from floor to ceiling, you can look inside really well. A great way to tempt people to come closer, and wanting to get inside for a cute food or drink!
The inside was just super adorable! The large wall murals depicting some scenes from Moonin story books, with simple light fixtures and furniture. Keeping the focus on the Moomin artworks. Our reservation was right when they open for the day, so we got to walk around the space, taking pictures before other customers came in. Moomin Mama was keeping watch, with her iconic red-striped apron. We got to have brunch with Moomin’s girlfriend, Snorkmaiden!
Other characters were all there, just chilling and relaxing until more customers arrived. I think Moomin Papa was having some serious chat with Sniff. The Hattifatteners looked anxious to see who is coming in, and who they are going to sit with. One of my favorite characters of all, Little My was her usual self, small but fierce.
Now, let’s get into the food and drinks. Everything had something to do with Moomin and Moomin characters. If it does not Moomin in it, it is in a shape of Moomin! How amazingly cute and amazing are they?
I ordered Big Moomin’s Greedy Plate (ムーミン 大きなよくばりプレート), (1,409 yen). Because I am greedy and want to taste a little bit of everything! This was truly perfect, but, it was really, REALLY big! It comes with Meatball, Omu-Pilaf, Salad, Fried Potato, Fried Shrimp, Spaghetti, and Madeleine. It sounded so good, with pretty much everything I like. Unfortunately to say, it looked better than it tasted. Well, that is what you get sometimes when the focus of the food is how it looks more than anything else. It wasn’t bad, but not great either. My madeleine was in the shape of Snufkin, whom I might or might not have had a crush on as a young girl… I mean, he is just so cool!!! And I must say, he was quite delicious.
The salad had some fun pieces. There was a radish in a shape of Moomin, and then a carrot in a shape of Sniff, you know that curious looking guy in brown. He was curiously looking this way as I was holding the Sniff carrot. This big greedy plate was certainly really big, enough to share among two people if you chose to do so.
My husband went with another super cute looking item, Salmon Fish Burger with lots of Tartar Sauce (たっぷりタルタルのサーモンフィッシュバーガー) (1,264 yen). Look at the buns! So cute! And the wooden plate that held them also had adorable markings of Moomin Mama and Hattifatteners. The salmon was crispy and not oily. It was a really nice size, so big that it was sticking out of the buns. The fish was flakey and tasty, bread was fluffy. The sandwich was large enough for my hungry husband. It came with some fries and side of pickles, making it extra filling.
These dishes can be ordered with a basic drink with small added price, such as regular coffee or tea. But we wanted special drink! So we just ordered the dishes as is, without basic drinks. My hubby ordered Hot Silhouette Latte (727 yen). There were four designs to choose from, all adorable, making it difficult to just pick one. We ended up with Moomin & Reindeer. Latte was unsweetened, and since we usually take our coffee without sugar, that was perfect. The design on the foam was very cute! And it was a nice strong cup of coffee.
I ordered a drink that has 3D element to it. It was Moomin Marshmallow Tea (ムーミンマシュマロティー), with a choice of Honey Chai Milk Tea (はちみつチャイミルクティー), or Honey Chai Lemon Tea (はちみつチャイレモンティー). I went with Honey Chai Milk Tea (818 yen). It came with cute spoon, tongue, and a little plate.
The 3D element I mentioned was the marshmallow, look how adorable he is!!! I placed him on the hot tea, and he was floating as if he was enjoying a nice milk bath. Chai tea was nice, sweet and not too strong which was nice. The marshmallow did not melt quickly, so you get to enjoy looking at him the whole time. As I took a sip, Moomin floated towards me and gave me a kiss. What a lovely way to enjoy a tea! I did get to kiss him many times before I eventually gave in just ate him up!
If you are thinking “well they’ve had lots of food, they must be done” then you don’t know how much we can eat. LOL. We had to have desserts! And I wanted to have their adorable mug… So we ordered two Collection Mug Cup Dessert (850 yen/each). You do need to have a pair of mugs, don’t you?
The dessert is different each day, and on this day, it was Strawberry Shortcake! It had some sponge cake pieces, a good amount of whipped cream, and some strawberry jam. It was topped with some berries. After we were done, the staff brought us a new mugs in the same design, and asked us to check to make sure they are in good condition. I did as requested, and took adorable little Moomin mugs home. LOVE!
They did not have bathroom inside, which is kind of a common thing for outdoor malls/stores/restaurants in Japan. You have to go to the shared bathroom in Solamachi shopping center. It is ok if you don’t have to do that in the rain or snow.
We had a super fun experience here at the Moomin Cafe, so sad to see that they are no longer there… Still hoping for a future cafe like this in Tokyo again!
Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi 1F, 1-1-2 Oshiage, SumidaTokyo