In conjunction with the 40th Anniversary of the Kamen Rider series, Toei Co. Ltd. collaborated with Pasela Resorts to bring Kamen Rider The Diner to the fans, from the young to the old.

Despite being in Tokyo for more than a month, I almost forgot about this restaurant’s existence, but thanks to an avid Kamen Rider fan’s reminder, I decided to pay this place a visit.

Since the restaurant’s space isn’t very spacious, it is a must to make a reservation 3 days before the day you choose to head over for your meal. So, before I went down to the diner, I made a reservation 4 days prior. You can make a reservation on the diner’s official website or call their hotline. Cutting a long story short, I headed down there to have my lunch on a blazing hot Saturday afternoon. Taking off from the JR Akihabara Station and arriving at the JR Ikebukuro Station, I continued my journey by walking towards the diner from the station’s West Exit. I felt lucky that I arrived half an hour early before the actual time I stated in my reservation form, because I almost couldn’t find the diner. However, after a few steps and turns, I finally found a building with the diner’s signboard.

That was where the excitement started. I entered the building, also known as Pasela Resorts, climbed up the stairs and finally reached the 4th floor, where Kamen Rider The Diner was located. Once inside, I announced my name and then I was ushered to my seat, which was at the very back of the diner. My seat was also a few inches away from the Great Leader’s throne, which made it more exciting than ever.

From the moment I stepped into the diner and was seated, Kamen Rider Faiz’s theme was being played, contributing to the atmosphere. After making my order, I made a few rounds around the diner, snapping photos and acting as if I was a little kid again.

What was more surprising was, there were a lot of adult customers, with fewer number of children. I guess this restaurant’s objective was to attract the older fans, since the diner’s theme was mainly focused on the original Kamen Rider, rather than the Heisei Kamen Riders which children of today are more familiar with.

Of course, not only fans of the franchise visit the diner, but also Kamen Riders themselves! They were kind enough to leave their autographs for display in the diner.

On both sides of the Great Leader’s throne are Ichigou and Nigou, most probably watching over the customers so that they can eat in peace, and of course, making sure no Shocker soldiers will appear and disrupt their beloved meal time! The signature Cyclone bike, used by both Riders, was placed at the diner’s entrance. It is said that this was the actual
bike used during the filming of the series, but whether is it true or not, as long as you get to see it for real! After patiently (and anxiously) waiting for my meal, the Rider Waiter (I’ve decided to call them that!) finally brought my meal and at that moment, I was on the verge of bursting into excitement.

As labeled above, Locomoco Rider Ichigou is a dish based on Rider Ichigou’s mask! A pair of chillis are used to form his grasshopper feelers, two hamburg meats were used for his eyes and some lettuce for his mouthpiece, while a slice of cheese was used for the centre line on his mask. I’ve got to say this dish is just nice for those who wants a balanced meal, since it has both meat and vegetable on it. However, I really think they should put some fragrance on the rice since it was really plain, but nevertheless it was still satisfying.

Rider Nigou Cranberry Juice is basically, a juice in a boot-shaped glass and it is also a homage to the red boots Rider Nigou wears, thus the cranberry juice. While the photo on the website makes the drink look humongous, it was actually quite a small, to my surprise. The cranberry juice was both sweet and sour, but still a very healthy drink in my opinion.

Lastly, my dessert: Rider Ichigou Parfait! As you can see in the picture above, it is an ice cream based on Rider Ichigou. Two biscuit sticks for his grasshoppers feelers and two cherries for his eyes. His face is made up of black sesame ice cream, while the rest of his body consists of macha cream, whipped cream, strawberries and jellies.

Before I left the diner after a satisfying one hour, I bought the Kamen Rider The Diner T-shirt as a souvenir and also received three free Kamen Rider coasters for each dish I ordered. Kamen Rider is a national icon to the country and in my opinion, this should be included in your itinery when you visit Japan, regardless whether you’re a fan of the series or not. It is not cheap, but it is worth the joy and experience. I give this diner a rating of 5/5! Now if you may excuse me, I have some innocent civilians to save. Rider… HENSHIN!