Assassin’s Creed Shadows launched on March 20th 2025, and in celebration of that, Ubisoft set up a limited time themed cafe for March 22nd and 23rd. Game8 was invited to preview the event, so read on to hear our impressions of the venue, the food, and the exhibitions.

Hidden Away from the Public

Something of a Secret

The weather was much milder today—surprising to think that it was snowing heavily just 2 days prior. It still wasn’t quite warm spring weather, but hints of it were starting to peak through, which made it a good day to be outside. The hustle and bustle at Harajuku Station was per usual: tourists and young people alike crowding in line to try out all the cute, fashionable stalls and stores. But sneaking through the crowds, just around the corner from Takeshita Street, the buzz of the public quickly fade away into silence.

And in this quiet area lay, quite fittingly away from peering eyes, a themed cafe refitted to celebrate the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Ubisoft partnered up with a major fan of the series, Dante Carver, to create this themed cafe within the chic dotcom space Tokyo venue. Game8 received an invitation to experience the cafe at a media event ahead of the public opening tonight, so a big thank you to Ubisoft. This article isn’t sponsored, however, and they’ll be seeing this at the same time as everyone else.

The Venue

dotcom space Tokyo

While the location was a bit of a secret, once I found the entrance with “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” boldly displayed In bright neon lights, there was nothing confidential about what this place was for. The finely crafted lights display the two protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe, fused with the iconic Assassin’s Brotherhood emblem.

I’d never been to dotcom space Tokyo before, but it was obvious that it hadn’t transformed so much to the point that I couldn’t tell what it normally looked like. It was clearly a hip, modern, minimalist style cafe area: barren white walls, exposed ceilings, cracked floors (I actually stumbled on one of the cracks), outfitted with attractive drink machines, angular beige furniture, with two long tables and several seating areas against the left-most wall. By a rough estimate, there’s probably about enough room for 40-50 people to be comfortable seated at a time.

The things that made the place Assassin’s Creed themed were fairly surface level: posters of all the different games in the series lined up on the walls, artwork displayed here and there, pillows with Ubisoft’s logo, encyclopedias and artbooks from previous entries, and a projector playing some show they had done for Shadows in Kyoto back in February. It didn’t have any sound playing, so I barely noticed it. Instead of the sound from the projector, the venue had several classic BGM from the games to give it some ambiance.

There were also several exhibits towards the back, but I’ll get to those in a bit. First, it’s a cafe, so let’s talk about the food.

The Menu

Pleasantly Affordable

For a themed cafe, the prices were very reasonable. Drinks were anywhere between 650 to 750 yen (roughly $4 to $5 USD), and 800 yen for food (roughly $5.30 USD). Admittedly more expensive than the 100 yen drinks you can get from the vending machines, but again, it’s very reasonable when you consider the specialty drinks being offered and the branding that comes with these places. Add the fact that you’ll get a free goodie bag (while supplies last) and something extra for ordering either food or drinks, and it’s definitely a great deal for even casual fans of the series.

For drinks, there were 5 options:
　⚫︎　Cafe Latte for the Assassin who Serves the Light - 650円
　⚫︎　Cafe Mocha for the Assassin who Works in the Dark - 750円
　⚫︎　Shadows 檸檬水 (Lemonade in Japanese) - 700円
　⚫︎　Valhalla Sitronbrus (Lemonade in Norwegian) - 700円
　⚫︎　Odyssey λεμονάδα (Lemonade in Greek) - 700円

For food, there were just 2 options:
　⚫︎　Assassin’s Creed Dolce Set - 800円
　⚫︎　Assassin’s Creed Crest Toast - 800円

As part of the media event, we were given both food options, but we had to choose just one of the drinks. I was desperately in need of caffeine, but in solidarity with the launch, I chose the Shadows Lemonade. After waiting a while for my number to be called, everything came on a tray, along with a tote bag of goodies, and I quickly found a spot to sit and do the influencer thing of snapping photos of my food.

The Food

The Toast Tasted Terrific

The inviting smell of melted cheese permeated throughout the area, noticeable as soon as I walked in, but the aroma was even more tempting as it laid out on a thick piece of buttered toast right in front of me. The cheese-covered toast was decorated with an Assassin Brotherhood logo, using what I think might be paprika (my palate wasn’t discerning enough to be sure). It comes with a small cup of syrup for you to pour all over it and eat it together.

I’m sure I just heard a bunch of fellow Americans gasp in horror, but in Japan, it’s not that unusual. And it’s quite good, as the saltiness of the cheese pairs well with the sweetness of the syrup. I couldn't enjoy it at its best since I made the mistake of spending a bit too much time taking pictures of the food instead of eating it, making it lukewarm by the time I bit into it. The crust of the bread was a bit tough at the point, but the crumb of the bread (which I just learned is what the inside part of the bread is called) was incredibly soft, all while having some crispiness from being toasted. Even lukewarm, it was quite the scrumptious bite. If you’ve ever had Japanese bread, you know its fluffiness is on another level.

I sipped my red lemonade drink, which might have just been lemonade soda with red food coloring, but I’m convinced I could taste a hint of cranberry’s signature tartness in there. Again, my palate isn’t discerning enough to tell, so if anyone who went can tell, let me know in the comments.

Dolce Disappoints

The Dolce Set, on the other hand, came with two pastries: a madeleine and a cookie with, surprise surprise, the AC logo plastered on in sugar. The madeleine was moist, with a pleasant, almond-y aftertaste. It was good, but it was quite dense, which made me reach for my definitely-cranberry-lemonade lemonade after a few bites. It definitely would’ve paired better with coffee options better, but I had already made my bed, so I needed to lay in it.

The cookie, however, wasn’t as good. It definitely looked very nice; another luck of the draw as to which of the three colors you’d get, but the teal color of my cookie was quite pleasant to look at. But to get it to look that nice required a specific type of frosting, and whatever type of frosting it was, it was solid. I attempted to bite into it with just my front teeth at first, but I felt like it was a battle my incisors were going to lose, so I resorted to my molars instead.

Once I had broken through the royal icing, the cookie itself wasn’t much gentler on the teeth. The taste wasn’t bad, having a slight hint a cocoa flavors that could be tasted through the sugary icing, but it also nothing to write home about. The madeleine was definitely the silent (quite literally) winner of the two.

The Exhibitions

Artwork and Replicas

After finishing up my plate, I went around to take a closer look at the exhibitions. There were replicas of the in-game items out on display, particularly Yasuke’s samurai helmet and Naoe’s Hidden Blade. There were also two mannequins dressed up in a faithful recreation of the protagonist’s outfits, down the satchels on Naoe's waist. I had secretly hoped there would be cosplayers wearing the outfits for some nice photo opportunities, but I suppose seeing them on mannequins is fine too. There were origami and figurines with great detail on display. And on one wall, a powerful painting of the two protags using broad strokes.

There were quite a lot of things on display that would be killer as a collector’s item, and in fact, you can order quite a bit of them from PureArts, like the aforementioned Hidden Blade and samurai helmet. Two AC Shadows themed jackets were also put on display closer to the front of the cafe, also available for purchase. But for those a bit tight on money, appreciating the intricacies of the items through the display might be good enough.

Is It Worth It?

If You Temper Your Expectations

It’s hard to gauge whether the venue will be packed or not— opinions on the game are quite divisive, the venue itself is fairly hidden, but these kinds of themed cafes tend to attract both casual and diehard fans, and the event is only available for a limited time. Oh, did I forget to mention? The event will only be available for two days: March 22nd to the 23rd, from 11am to 6:30pm.

I think if you’re an Assassin’s Creed fan and you go into it knowing what to expect, it would definitely be worth checking out. Don't come expecting some sort of immersive experience that brings you into the world of Assassin’s Creed; you’ll just be disappointed. Come with the understanding that it’s just a place with food, drinks and products with the AC logo slapped on, and you’ll get what you expect.

The prices are reasonable, the cheese toast is good, you’ll get gifts for going (while supplies last), and you get to take a look at the art and exhibitions without having to pay any kind of entrance fee. I still think that with it being only two days anyways, it would’ve been nice if they had hired cosplayers. But I suppose these kind of pop-up themed cafes don’t necessarily promise something like that.

So if you’re a fan living or visiting Japan, and you happen to be exploring Harajuku this weekend, I definitely recommend stopping by for 30 minutes or so before continuing on back to your civilian life. If you're not a fan, well, then the cheese toast is still good and the drinks are still colorful, but the bulk of the experience would be lost on you.

If you are a fan but just not in Japan and won’t be in the next two days… well, hopefully you were able to live vicariously through this article.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Harajuku Event Information

　⚫︎　Location: dotcom space Tokyo (1-19-19 Erindale Jingumae B1F, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001)
　⚫︎　Date and time: March 22, 2025 (Sat) to March 23, 2025 (Sun), 11:00am to 6:30pm (Last Order: 6:00pm)

Alfonso Majarucon

Writer of things from game, anime and manga reviews to news and webnovels. Hopelessly addicted to story-driven games, especially cross-platform ones. Favorite games include Punishing Gray Raven, Arknights, Limbus Company, Elden Ring, Touhou, Soul Nomad and the Disgaea series (except 3 and 6). Avid..