Down the Rabbit Hole and Into the Alice in a Labyrinth Restaurant in Ginza

Alice in Wonderland illustration

Japan loves Alice in Wonderland. So much so that there are a bunch of Alice in Wonderland-themed restaurants throughout the country. Six restaurants in particular are owned by Diamond Dining, a company that manages a slew of themed restaurants across Japan:

  • Alice in a Labyrinth in Ginza
  • Alice in a Picture Book in Shinjuku
  • Alice in a Magical Land in Shinjuku
  • Alice in an Ancient Castle in Ikebukuro
  • Alice in a Fantasy Land in Osaka
  • Alice in the Silver Screen in Nagoya

This post will focus on the Alice in a Labyrinth restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo. It was such a whimsical dining experience, and I’m excited to share it with you!

P.S. I’m sorry some of the photos are a bit blurry or low quality. It was quite dimly lit in the restaurant, and I struggled to find a good setting for my camera. Hopefully the photos still illustrate the fun experience! 

Entering Alice in a Labyrinth

giant book pages of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Floor-to-ceiling pages of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Alice in a Labyrinth is located on the 5th floor of the Taiyō Building along Ginza’s main street, one of the most upscale shopping districts in Tokyo. One step off the elevator and we were already immersed in Alice’s world. Giant reproductions of pages from Lewis Carroll’s novel were set up all around the lobby. A host dressed like the Mad Hatter greeted us, checked off our reservations, and led us through a small labyrinth formed by all of those floor-to-ceiling book pages.

Dining Area

Alice in Wonderland-themed dining room with playing cards on the ceiling
Dining area

From there, we entered the dining area, which was completely mesmerizing – there were themed decorations covering every inch of space! The lighting was quite dim, which lent an air of mystery to go along with the labyrinth theme. Elegant Victorian-style chairs were set up at tables made to look like large playing cards. There were a bunch of curved playing cards adorning the ceiling. The floor looked like a chess board. Spikes topped with hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs separated each booth.

blue and white teacup-shaped table
Teacup-shaped table

The focal point, however, was a large blue and white teacup-shaped table in one corner.

Meeting Our Server, Alice

Alice in Wonderland blue dress and white apron
Our server dressed like Alice

After we sat down, we were introduced to our server dressed up as Alice. Her outfit was amazing! She had on the iconic blue dress, white apron, and black hair bow with the addition of black and white striped stockings and chunky black shoes for a modern twist. I noticed all of the servers were wearing the same Alice getup.

popup menu and Alice in Wonderland-themed diorama
Menu and diorama of an Alice in Wonderland-themed room

Our server then brought over a box. Coolest thing ever: the box transformed into a diorama of an Alice-themed room that contained the menus! She explained the menu to us in Japanese, but if you’re not fluent (I’m still trying to get there!), fret not – the menu has lots of pictures. She gave us time to figure out what we wanted to order and told us if we had any questions to call out “Alice! Alice!”

Food & Drinks

cocktail based on Cheshire Cat
Cheshire Cat smile cocktail

We first ordered drinks. I had the Cheshire Cat Smile cocktail, which was topped with an orange slice that had a cutout like a smiling mouth and a round sweet in the middle with skewers sticking out of it to make a cat nose and whiskers. So creative! Alice came over to the table to finish it off with ingredients procured from a small vial just like the one in the book.

Alice in Wonderland inspired serving tray
Serving tray of bread and dip with “Eat Me” sign

Next, our table got a serving tray of bread with sauce served in club- and diamond-shaped dishes. On the tray was a sign with an illustration of a key and the words “Eat Me” printed on it.

crackers shaped like playing cards
Crackers shaped like playing cards with dip

We also had an appetizer of crackers shaped like playing cards served with dip. These were really neat – each one had two heart-shaped cutouts.

pizza shaped like Cheshire Cat tail
Cheshire Cat tail pizza

For the main course, I had a Cheshire Cat tail shaped pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. It was quite yummy! Notice the little footprints on the plate.

spaghetti shaped like Cheshire Cat
Cheshire Cat spaghetti

My friend had Cheshire Cat-shaped spaghetti that had two triangular pieces of bread for the ears, two zucchini slices topped with olives for the eyes, a cherry tomato for the nose, and a big zigzag spread of balsamic vinegar on the bottom of the plate to make the signature smile. We weren’t aware of it at the time, but we really did go all out with a Cheshire Cat-themed meal, didn’t we?

packet of strawberry tea with "Drink Me" Alice in Wonderland illustration
Packet of strawberry tea with Alice in Wonderland illustration

After that, we had some Mad Hatter profiteroles for dessert. Alice periodically checked in on us to make sure everything was good. At the end of the meal, she gave each person a packet of strawberry tea. She was also kind enough to let us take a photo with her on our way out.

street and tall buildings lit up at night
Ginza’s main street

We said our goodbyes and walked back through the labyrinth feeling full and happy. Back on Ginza’s main street, we walked around and admired the opulent architecture of the storefronts and buildings.

Final Thoughts

playing cards on ceiling
Large playing cards on the ceiling

Overall, Alice in a Labyrinth was a really fun experience! I loved all of the themed touches in the decorations, the food, the drinks, and with the wait staff. It had a very cool ambiance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a restaurant so dedicated to its theme before! Plus, finding vegetarian food in Japan isn’t always easy, but there were a good amount of vegetarian options on the menu. However, it was quite pricy; but if you are a fan of Alice in Wonderland, it is worth it as a one-time thing. I suggest making reservations in advance as these themed restaurants tend to get booked up quickly.

If you go on your next trip to Japan, I hope you have a fun and whimsical experience like I had!

 

(All photos taken by Clara Juliette)

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Dining at the Alice in Wonderland Restaurant in Ginza, Japan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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