A new Little Tokyo restaurant is bringing the world of anime into real life with a theme and menu inspired by the popular animated series “One Piece.”
“I love anime, I love pop culture and I think One Piece has so many stories and fans behind it,” said Andy Nguyen, co-owner of the new One Piece Cafe, which opened Aug. 2 at 241 S. San Pedro St.
The series, which made its debut on Japanese TV in 1999, follows pirate Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat crew on their quest to find the “One Piece,” the legendary treasure of Gol D. Rogers, who was the former king of the pirates. Since its debut, the show has exploded in popularity and grew to include 15 feature films, as well as video and trading card games and merchandise.
Following the theme of the show, the Little Tokyo spot is decked out in nautical touches meant to make the restaurant resemble a pirate ship. There are wood barrel tables, thick ropes, interior walls that resemble the wooden deck of a pirate ship and characters from the series peeking out of portholes.
A new Little Tokyo restaurant inspired by the popular animated series “One Piece,” opened in Little Tokyo on Aug. 2 (Photo courtesy One Piece Cafe)
“I think we built a great immersive experience. When you come in there you’ll feel like you’re in the pirate ship,” said Nguyen, who opened the first One Piece cafe in Las Vegas. The new Little Tokyo spot is his second location.
A new Little Tokyo restaurant inspired by the popular animated series “One Piece,” opened in Little Tokyo on Aug. 2 (Photo courtesy One Piece Cafe)
The menu meanwhile is inspired by the Straw Hat crew’s favorite foods and includes dishes like Sanji’s “Diable Jambe” Chicken Katsu Sando, a spicy chicken katsu sando on honey milk bread with house-made katsu sauce. Sanji, one of the main characters who is the cook of the pirate crew, also inspired Sanji’s Beef Yakisoba, a savory garlic soy beef yakisoba with sautéed veggies and house pickles, while Hachi, an octopus fish-man character, inspired Hatchan’s Takoyaki. This dish is made up of octopus fritters with house sauce, bonito flakes, and seaweed.
“I just want our customers to have that immersive experience and to feel like we did One Piece justice and to feel like they’re having a great time on the ship,” Nguyen said.
Also available at the cafe is merchandise including T-shirts, tote bags, keychains, plushies, pins, lanyards and other items.
One Piece Cafe
Where: 241 S. San Pedro St.
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Information: onepiececafe.com