Square Enix announced another initiative to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original release of Final Fantasy IX.
The company will launch a themed pop-up cafe at the Paselabo Tower venue next to the Southeast Exit of JR Shinjuku Station, and it’ll span the floors from 1 to 3.
It’s worth mentioning that the Final Fantasy IX theme is only the first that will be featured at this new “Square Enix Pop Up Cafe,” which will be open until Spring 2026.
It’ll have two halves, the first from September 20 to October 31, and the second from November 1 to December 12. Each half will have its specific menu, and it’ll likely that after December 12 another Square Enix game will be rotated in as the theme for the cafe.
In the first gallery below, you can check out three menu items that will be available in both periods, including the Vivi drink, a 25th Anniversary Latte Art, and a 25th Anniversary Cake.
The second gallery shows the menu specific to the first half, including Garnet’s Favorite Peach Pudding, Flame-Colored Salamander Pescatore, a Chocobo Salad, Lindblum’s Traditional Hunting Cuisine, a Moogle Yogurt Sundae, and drinks dedicated to Zidane, Steiner, Freya, Beatrix, and Zorn and Thorn.
Perhaps the most iconic item is the “Sandwich with Theater Ticket,” which comes with an envelope that contains either a genuine or a forged theater ticket. I can certainly see this being popular.
The menu dedicated to the second half has drinks representing Garnet (which is obviously tea), Amarant Coral, Kuja, and Alexander, plus one simply named Magic Drink and inspired by Vivi’s magic, with Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder versions.
The food includes Vivi’s Black Magic Sweets, Zidane’s Grilled Twin Swords, Eiko’s Potato Stew, the Moogle Slad Sandwich, Curry Packed with Quina’s Favorite Ingredients, and Black Mage Nachos.
By eating at the cafe, you’ll get a random themed placemat with 3 different designs offered in the first period and 3 more in the second period, and you’ll also get a coaster per order. 8 designs are reserved for the first period, and 8 for the second.
You can find them below.
In other Final Fantasy news, you can check out the opening cutscenes of the upcoming Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.
Final Fantasy IX was released in Japan on July 7, 2000, for the original PlayStation.
North American fans had to wait for November of the same year, while European gamers got the game last, in February 2001. It was a different time.