Exploring the Delicious in Dungeon Pop-Up Café In Shibuya

Delicious in Dungeon makes its real-life appearance in Shibuya with a café. But it's no ordinary café. The new anime Delicious in Dungeon takes us into a fantastical world where adventurers explore dungeons, fight monsters, and loot treasure. However, the real treasure is the food we eat along the way. In this case, the monsters. Each episode showcases one or two new dishes made from the monsters seen in the series. So, how would those dishes look and taste in real life? Thankfully, we can find that answer at the four-day long Shibuya Delicious in Dungeon Store.

The two-story store was initially announced on January 9 on Twitter and is located in the Shibuyan_space. While small, there is a lot to enjoy as the store features samples of monster food and other items on the first floor, an introduction to the story, and life-sized acrylic statues of the series' main characters. So, here's what we saw.

Stepping over the threshold into the Store, the first floor resembles a family-owned or local restaurant with posters, countertop dining, and refreshing beer to enjoy. You can almost hear adventurers enjoying their food and company and the smell of delicious food being prepared. And surrounding the walls are posters for all sorts of things. From a challenge to eat the scorpion soup in 30 minutes, signs that advertise fresh ingredients like basilisk eggs, menu items posted all over, a calendar listing closed days and other events, and even advertisements for Red Dragon Beer, staff, and adventurers. But the two highlights are the signboards from people involved with Delicious in Dungeon and the covered cage with a basilisk inside.

The stairs to the second floor feature more Delicious in Dungeon-themed posters you'd find in local restaurants in Japan. These add even more ambiance to the store, making it feel lived in. Upon reaching the second floor, we're greeted with life-sized acrylic stands of the main characters of Delicious in Dungeon: Laios, Marcille, Chilchuck, and Senshi. Along with the acrylic standees, a short introduction to the first three episodes is available for visitors. It's a nice touch so people can refamiliarize themselves with the story. There are even signed Delicious in Dungeon scripts and figures on display. Those who arrive early will be treated to a free limited dragon broth instant ramen pack when leaving the store. It was reported earlier that the broth contains soba, eggs, and potentially pork products. The Dragon Broth Instant Ramen contains all three, as well as soy and chicken. People who are allergic to those food items or have dietary restrictions will want to refrain from consuming the dragon broth ramen.

The Shibuya Delicious in Dungeon Store is free of charge and was open from Thursday, January 18 to Sunday, January 21. The space may be small, but it fits the theme of a hole-in-the-wall Japanese family-owned restaurant that serves dishes made from monsters. Hopefully, we'll see more pop-up stores like this in the future. For now, let's enjoy the real-life (but fake) monster dishes from Delicious in Dungeon.