Living in Japan, I figured I’d see all sorts of cool and unique themed restaurants and cafes, especially those themed around popular anime and manga. Imagine my surprise when, in Korea, I stumbled upon a massive replica of the Thousand Sunny, the pirate ship of the Straw Hat Pirates in the popular Shounen Jump series One Piece. My wife indulged my fondness for the series and we got a quick drink at the One Piece Cafe.
Ambiance
I’ve been reading One Piece since about 1999, so I have a soft spot for these characters and their stories. That being said, the theming is very impressive. The counters and walls look like the hulls of a ship and tattered wanted posters for the main characters plaster the walls up the stairs. If you want to explore upstairs and walk on the deck of the ship, you need to order at least one drink per person in your party. The dining/rest area upstairs is very small; maybe a dozen people could fit up there comfortably, but many more squeezed in during my visit. There are a lot of figurines on the far wall, some awesome character model drawings, and in the back they play full episodes of the show. You can hear music from the show as well as you sit and enjoy your treats.
Food and Drink
With the theming, there is a lot to explore with the menu. They have special soda-type drinks for all the main characters, as well as some main dishes from popular side characters (such as the octopus balls). The cafe also had these beautiful cakes shaped like Devil Fruit, special fruit from the series that grant its consumer amazing powers.
They also had some beers you could select from, but beware! I made the sad mistake of getting beer #2, which had about an inch of sticky-sweet aloe syrup at the bottom of the cup, completely overpowering the beer and making for an all-around bad time. My wife got it right and got herself a chocolate shake. She was kind enough to let me have some to clean the poor taste of aloe syrup out of my mouth.
Overall, it was a novel experience. The tight quarters aren’t very inviting, so getting a quick drink so you can get your photos on the deck of the ship and then leaving might be the way to go. Overall, a nice homage to the manga and anime, if I do say so myself!
Two Second Street 