Riding my bike from Yokota Air Base and exploring Hachioji recently gave me good cardio exercise and the opportunity to check out Rosso Café. The signboard caught my attention because it had a poodle on it. Turns out Rosso Café is an animal-friendly café. I enjoy going to animal cafés in Japan since there are not many around back home in Southern California where I’m from.

The first thing I noticed when entering is how clean and fur-less this café was. That’s because the store manager, Rosso, an adorable brown poodle, is the only pet resident. The café is pet-friendly, so feel free to stop by if you’re hungry and have your furry friend with you.

Rosso is not as big as other animal cafés, but it’s very cozy and simply decorated. As I entered, I was greeted by the staff working behind the counter and shortly after, Rosso came over to greet me.

Their menu is in both Japanese with English and consisted of pasta, seafood, meat dishes and desserts. Their alcohol menu was large but all in Japanese. Most of the food displayed on the menu didn’t really appeal to me, so I decided to stick with a dessert item.

What caught my attention the most was the chocolate cake they had on display. I decided to order it for my quick pitstop snack and watched Rosso browse around my feet as I waited to be served.

My cake slice arrived quickly, and first thing I noticed was the small size of the cake slice. I’m still adjusting to the size of portions in Japan, but the cake itself was delicious. The dark cocoa and nice sprinkle on top provided a good texture to each bite. The dish came with a small portion of whipped cream which complemented the chocolate and sugar. For 550 yen, it wasn’t that bad of a deal for a pet cafe.

When eating, Rosso did not jump on my table, so it was peaceful. For payment, they accept yen and credit cards. As I walked out, the staff and manager wished me off on my next adventure.

Address: 1F Nishiki Building, 2-9 Oyokocho, Hachioji, Tokyo

Hours: Tues., - Sun., 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (Closed Monday)

Parking: No parking available

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