We visited the Persona 5 Royal X Requiem Cafe! Here’s a rundown of how it can take your heart with their new themed menu.
What is Requiem Cafe?
Requiem Cafe is a drink establishment on Clementine Street in Anaheim, California. Originally setup as a fantasy-themed drink bar, its aesthetic is magical, colorful, and all around enjoyable. The many trees wrapping around one side of the seating area to the merch store being called the item shop, it’s a fun place to spend a night out with your friends for some coffee and fantasy.
They gained a lot of notoriety from their previous crossovers, including hit game Undertale (2015), and the popular anime streaming platform Crunchyroll. What was just a cool hole-in-the-wall cafe quickly became a place for fans of anime, games, and fantasy culture to gather over a common love: sweets and drinks. Their latest crossover takes the super stylistic attitude of Persona 5 Royal (2019) and turns the place into an Atlus-centric hideout for the Phantom Thieves. In promotion of Persona 5 Tactica (2023), Requiem took on the feeling of the Metaverse with full force.
Persona 5 Requiem Rebellious Decorations
When initially walking in or driving by, the walls are plastered with fan-favorite characters and promotional material for the next game in the Persona 5 franchise. It’s refreshing to see this promotion outside, with more publicity than just social media and Anime Expo.
Walking inside reveals the fantasy atmosphere this cafe is known for, but with a spice of Persona sprinkled about the place. From gameplay running on a few screens, the game’s soundtrack on shuffle in the background, to even the anime playing on a large flatscreen for customers to enjoy, the cafe does a good job of balancing its own style with that of the collaboration. It’s small, but enough to make fans happy.
There’s also a section of the cafe designated to cardboard cut-outs of fan favorites from Persona 5 Royal! Guess there’s no better opportunity to get a photo with the Royal Trio, Mona, and even Jose.
A Phantom Thief’s Favorite Food
Though the main focus is drinks, there are still a few food options. Aside from the chocolate croissants, cheesecakes, and other cafe-ready treats on standby, the “Take Your Heart” ice cream is new for any fans with a sweet tooth. It’s scoops of double chocolate chunk ice cream with a strawberry drizzle, heart-shaped sprinkles, and two heart-shaped waffles, topped with a calling card. It’s a classic meal for anyone craving something sweet with their drinks.
Also, although it may be subtle, a nice touch was the decision to change the Wi-Fi name and password. You can spot this small drawing when ordering.
The Royal Drink Menu
The main attraction is without a shadow of a doubt the drink selection. Each drink is either a mix of fruit flavors and sodas, a mix of flavored tea, or a brew of coffee with flavored foams or other additions. After ordering all of them, it’s apparent just how much time this location has under its belt.
They are also allergy friendly! Although some drinks are made in locations that may result in cross-contamination, the soda-based drinks are made completely independent of them. They are also open to altering the drinks in order to adapt to whatever allergens customers may have. The customer service is really good as well, and will make sure you have the best experience possible. (Shout Out to Carlos!)
The soda drinks were our favorites, with Jose’s Great Job! being the star player of our visit. It’s a nice mix of a refreshing sweet from the mango and lychee over lemonade. The flowers were a cool reference as well! The Flag of Freedom, themed over Erina from Persona 5 Tactica, tasted close to a shirley temple, with a sweet taste from the cherry and dragonfruit. Though not initially listed on the menu, it’s a nice addition that also comes with a keychain!
Ann’s Day Off was one of the standouts, being a soda float with whipped cream and a red vine. It’s milky-esc flavor with the whipped cream mixed surprisingly well into the strawberry soda, tasting more like a strawberry shortcake drink. The other outlier was the Cognitive Pscience, a butterscotch cinnamon tea. The flavor worked really well with the iced tea, and the entire cinnamon stick was a fun touch.
The coffees are probably what’s going to bring the most people in. Each has an edible paper emblem with the party member icon on them, symbolizing who’s drink is who’s. Joker’s Wild Card was strange with the heavy blueberry foam, but had a very good warm latte base. Violet’s Awakening was a great brown sugar and caramel latte, and after mixing with the lavender cold foam, created a great flavor somewhat reminiscent of red velvet. The best of them was the Detective Prince, With an amazing French Toast Butter Pecan latte that mixed very well with the chocolate and black sesame flavors.
The Persona 5 Requiem Item Shop
After you’re done sitting down and watching an episode of Persona 5: The Animation (2018), there’s an entire other side of the store to appreciate: the item shop! This mini-store is filled with geeky merchandise from all across their collaborations, along with new merchandise from the Persona 5 Royal game. If you ordered the Flag of Freedom, don’t forget to pick up your free keychain here as well.
Along with the new merchandise are decorations in celebration of Persona 5 Tactica, and another photo opportunity with props! Definitely a nice touch. It’s easy to see why people are excited for this collaboration.
Final Thoughts
Overall this collaboration is a very sweet experience, worthwhile all the way through. It may not be screaming Persona at their customers, but the nice scenery and even better menu is what makes this crossover such a fun night out. The nice atmosphere is both comfortable and exciting for any fans of the series. It’s a nice place to kick back and relax, all while looking as cool as Joker. Don’t miss the opportunity to find a safe room with the Phantom Thieves at Requiem Cafe!
Requiem Cafe is located on 280 S Clementine Street, Anaheim, CA 92805. Find their website and merchandise order page here. Their collaboration with Persona 5 Royal ends on October 22nd, 2023, so steal their treasure while you can!
Persona 5 Royal is a JRPG that can be found on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Steam. Don’t be afraid to delve into the Metaverse!
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