01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Step inside from the street in Shinjuku 5-chome, and you are met with a nostalgic space filled with books, paintings, and bric-a-brac. A defining feature of Cafe Arles is its resident cats, seen napping and roaming freely around the room. Rather than a modern cat café designed for structured interaction, this is a traditional kissaten where the animals are simply an organic part of the daily rhythm.
The food menu is loaded with hearty classic yoshoku plates. Alongside staples like Neapolitan spaghetti and pilaf, diners can choose combination platters such as omura-burg—hamburg steak paired with omurice—or Napoli-burg, which pairs the meat patty with ketchup-sauced spaghetti. Meal orders come with a cup of soup, and spice-tinged rice options like curry-burg and tomato dry curry round out the choices.
A distinctive kissaten touch is the complimentary dish of sliced banana and nuts served with drinks. It makes an easy accompaniment while sipping robust iced coffee, the house blend, or a Vienna coffee crowned with whipped cream. Retro iced sweets are also well represented, from bright melon cream sodas and floats to mixed fruit juice.
The café maintains traditional kissaten policies, allowing smoking throughout the interior, which makes it a valued haven for smokers. Guests who are sensitive to smoke should keep this in mind before stopping by for lunch or a nostalgic rest between shopping errands. Payment is cash only, and the café operates continuously from 11:30 to 21:00, except on Sundays.
