“TOKYO STATION CAFE -THE NORTH DOME-” Opens at Tokyo Station Marunouchi North Exit, Serving Former Dining Car Dishes

JR East Cross Station will open “TOKYO STATION CAFE -THE NORTH DOME-” at the Marunouchi North Exit of Tokyo Station on April 21. This café makes use of a space that was originally used as a waiting room by the ticket gates when Tokyo Station was completed in 1914, and will also serve dishes that inherit the flavors of the former dining cars of the Japanese National Railways.

The café occupies an area of approximately 280 square meters adjacent to the Tokyo Station Gallery and has 63 seats. The space has been renovated from the former “JR EAST Travel Service Center,” a travel counter for inbound visitors to Japan that operated there until the end of March 2025.

The brand concept is “A space to savor time and enjoy culture,” and the spatial design concept is “NEW CLASSIC TOKYO.” Making use of the brick walls of the Marunouchi Station Building, which is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan, the interior allows visitors to physically sense the station’s history. At the back of the café, there is a space with a five-meter-high octagonal ceiling surrounded by structural brick walls. Decorative walls reminiscent of the frames of artworks have been installed to create an intellectual and calm atmosphere, befitting its location next to the Tokyo Station Gallery. On the floor, a custom-made carpet patterned after the dome ceiling design of the Marunouchi North Exit has been laid.

The menu features cakes and tarts made with seasonal fruits sourced by “Kajitsuen LiBel,” a fruit parlor operated under JR East Cross Station, along with tea and siphon-brewed coffee. The signature menu item is the “Original Dome Zukotto” (1,800 yen per piece, tax included), an homage to the octagonal dome ceiling of the Marunouchi North Exit. Rich custard represents the ceiling dome, while seasonal fruits express the people coming and going through the station. From 11:00 a.m., food items such as “Special Hashed Beef with Rice” (2,500 yen including tax), which carries on the flavors of Nihon Shokudo, the company that once operated dining cars for the former Japanese National Railways, are also served.

Reiko Matsumoto, Sub Manager of the Sales Development Department at JR East Cross Station Foods Company, explains the thoughts behind the interior: “We want this to be a place where visitors who have enjoyed art at the Tokyo Station Gallery can linger in the afterglow, talk with one another, and create new value.” By sharing the brick walls with the gallery, the space is designed to feel continuous with the museum.

Opening hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (until 9:00 p.m. on Sundays and national holidays). Reservations are not accepted during normal operation. To commemorate the opening, a “Tokyo Station Red Brick Pound Cake” will be given to the first 1,500 visitors from opening day.