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Pronto Pokémon cafe collaboration in Japan gives us themed food and drinks…and free merch!

Oona McGee Jul 17, 2024
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Pikachu takes us on a culinary adventure with some legendary stars along for the ride.

When people seek an adventure outdoors in the heat of summer, they might opt for the mountains or the beach, but this year they’ll want to head to Japanese cafe chain Pronto, because that’s where a Pokémon adventure awaits fans for a limited time.

The adventure might take place in an air-conditioned environment, but the menu items will take your imagination on a wild journey inspired by the mountains and the ocean, with legendary stars like Terapagos and Ogerpon to guide you along the way.

This is the second collaboration between Pronto and Pokémon, following their first venture last autumn, and this time there are three different drinks and four meals to choose from, as seen in the promo image above.

▼ We played things cool on our visit to the chain, ordering one main with a drink and sweet on the side.

Similar to last year’s collaboration, the new menu items each come with a free trinket, which to us is just as exciting as the meal, but putting that aside for a moment, let’s begin the taste journey with…

▼ …Ogerpon’s Four-Mask Basil Pasta (1,870 yen [US$11.81]).

What drew us to this particular dish was the bright blue sauce on top of it all, which added a dash of magic to the meal.

As it turns out, the blue element is a coloured cheese cream sauce, designed to represent the Wellspring Mask, one of Ogerpon’s four masks.

▼ Ogerpon’s masks

The blue sauce brought some fun to the pasta, while asparagus, cheese, olives, semi-dried tomatoes, and shrimp kept our energy levels up for the rest of the journey.

▼ For our drink, we chose Pikachu’s Midsummer Mango Milk (990 yen).

This cheery yellow beverage comes with a load of panna cotta pieces at the bottom of the cup, making it very filling and delicious. The only that could’ve improved the drink was if it had two cherries on top of it instead of one, to better depict both of Pikachu’s rosy cheeks.

▼ Each drink comes with one of 20 clear cards, and we were lucky to catch Pikachu!

▼ Rounding off the taste expedition is Clodsire’s Double Chocolate Mousse (1,430 yen)

This two-layered dessert is simple but outstanding in flavour and texture, with milk and white chocolate replicating the light and dark colours of the dual-type Pokémon.

Each item on the food menu comes with one of seven key holders, and given the relatively low price of the dessert, it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to get your hands on a piece of limited-edition merch.

▼ We missed out on Pikachu this time, but were happy to go home with a Dragonite key holder.

Fans with more money to spare can splurge on a series of limited-edition goods, with a bento box, drink bottle and T-shirt on sale from 11 July and a tote bag and glass available from 25 July.

Whether you prefer to spend your money on merch or meals, or even both, this special Pokémon collaboration is a great way to make fun memories this summer.

The collaboration is only available for a limited time, but unlike a lot of campaigns, it’s a relatively long sales period, running from 11 July to 16 September. The food and drinks are only available during Pronto’s “cafe time” — generally lunchtime and evenings with exact times varying by branch — and stocks are limited, though, so you won’t want to wait too long to join the adventure!

Related: Pronto branches
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[ Read in Japanese ]