Cafe Habana, a popular downtown New York restaurant known for being used as a filming location for Lenny Kravitz's music video for "Again" and beloved by many musicians, models, and celebrities, opened a new location in Daikanyama (1F Hikawa Building, 2-11 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) on May 28th. The menu includes popular items from the New York flagship store, such as the "Cubano" sandwich (1,400 yen), featuring homemade roast pork, ham, and cheese, topped with chipotle mayonnaise, and the "Grilled Corn" (700 yen per corn, 400 yen for half a corn) topped with cheese and chili powder. Original Japanese dishes such as teriyaki chicken, ceviche, and grilled garlic tuna have also been added. The food truck-style facade features artwork by New York staff and a cute illustration of a ninja munching corn. The yellow interior, with illustrations evoking Cuban music and Mexican culture, creates a pop, vintage urban resort restaurant feel. Club SANKEYS opened in April, adding another popular spot to the Namikibashi area, a hot spot for sandwiches and fashion. Inspired by Mexico City's La Habana, owner Sean Meenan opened his first location in New York's Nolita district in 1997. He currently has locations in Brooklyn, Malibu, California, and Dubai, with a new location scheduled to open soon in New Orleans. Cafe Habana TOKYO, the first in Asia, was opened by Creativeman, a Western music promoter who organizes more than 10 music festivals annually, including Summer Sonic.

"I've been visiting this restaurant every time I go to New York for about 15 years, and about 10 years ago, when I was thinking about doing something new, I started thinking about opening this restaurant in Japan. I've always been energized by the restaurant's unpretentious diner-like atmosphere, as well as the menu," says Shimizu Naoki, president of Creativeman Productions.

Text: Noda Tatsuya