Maid cafés are known for their incredible service. The maids wait on the ‘masters’ every whim and treat them with the utmost respect. This is the reason why so many people frequent maid cafés.

However, there are maid cafés out there for the more masochistic of customers. Tsundere cafés are a sub-genre of maid cafés where customers go to be treated like absolute dirt. The maids do their best to show you that you are completely annoying them just by being there, and they do not in any way enjoy serving you. Strangely, some people enjoy being treated this way.

Tsundere describes the enjoyment some people derive from being treated terribly. Although the cafés offer a very niche service, they are becoming more popular all over Japan, and are even traveling to other countries all over the world.

When you visit these tsundere cafés you can expect to receive a “I was hoping you wouldn’t come back again” and a very rude cold shoulder leading you to your table. Your order will be taken with great reluctance and you might even feel that the maid isn’t even listening. If you are lucky you might receive what you have ordered, but usually the maids just give you whatever they feel like bringing and often just throw it onto your table. Sounds great right?

If you are brave enough to visit one of these tsundere cafés, here are the best ones to be found in Japan. Through the verbal abuse and bad service, remember that it is what you are paying for. Try enjoy the experience, it definitely isn’t something you would get to experience often – especially paying for such bad service!

Nagomi Café (Little Sister Café)

The maids at Nagomi Café appear just as sweet as the maids you might find in many other maid cafés, but they come playing a very different role. They look really cute in their frilly maid costumes, but beware the attitude that lurks beneath the sweet, soft smile.

Here, the waitresses act like your little sister. They will refer to you as big brother or big sister, and fulfill that strange sibling need you may have. It is considered a mood café, and is one of few to be found around Japan. At a mood café, staff change their moods in a heartbeat, from acting kind and caring towards customers, to cold and rude. This is what you pay for, and what draws so many customers to Nagomi café.

So if you have always wanted to know what it feels like to have a cute but annoying and rude little sister, pay this maid café a visit. It will definitely be an experience you will remember, even if it is a little odd. Why wouldn’t you want you food thrown onto your table with youthful attitude, only to be told “I love you big brother” five minutes later? For those that do have a little sister, you should know exactly what to expect from the maids, but add on a little drama and over-expression, it is what maids at these cafés are good at, and it is what you are paying for.

The food is quite good and they do offer a drinks menu as well. It isn’t necessarily a cheap experience, but it will be one for the books.

Nagomi Café | Address: 1-8-4-2F Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo | Phone: +81 03 5256 8001 | Website: https://nagomi-cafe.com/english-2

Ore no Yome

Ore no Yome is a little different to the normal tsundere cafés (if you can actually use the word normal when referring to them) Here, the waitresses and waiters treat you as their newly wed spouse.

Female maids will serve you a homemade meal, fresh on the plate, with a sweet smile and loving words. To top it off, they serve it to you dressed in a bikini and an apron. Is this not what any newlywed dreams of? For the ladies, the men are also dressed up as appealing as can be for the female patrons.

You are offered a meal, a bath or the waitress herself (all tongue in cheek though) The point is to make you feel right at home with your pretend husband or wife. Keep in mind though that married life isn’t perfect, and your pretend husband or wife can very quickly give you the cold shoulder if they do not feel like serving you anymore.

It is a fun way to experience a meal out if you are looking for some distant, pretend companionship, and the food is fairly decent as well. If you are single and want to find out what married life is like, give it a try.

The maids aren’t always rude like normal tsundere cafés, but they can switch their moods in an instant if you upset them and become rude. That is married life, up one moment and down the next, it is a rollercoaster ride that will keep you on your toes.

If you are about to be married, this could be a good eye opener for you. Just remember that your new spouse more than likely won’t serve you dinner in a swim costume, so just enjoy that for what it is.

Ore no Yome | Address: Floor B1, Iwashita Building, 3 Chome*9*13. Higashi Ikebukuro, Tokyo | Phone: +81 03 6331 1533 | Website: http://ore-yome.com/

Café CC Ocha

If you are looking for a maid café where you are treated like absolute royalty by a cute little maid dressed in frills and prettiness, turn away now, this is not the maid café you are looking for.

Yes, the maids as Café CC Ocha are cute and pretty and frilly and everything a maid should be, but there is a twist to this seemingly normal restaurant. The maids are not as innocent as they come across, and they will literally kick you in the backside.

Instead of ordering a private chat with a maid, or a little game of rock, paper, scissors, you can order for one of the maids to kick you in the butt. Yes, it is weird and yes it is unusual, but it is pretty popular at the restaurant.

For 1800 yen, you can get one of the maids to become really angry with you, calling you a perv, making you get down on your hands and knees and then kicking you in the butt. For some reason, some men absolutely love this and don’t mind dishing out the money to have this done. If the maid is in the right (or wrong) mood, she will humiliate you in front of everyone else in the restaurant as well. One way they do this is by making you act like a dog, and ignoring you when you talk because obviously you are a dog and can’t speak like a human.

At the end of it all, you will have a lovely little photo of you being kicked in the behind, with the date and a cute little doodle from the maid. Not the usual souvenir, but you would want to have some proof when leaving the café.

Café CC Ocha | Address: 2-4-8 Namba Naka Naniwa Ward, Osaka-shi, 556-011 | Phone: +81 06 6644 5028 | Website: http://ccocha.com/

The Lockup

Tsundere cafés might be your thing, but have you ever tried a tsundere café that has been created to scare the living daylights out of you as well?

The Lockup is a prison themed café that outdoes itself in terms of décor and ambiance. The prison café is dark upon entering. There is a rusted sign beckoning you to enter. You need to place your hand in a guillotine, which then flashes and plays a deathly scream, letting the staff know you are there.

You are met by a maid dressed in police uniform, you are handcuffed and led inside a prison cell to sit at a table. For the rest of the night, you will be served by both prison guards and prisoners. It is themed down to the last detail, and minus the good food and seating arrangement, you might actually feel like you are in an real pri0son.

The food and drinks are all based on the prison theme and are even presented on trays or in science beakers. To add to the haunted feel, you can even order zombie entrails and other monster themed food. The prison guards can be mean and treat you like a real prisoner, which is why this is also considered a tsundere café.

It definitely isn’t the roses and sunshine you would experience from any other maid café, and you should not go in there hoping to be treated like a master or mistress.

For all those prison fantasies you might have, or even just for the curiously minded, it is worth the trip. The food and drinks can become quite expensive, but it is all part of the experience. There are a few of the prison cafés around the same area, but each is themed slightly differently, making them all unique.

Enjoy a night of being treated badly, locked in a cell and eating food like a prisoner. Who doesn’t want to pay to receive terrible service?

The Lockup | Address: 6-7F Shinjuku Square Building, 1-16-3 Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo | Phone: +81 050 7576 5262 | Website: http://www.lock-up.jp/

Follow The Rules

Just because the maids are super rude to you at these tsundere maid cafés, it does not mean you do not have to follow the usual rules set by most of the maid cafés.

Avoid touching the maids at all times. This is a huge no-no and chances are you will be kicked out and banned almost immediately. Do not ask the waitresses for their personal details either. They are there to perform a job and are not there to pick up a date, this is also an offense that will have you out the door in seconds.

Do not take offense when the maids get quite overboard with their rudeness. Just remember that to them it is a job and they are probably doing it really well. Don’t be rude back, instead play along and enjoy being scorned at for no real reason, if that is possible.

Pictures are only allowed if you ask, however most places do not allow for them. If you are allowed to take a photo, be prepared to pay for it. Most of the maid cafés work on the concept that you pay for your time at the restaurant, and if someone else wants to enjoy the experience, they should pay for it as well instead of enjoying it in a photo.

You need to try everything at least once, and that applies to tsundere maid cafés. Sure, being sworn at and rudely attended to is something none of us actually want to experience when at a restaurant, but it is all part of the fun at these themed cafés. Paying for bad service seems to make the terrible service acceptable and somewhat enjoyable. It isn’t cheap, but you do definitely get your moneys worth as the maids seem to actually enjoy having free will to mistreat customers – it is ever servants dream!

A trend with tsundere maid cafés is to take some friends along with you, but have them unaware that you are dining at a tsundere maid café. There are many videos on the internet of the reaction of patrons who have no idea that they are at a ‘mean café’, and cannot believe the behavior of the waitresses. It really is quite comical and you could imagine what must be going through someone’s mind when they are being treated like dirt by someone who should be waiting on them hand and foot.

Are you brave enough to visit one of these tsundere maid cafés? Why not make a booking and see how long you last through the berating and seriously bad service!