History Main / CosplayCafe

* ''Anime/GundamBuildFighters'', ''Anime/GundamBuildDivers'', and their respective spinoffs take place in what is ostensibly 'our' universe (a mundane world not experiencing interstellar war) and as such Gundam is still a fictional franchise in this setting. This also includes themed cafes; the Gundam Base's G-CAFE features in several scenes across this portion of the franchise, and Hinata of ''Anime/GundamBuildDiversReRise'' works a part-time job there.

* ''Manga/MaidShokun'': The main character gets a job in a maid cafe, GirlsLove ensues.

* In ''Manga/TheVoynichHotel'', one of the maid Elena's dreams is to visit a maid café in Akibahara.

* The undersea-themed (mer)maid cafe, Sunfish Pocket, in ''VideoGame/AITheSomniumFiles''. A previous place of employment for Iris, [[spoiler:and where Renju is found hanging from a weighted hook in one route.]]

* The most well-known "MaidCafe" was [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Miller%27s Anna Miller's]]. As of September 2022, [[https://soranews24.com/2022/06/14/end-of-the-line-for-japans-absolute-favorite-waitress-uniform-and-one-of-its-favorite-pie-places/ all Anna Miller's locations in Japan have closed]]. Only one Anna Miller's restaurant remains which is located in Aiei, Hawaii.

** In the [[{{Webisode}} net movies]], Otoya renovates the [[LocalHangout Cafe mal'damour]] into a series of these, with [[HilarityEnsues ridiculous results]].

* ''Manga/KOn'': Ritsu proposes a MaidCafe for their first year festival, as she thinks Mio is really suited to the look; in the anime, there's even an ImagineSpot of Mio saying "Moe Moe Kyun!", a phrase used as a "magic spell" by waitresses at real maid cafes to make food and drinks more delicious for the customers. [[ReluctantFanserviceGirl Mio]] is utterly mortified by this and punches Ritsu in response. The second season actually goes whole-hog and does the real thing.

* ''Manga/KOn'': Ritsu proposes a MaidCafe for their first year festival, as she thinks Mio is really suited to the look; in the anime, there's even an ImagineSpot of Mio saying "Moe Moe Kyun!" a phrase used as a "magic spell" by waitresses at real maid cafes to make food and drinks more delicious for the customers. [[ReluctantFanserviceGirl Mio]] is utterly mortified by this and punches Ritsu in response. The second season actually goes whole-hog and does the real thing.

* ''Manga/KOn'': Ritsu proposes a MaidCafe for their first year festival, as she thinks Mio is really suited to the look. [[ReluctantFanserviceGirl Mio]] is utterly mortified by this and punches Ritsu in response. The second season actually goes whole-hog and does the real thing.

The most common version of this trope is the Maid Café, which features attractive waitresses who [[FrenchMaidOutfit dress]] and [[{{Meido}} "perform" as obsequious and obedient maids]]. A Butler Café is similar but with the waiters dressed as "butlers" and "footmen"; these usually attract a mostly female clientele (frequently YaoiFangirls). Waitstaff at Maid and Butler cafés usually use [[{{Keigo}} extra-polite language]], including the obligatory greeting "Welcome home, Master / Mistress!"

Cosplay Cafés are tea shops or small restaurants where the waitstaff's costumes (and frequently the decor and food) are themed around a scenario or fantasy. They typically offer cold and hot tea and coffee drinks, fancy desserts and light meals, often highly decorated and "cutesy", served with FanserviceWithASmile.

Maid Cafés and Cosplay Cafés cater to {{otaku}} of both sexes, whereas Butler Cafés usually attract a mostly female clientele (frequently YaoiFangirls).

A Maid Café features attractive waitresses who [[FrenchMaidOutfit dress]] and [[{{Meido}} "perform" as obsequious and obedient maids]]. A Butler Café is similar but with "butlers" and "footmen". Waitstaff at Maid and Butler cafés usually use [[{{Keigo}} extra-polite language]], including the obligatory greeting "Welcome home, Master / Mistress!"

* ''Literature/BodaciousSpacePirates'': Marika Kato and her best friend work at a Maid Cafe, although they seem to act like ordinary waitresses.
* ''Literature/ChromeShelledRegios'': One of these is popular in Zuellni, particularly with the male students. Felli tries to get a job there. Later on, both Layfon and the 17th frequent it.

* ''Literature/IsThisAZombie'': Ayumu visits a Tsundere Cafe and ends up in a competition where he has to get each of the maids to show their dere side, with increasing difficulty.

* In ''Literature/OutbreakCompany'', when Shinichi takes Myucel, an actual fantasy half-elf maid, to Akihabara, they go to a maid cafe, and she shows the maid there how it's done.

* ''Anime/WelcomeToTheNHK'': In the otaku episode, the main characters visit a Maid Cafe.

* ''LightNovel/MaidMachinegun'': The main character gets a job in a maid cafe; deeply nerdy {{otaku}}-ism ensues.

* The LocalHangout in ''LightNovel/HaremPrince'' combines this and a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga_cafe manga cafe]]. Resulting in [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Manga Maid]].

Cosplay Cafés are tea shops or small restaurants where the waitstaff's costumes (and frequently the decor and food) are themed around a scenario or fantasy. They typically offer cold and hot tea and coffee drinks, fancy desserts and light meals, often highly decorated and "cutesy", served with FanServiceWithASmile.

* ''LightNovel/BodaciousSpacePirates'': Marika Kato and her best friend work at a Maid Cafe, although they seem to act like ordinary waitresses.
* ''LightNovel/ChromeShelledRegios'': One of these is popular in Zuellni, particularly with the male students. Felli tries to get a job there. HilarityEnsues. Later on, both Layfon and the 17th frequent it.

* ''LightNovel/IsThisAZombie'': Ayumu visits a Tsundere Cafe and ends up in a competition where he has to get each of the maids to show their dere side, with increasing difficulty.

* ''LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'': The cast visits one in the first episode of ''Nyarko San W'' (rather, Nyarko drags Mahiro there). The cafe allows amateur karaoke and holds a rock-paper-scissors tournament in order to form an Music/AKB48-style group. Of course, everything goes to hell when Nyarko and Cuuko end up the finalists and turn the tournament into a brawl, ending when they perform [[Series/KamenRiderFourze Fourze and Meteor's]] [[FinishingMove Rider Kicks]] on each other.

* ''Anime/AkibaMaidWar'': Set in 1999, the show is about maid cafes in Akihabara who are all involved in a bloody, violent {{}}Yakuza-like gang war. Most of the cafes are owned by the Creatureland Group, which gives them [[AnimalMotifs animal themes]] along with their maid uniforms; the story mainly focuses on Ton Tokoton, a pig-themed maid cafe whose employees struggle with paying back debts thanks to their manager's incompetence.

* ''Anime/AkibaMaidWar'': Set in 1999, the show is about maid cafes in Akihabara who are all involved in a bloody, violent Yakuza-like gang war. Most of the cafes are owned by the Creatureland Group, which gives them [[AnimalMotifs animal themes]] along with their maid uniforms; the story mainly focuses on Ton Tokoton, a pig-themed maid cafe whose employees struggle with paying back debts thanks to their manager's incompetence.

* ''Anime/AkibaMaidWar'': Set in 1999, the show is about Ton Tokoton, a run down Pig-themed Maid Cafe in Akihabara [[spoiler:with all the maid cafes in Akihabara involved in a Yakuza-like gang war]].

* ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'': The "''Tanks for the Memories!''" episode of the anime sees the gang helping out at a MaidCafe because the joint was temporarily understaffed (Brock was training one of the maids working there). This results in Dawn, [[DraggedIntoDrag Ash]] ([[RunningGag again!]]) and even some of their mons dressing up in {{Meido}} outfits.

* ''Manga/KOn'': Ritsu proposes a MaidCafe for their first year festival, as Mio is really suited to the look. "The adorable power of cute compels you!" The second season actually goes whole-hog and does the real thing.

* ''VideoGame/Persona3'': The Main Character's ever-original classmates decide to do a MaidCafe for their SchoolFestival. Yukari dreads it from the depths of her spirit because [[AllMenArePerverts it means wearing a maid uniform]]; [[IdiotHero Junpei]] and the rest of the male schoolmates look forward to this cherished event. Alas, a typhoon rips through Iwatodai and the SchoolFestival is canceled, to the endless grief of the schoolmates. In ''Portable'', when playing as the female MC, the player can choose the text option "I'm looking forward to it!" (refering to Yukari wearing a maid outfit). This makes Yukari ''[[LesYay blush]]''!

[[Manga/CallOfTheNight https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cotn.png]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/IMG_21681_copy_1565.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Welcome home, Master!"]]

* ''VideoGame/Persona3'': The Main Character's ever-original classmates decide to do a MaidCafe for their SchoolFestival. [[TheChick Yukari]] dreads it from the depths of her spirit because [[AllMenArePerverts it means wearing a maid uniform]]; [[IdiotHero Junpei]] and the rest of the male schoolmates look forward to this cherished event. Alas, a typhoon rips through Iwatodai and the SchoolFestival is canceled, to the endless grief of the schoolmates. In ''Portable'', when playing as the female MC, the player can choose the text option "I'm looking forward to it!" (refering to Yukari wearing a maid outfit). This makes Yukari ''[[LesYay blush]]''!

* The most well-known "MaidCafe" is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Miller%27s Anna Miller's]].