Alcatraz E.R. - A Medical Prison Theme Japanese Restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo

Irasshai, irasshai... yokoso to one of the most interesting theme restaurants in Tokyo!

From the photo below, can you guess what is the restaurant's theme yet? 

Img courtesy of alcatraz-er.net

Alcatraz ER, a legendary medical prison restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo, boosts of a quirky dining experience where you will be served your orders in a jail cell setting by doctors and nurses, with a daily asylum prison-break show before dinner starts.

This restaurant, located a slight distance away from Shibuya station, is an entertainment gem that is easy to miss if you do not have a map on hand, or the address in mind.

Before the trip, my friends and I have decided that we should have a meal at one of the most interesting restaurant in Tokyo. We have read a good chunk of reviews that pointed us here and we decided to try it on our own.

After all, we are in Japan, where weird is the new norm, and the norm is well, just the norm.

The Japanese are the ones who started the hadouken-ing photo craze anyway:

Img courtesy of hadokening.net

If you are keen to visit this restaurant, it will be good if you are equipped with a map so that you can be sure that you are on the right track. 

It can be located at 2-13-5 Dogenzaka, Harvest Building 2F, Shibuya, Tokyo Prefecture 150-0043, Japan (more details at the end of the post).

The restaurant is where the red bubble pin is

We set off for the restaurant in the evening, and it was rather dark when we reached the building. The streets were empty and quiet, so it can be a little unsettling when you reach the venue (we were rather uncertain if we were on the right track because the neighbourhood was so quiet). 

However, there is a huge banner advertising the restaurant and that provided much reassurance to us: 

Img courtesy of weirdjapan.org

I am someone who cannot stand watching horror movies, so when the lift door opens, I felt slightly spooked. The hallway was dimly lit, with a mummy doll on display behind bars. Even the restroom feels cold and creepy (i think it was my imagination).

Restrooms are located outside the restaurant

To enter the restaurant, you have to choose and press a button:

Choose your blood type!

After we stepped in, the restaurant was much brighter inside than outside, and it really just looked like a rundown hospital. (´･ω･`)

The nurse led us through a narrow walkway and we noticed most diners are seated cross-legged in little jail cells behind bars. The place has been segregated into upper and lower decks, which make the individual table settings smaller and more claustrophobic. Each table is separated by a thick curtain to provide diners with some privacy, but I personally thought it would have been more realistic (and fun) if they had built individual cells for each table instead.

We were led to a table on the upper deck, so most of the photos you see would be from a top-down view:

Miss Nightingale serving other diners on the lower deck

After we were seated, the nurse (who was rather hot in the mini nurse uniform and fishnet stockings) presented us with an overly cute menu (pink menu with rundown hospital... seemed much of a mismatch and identity crisis to me):

I don't know why they think the asylum theme goes well with pink

We had a hard time deciding what to order mainly because everything on the menu (full menu link here) seemed really interesting (we will talk about the taste later):

Fancy some bedroom toys or human body parts?

Or perhaps some blue curry or suggestively-molded fried rice?

We managed to place our orders before the show started at 8pm (there is only 1 showtime every night) and as we wait in much anticipation, the lights were switched off, sirens went off, music came on, flashlights were out, and people were running.

We couldn't see very clearly at first, because we were on the upper deck and the design of the place made it hard for us to see what was happening.

Help...?

It became more obvious as we get accustomed to the dark setting, and it seemed that the plot revolves around a mad prisoner who has broken out of jail. The crew terrorised the diners and created much chaos within the restaurant.

Looks hard to breathe

Though disappointed that the seating arrangement didn't allow us to enjoy the experience fully, I was very impressed by how the crew tried to engage us by climbing up to the upper deck to 'terrorise' us:

Doesn't he give you the creeps?

After the show has ended (thankfully, because we were hungry and the show gets a little boring when you can't really see much of what's going on), the doctors and nurses busied themselves with serving food.

My camera obviously didn't do the pretty nurse much justice

I ordered a 'Human Body Experiment' (人体実験) for JPY880, and it comprises of orange juice, lemon, white curacao, blue curacao, pineapple, and lime:

Now who says you cannot play with your food (drink)?

This other drink my friend ordered... well. let's just call it the banana drink. (´≖‿≖) According to the menu, it consists of coconut, milk, pineapple, and a frozen banana. Before we can do anything, the nurse poured milk all over the fruit and made my friend licked it. 

The drink costs JPY780 and was rather fun, if your company of friends can accept it:

The mild-hearted shouldn't order this drink... just don't.

There wasn't much surprise for the food menu. We had a 'pork intestines with ponzu sauce' (JPY520), Karaage Chicken (JPY580), and Blue curry with Naan (JPY630):

Looks meh but tasted not too bad

As jailed as us...

Tasted ordinary despite looking extraordinary

The highlight of the menu was the 'Russian Takoyaki' (JPY680). It is basically takoyaki presented in russian roulette style, where one of the takoyakis was filled with wasabi.

Proud to declare that I have survived and live to tell the tale

The bill arrived in the form of a medical prescription, which says 'Medicine to make a great love relationship come true:

Cute little bag for the bill

Content of the bag

The trip to Alcatraz ER was an eye-opener as we get to experience how a theme restaurant should be like. However, despite what some reviews mentioned, we didn't get to witness or see any wild acts during the 8pm showtime (such as being handcuffed, or dragged out to a stretcher etc). That was rather disappointing, though the staff's enthusiasm made up for it a little.

Say Cheese!

We spent approximately JPY3,000 per person (~SGD34) and that includes the cover charge (termed as hospitalisation admission charge) of additional JPY500 per person and 10% service charge. This cover charge is applicable for ala-carte menu reservations made.

There are other packages such as the 'Mad Entertainment Course' which sounded more economical because it includes 9-course and free flow drinks during the two-hour slot for JPY3480 (~SGD40, by hp) or JPY3980 (~SGD46, normal reservation).

Reservation timings vary for different packages (for example ala-carte reservation can be done 3 days in advance between 1700hr - 2245hr, while 'Mad Entertainment Course' opens for reservations 2 days in advance between 1700hr - 2100hr). To make your own reservations, check out the official link here. 

Details:

In Japanese:
刑務所病院レストラン アルカトラズE.R.
〒150-0043 東京都渋谷区道玄坂2-13-5 ハーベストビルディング2F

In English:
Medical Prison Restaurant Alcatraz E.R.
2-13-5 Dogenzaka, Harvest Building 2F, Shibuya, Tokyo Prefecture 150-0043, Japan
Tel: 03-3770-7100

Last but not least, let me leave you with my favourite the photo of the night:

Do comment and share your experience with us if you have been to Alcatraz E.R., or if you have any other theme restaurants which you will recommend to us!

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