Genshin Impact – Aniplus Cafe Report

Ask anyone from the Anime Trending team and they will tell you I absolutely love Genshin Impact. I was so excited for Ayaka Kamisato’s release that I hollered to fellow colleagues for a good day or so. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard about MiHoYo’s HoYoFest coming to Southeast Asia, with a Genshin-themed cafe to boot. I had to check it out. While I sadly did not get any merchandise because they were all sold out by the time I got there, the cafe did not disappoint. In fact, I enjoyed the cafe very much.

Aniplus Cafe hosted the HoYoFest in Singapore for all three MiHoYo games: Honkai Impact 3, Tears of Themis, and Genshin Impact. Each collaboration ran for two weeks, featuring different cafe decor and collaboration food items. Due to the overwhelming popularity of each collaboration (especially for Genshin), I could only squeeze into the Genshin edition, which ended on December 14. When I managed to get my slot, I was elated.

While the cafe was a little small, it was homely and comfortable for someone familiar with the game. There were life-size cutouts of well-known Genshin characters placed around the cafe, such as both male and female Travelers (Aether and Lumine) and the Dawn Winery’s owner, Diluc.  

The cafe was plastered tastefully with key visuals from the game. For example, the cafe’s pillar showcased a vibrant visual of the Inazuma characters. There were also large posters of the Shadows Amidst Snowstorms event, which featured Albedo, the Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius.

What I found really cute was how each table had a little slime drawn on each “Reserved” sign, as well as a small cutout of a Genshin character. My table happened to have the Mondstadt Cavalry Captain, the “pirate” Kaeya Alberich. All these details made me feel like I had come home to a cozy community that shared the same love and excitement for Genshin.

As with most themed cafe food, the Genshin Cafe’s prices were steep. Regardless, I ordered a Dalgona Latte, the Chicken Skewers Ricebowl, and the Everlasting Boulder Parfait. Out of the three, I really enjoyed the Everlasting Boulder Parfait. The glass of decadent brownie chunks, layered with cream custard and even more whipped cream, made the dessert extremely sinful, but a well-worth one. I loved how the denseness of the brownies and the cream custard melded well with the whipped cream. I managed to try the Sugar-Frosted Slime as well, thanks to a friend. The Slime had a very smooth, jelly-like texture that goes down the throat easily. It was very bouncy too, just like the slimes in Genshin.

Sadly, by the time I arrived, the daily stock of merchandise had run out. From what I had heard, there were supposedly tin can badges, keychains and standees up for grabs. The cafe’s staff politely shared with me that they had to ration the merchandise daily, due to overwhelming demand. However, the freebies for purchasing food items from the Genshin menu did not disappoint. The Inazuma postcard made me want to stash it away for future admiring, and the Traveler chibi on the coaster and stickers were incredibly cute. Personally, I was happy with the freebies I received — it was still something, despite the empty merchandise shelves.

Overall, this cafe experience is one of the best I have had at Aniplus Cafe! Big kudos to the staff who put in a lot of effort into this cafe, especially towards the decorations that made me feel like I was transported into a gathering of Travelers. I was delighted to see other players in the same space enjoying and chatting about Genshin, whether it was about the characters, artifacts, or upcoming events. It was definitely a little disappointing that the merchandise ran out quickly, but I suppose that’s a testament of how popular the game is. If the Genshin cafe ever comes back for another re-run, I will definitely return with my fellow Traveler friends. And perhaps, play a game or two with them there.

Disclaimer: Anime Trending received a free invitation to the cafe from Aniplus Asia, where food, drinks, and premiums were provided.