Become a Lady or Lord for the Day at Butler Cafe "Swallowtail"

The Birth of a Themed Cafe That Caters to the Ladies

Themed or concept cafes were created around the late 1990s around the same time as the emergence and rise of Japanese (anime and manga) otaku culture. They are a form of entertainment where on top of enjoying simple food and drinks, customers can interact with the cafe staff in various fun ways. The most well-known kind of concept cafe is the maid cafe, a product of Tokyo's Akihabara district.

At the time, maid cafes mainly catered to men. K-BOOKS, a secondhand goods chain specializing in otaku goods, noticed a potential business opportunity and did some market research to figure out what kind of concept cafe would attract women. The result was the establishment of the butler cafe Swallowtail on Ikebukuro's Otome Road in 2006.

Our Foray Into a Mysterious English Mansion

Make your way over to Ikebukuro Station's East Exit, through Sunshine 60 Street and past the elevated expressway, and you'll eventually find yourself at the butler cafe Swallowtail in around 10 minutes. It takes around the same amount of time if you choose to visit from Higashi-ikebukuro Station.

Go down the stairs and through the hall, and a dimly lit space with red brick walls, reminiscent of an old English mansion, will unfold in front of you. At the end of the hall stands a door, and beyond that door, butlers await the return of their ladies and lords.

On the day of our return, we were warmly welcomed home by the house steward Nomi and second steward Iori. For those unfamiliar with household staff ranks, the house steward is the most senior member of the staff, while the second steward assists the house steward in matters such as employing and training footmen.

Our Welcome Home

As soon as we passed through the door, our butlers were hard at work escorting us - taking off our coats, carrying our things, and so on. The butlers guided us from the entrance down a dimly lit corridor, which opened into the dining room, revealed in all its splendor. The warm welcome and the grandeur of the setting truly made us feel at home

The interior of Swallowtail is designed to look like a tea salon from the Victorian era, with a simple yet sophisticated design that stands out from the glitz and glamor of the previous era. It gives off a serene and calm ambiance that'll naturally make you want to speak in a softer voice.

In such a soft interior, what naturally drew our attention were the two chandeliers decked out in Swarovski crystals. According to Nomi, they were dismantled before being brought in and reassembled because the ceiling of the salon wasn't very high. From his words and the ambiance, we could clearly tell that they put a lot of work into every intricate detail of the space.

Once we were all settled into our seats, Iori brought out the menu and asked what we'd like. That's actually a difficult question to answer, because even the tea menu has over 40 different choices, many of which are original blends made by the butlers themselves. We suggest asking your butler for their recommendation instead. They'll tailor it based on how you're feeling and your personal preferences.

We chose the Diana Rose, a recommendation from Iori that smelled beautifully of roses. We knew we were in good hands, because Iori, like many of the other butlers in the cafe, actually had a tea instructor certification and therefore deep knowledge of the drink.

Swallowtail takes pride in its ceramic tea cup collection which contains brands from all over the world, including Wedgwood, Meissen, and Royal Albert. Part of the fun of the cafe is seeing what tea cup and saucer set you get!

We were particularly impressed with the Blue Butterfly tea set, which was custom ordered from Japanese chinaware brand Okura Art China for Swallowtail's first-year anniversary. It features a delicate tea saucer with a deep navy gradation and a lovely white tea cup with gold trimming. A golden swallowtail butterfly is printed on the bottom of the tea cup. The set truly showcases the essence of the salon.

A Menu That Rivals a Top-Tier Restaurant

For our teatime that day, we indulged in the Anna Maria, which is Swallowtail's signature item featuring a 3-tier afternoon tea set. The top tier displayed cakes made by the cafe's pastry chef, while the bottom tier showcased little sandwiches, cold soup, and a quiche. Between these tiers were beautifully flaky English scones that paired well with black tea and a saucer of homemade preserve to go with it. We even got to choose the flavor of the preserve! The contents of the Anna Maria set change monthly, so you'll always get to try something fresh and new.

Afternoon tea is traditionally eaten from the bottom to the top. If you want to eat from another tier or have more tea, you don't have to lift a finger - just ring the small bell on the table and your butler will handle all of that for you.

Most first-timers get the Anna Maria, but Swallowtail's other refreshments are also worth exploring. We had the opportunity to sample their Perilla and Kamui Pork Spaghetti. The fresh Hokkaido pork and seasonal vegetables might not have looked impressive, but they made the dish aromatic, refreshing, and absolutely delicious.

Another dish we tried was the Tom Yung Kung Risotto, featuring tender chicken and a slightly spicy risotto. One bite led to another, and at the end we still wanted more.

Atmosphere, service, food - every aspect of our visit to Swallowtail was perfect, just as excellent as a top-tier restaurant. We quickly understood just why the cafe has remained popular for so many years.

What It Takes to Become a Butler

During our visit, we got the chance to interview our butlers. According to them, in order to become a butler, you have to learn everything from "keigo" (polite Japanese speech) to how to stand and move correctly. A butler candidate must also possess deep knowledge of tea, including tea sets. They are tested on all of these things, and only once they pass can they take on their roles to welcome their ladies and lords.

Each butler has a different position which is visible from their attire. For example, the house steward has a diamond brooch, while the second steward has a ruby one instead. Keep an eye on the gems if you pay a visit - there's all kinds, including sapphire.

Swallowtail's House Rules

Like real lords and ladies, there are house rules that you need to abide by in order to preserve the mood of the tea salon. For example, phones and cameras cannot be used while inside the salon, as they distract guests from the experience. (The photos we took for this article are an exception! We obtained permission from Swallowtail to use our gadgets.)

Guests must also be escorted to wherever they want to go by their butlers. If you want to go to the toilet, ring the bell and your butler will help you out of your seat and to the restroom.

All of these house rules may scare you off, but we were reassured by our butlers that the tea salon is a place of learning, and they're more than happy to teach proper etiquette if asked. While Japanese is the best method of communication, some of the butlers know English, and they also have automatic translation tools set up in case. Outside of the salon, most people might use their phones while eating at the table out of habit or boredom. But in the salon, your butler is more than happy to converse with you to pass time while dining - all you have to do is ring the bell.

There's a time limit of how long you can dine at Swallowtail - 1 hour and 50 minutes during dinnertime, and 1 hour and 40 minutes during other times of the day. As your time limit approaches, your butler will discreetly remind you and ask how you'd like to settle the payment. While this may sound like it could break the immersion, they have a special way of going about it! It's truly something else, so we won't spoil it - go and see for yourself.