The first hoyoverse Café Europas opens its doors in Berlin – more precisely on June 20, 2025 Located at Rochstraße 4, just a few minutes from Alexanderplatz. If you're looking for the café, keep your eyes peeled: From the outside, it's rather understated, tucked away on a side street typical of Berlin's creative neighborhoods. Inside, however, it quickly becomes clear that the team has gone to great lengths to create their own piece of HoYoverse reality – with a connection to the games, but without relying solely on fan service.
Amidst the hectic activity of the final preparations, we were able to get an exclusive sneak peek inside and test the café before the big rush begins.
Interior design, offers, and the question of longevity
The lovingly designed interior is immediately apparent upon entering. Huge wall art depicts characters from Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone ZeroIn addition, there are life-size figures and numerous small design details – including gaming stations with PS5 connectivity. Anyone familiar with the franchises will definitely find more than just a photo opportunity here.
The The menu is thematically adapted.The drinks are visually and naming them after the games, without compromising on taste. Prices at the café are typical for downtown Berlin. Regular customers also receive a stamp card, which, after several visits, entitles them to an exclusive Genshin satchel (see photos) can secure – a nice extra for collectors.
The staff were incredibly friendly during our visit, and some of the decor was themed around anime without being kitschy. The overall look was cohesive yet professional, and they even gave us a short tour of the café. You quickly realize that this isn't just a franchise operation, but one driven by genuine enthusiasm for the anime universe – as a guest, you feel welcome, not just as a customer, but as part of the community.
A recurring topic in Berlin is: How sustainable are these pop culture-themed venues? While the location is central and the HoYoverse fandom is strong globally, it remains to be seen whether a franchise café can survive in the long run, independent of events and merchandise – especially in a city where trends come and go quickly. Currently, it seems more like a project for tourists and event-goers than a permanent meeting place for locals. In metropolises like Tokyo or London, themed cafés of this kind have long been established and enjoy great popularity – for Berlin, however, a long-term concept of this type is something special.
Genshin Impact, Zenless Zone Zero & exclusive events to start
To celebrate its opening, the café will launch a seven-day Genshin event entitled "Coffee and Companions!", coinciding with the release of Version 5.7 and the introduction of SkirkIn addition to special menus, it will be offered by June 20st to 22th also appearances by well-known cosplayers such as Taryn and hyoga.x There will be staff acting as café managers. A Genshin quartet and a street dance performance will provide a musical prelude on June 20th from 10:30 am, before the first guests are admitted from 11:00 am.
On June 28th, he will take over. Zenless Zone Zero The event "Ridu Coffee Klatch," running until July 13th, requires reservations and can be made via the official HoYoverse link. The event brings new food related to version 2.0 to the café, including limited-edition merchandise such as fans and amulets. Notably, HoYoverse avoids pure promotional overkill at both events, instead offering genuine added value for fans through in-game bonuses and interactive activities on-site.
A fan lounge with potential – if the community stays
The HoYoverse Café in Berlin launches with a solid mix of themed design, community events, and game-related offerings. It feels well-thought-out, uncluttered, and attempts to strike a balance between tourist attraction and fan hangout. Ultimately, the long-term success of the concept depends heavily on the vibrancy of the community and the regular influx of new ideas. Berlin provides the stage – now it's up to the publisher and the fans to fill the café with content.
What do you think? Would you like to see a franchise café like this in your city, or is it just touristy? Share your opinion in the comments!
I'd prefer gameplay changes for Genshin instead of a café. Of course, having something like that in person is interesting, especially for cosplayers. But the game itself is stagnating. While it maintains a solid base level, considering how long the game has been out, there are very few changes, especially minor ones. Quality of life features like a skip button and preset artifacts are only being added now after five years. Then there's the lack of a fast movement option independent of character skill, something like chocobos (Natlan has all sorts of animal species that could be used for this; I don't understand why it's region-locked). Other game modes, like the fighting game mode, are also lacking. Why include so many characters when there are hardly any competitive opportunities to use them? Don't get me wrong, I'm not interested in a game where money determines whether you win or lose, but why not a 2D fighting game mode where you can use any character you own, who is automatically equipped with their signature weapon on C6, and you can smash each other's heads in like a classic Street Fighter game? And most importantly, make it cheaper to acquire characters, lower the pittance to 80, and increase the weapon guarantee. 100%. Wurthing Waves also has that and still offers good quality in terms of game world, graphics, and variety.