A new Japanese restaurant in New York City is offering diners a surreal, sketchbook-style experience. 

Shirokuro, which translates to “black and white” in Japanese, opened in March. 

It’s designed to make guests feel like they’ve stepped into a two-dimensional world. From the floors to the ceilings – and even the bathroom – everything inside is hand-painted in black and white to create the optical illusion. 

“It’s a head-turner for sure,” says co-owner Alex Kim. “It's such an amazing experience.” 

Kim says the inspiration came after his business partner traveled to Korea and saw similar 2D cafes. While the concept has been popular in countries such as Japan and Singapore, it had never been brought to New York until now.