:-: HELLO KITTY GRAND CAFE :-:
As much as I love teacups and champagne, I will never forget my first and forever love:
Hello Kitty.
So, when I heard that there was a Hello Kitty Grand Cafe at the Irvine Spectrum Center (i.e., I could combine 3 things I adore all at once), it made the move to LA feel just a little bit sweeter.
Reservations are required and must be made in advance (I made mine about 3 months in advance. Did I mention how excited I was??). The cafe is located in a nice outdoor mall that has a fun ferris wheel. You walk into the to-go cafe, which is pretty much a permanent fixture version of the Hello Kitty Cafe Trucks, and then you wait to the side so that you can be let into The Bow Room. As the line grew longer behind us, my anticipation built, and then we were finally let into the tearoom at our reserved time. When we walked in, it was SO CUTE, SO PINK, but it didn’t feel grand at all.
I mean, when you say “grand,” I think, “Ritz”. So maybe that’s my fault for overhyping the cafe in my mind. The back tearoom is actually called The Bow Room, and it did have a supercute giant pink bow on the wall, so that made for some photos that were quite adorbies.
The teas were very good. They had a large variety of options to choose from and I enjoyed the ones we selected. Food was okay at best - on par with what you get from the trucks. Service was good. Everything was absolutely adorable, but so expensive ($65 per person plus 18% gratuity.) that it just didn’t seem worth it for what we got. Definitely a place that’s better to try out with one friend or loved one. Not your entire fam for your birthday celebration like I did. Don’t be me. And your M will thank you lol.
But I digress. Overall, we still had a lovely time.
Check out the menu and the photos below before deciding if it’s something you’d like to try out with a plus one. And note that there’s a 2-person minimum for the afternoon tea, which means $65 x 2 =$130.00 minimum before tax and tip.
Was the Hello Kitty tea experience everything I had imagined in my mind? Definitely not.
Do I regret going? Well, it involved Hello KItty, so that would be a hard no.
Would I go back again? Maaaybe. I’m a sucker for Hello Kitty, but if I went back, it would probably just be to grab something from the front cafe or to buy some merch.
Bottom line: If you’re expecting a delicious afternoon tea that’s on par with traditional English teatimes, you may leave feeling a bit let down. But if you’re coming here solely for a super cute Hello Kitty experience, you’re in the right place.
:-: Teatime Tidbit :-:
Sanrio first created Hello Kitty in 1974. That makes her over 50 years old already!
Thanks for stopping by.
See you next teatime,
C
