New Hello Kitty Café Brings Cat Cuteness to California
From afternoon tea to trendy cocktails, there’s a little something for everyone.
Image: Jakob Layman/Sanrio
Get ready for the pinkest news you’ll hear all week.
Sanrio, the Japanese brand known for the cutest cat in town, is opening a brand-new, first-of-its-kind Hello Kitty “Grand Café” in Irvine, California, on September 14th.
The Hello Kitty café will feature separate “Afternoon Tea” and cocktail services in two different rooms, so kids and adults will be able to enjoy the space in their own ways.
The Grand Café offers take-out service, where hungry Kitty-philes can pop in for a Sanrio character-shaped pastry, fresh doughnuts and a beverage before seating themselves at one of 12 seats.
Additionally, the café has a tucked away, reservations-only section called “The Bow Room,” which serves high tea during the day and cocktails at night.
For $55, guests can reserve Afternoon Tea from Wednesday to Sunday, which includes tea sandwiches, scones, cupcakes, Hello Kitty “Mini Cakes,” raspberry macarons and chocolate cake, paired with a wide variety of teas. Expect Hello Kitty plates, Hello Kitty pastry racks, Hello Kitty teapots and Hello Kitty mugs.
After 5 p.m., the Bow Room transforms into a cocktail bar. Adults can reserve a seat and sip on boozy creations such as the “You Had Me at Hello” (made with Cachaça, aperol, lemon, sherry and pineapple), or the “1974” (a Negroni or Old Fashioned made with a Hello Kitty ice cube).
So if you’re obsessed with anime cats, this might just be your new Mecca. But don’t worry, pop-up haters; the Hello Kitty Grand Café is permanent, so you’ll have plenty of time to check it out.
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