Hello Kitty Opens a Pretty Pink Cafe and Cocktail Lounge in Irvine

A Hello Kitty tea room, cafe, and parlor for grown ups is headed to the Irvine Spectrum Center on September 14. There’s two spaces with three separate themes. One side is the casual Hello Kitty Grand Cafe, and opposite is a The Bow Room at Hello Kitty Grand Cafe that offers high tea during daylight hours, and converts to a cocktail lounge after 5 p.m.

The Hello Kitty Grand Cafe is a relaxed 12 seat space. And as expected, the world’s most recognized cartoon cat is everywhere. The cafe offers a cup of made-to-order donuts, Sanrio character mini cakes, along with Sanrio merchandise for days.

Jakob Layman

Wednesdays through Sundays during daylight hours, maneuver towards the bow-shaped knocker to access the Bow Room at Hello Kitty Grand Cafe. Reservations are required for afternoon tea service, which runs at $55 per person, which comes with pots of tea, mini tea sandwiches, mini cupcakes and cakes, and scones with honey, strawberry jam, whipped butter, and Hello Kitty-shaped sugars.

Jakob Layman

At night, the Bow Room transforms into a 21-and-over cocktail bar. This is also reservations only, with Hello Kitty-inspired drinks like the Matcha Matcha with Japanese whiskey, yogurt, matcha, and yuzu, a Dear Daniel with mezcal, pineapple, lime, spirulina, and salted coconut whip, or choose an Old Fashioned with a Hello Kitty ice cube. It’ll serve wines by the glass or bottle, including the Hello Kitty sparking rosè, Hello Kitty pinot grigio, and Hello Kitty prosecco.

Jakob Layman

Throughout the years, Hello Kitty spaces and pop-ups became part of Southern California life. A Hello Kitty Mini Cafe opened in Westfield Santa Anita Mall in April, 2017, which closed a year later. A Hello Kitty karaoke pop-up landed in the San Gabriel Valley in late 2017, while the Hello Kitty truck remains a fixture throughout the Southland.

Hours for the Hello Kitty Grand Cafe are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Afternoon tea service at the Bow Room can be reserved Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., and weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cocktail service at the Bow Room is Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., and reservations are required.

• The Roving Hello Kitty Cafe Truck Rolls Into Culver City This Weekend [ELA]
• Hello Kitty Mini Cafe Draws Huge Crowds to Arcadia’s Westfield Mall [ELA]
• There’s a New Hello Kitty-Themed Karaoke Spot in the San Gabriel Valley [ELA]