I Went To The First-Ever Hello Kitty Cafe In The US For Afternoon Tea Service — Here's Everything I Ate, Ranked
'90s girlies, pastry lovers, tea party havers, and everyone in between, gather 'round as I tell the tale (and rank the food) of the cutest dining experience I've ever had in my entire life: The afternoon tea service at the Hello Kitty Grand Cafe in Irvine, California.
Yes, you read that correctly — a cafe dedicated to the icon herself, Miss Kitty.
There are only two Hello Kitty Cafes in the United States — with the other located in Las Vegas, Nevada — but the Hello Kitty *Grand* Cafe is the only one to offer a unique dine-in experience and cocktail hour with an exclusive menu that you, more often than not, have to book weeks in advance. The cafe is located within the Irvine Spectrum Mall, and as someone who frequently shops there, I can confirm that the Hello Kitty Cafe almost always has a line out the door.
Though I've always stared in awe at the cafe in passing, I'd (surprisingly) never actually been inside until it was time for my reservation, so imagine my PURE DELIGHT when I stepped in and was greeted with everything I dreamed of when I was a girl: pink and white walls, the smell of freshly-baked goodies, and a giant Hello Kitty guarding hot donuts.
However, I was very disappointed in the lack of Pochacco representation. Like, what in the erasure?
The afternoon tea service is served inside the Bow Room, which is exclusive to those with reservations. (Depending on availability, though, walk-ins may be accepted.) Painted with top-to-bottom pink walls and decorated with white tables and a massive LED outline of Hello Kitty, I simply could not hide my squeals of excitement as we were led to our table. As someone who always used to throw pretend tea parties when she was younger, my inner child was having the time of her life!
Don't mind the dirty dishes, I took this photo at the end of lunch, LOL.
The tea service is a fixed price of $60 per person (excluding alcohol) and includes your choice of hot tea in addition to 10 savory and sweet treats to enjoy. If you don't feel like drinking hot tea, though, the cafe also offers iced tea and lemonades!
If you end up gravitating more toward the cocktail hour, keep in mind that no food is served during that time — just Hello Kitty-themed drinks!
When it was time to order our beverages, I asked our lovely server what her favorite tea was, and she suggested the pomegranate green tea. My friend, Dehjiah, got a pot of wuyi oolong. Keep in mind that there are literally 15 types of hot teas to choose from, with four being caffeine-free — so there's definitely something for everyone. Our teas came in these pretty pots and even came with a HELLO KITTY SUGAR CUBE. Like, hello?! Cuteness overload!
My sugar cube was only a head, but Dehjiah's had a body, too.
I normally only drink black teas like Earl Grey and chai, but the pomegranate green tea was so good. It was already on the sweeter side as-is, but I foolishly put the entire sugar cube in my first cup, so it was much sweeter than I'd intended. (I'm an amateur; I'm sorry). But after I kept drinking, the taste became much more balanced.
Side note: Does anyone know how to keep flyaways from, uh, flying away?
Within the first few minutes of enjoying our teas, our server brought out a three-tiered stand filled with treats, which — depending on which side you're sitting on — is shaped like Hello Kitty or her twin, Mimmy. As per a traditional tea service layout, the bottom tier was filled with savory options, the middle tier was for the scones, quiches, and jams, and the top tier was for the sweeter options like mini cakes and tarts.
With such a selection, I decided to rank everything I ate from "meh" (not very appetizing, underwhelming, forgettable) to "please give me seconds immediately" (gobsmacking, delicious, fulfilling). Let's start!
Note: BuzzFeed was provided this meal and experience free of charge; however, we were under no obligation to give a positive review.
10. Salmon Croissant — If you're wondering why this croissant looks ~extra toasty~ it's because it's a pretzel croissant! Slathered with dill cream cheese and paired with a hearty helping of smoked salmon, this savory treat was seemingly supposed to be the main character of this whole shebang, considering its size. (Spoiler alert, but not really considering the ranking: It wasn't.)
OK, I will preface this salmon croissant review with the fact that I was unable to taste it myself because I am allergic to fish. But wait! Let me explain!
I insisted to our server that being served this particular food was totally fine because first, I wanted the full experience, and second, as someone who's navigated my entire life with this allergy, trust me that I know the ins and outs of how my own body reacts. For transparency, I only tried pieces of the pretzel croissant that weren't in contact with the fish.
All that said, Dehjiah is not allergic to fish, so she was able to try the salmon croissant in all its glory. Upon the first bite, she said that it was tasty and that the croissant itself was buttery and flaky (also true on my end).
HOWEVER, Dehjiah said that the saltiness from the pretzel croissant paired with the saltiness of the salmon was like taking a gulp from the Red Sea. As she kept eating, the saltiness was just a bit too overpowering and overwhelming for her to finish the entire thing. That said, though the salmon croissant was an automatic last place for me, it was a curated last place for Dehjiah.
9. Hello Kitty Mini Cake — These adorable raspberry and almond mini cakes were decorated as Hello Kitty and Chococat (I'm a fake Sanrio girly because I had to look up their name). They were plated on the highest tier next to the raspberry macaron, and there was a yellow cake and a chocolate cake offered.
I didn't even want to eat these because they were so gosh darn cute, but, unfortunately, Hello Kitty and her friend eventually had to go under the knife.
After getting past my personal guilt, I found myself rather excited to try these cakes because I LOVE a raspberry and almond combo. Sadly, these cakes were just not doing it for me like I thought they would. Though they were pretty moist, they were also so dense that I felt like I needed to chug some water after every bite. But, I will say that I really did enjoy the flavor of the cakes — I thought the balance between the raspberry and almond was so good, and I liked that there was a yellow and chocolate cake option.
But the taste? It was wayyy too sweet for my liking. I will say, though, that if you have a sweet tooth, you'd probably enjoy these cakes with gusto. All in all, these mini cakes weren't bad; there were just other items I liked a lot better!
8. Pesto Tart — This tea-time item featured mozzarella cheese, vine tomatoes, and pesto sitting inside a little tart shell. Actually, "little" might be an understatement.
Ah, the pesto tart. I will say what I believe we're all thinking: Is the pesto in the room with us right now?
Yeah, this was definitely the most underwhelming out of everything we had throughout the tea service, solely due to the general size and proportion of the tart. It's so tiny that when I ate it up in one bite, I imagined I looked similar to how Scooby-Doo gets fed a Scooby Snack.
I genuinely believe that pesto, mozzarella, and tomatoes are soulmates in all universes, so the problem wasn't them — it was the tart! The plain, dry tart shell didn't really do anything but annoy me because the taste of it completely overpowered everything else. Like, I would have preferred to just eat the pesto-tomato-mozzarella combo off a teaspoon.
Speaking of the holy trinity, that's really what saved this minuscule little treat from being in the bottom two. Barely.
7. Apple Tart — On the subject of tarts, this apple tart is a seasonal item and features a crumb topping, apples, and cinnamon nestled in a buttery tart.
Can I just say that I am in love with all things that have a crumb topping? I actually tried to make an apple tart with a crumb this past holiday season, and it was a big flop because the tart got super hard (but the filling was good!). I say that because I was kind of expecting the tart to be crunchy, like how the pesto tart was, but that was not the case!
There was no crunch at all — the apple tart was unexpectedly soft and very cinnamon-forward, and, of course, the topping was the best part for me.
Again, this item was super tiny, but I didn't really mind because it was pretty sweet, so the size was perfect!
This was the last thing Dehjiah and I ate that was part of the tea service, so by this time, we were surprisingly full. I attribute the lower ranking to the fact that it was eaten after the mini cakes, so I was on sweetness overload. Also, not to be annoyingly picky, but I wish there were less cinnamon so that I could taste more of the apples!
6. Cranberry Scone — Another seasonal item, these fairly-sized cranberry scones were paired with jam and butter and were topped with a hearty amount of coarse sugar. This item was placed in the middle tier and came with Hello Kitty herself imprinted in the butter.
I've never had a scone not be dry and crumbly, so I'm assuming that's just how the universe intended them to be. But you know what? I love them anyway.
I normally don't gravitate toward scones if I'm choosing among other baked goods like muffins and bagels, but this was actually pretty delicious. By itself, though it was dry, the scone had just the right amount of sweetness, had a beautiful crispy top, and was quite buttery. What I appreciated the most was that they did not skimp out on the cranberries, which was a major highlight for me. (In my opinion, cranberries are severely underrated. People only pay attention to them during the holidays, and that doesn't sit well with my spirit.)
But then I tried the scone with the jam and butter. Oh. My. Goodness. I ate that scone up with the vigor of a soccer game commentator. Like, I know the point of a spread is to add flavor and moisture, but my eating experience became completely elevated. Also, seeing the Hello Kitty-engraved butter for the first time felt equivalent to the first paleontologist finding a dinosaur fossil.
For me, the only reason why the cranberry scone ranked in the middle was because I'm not a scone fan in general, and I enjoyed other items more. If you stan scones, though, this might be for you.
5. Egg Salad — The second item we ate in the tea service lineup was an egg salad daintily stuffed into a mini "savory cone." Mixed with chives and paprika, this egg salad was creatively made to look like ice cream.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like you either really love egg salad or you want nothing to do with it. I am an avid egg lover in general, so egg salad is 100% my cup of tea.
One of my only issues with this item — similar to the pesto tart — was the size. Don't get me wrong, I definitely didn't expect to receive some gargantuan serving, because it is a tea service, but I at least expected the more savory items to have a bit more oomph.
That aside, the egg salad itself was so creamy and was really well-seasoned. The paprika added just a little kick to the mixture, and I loved the mild oniony flavor the chives provided. As for the cone, it was certainly a cute touch, but I could have gone without it, TBH. If it was supposed to be savory, I couldn't really tell. Besides the cone and the size, I truly loved the egg salad. If I could, I'd order a bowl's worth.
4. Raspberry Macaron — This dessert was placed on the top tier and was made with fresh raspberries and buttercream, and was styled with Hello Kitty's signature red bow.
This was the second-to-last item Dehjiah and I had, and let me tell you — after all the sweets and the savories, it was really refreshing to have some fresh fruit.
Not to say this macaron wasn't sweet, but the raspberries were just so juicy and — at the risk of sounding overdramatic — revitalizing. The macaron as a whole tasted fresh, and I loved that there was a buttercream filling. Since the cookie is made with almond flour, it was another raspberry and almond combo, but this time it was a pure win.
Dehjiah ranked it a lot a little lower than I did because she just wasn't a fan of the flavor, but I truly enjoyed it! But I didn't enjoy it more than this next item...
3. Cucumber Sandwich — This lovely little finger sandwich was made with dill cream cheese slathered on a slice of milk bread and topped with slices of fresh cucumber. With such a formula, there was simply no room for error.
How do I describe such a delicate and tasteful piece of work? Well, let me start with just how yummy the bread was. As milk bread is, it was soft, pillowy, and slightly sweet. I think I've only had milk bread a handful of times, but each time, I'm reminded just how much I like it and just how much I don't consume it enough.
The dill cream cheese was absolutely scrumptious, and I really am just a fan of dill! It is a top-notch herb, and I stand by that! Paired with the cucumber (which, cucumber is always a banger), it created a refreshing snack that left me wanting more and more. The only thing that was missing for me was a scoop of their egg salad on top. BRB, gonna make that right now.
2. Strawberries + Cocoa Cream — This gorgeous concoction featured local strawberries dressed with chocolate syrup, topped with chocolate whipped cream, and a dusting of — wait for it — Hello Kitty's face using cocoa powder! *Swoons*
This was the first dish that was served to us, and it set the tone SO well. I couldn't contain my excitement upon seeing Hello Kitty in cocoa dust form peering up at me with those wise eyes. Not only was this the cutest thing I'd ever laid my eyes on, but it was also so good.
The strawberries were super fresh and paired amazingly with the chocolate whipped cream. I mean, to be fair, how could it not?! As you all should know by now, I don't really like things that are too sweet, so I was pleasantly surprised by the cream and how light, fluffy, and not-very-sweet it tasted. I don't know why I'd expected it to be like a pudding, but I'm glad it wasn't!
Overall, I thought this item was the perfect selection to get the ball rolling because it wasn't overwhelming or filling, and it left me excited to see what was to come (as it should!).
And now, for the grand finale, we've come to crown who we believe was the ultimate queen of our afternoon tea service! I will say that it did not take a whole lot of thinking on Dehjiah's and my end because this item blew our socks off, so let's give a warm round of applause for the winner:
1. Quiche — Yep, this spinach and mushroom quiche was everything we could have ever wanted and needed. The quiche was at the end of our savory treats conga line, and, boy, eating it was truly a call for celebration.
As I mentioned before, I am very much a lover of eggs, so the second I saw a quiche on the menu, I had a feeling that there would be little to no competition — and I was right!
Flaky on the outside and soft on the inside, this quiche truly hit the spot. It had a rich texture yet had a delicate mouthfeel, and it was perfectly salted. The mushrooms added a slightly earthy flavor, and though it was kind of spinach-heavy, I certainly didn't mind!
I thought the quiche was a fairly decent size and was overall the most flavor-packed out of everything we ate. For what it's worth, Dehjiah also ranked the quiche as her number-one pick!
In honor of the winner, here's a complimentary action shot of me trying the quiche for the first time:
But wait, there's more! To my surprise, as a final send-off, we even received these lemon-flavored palate-cleansing jellies! The plating was very much giving Everything Everywhere All At Once.
If you must know, it was very lemony, and it definitely cleansed my palate.
Whew! I don't know about you guys, but I got full just rehashing this whole experience. Honestly, despite some of the sizing critiques I had about some of the foods, I felt pretty full and satisfied. In fact, I still had some tea left over, so we were kindly given to-go cups so that our teas didn't have to go to waste.
Pocchaco was still nowhere in sight, BTW 🫥.
All in all, I had such a fun time! I'd never experienced a tea service before — better yet, one that was Hello Kitty-themed — and I left brimming with delight from how cute and nostalgic everything was. For $60 a person, I think it's worth experiencing at least once, particularly if Miss Kitty and the rest of the Sanrio gang were pillars of happiness while you were growing up. The ambiance, the service, and the beverage selection were top-tier, and though there were just a few misses food-wise for me, I think there's something for everybody! TBH, though, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted a small meal before or after the tea service.
To recap, here's my ranking from "meh" to "please give me seconds immediately":
10. Salmon Croissant
9. Mini Cake
8. Pesto Tart
7. Apple Tart
6. Cranberry Scone
5. Egg Salad Cone
4. Raspberry Macaron
3. Cucumber Sandwich
2. Strawberries + Cocoa Cream
1. Quiche
And that's a wrap on reliving the inner joys of childhood at the Hello Kitty Grand Cafe! If you're traveling to Southern California and find yourself in and around Irvine, you might want to pay a visit! And remember, you don't have to do the full afternoon tea service — the bakery itself is open without a reservation where you can get coffee, teas, baked goods, and even buy merch. Hello Kitty, you will always be famous!
Have you ever been to the Hello Kitty Cafe? If you have, what was your favorite part of the experience? If you haven't been, is the afternoon tea service something you'd wanna experience? Most importantly, who is your favorite Sanrio character?! Let me know in the comments!
