L.A.’s first-ever Hello Kitty cafe has barely been open for two months, but there’s already a fresh excuse for Sanrio obsessives to rush back there again: limited-time sweets—and merch, of course.
The Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe is celebrating the supercute mascot’s 50th anniversary with a trio of sweet menu offerings, available from November 1 through December 31. In addition, the Universal CityWalk Hollywood cafe’s neighbor, the Sanrio Smile Shop, will roll out a series of 50th anniversary merchandise during that same span of time.
Though the grab-and-go menu additions don’t roll out until November 1 (that’s Kitty’s birthday), I had a chance to try them all during a preview event on Tuesday morning—hours before anybody should probably be ingesting that much sugar. That included a slice of Anniversary Cake ($14), a 50th Cookie Sandwich ($6) and the Sparkling 50th Drink ($10).
All three treats are certainly sweet—though thankfully not quite as much as I was expecting—and absolutely adorable. The cake was the standout for me: a moist block of confetti cake topped with sprinkles and ribboned with layers of white chocolate mousse (and, of course, a pink Hello Kitty bow on top). The cookie is a little more straightforward—a lightly strawberry-flavored sugar cookie with a not-as-light raspberry buttercream filling and “Hello Kitty 50” stamped onto the outside—but almost as filling for less than half the price. And the drink, far more of a dessert than a thirst quencher, tops strawberry soda with a thick layer of coconut cream that features a stenciled “50” using strawberry powder.
Right next door, the Sanrio Smile Shop has rolled out a selection of 50th anniversary merchandise toward the front of the store. You’ll find notebooks, cups, a backpack and a wallet when you first walk in, all cast in soft pastels (with some mesmerizing holographic foil on the notebook and notepad). Venture to the rack behind them and you’ll see some similarly-styled smaller items: keychains, luggage tags, pens, magnets and patches.
Both spots are located toward the western end of CityWalk, right near the entrance gates to Universal Studios Hollywood. You can visit them both without a theme park ticket, and they’re open daily (the hours are consistent with CityWalk’s, usually 11am to 9 or 10pm).