As someone who works evenings and is a stay at home mom during the day, I often find I work through the nights in order to find time to get the things I need to done and also find time to do the things I enjoy. Between all of the things that I need to do, I don’t really have a regular opportunity to work during the days. Lucky for me, I think I’ve found a way to blend playtime, work time, and a bit of momma-relax time!
How is this possible? All thanks to Kids Play Café, a new(ish) full-service café in the Sullivan area of Surrey that is set up with an impressive kids space. In addition to a beautiful wooden playground, Kids Play Café also has a train table, a few exersaucers, blocks, and an array of Cozy Coupes to name just a few of the fun and exciting things for kids to do there. I had been meaning to go there for ages and had heard tonnes of great things about the place, so Little Bear and I decided to head there this week to see what all the fuss was about.
For the summer season, Kids Play Café has reduced entrance rates, so it is only $3.75 for 2 hours of play time ($1 more gets you an additional hour). Kids Play Café is geared to toddlers, and while people of all ages are welcome, the play area is only open to kids 6 and under. For older siblings, Kids Play Café does have other forms of entertainment including tablets, colouring books, board games, and books.
Our verdict? We loved the place! When you walk in there is a dedicated “café” space, so that anyone could come in and grab
Some of the parent seating in the play area
a coffee or a bite to eat, but once you enter the gated play space everything is geared to kids and families. The cafe is very welcoming and well-kept. One thing that impressed me right away was how the space was set up so that every table had great visibility of the play space. Also, we came at a time when there weren’t other kids there, but everything was tidy and we even witnessed staff coming through the area to clean up and disinfect the area (this play space didn’t feel like some of the germy, grimy play spaces out there).
There’s also a menu with lots of delicious options – both pre-made and made to order. This was a perfect part of this mom’s escape, since no outside food is allowed in the café and it’s a great opportunity to sit back and have someone else get lunch ready! Among the made to order menu items are an array of paninis, soups, freshly made baked goods, a kids’ menu, and drinks including hot and cold teas, Italian sodas, and fresh fruit smoothies.
Some of the pre-made, refrigerated options. Applesauce for the little one, brownie for you? ;)
The Med Veg Panini
I ordered a passion fruit lemonade iced tea while Little Bear started off playing and thought that it was delicious, even though it didn’t have as strong of a passion fruit flavour as I had expected. I would definitely order that drink again. After Little Bear had played and built up an appetite, we ordered a panini to share. Since Little Bear is vegetarian, I initially ordered a spinach and cheese panini, but unfortunately they were all out of spinach. They do have a second vegetarian option, the Med Veg, so I decided to go with that. While I wasn’t overly impressed with the panini, it wasn’t horrible and it would do in a pinch. My major issue with the sandwich wasn’t so much the ingredients that were in it as how it was prepared (the cut on the bread left the bottom really thin and the top way too thick, resulting in a soggy bottom and a top that was a bit too much work to bite through). Little Bear ate a bit of the sandwich but quickly gave up on it and gobbled up the side of ripple cut chips instead.
The toys in the playspace are all high quality and in good condition, with lots of nooks for your little ones to dive into some imaginative play. The café had music – real music – playing, which was also a welcome change from the typical Disney soundtracks you might expect to hear. Little Bear also enjoyed this, as he is a music lover, but barely listens to children’s music.
Overall, visiting Kids Play Café was a great experience, and I can definitely see myself coming back…especially once we have the new baby in tow! The size of the café is perfect to be able to watch your little one, enjoy a snack, meal, or drink, and take care of a baby or socialize a bit. If you want to check out Kids Play Café for yourself, visit their website or Facebook page for all their details (including their closures for parties).
