Piper Nuelle

In the city of Brighton, along the sea lined coast of Sussex there is hidden down one of the lanes a cute little café that is centred around the cutesy characters from the world of Hello Kitty, My Melody and Kuromi.

Me and my kids went to this café sometime last year when it was the ArtBox ‘Hello Kitty’ Café. But every couple of years the owners decide to change up the theme to keep interest high and to keep people wanting to go back to see what the next theme and character will be.

The first time we went was just after covid and there was an internet website booking system. That system has now been abolished and you can just turn up. They say that the average wait time for a table is about 20 minutes to half an hour, depending on how busy the café is but also the time of when you go, e.g. lunchtime and or school holidays. The actual seating area is on the smaller side but they have managed to fit a lot of seating in the upstairs of the establishment. They have a shop area downstairs dedicated to the current theme and they sell anything and everything to do with the characters. There are bags, teddies, notebooks, stickers, blankets, socks, baby clothes, cups, makeup bags… You name it, they sell it, as long as it has My Melody and or Kuromi on it.

At first glance the café is cutesy and decorated to fit the theme with the corresponding colours for the corresponding characters. There are statues of the characters and pictures depicting them all around. It is great for a little girl or boy that loves these characters. The building is an older building and it does show, but it is kept clean and tidy and the fun paint work makes for a fun, colourful experience to the eyes and the senses.

At second glance it is a cutesy heaven for lovers of the iconic Hello Kitty franchise, world and characters. I think if you are not so into the franchise you might not get the hype as much but it is still a colourful attack on the eyes and makes for some interesting viewing.

The building itself is an old three story town house shape, with the shop on the ground floor. When you arrive you go up to the first floor to find your seats, then you go back down to order your food, such as toasties, sundaes, ice creams and cakes. Then you get given a buzzer that shouts when your food is ready and you go and collect it. The third floor is where the toilets are situated.

The building itself is not very disabled friendly accessible but it is an old building that is most probably listed, but we have found in the past that they will make up a special table downstairs or outside if you cannot do the stairs, but its best to email or call in advance.

The food and drink is actually very yummy, the themed toasties were delightful and vegan. Which I am not a vegan but I do prefer a vegetarian meal (I don’t do well with meat textures) and you get a decent amount of side salad. The toastie was like a fake pepperoni pizza and tasted just like a pepperoni pizza. The cooling refreshing drink was sweet and thirst quenching. And the ice cream sundae was filled to the brim with brownies, cream, ice cream and wafers.

The food was not cheap and for three people it cost me the good part of £70!!! But the experience was great. The kids loved it for a special summer holiday treat and there were so many cool photo opportunities to do that they could take and show off to their friends or put on their socials. The only downside is you have to clear your own table and pile up the trays and plates on a sideboard to one side of the room, which was very full when we were there and to make our empty plates and rubbish fit I had to touch other peoples cutlery, food and drinks items, which as a germaphobe I was not too happy about!!! Plus, the staff don’t know what table has been sat at because you clear up so I’m not too sure how many times a day they get a wipe over, unless they just wipe them all when they go up stairs to check.

It is a very Instagram-able place and is defo the place to go for a good gram pic!!! Kids love it, but for me personally, it was ok. But maybe if the theme was different like a Sailor Moon café, I may be more inclined to love it more lol… But it was more for the kids than me and they loved it so I cannot complain.

Whilst I enjoyed our time there it is most definitely a place you would go to once or twice before the excitement is kinda gone or the expense of buying a teddy or two leaves you skint lol. But it is great for a treat or if you are a huge fan of the franchise. I can understand why they mix up the theme every couple of years because once you have seen it, you have seen it, so it’s nice to see the changes and get excited all over again.

The staff there were lovely too, and they kind of make it a place you would consider going to again and again, even if you have seen it the once or twice already. Even if you do have to clean the table area yourself and carry the food and drink up the narrow stairs yourself.

It would also be a great place to take a fan of the franchise for a surprise or for a birthday present. It is an amazing café, just a tad on the pricey side and a little Do It Yourself with the cleaning up. But I’m guessing with licensing and stuff they probably have to put the price up to pay for that as well as rates and staff. But overall its a great place and I would highly recommend it, if you are in the area.

Hope you enjoyed my blog post… Keep your eyes peeled on my blog because I love to travel and write about many places I visit and not just books hehe …

xo Piper xo