First of all let me state that I despise Hello Kitty. I am not 5 years old. I don’t understand why people my own age have such an obsession with it…
So how on earth did I find myself in the Hello Kitty restaurant of Taipei excitedly ordering a cartoon cat shaped cake?
Good question.
Taipei is known for having a huge amount of themed restaurants in the city, and I had made it my aim to visit as many of them as possible during my stay there. Hello Kitty counts, so I grabbed a couple of friends from my hostel and we went along to see what all the fuss was about.
Considering how much the asians love Hello Kitty, the restaurant itself was quite tricky to find, and ended up being very small and located far down an obscure side street.
The shop front.
We peered inside and, after seeing that the average age of the customers was under 10 years old, hesitated entering. However, the amazing smell was too hard to resist and we ran in giggling like the children that were already there.
It was…
Pink. So very pink.
Not only was the whole interior pink, but the food was mainly pink, the staff were dressed in all pink, and even the toilets were pink!
Inside of the Hello Kitty Restaurant
Hello Kitty hot chocolate
Hello Kitty restaurant staff
Unsurprisingly, the restaurant was overpriced. In order for us to stay and eat there we would have to spend the equivalent of £10 each on cakes! They looked extremely sickly, so there was no way that I was going to attempt to eat more than one.
Selection of cakes
Despite not being allowed to enter the seating area there was still a fabulous Hello Kitty style chair to do some major posing on..
Posing on the Hello Kitty chair
And how was the cake?
Hello Kitty cake
Well… It looked very pretty. But it was coffee flavoured! Coffee sucks, so I was not a fan at all.
Overall, the Hello Kitty restaurant was bizarre, pink, gimmicky, overpriced and the food tasted weird. It was, however, something a bit different, and can be a lot of fun if going with friends.
As well as cakes, they also serve meals (Hello Kitty shaped burgers anyone?) and Hello Kitty themed drinks too, although I have heard that the food is just as strange tasting as the cakes…
However, I can’t imagine anyone would actually go here just for the food…
Hello Kitty Sweets can be reached via metro station Zhong Xiao/FuXing and is found at No. 90, Da An Road, Sec. 1 near the intersection of Da An Road and Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec 4.
Posted by .
In July 2011 I left England for what was supposed to be a one year trip around the world. Within a few months of leaving I knew that a year would never be enough. I now work online and travel permanently, seeking misadventures in unique, beautiful and fascinating places. Read more.
I'm here to show you how not to travel. Since I've been on the road I've been "poked" during a massage in Bangkok, punched a scammer in Shanghai, been attacked by monkeys in Bali, sat next to a dead woman on a boat in Laos and so much more. I call these The Incidents and you can see a full list of them here.
Is that you really dissing pink!!!!
It gave me a headache!
Love the photo of you on the Hello Kitty chair! :D
Adrian B. recently posted..Short Guide to Plitvice Lakes National Park
Thanks! I spent a good 15 minutes just posing on it!
Hello Kitty uniforms, wow! Haha, I’m not sure I would trust a Hello Kitty shaped burger, that just seems so strange!
Audrey recently posted..Local Montreal & The Underground Art Scene
They looked really freaky! I can’t imagine them tasting very nice…
Most of the themed restaurants I’ve been to have been overpriced and disappointing, but I think I would still visit the Hello Kitty restaurant. Probably not for the food, but for the very pink decor. :P
Danielle recently posted..8 Things I Loved About Boston
I visited close to 10 of them in Taipei and yes, they were all overpriced and the food was crap! But the experiences were worth the money!
Too much pink. That should be against the law!!
Natalie recently posted..Welcome to Cirali
I mean, I like pink… But in small doses! I’d get a headache working there all day!
There’s no such thing as too much pink and too much Hello Kitty. I would’ve bought everything there!!!! hahaaha!
Sheryll recently posted..Follow Friday: An Interview with Evie Robinson of Nomad•ness TV
Hahahaha, I know you would! So crazy! :D
You are very brave for entering that place. It looks like they even have pink lighting!
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Feeling Small in Buenos Aires
This is hilarious. I like your weird food adventure stories!
Glad you like them, Monica! :)
We might be headed to Taipei end of this year! This just got onto our must visit list! So PINK!!!!!
Shirlene from Idelish recently posted..{USA} Luxurious Grand Wailea in Maui
Oh wow, you’ll LOVE it there! You have to visit as many themed restaurants as possible! :D
Lol you sound like me, I seriously don’t understand the appeal. Loving the posing on the chair though girlie x
Jen recently posted..The Train Market Incident
Ah, a Hello Kitty restaurant! I am one of those girls way too old for the Hello Kitty market that LOVES it – to be it represents everything fun and innocent, which we all know life isn’t. I am adding this to my list of places I must visit eventually!
Sky recently posted..Fundraising Fun :-)
I love how you are posing (like I would) on the chair! :-)