Take a Bow, Kitty White.
Ms. White, aka Hello Kitty, the global pop culture icon sporting a jauntily angled bow, two black button eyes, a yellow button nose but, famously, no mouth, has set a debut date for her third spot on the Las Vegas Strip. The cafe is opening Friday on the second floor of the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.
The 3,400-square-foot space, by far the largest Hello Kitty cafe in Vegas, features a Bow Room (a new concept) for tea, a dining room, an expanded pastry program led by an in-house pastry chef, specialty beverages and branded merchandise.
Tea and pastry
Prix fixe tea ($95 per person) features sweet and savory dishes and a pot of tea of choice. An à la carte menu of savory dishes and specialty pours is served at additional cost.
Pastry anchors the cafe, with new items such as a Cinnamoroll Cream Cheese Blueberry Bread, My Melody Strawberry Shortcake, Keroppi Matcha Cream Puff, Hello Kitty doughnut, and taiyaki (traditionally, a fish-shaped Japanese pastry) made fresh daily in character shapes that are filled with chocolate, custard, strawberry and ube.
Longtime Hello Kitty favorites make an appearance, too, including face cookies, macarons, strawberry shortcake, birthday cake, cupcakes (chocolate, red velevet, ube), and waffle cones filled with matcha strawberry swirl and chocolate vanilla swirl, both new flavors.
Sips and merch
Beverages run to espresso, cold brews, matcha, lemonades, teas, slushes, hot chocolate and chocolate milk. Banana split cold brew, cookie butter latte, and banana, pistachio and strawberry matcha are new.
Merchandise such as Hello Kitty crossbody bags, tote bags, custom-embroidered jackets, puff-print hoodies, shirts, hats, plushies, tumblers, mugs and more round out the offerings at the new spot.
Kitty history
The Strip also hosts two other Hello Kitty Cafes: one at The Park (between New York-New York and Park MGM) that debuted in July 2019 and one in Fashion Show mall that opened in July 2022. The Hello Kitty Truck also has visited Vegas several times in the past decade.
Sanrio, a Japanese company, owns the Hello Kitty brand. The first Hello Kitty item, a vinyl coin purse, debuted in Japan in 1975.
Hours and days
Hello Kitty Cafe opens 11 a.m. Friday with Hello Kitty meet-and-greets, along with giveaways throughout opening weekend. Main hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Bow Room hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with final reservations at 4:45 p.m. (separate reservations required).
For opening details, updates and other information, follow @hellokittycafe and @hellokittycafevegas on social media and visit hellokittycafe.com.
Contact Johnathan L. Wright at [email protected]. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram.