Hello Kitty Cafe: LAS VEGAS

With the new Cafe debuting at a new location, I decided months ago to book a flight out there to Las Vegas for my birthday.

I wouldn't have made any plans to visit this shipping container, unless there is something special that they have exclusive to this location. Without real Sanrio art food, it was just another shipping container with a Hello Kitty art wall for selfies.

I think they knew it, too, because they stepped up their game for this new location. 

Next to NYNY casino and Beerhaus

LOCATION: MGM's The Park Vegas
CITY: Las Vegas, NV
TYPE: Metal shipping container
Specialties: Sanrio art desserts
Debut: July 12, 2019
Duration: 2019 TBA

The shipping container is as neon pink as shown in the many pictures taken and posted on Instagram. And, just as many female visitors (during the weekends), dragging along family members and their male partners. Not a lot of fan boys out here. 

When the Las Vegas Cafe teased fans with real authentic art food, I literally screamed in excitement. I was like -- FINALLY!!

I know this marketing strategy is their last resort because the other shipping containers, kiosks, and mini cafes did not do so well in long term status. The evidence are in the closing of their other temporary locations.

I don't know why it took them this long to bring out real honest to god art food. Surely, it was no brainer that the Sanrio fans were waiting for it. I still say stingy and stubborn because they wanted to stay on the "casual art" campaign.

When your desserts and drinks are nothing to rave about, then they bring out the real gems because they want to stay in business. Remember, they don't care about the fans. They only care about the money. It's a fact.

If they truly thought about the fans, they would have brought out the real art food since the very start of this whole Cafe business.

I visited, took video & picture selfies, and ordered all my favorite Sanrio character art food creations. Well, desserts to be frank. I came to splurge like a Sanrio Collector would do so on special occasions. 

Before I started to taste everything, I have to mention that I have crossed off something major on my Bucket List of things to accomplish. I have accomplished in finding my FIRST ever Keroppi art food and documenting it!

The Keroppi macaron and donut were both so cute and brag worthy! I was literally on cloud nine in my fascination with having these Sanrio desserts right in front of me to enjoy.

If you have a sweet tooth, then you would enjoy everything that I bought. As for me, I do enjoy sweets, but only to a certain degree. After the first bite of the Keroppi donut, I had to give it away to my brother. It was just too sweet for me. It had an inside green cream filling that was a bit of an overkill on my tastebuds.

The sugar cookie was yummy and surprisingly, not stale at all. Unfortunately, the macarons are just average in taste. There was no crisp to them. It's a good sweet dessert to have and brag.

And, I saved the best for last...

The strawberry pastry is the best overall in the selections provided. At the first bite, it was pure heaven. It was very crunchy and the sweet flavors were all there to jump out at you. I felt a little bad at destroying it, but I had fun documenting my first two bites into it. 

My first ever Hello Kitty pastry down for the count on my Sanrio Bucket list.

Just a bit of a warning though, it gets a bit too much of the strawberry jelly at the end. You'll need lots of napkins to remove the excess jelly in order to finish it. This was one of the items that I did not share with my brother.  >.<


As I ended my trip with a smile, I won't be officially giving this shipping container a review star rating because it's not an official brick-and-mortar location. If this location gets a "permanent" residency, then I'll be back to do an official review. Hopefully, it'll come with a bar and tea service as well. 

Hello Kitty Cafe in Las Vegas!!

It's official. The Hello Kitty Cafe in Las Vegas is opening on July 12 at MGM's The Park Vegas, next to NYNY Las Vegas casino and Beerhaus.

Cr: Via Foodbeast, courtesy Andy Nguyen

Definitely, I have to go visit this shipping container for that Keroppi donut and Hello Kitty shaped pastry. If they didn't have these two items to perk my interest, I would have never made plans to travel to that container. I have to put those two items on Instagram! It's a ritual for this fan: spend the money, squeal and giggle like a fan, and lastly, brag to all. Seriously, that's a fun day for me.

Now, let's talk about the color on that shipping container. I had to cover my eyes for a second to that harsh neon pink color. My first thought was whhhhyyyyy? Why do they always choose this awful color for their shipping container?

And let me point this out---   is the color even more neon than the container at Irvine?! Say it isn't so. 

For the ones who share my similar dislike for neon pink, I have to break your hearts. It is much more neon than before in Irvine -- based off the picture. I'll confirm it once I see it in person. 

I have to wonder if they think the average amount of Americans like the neon pink color. Or is this a grab-for-attention marketing strategy?

When Hello Kitty Cafe opened as a shipping container, they did the same thing but with a less neon pink color. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I seriously questioned the sanity and taste of American girls these days. Then, the container was closed and Hello Kitty Grand Cafe was revealed.

Now, Irvine's brick and mortar Hello Kitty Cafe was a surprise to the fandom. We were not expecting it at all. I didn't understand Sanrio and their shipping containers. They had given all their Hello Kitty fans in America with so much hope and then, to open it's doors as a shipping container. Pure disappointment.

It has come to full circle. Note that Hello Kitty Grand Cafe's front entrance does not have any harsh neon pink color anywhere. Instead, it has an impressive design of a very pretty light pink building with gold tints to the windows and bow door handles. The store front design finishes off with a flirty purple and white awning that creates a more classy feel than what we are used to-- coming from Sanrio.

Back to present day, Hello Kitty has landed in Las Vegas. Looks like there may be a pattern here if we put Irvine's location as an example to follow. The news on the block is that this specific Cafe has permanent residency in the city. 

Like Irvine, there may be a "permanent" Cafe in the works, but I think they're all part of a trial experiment to check out the location and if it will generate any profits. There's always a gimmick for Hello Kitty Cafe when they first debut a new location.

For Irvine, it was the very first one in SoCal. It drew fans to the location because it was the first of it's kind, a character cafe that was not connected to a theme park. For San Jose, it was that silver mug. Next month, it's going to be that Keroppi donut and Hello Kitty shaped pastry in Las Vegas. Who knows what else is exclusive to the new location.

The Las Vegas location has indeed come out strong to entice fans to this shipping container. They have been stingy with character shaped food. Let's be real here. They are stingy. It's the opposite in Disneyland where you can find many character shaped themed food creations in both parks. Unlike Sanrio, at least they give what fans desire the most.

Has anyone noticed that they took away the character themed mini cakes at the front part of Hello Kitty Grand Cafe? It's now exclusive to the tea service and the traveling trucks. You only have three Hello Kitty shaped cookies. One or two normal looking cake with only a 3D bow as a topping. Those other sweets with a Hello Kitty face that is not attached to the dessert does not count as an art creation! The rest are normal and ordinary desserts. 

From past other locations opened and closed within a year, it shows that Hello Kitty Cafe does not have a strong following to bring in crowds after feedback has been known that they don't serve quality baked sweets. They get stale. They're not fresh. They are a gimmick. Most importantly, Sanrio doesn't care that it's not made with quality. All they want is our money and we, fans, give it.

See you, Collectors, in Las Vegas! Meowy for now.  >.<

Let's all try this...

We all say: Hello...

You say: Kitty.

Get it? Marco Polo game. Haha!

Sanrio Tour: Las Vegas Style

Are you planning your trip to Las Vegas and have been wanting to stop by all the Sanrio stores along the way?

Well, you're in luck that this Sanrio collector has decided to create one for those who live in Southern California or visiting California. This tour guide might not cover all the Sanrio boutique locations in California, but it suggests enough stores along the way as detour.

This trip will take you one day to visit all the stores, switch out drivers for the night-- then prepare for the rest of the long deserted road trip to Las Vegas. Or this Sanrio Tour of California is a fun start of a road trip for hardcore collectors who are looking to add memories onto to their Sanrio Scrapbooking collection.

This is an excellent idea for me to start commemorating everything when I finally get down to scrapbooking my Sanrio life and events that have taken place.

My guide starts at Canoga Park, but others who live in San Diego can start there with their local Sanrio boutique store.

Sanrio Tour
Destination: Las Vegas
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Sanrio Topanga
Westfield Topanga Mall
6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd
Canoga Park, CA 91303
818-704-9953
Notes: Find the farthest left of the parking lot and Park at the back of the Mall where Target is located. Next to Target is the Mall entrance. Go down the escalator and store is on the left side.


Sanrio Sunshine Station - not yet confirmed
Santa Monica Place
395 Santa Monica Place
Santa Monica, CA 90401
301-260-8333


Sanrio Culver City - not yet confirmed
Westfield Culver City Mall
159 Fox Hills Mall
Culver City, CA 90230
310-310-1694


Sanrio Hollywood

Hollywood and Highland Center
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-462-2901
Notes: The only way to be able to get into this parking lot is to come from Franklin Avenue. Turn left on N. Highland Avenue and after the stoplight, stay on the farthest right to turn right into the entrance of the parking structure (passing the Hotel next to it). If you hit the second stoplight, you have gone too far and have passed the parking structure. Once inside and getting a parking ticket, keep right to curve into a corner and head straight until you reach a dead end of a row full of cars. To the left is the entrance to Staff employee parking-- turn around and try to find parking in that area, close to the elevators/escalators in the middle of the structure area. Go to the very top floor of the escalators. From the escalators, turn around and head straight to the stores and turn left. The store should be at the left hand side next to a classic burger American restaurant.
 

Sanrio Little Tokyo

Japanese Village Plaza
115 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-620-0830
Notes: Coming from Judge John Aiso Street, turn left on 1st Street, you can find a few street parking to the right side (where the tall orange Japanese statue/structure). If no parking, turn right at the Central (across from JANM Museum), turn another right at 2nd St and there's another row of street parking.

Sanrio Pasadena

415 S Lake AvePasadena, CA 91101
626-568-9313
Notes: Located outside and not inside the plaza, but does not have a huge sign that reads Sanrio. Only street parking with meters.


Sanrio Arcadia

Westfield Santa Anita Mall
400 S Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007
626-445-3704
Notes: Park at the parking lot next to H&M and Nordstrom. From the entrance to the Mall, go down the escalator and the store is straight ahead.


Sanrio Temple City

5783 Rosemead Blvd
Temple City, CA 91780
626-287-3930

Sanrio Montebello

Montebello Town Center
2104 Montebello Town Ctr
Montebello, CA 90640
323-722-9544


Sanrio Lakewood - not yet confirmed
Lakewood Center Mall
8 Lakewood Center Mall
Lakewood, CA 90712
562-529-8407


Sanrio Cerritos - CLOSED?
Los Cerritos Mall
347 Los Cerritos Mall
Cerritos, CA 90703
562-402-6900


Sanrio Temecula

Promenade Temecula
40820 Winchester Rd
Temecula, CA 92591
951-296-1147


Sanrio Riverside

Galleria at Tyler
1212 Galleria At Tyler
Riverside, CA 92503
951-352-2240


Sanrio Ontario

Ontario Mills Mall
1 Mills Cir Ste 344
Ontario, CA 91764
909-484-2062
Notes: Park at the back of the Mall. Try searching for Gate 9 or Side 9. Located at Gate 9 right next to the Food Court. Facing the food court, the store is to the right hand side from the restrooms.


Sanrio Las Vegas

Fashion Show Mall, The Strip
3200 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-699-9373
Notes:  Park on the 2nd floor of the parking structure and take the bridge into the mall, not the one into Dillards. For Las Vegas Hello Kitty souvenirs, try the ABC store on the 1st floor.