Originally spotted gearing up for a summer opening on Robson Street, the cafe had postponed its launch five times now.
Back in March, we made contact with the Sanrio team.
They kindly let us know that the delay was mainly to ensure the Japan team was content with everything before moving into the next phases.
This meant a lot of back and forth – waiting for the Japan team to arrive in Vancouver and make any adjustments. Rinse and repeat.
Things seem to have moved along well as we’ve spotted the cafe post hiring listings, update their Instagram profile image, and add new images to their Google Business listing in April.
A few days ago, they also put May 17th as the opening date on their Google Business Listing.
Lastly, on May 1st, they added a new photo to their Google Business Listing that showcased the exterior of the cafe, with the curtains up – teasing the inside interior.
Walking by the cafe you can also finally see they’ve taken off the paper that covered the signage.
We also noticed that the display case near the entrance of the cafe was filled with various colourful cakes. One in particular is the exact same one you could find at the Hello Kitty Cafe in Las Vegas, according to our friend.
Is May 17th the confirmed opening date?
We had doubts as they’ve pushed the launch back multiple times already.
However…on May 4th, the team working on the Hello Kitty Cafe Vancouver confirmed with Noms Magazine in an email that the cafe is indeed opening on May 17th.
They told us that an official press release and official photos would be released very soon.
Hello Kitty Cafes Around America
Currently, there are three operational Hello Kitty Cafes in America: at the Fashion Show Las Vegas, the container-like cafe in Las Vegas, and the Hello Kitty Grand Cafe in California.
Known for their “super cute” menus, these cafes serve a range of adorable goodies including freshly baked cookies, cakes, donuts, and seasonal treats, all wrapped with a Hello Kitty-themed element.
The cafes also offer an array of handmade hot and iced beverages.
And as you expect, each cafe carries a selection of exclusive Hello Kitty Cafe merchandise.
For Hello Kitty enthusiasts and lovers of cute cafes, the anticipation for the Vancouver Hello Kitty Cafe continues to build.
While the wait might have been way longer than expected, the promise of a super cute menu and an array of exclusive merchandise is sure to make it worth the delay.
For more new and upcoming food spots in Metro Vancouver, take a peek at our tracker here and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.