Cafe Bambini Play Cafe

I wanted to post a quick report/review of the new Cafe Bambini play cafe in the Sunny Isles area of Miami. I visited yesterday with my Hip Mama meetup group, and we had a blast! You all know of my near fanatic devotion to my local play cafe, Cool de Sac, at Sunset Place in South Miami. I figured this would be kind of similar, and it was in some ways. I would say, Cool de Sac is kind of like a Chuck E Cheese, but way more upscale. Cafe Bambini is like a Starbucks or sandwich shop with half the space dedicated as a kids play area.

Cafe Bambini is smaller than Cool de Sac, and is geared to a younger crowd. There is a small ball pit, lots of foamy, different shaped blocks and structures to climb on, chairs in the play area for adults to sit on, a really cute kitchen set with lots of play food and utensils, costumes for both girls and boys, a little vanity table and chair, a train set, a mini piano, dolls, a giant chalkboard and more. For older kids, there is a Wii, but really, this place is not geared to the over 5 crowd, in my opinion. Skyler (10 years old) would have been bored after she tired of the Wii games. Elle (2.5 years old) on the other hand, had a BLAST. We were there from 10 - 2, and she played most of the time, taking snack breaks periodically like she does at Cool de Sac. The entire play area is gated, with two safety gate entries. You can easily see your child from any point in the cafe area, which is great.

The cafe has a nice little menu for adults and kids. One great item that they offer on their kids menu is a snack plate for $5 that allows you to choose 5 items from a lengthy list (bananas, strawberry slices, pita chips, corn, applesauce, carrots, peanut butter, etc). For adults, there is a full menu of sandwiches, pizzas, coffee drinks, etc. Because we were there in the morning, I didn't notice whether or not they offered beer and wine like Cool de Sac does. One thing I wasn't crazy about--the large gelato display case that is *right there* in front of the play area. I mean, come on. What parent wants to listen to their child beg for ice cream because they are staring at 8 different flavors while they play? A bit manipulative, I think.

The price for the play area is definitely right--$5 all day open play per child. Woo Hoo!

Overall, as I said, I had a great time, and so did the other moms that I was with. One more thing--they offer free WiFi, so bring your laptop! The website has a great picture of the play area on the home page, so check it out here.

photo credit: anissat/sxc.hu