The Barbie Cafe is a new pop up restaurant located at the Mall of America. The cafe is meant to be more of an experience than the typical restaurant. When arriving you have a chance to buy Barbie merch, look at the history of Barbie development, and take lots of pictures.
When first arriving at the cafe it felt like I stepped into the Barbie movie. It was bright, pink and an extravagant atmosphere with lots to enjoy. The staff also greeted everyone with a “Hey Barbie ” really allowing diners to fully immerse themselves in the illusion of a Malibu Barbie world. Personally, it made me feel special and excited to be able to enjoy my time at the cafe.
In my opinion, the best part about the experience was by far the photo opportunities. Some of the photo ops include the pink swinging bench, the giant Barbie letters, and the lifeguard chairs. My favorite was the life guard chair, which made for adorable photos. The cafe is a perfect place to take instagram content with friends.
The food was sensational. I ordered the beach burger with french fries. The fries were perfectly seasoned. I don’t know what they put into that dipping sauce, but it felt like heaven in my mouth. The seasonings and the warm tenderness of the burger had my mouth watering. I completed the meal with an ice cream sundae, although plain it was the perfect finisher for the meal.
One thing that I am on the fence about however, is the reservation system. The cafe is turning out to be a popular attraction, so reservations are almost always fully booked up. Not even that, but if you manage to snag a reservation, you have to pre-order your food, despite the fact that we are susceptible to changing our minds about our food order when attending the cafe.
A critique I have is on the advertisement of roller skating. When advertised, the roller skating rink appears to be a thrilling part of the experience, however the skating only turned out to be small, compact and crowded, discouraging me from participating in the activity.
Overall, I would recommend trying out the Barbie Cafe with friends or family, but don’t forget to wear your pink and be ready to take lots of instagrammable photos!