American Girl Cafe: A full review…….what to expect, and what ages it’s perfect for………

Thank you to the American Girl Cafe for hosting us.

Have you ever been to the American Girl Cafe? A few weeks ago we visited the Los Angeles American Girl Cafe…..and I wanted to share ALL the details.  While we’d been to the American Girl Store many times (Lydia has a great American Girl Doll collection)……we’d never stopped in for a meal at the cafe.  She’s almost five, and definitely at the age where she enjoys eating out more than say, a year ago (and so do we).  So we packed up her favorite Luciana doll, and headed to the American Girl Cafe for lunch and a little shopping.

American Girl Cafe: A Full Review

I have to say, overall…..I loved the American Girl Cafe WAY more than I expected.  They did a great job of balancing the kid fun while still making it a lovely dining experience for adults.  We visited the cafe for lunch, and the price per person is $24.  This includes a TON of food, a variety of beverage options, and a few special experiences ( you can see the full menu HERE).

A few fun things we noticed when we entered the cafe……..there were plenty of dolls available for borrowing.  So if your child doesn’t already OWN a doll, you can borrow one for lunch or dinner.  When we sat down, our waitress set up an adorable booster seat for Lydia’s doll along with a mini mug and saucer so that Lydia could feed her American Girl doll (those are yours to keep).

The cafe also had these adorable conversation starters on the table and Lydia LOVED them.  She kept begging us to ask her more questions!

We ate delicious cinnamon buns (who doesn’t dream of starting every meal with cinnamon buns), had a lovely appetizer platter and then dug into lunch.  Lydia had the cheese pizza (she loved it) and I had the salmon (it was REALLY good).  

We had flower pot cupcakes for dessert, and then explored the American Girl doll store.

The overall verdict? WE LOVED THE AMERICAN GIRL DOLL CAFE.  I thought it was a wonderful experience, and the prices were super reasonable.  Lydia had a blast, and the meal was short enough for a preschooler to stay happy and entertained.  The staff was great at engaging her, chatting with her AND her doll, and reminding Lydia to be sure that her doll ate too.  Every detail was well thought out, from the tiny doll cup and saucer to the booster seat for her doll to sit in at the table.  

You can definitely bring a four or five year old with their first American Girl Doll for a special treat (American Girl Wellie Wishers are GREAT first dolls) and it’s still a ton of fun for older kids who love their American Girl Doll collections (bonus that there is great food for the parents).

After our lunch, we did a little shopping……and I picked up a TON of books for my classroom (as well as a set for home).  Did you know that American Girl has amazing series called a Smart Girls’ Guide? These adorable books encourage girls to be confident, develop character and are perfect for discussing these skills.

Since we loved the books so much, we are teaming up with the American Girl team to give one of the same set we picked up! One winner will receive: The Care & Keeping of You 20^th Anniversary Edition, The Skin & Nails Book, A Smart Girl’s Guide: Sports & Fitness, A Smart Girl’s Guide: Liking Herself, and A Smart Girl’s Guide: Knowing What to Say.