We are visiting the area and came across this place on a Yelp search and went by this afternoon. Our daughter is 2.5 years old. This is an open and friendly space with excellent quality play equipment and a thoughtful layout. They use the colourful and eco friendly Replay brand kids plates which we adore at home. The menu was small but had all we needed and was very tasty and little one friendly. There were about 5 other families there with kids between 6 months and about 4 years and it didn't feel at all crowded. I discovered the quiet reading room right before left which is also a great idea. Thank you for a fun and relaxing afternoon! read more

My kids enjoy the play area, the play structure is beautiful and the little houses and hiding places are very cute. I do think it's too expensive, with two kids I'm looking at $11, plus the price of food. I can go to play gym at the community centre for $3 to $4 and there is a lot more space to run around. The design of the cafe is such that if I sit down at a table, I can't see my kids, so I can't really sit and have a coffee while they play. This means I can only drink a sip at a time while going back and forth, so it's not a very relaxing experience for me. Also for some reason the large communal style tables are extremely high, so my toddlers can't reach it from their high chairs. The table comes up to my armpits when I sit down. Bizarre for a child oriented restaurant. The place seems to have a lot of staff, but they tend to stand around chatting rather than doing much work. We were in last week and tables were left dirty for ages and our food (a plate of cheese and fruit) took 20 minutes even though there were very few people in the cafe and four staff members working. There is a computer system you have to use to check your kids in, but there is no gated area and parents walk freely in and out, so it doesn't seem to serve any purpose as far as safety is concerned. If it were cheaper we would come more often, but as it stands this will have to be a place we visit only occasionally. read more

We love this space nearly as much as our 19-month old daughter does! I'm surprised by some of the comments here. To us, the value seems great. It would not be sustainable for the business owners to rely on coffee sales alone given that they have the added expense of a larger commercial space and high-end toys. The space is always clean and beautifully maintained. The prices for food and beverages, particularly given the quality of the ingredients, seems perfectly fair and in line with what I would expect at a dedicated coffee shop. The owners and staff are very friendly. We wish their hours were a bit longer on the weekends. We'll be coming back often! read more

I love this place! I come here on average 3-4 times/month! To me its totally worth the price! I usually spend about $25-$30 here with admission, coffee and snacks/lunch and I love how I can relax in the cafe while my child plays!! That is the best part!! I don't understand how people can complain about the admission fee here, the play structures/toys are high quality and you don't get that at the local community center. Plus most the community centers have limited area to sit down and no food and coffee!! They also offer great classes, my daughter has done the baking classes and art classes and they were priced competitively and she had a fantastic time! Win win! read more

Great food, friendly service, and pleasant ambience. My nieces are a bit old for this place (4 & 6 years old) and they got bored after a few hours. Still, I would recommend this place for both kids and parents! read more

Great place for the price. Visiting from the States and needed a place for our daughter to play and make new friends. Great music and casual atmosphere. Hang out in your socks and remember life is what you make it! read more

This place is fantastic! I discovered it on a recent trip back to Vancouver and I am so pleased. I have taken both my son (2yo) and niece (17m) and its great for both and even a wider range of ages. I have been to many play cafes in BC and Alberta (big and small) and this is by far the best. The set up is beautiful, the play structures are amazing and the staff are wonderful (you can tell they have put a lot of care into the business). Also the cafe items, both food and beverages are amazing and well worth it. It's rare to find a place that offers healthy and high quality foods for both children and adults. I was honestly suprised to read of anyone taking issues with the cost. The play cafes in Alberta are usually $11-13 per child and the food /play structures are usually horrible. I think the price is a bargain and reflects the quality of the environment and the menu. If you want dirt cheap you go to McDonald's and you get what you pay for. So happy to know we have a fun place to visit on our trips to Vancouver. I hope people really support this place because I'd love to see it thrive. read more

The customer service is excellent. I have been here before when my son was about 18 months and it went excellent. Today I went with my son again ( 26 months old) and I can honestly say; it wasn't what I expected. My son is at the age where he wants to run around freely and be able to move without worrying about stepping on a baby. This isn't the owners fault, but if parents are planning on bringing the little one to the cafe, they need to also understand that toddlers will be playing there. It's not the toddlers fault if he/she by accident gets in the way of a little one. I had to constantly be watching over him and his every step. They should consider having toddler time, strictly for toddlers. read more

A convenient, place for playdates and to meet up with other mom's while mom's can get some human interaction (outside of their adorable little one's of course!). I ranked this a 3 since there are very few other places in GVR to play gym/cafe's; however, would have otherwise ranked this a 2 due to cleanliness issues (see below) especially since there is a $7 play fee so I would expect some degree of cleanliness to be maintained. Pros - Attractive indoor play structure with a good mix of climbing structures and pretend play (play kitchen, tents, building toys) - Set up so mom's (and dad's) can have a coffee and a snack in the eating area while keep an eye on their child - Cute, healthy meal options for kids - Small parking lot in front Cons - Socks are a must (especially in the spring/fall during hand, foot and mouth illness season) however many of the moms and children were barefoot in the play area and none of this was being enforced. Other play gyms we have been to consistently strictly enforce this as it is very easy to pass HFM without it. Our children were preschoolers so it's not as much of an issue but would be a bigger issue if we had infants there. - Toys and area were not sanitized on a regular basis - throughout the 2 hours we were there, kids constantly had shared toys in their mouth but none of these were put aside and sanitized - Service was very slow though the cafe was well staffed - many of the staff were standing chatting. If you've ever had a hungry child, you know they need to be fed soon! However, it took over 20 mins for our simple meals to be prepared and many of the staffing were standing chatting and were not at all friendly (except the one gentleman there, who I suspect may be the owner or manager). Given that there are few other options in the area, this is a wonderful alternative for moms to meet up so I don't want to detract from this but just simply enforcing a rule they have already (that children and parents must wear socks) and having the staff sanitize on a regular basis, would have easily placed this wonderful cafe at a 5. read more

Don't be like us and drive all the way from Richmond on a Saturday afternoon. And then find out its closed to public after 1.30pm. They should really advertise that on there website opening page as the first thing that you see/pops up. In big letters.. Was looking forward to it, as we don't get to Vancouver much. And heard about it through the small business awards. Humph... read more

Fun place to hang out with other mommys and let the kids play. The only criticism I have is having to leave your stroller outside - I couldnt really enjoy myself too much as I had to keep an eye on my stroller (all my belongings were in there) and being that the cafe was on commercial I didnt feel it was safe being left outside. The other complaint is the staff didnt get around to cleaning the tables after each party... we found ourselves having to wait around for awhile to get a clean seat (after cleaning the area ourselves) read more

This is a great little place to enjoy a coffee with a friend while the kids play. The cost is understandable considering they have to maintain all the toys and equipment. The owner is very friendly and welcoming. The only thing is that because it's so popular, space can be limited. I wish there were more places like this! read more

Love this concept! My one year old enjoyed every minute of it. Other than the many play things, they also offer kids menu. It's nice to have an indoor play space to go to and not have to prepare food before you go! Heard there will be kids cooking classes offered in the future too, look forward to that. read more

This is the place I've been dreaming about. Clean, great atmosphere, wooden toys and structures, homemade food, and best of all family run. The cost is low for the experience, people are totally taking for granted all that Circus offers. I've never once seen the staff standing around while things to do, they always have a smile on, and are pleasant in every transaction with me or my daughter. All the play toys and structures are immaculately clean and rarely ever a mess which is insanely impressive considering its routinely getting deconstructed by toddlers. This play place and Cafe is a business, and something that needs to have income to keep the doors open. I don't know why people have a problem paying for this service!! You're paying to entertain your child, wether it be an amusement park, aquarium, or indoor play centre. ITS WORTH EVERY PENNY. Knowing when we play here that I get to support a small and local business just make the experience that much better. Please keep doing what your doing Circus, we love every bit of what you have to offer. read more

Circus Play Cafe - Up the stairs, down the slide, up the stairs, down the slide... Repeat X 10! - Cafes Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia