I've been looking forward to the opening of Sunny Village Cafe for at least eight months or so. They've had some challenges on the way to opening but they're finally here! I don't work on my birthday, so since I had the day off I took my toddler here in the morning.
The concept of the cafe came from the owner's visit to family in Korea, where these play cafes are common. There are about five tables along the west wall and then the rest is for children's play! There are toys as well as structures, such as a little CTA rail car. There's a little play house. Various toys can be found throughout the play area. There are "yuck boxes", where you can place toys that children have put in their mouth so the staff can clean them. There's hand sanitizer in a few areas as well. There's a couple chairs and couches in the play area as well, adult-sized ones. There is also an infant section for children up to age 24 months. That section is smaller and has a couple of baby bjorns for the littlest friends. Near that area is a quiet room.
I didn't get anything to eat or drink whilst here but I'm curious to try one of their -ades. They have some pastries and stuff from nearby restaurants, including Delightful Pastries across the street, I think. I'm not sure how I would have managed them both since the tables ended up getting all taken; I wasn't able to stake one out since I was following my little one around. Maybe I could have kept it with me in the play area and just held it but I wasn't sure if that was allowed. I also wasn't sure if I could order something from inside the play space or if I needed to go out to get one.
The play area is enclosed so for the most part you don't have to worry about kids getting out, although there's a bit of a gap along the side and bottom of the swinging door to the cafe/play space. No shoes are allowed once you enter that door, so you'll leave them in the space outside the enclosed play space/cafe. I'd highly recommend going to the website and completing the waiver before you arrive, as that just makes it easier and gets you in to play more quickly. You must complete a waiver for both parent and child, separately, which I thought was the case but then whilst reading through it I was unsure. The cost to enter is $14, unless you have a membership or have pre-paid for a particular number of visits. They also offer private rentals for parties and stuff. I think my little one enjoyed it, and I think we'll return so she play around.
Parking is relatively limited since it's in a small strip mall. But there is parking along the street around here too. read more