School’s Out, and it’s time to bring the fun in!
On the second floor of Ritan Hotel is a fairy-tale themed restaurant with a small indoor playground to boot. It also plays host to Cinderella’s giant pumpkin carriage, some fairy-tale themed walls, and a cozy reading nook for young children.
Best of all it’s affordable! Even the food—depending on which dish you order—can be quite entertaining!
So here are 15 more reasons to go:
1. Princely Entrance
Taking the theme into consideration, the entrance was quite reminiscent of Cinderella’s entrance to the royal ball, and the very helpful directional signs everywhere reminded me of the huge ones in the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, although not as exaggerated.
2. Indoor Playground for Young Children
Especially for those with young children but no Ayis, the best seats in the house are the ones right by the indoor playground. What better way to entertain the children by letting them exercise those muscles for a while?
Also in this indoor playground are little plastic car ride-ons and small kitchen sets where kids can play cook.
3. Reading Nook
It was admittedly a bit cold in the indoor playground when we last went, so my friend asked her daughter (who also invited my daughter) to go to the little reading room. They went and her seven-year-old daughter read my toddler a story.
4. Choose Your Storybook Backdrop
I found the wall design fascinating, especially since they weren’t just pictures. The design actually had different textures, perfect for little ones to analyze with their sense of touch. Some parts were like a cushion, others were just soft, others fluffy—a creative and original idea I had not seen in other kids cafes!
5. Creative Food
The kids loved their Hello Kitty rice meals and even the free Hello Kitty Rice Curry dish! I personally loved my coffee—both the taste and the bear design!
6. Kid-Friendly Dishes
While I do think there’s not a balanced variety of dishes (particularly for those who prefer to have dishes that come with rice), I did think that the general selection was quite kid-friendly…assuming that fried food is okay. Not the healthiest, but delicious nonetheless!
7. Friendly Servers
One of the things we had to do later on in order to get some freebies (which you’ll read about in a bit) was log into the Dian Ping site and leave a comment. The server explained that the comment didn’t necessarily have to be positive. Later on at the end of our meal one server returned to ask us what we thought of our meal, and whether we had any suggestions. My friend and I both liked that they made the effort to ask, and we gave them our honest opinions. They seemed very open with our suggestions and comments, and even told us that we could edit our earlier rating if we wanted. We didn’t, but found the suggestion coming from the staff quite surprising!
8. Ice Cream Designs
I don’t really encourage my children to eat ice cream, but these were so cute I couldn’t help but encourage my daughter to have one! The kids loved it!
9. Breastfeeding Room and Changing Station
I was looking for a place to change my daughter’s nappy and the staff directed me to a room on the opposite end of the restaurant. It was a breastfeeding room! For obvious reasons, only women and their children are allowed inside, but inside this room is the door to another room: it was a toilet for a mom and her kid!
10. Be a Princess for a Day
What better way to live out a fairy tale moment than wear the part? At the front desk, right before entering the restaurant, is an area where kids can borrow costumes to wear while in the restaurant.
11. Disney-Themed Drinks
This is completely for parents while having a relaxing conversation.
12. Not Too Expensive
These types of places generally charge quite a bit for their food, but this place on the contrary served delicious food at fair prices. It also helped that we had a free dish and my friend and I had free coffee (more on that in a bit).
13. Ride a Pumpkin Carriage
One doesn’t need to know the story of Cinderella to want to step into this magical ride. My daughter took off her shoes and rushed up the steps to explore inside.
14. Freebies!
In order to avail of their free coffee and free kiddie dish, one had to give them a review on Dianping for the former and share their Dianping link on our personal Wechat Moments page and get at least 10 likes. My friend easily got those 10 likes within a few minutes and, since we had already ordered quite a lot, we decided to just share one dish. It was the right choice!
15. Soft Couches Make Little Beds
My older daughter was so tired and was ready to nap when my friend suggested just lying on the couch. I felt guilty about picking her up, but the cab had arrived so we sadly had to end our little trip to wonderland.
If that hasn’t convinced you, check out their reviews on dianping.com
School’s Out (酷乐派亲子餐厅)
Open everyday from 10AM to 10PM. 2F Ritan Hotel, No. 1 Ritan Road, Beijing 100020 日坛路1号日坛宾馆2层 (010-85794330)
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