Circus Play Cafe

This place is for kids and parents but if you don’t have a kid. I just needed a snack after the record swap meet.
There is a fee for checking in your kid to play.
It’s a reasonable set up for kids.
It was fun for a bit sitting in little vintage school desk seats.
Very good customer service.
Decent London Fog and squash soup.

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…

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!

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 café 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.

I have brought my daughter here a couple times with my mom friends who are on Mat leave (she’s 9 months) and it’s an awesome place! Great food, super friendly staff and reasonable prices. $ 4 admission for 2.5 hours of play which is similar to a lot of community centre play gyms (but circus is far nicer and waaay cleaner). Staff walk around collecting toys to be cleaned during play time.
They also sell some very nice wooden European style toys. You can pick up a neat one of a kind gift here. Highly recommend — will start bringing my LO here weekly especially on rainy days.

Circus Play Café should be in every mom’s activity repertoire. It’s half café /​half indoor playground. The space has been utilized well. There are a couple wooden jungle gyms with slides, ladders, walkways, plus mini rooms to the side with different themes (tool box centre, kitchen), and even the walls are adorned at the appropriate height with textured tiles, pull strings, locks, zippers, etc. for young ones to learn how to navigate turning, twisting, clicking, etc. And of course there are a few select books for those who want story time.
The space is best for moms on maternity leave and for babies who are probably six months (sitting up by themselves), and toddlers up to 3. I’m guessing after 3 years old, they might still be interested but attention will wane quickly.
Both my 8 month old and 2 year old were fully engaged with Circus Play Café and played happily for 2 hours. The café also offers light refreshments including coffee/​tea, sandwiches, soup and even some tapas plates for toddlers (cheese, crackers, fruit, veggies for $ 5.50 which I think is quite reasonable).
There are cubbies to store shoes and jackets so it’s out of the way. And best of all, the bathrooms come not only with the standard changing table, but also with step stools for toddlers to reach the faucets AND a bumbo seat for babies so YOU can go to the bathroom (GENIUS!!). Bathrooms were also impeccably clean when I was there and brightly lit.
The only downside is that strollers were parked outside, so I was slightly worried about theft. However, the windows are floor to ceiling height and so strollers are visible at all times.
Pricing is as follows: 6mo & under free; 6mo-​1yr $ 4; 1yr onwards $ 7. The price is for 2.5hours of play, so we are looking at about $ 2.80/hr which is great price really. For $ 11, my kids were happy exploring in a closed environment full of new toys and new friends.
I’d highly recommend Circus Play to moms who are looking to find an indoor activity place for their toddlers, especially in the colder winter months.

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 Café 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.

Thanks for your reply Toby! Was actually really excited to see you adjusted your pricing for my 1 year old, except your website still lists after 14 months as $ 7… And a 19 month old is a one year old…
Looks like nothing has actually changed at all, and at $ 7 there are lots of places he can blow off steam. Have a good day.

I take my daughter about once a week. The play structures are usually very clean and the area is brightly lit.
There is a separate area where I can enjoy the FREE WiFi while keeping an eye on my child. These visits can be expensive as some other reviewers have mentioned. I will sometimes smuggle in a McDonald’s breakfast sandwich/​coffee/​hashbrown meal instead of paying the outrageous food prices. If I ate here, the bill would be easily $ 20.
Please keep in mind that the play area is parent supervised. The staff are not daycare workers; they only prepare food, clean and complete transactions. So, basically, you will need to take care of your own child.
This place is essentially a cleaner, more pricey version of McDonald’s Play Palaces. It’s what a Starbucks Play Palace would look like if they opened one up.

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 café 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 café 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.

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 café 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)

Great place if you want to bring a baby or toddler for a fun playtime while you relax with a coffee. Play area is a bit pricey but I’m guessing that also keeps the play area from overcrowding.
Also has a healthy kids menu, would definitely visit again with my 1.5 yr old.

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!

I was really disappointed walking in here. You have to pay to play!!? At a café? If it was 2 bucks, I wouldn’t be writing this but, I have two 5 year olds and a 2 year old. That’s $ 18 to play with some ikea toys before I buy them all snacks and myself a coffee. Also, if your child is older than pre K, they are welcome in the café part but not aloud to play. I was totally floored and it made me really miss Little Nest. We went to the park instead. This place is not for anyone with more than one child under 5. Total bummer.

Wonderful play café to bring kids 4 and under. I brought my nephew who is two here and even after a 2.5hours of play he did not want to leave. There is so much for the little ones to discover. Admittance to the play area is under $ 7. The play area takes up ²⁄₃ the place and the remainder is the café and seating area. The play area has 5 or so larger activity areas like a school bus, house, ship etc. While we were there we ordered iced lattes, lemonade for the little guy and a couple of cookies. The menu also has some heathy snacks for the little ones. Great place for parents to have play dates, meet other parents or just a rainy day activity for the kiddos. Will be coming back soon!

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.

Great coffee and great atmosphere. Ideal place for moms and babies, lots of stroller space and the play area is perfect for babies and tods.

The Good: Circus Play Café is gorgeous! It is an airy café with a generous play space that is full of wooden toys (two kitchens, a dollhouse, a rocket ship, shakers, a produce stand, a school bus and a larger wooden play structure). My 14-​month-​old just loves it, even if he is a bit too young for some of the play areas.
The Bad: The food is fine but there isn’t much variety. You can get a panini and a salad or a salad. They advertised that they would have Gluten Free Epicurean, which was so exciting for a celiac like me, but there was no sign of it during their first week (maybe it will appear at some point in the future). They have bento boxes for kids but it wasn’t clear what they included so I wasn’t sure if my toddler would be able to eat it or like it. It would be really nice if they sold snackable sides of things that toddlers like to eat (cheddar cheese, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, blackberries, etc.).
The Ugly: We tried to go as a family on Saturday. We arrived an hour after they opened and they had a sign on the shop door stating that they were full and to come back later. We tried an hour later and they were still full even though we watched two families leave. I spoke to one of the employees and she thought it was still a safety risk for more children to come in, which is fair enough but still disappointing for a toddler who was promised Circus Play. We thought about coming back in the afternoon but there was a sign up saying they had scheduled a party. The lesson: don’t waste your time going to Circus on a weekend unless you call in advance to make sure they are open/​have space. Maybe at some point if it continues to be a zoo on the weekends they will have some sort of advance booking system so there aren’t so many disappointed kids (my wishful thinking)!
Otherwise, this is a great space that the kids will LOVE. I’m sure we’ll be back… A LOT!

Indoor playgrounds are a God send for parents in Vancouver.
It rains a lot here so you can’t always bring your kids outside every weekend. At Circus Play Café, you have a chance to allow your child to have fun at a safe and clean environment. Parents can have their coffee, baked goods and use WIFI to catch up on emails. There’s a ton of seating and a couple of high chairs to feed the kiddies too. The space is a good size for younger children between the ages of 1 – 3. I think I saw some younger babies as well as older kids as well though. There are play kitchens, slides, puzzles, books and a whole slew of toys to keep kids entertained.
The owners are friendly and although the place was getting packed around 10:30AM, they kept their cool. I saw staff talking to a few parents and tidying up the areas as kids were throwing toys around. I’ve been waiting for an indoor playground to open up in this area and I hope they stick around for a long time.
Admission to the Playspace is:
0 – 6 months — free
6 – 14 months — $ 3.95
1^st child — $ 6.95
Siblings — $ 3.95