Casa de Juliet: a play cafe fit for mini royalty

I’m a big fan of play cafes here in Santiago. A new one on my list is Casa de Juliet, in Las Condes.

If you’re new in town and the concept of the play cafe is new to you too, allow me to explain…

Children pay an entrance fee to enter the toy filled cafe and play until their heart’s content. Meanwhile parents catch up on work, drink coffee in relative peace or just enjoy the novelty of going to the toilet without a child screaming on their lap at the same time. (Or is that just me?)

Casa de Juliet is brimming with things for kids of all ages to do, both inside and out.

Baby Annabelle enjoyed the ball pond and chilling with the foam shapes…

Her Spidermen brothers kept a close eye, and even rescued her from a (pretend) fire.

We ventured out into the garden to feed the rabbits…

There’s also a very simple beauty space upstairs. Book ahead and a member of staff can supervise your child. Personally I didn’t feel it was fair (to the staff!) to leave my three monsters alone and I’m a bit fussy with my beauty, so I never tried it, but it’s a cool idea.

Cafe de Juliet is made up of separate rooms, without cameras, so I had to chase my kids around a lot. For those blessed with less energetic children, the seating areas are lovely. I didn’t spot many electrical plug-ins, but there was WiFi, in case you wanted to get some work done.

It’s not glamourous and the toys are well loved. But it does feel rather special. Staff are very friendly and helpful. No wonder there seemed to be quite a few loyal customers when we visited.

We’ll be back again for sure. OK, I didn’t get any work done, sure it’s rather worn in parts, but my children were treated like kings. And princesses.

Need to know: 

• Casa de Juliet is a little cheaper than most play cafes in Santiago. Entrance is charged at around 3,000 CLP per child (babies go free).
• Call in advance to check it’s open. Like all play cafes, it could be closed for a private event or birthday party. Normal opening hours are from 10am – 8pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Nevertheless hours are rather flexible so do call ahead and be prepared to wait a few minutes here or there.
• My son has an allergy to dairy and pumpkin seeds. The menu was huge, but alas the only dish he could eat was the pasta with tomato sauce, which was very processed. If you’re not restricted by allergies, the menu looked good, offering cakes, sandwiches, homemade dishes and coffees.
• The WiFi connection worked fine for me, but there were very few electrical sockets.
• Children’s yoga, zumba and other entertainment takes place occasionally. Call for more information.
• The cafe is located by a very busy roadside, but it’s well fenced off. There’s no parking as such, but whenever we’ve driven we’ve found a spot not too far away.
• We visited in the cooler autumn, but be warned: I’ve heard that in the height of summer the garden offers very little shade.

Tel +56 967696097 / +56 2 3224 8455. Email: contacto@casadejuliet.cl Av. Cristobal Colon 4224, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile. lacasadejuliet.cl

For more play cafes in Santiago, check out my round up here. For restaurants with play areas in Santiago, click here.

Have you been to Casa de Juliet or are you planning a trip? Do share your thoughts in the comments below.