Put animals and cake together and I think we can all agree that’s a recipe for a delightful afternoon. This winning combination has quickly become one of the biggest hospitality trends of the last decade and nowadays there’s a huge variety of animal-themed cafes on offer. So, we’ve picked some of the best pet cafes from around the world.
Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium – London, UK
Since the original was set up in Japan 20 years ago, cat cafes have appeared all across the globe. So, if you don’t fancy a 16-hour flight, you now can get some feline action a little closer to home. Lady Dinah’s is just a short walk from trendy Shoreditch, and its two-storey cafe houses a glorious clowder of resident rescue cats for you to meet. You’ll also be served a high tea in the Wonderland-themed tea rooms as part of the eccentric experience.
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ChikuChiku Cafe – Tokyo, Japan
Japan is not only home to the original, but also to the greatest number of animal-themed cafes in the world. This makes picking just one harder than choosing which new Netflix documentary series to watch. After considering the options, at the top of our list is the hedgehog cafe. Here you can get up and close with these prickly customers who usually shy away from human contact in the wild. And, as if it needed to be any cuter, the hedgehogs hang out in miniature rooms designed to look like everything from bathrooms to bars.
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Dachshund Cafe – UK, Various Locations
This travelling ‘Pup Up Cafe’ (their pun not ours) originally started as ‘the pug cafe’ but has now branched out to include other breeds; and as sausage dogs came 18th on the list of the UK’s top dogs of 2020, it seems only fair that they get their own events too. Unlike the other cafes on this list, it is not a petting cafe with resident pets, but a place where dachshund owners can bring their pets to meet and mingle with other sausages in the area. Non dog owners are also welcome for a puppuccino and play. Frankly, life could be wurst.
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Thanks Nature Café – South Korea, Seoul
Skip the mud and the delightful smells of the petting farm this holiday, because at the Thanks Nature Café you can hang out with their friendly sheep while relaxing with a cup of joe. The pair of resident ewes are kept amazingly clean and look like fluffy clouds walking amongst the guests for cuddles and strokes. We’ve also herd the waffles are amazing…
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Owl Cafe – Moscow, Russia
Owls can be tricky to spot in the wild with most breeds being nocturnal. But this cafe in Russia offers you the chance to meet, feed and potentially stroke one of these majestic creatures. They run on an anti-cafe format, meaning you only pay for the time spent there and not what you eat or drink during your visit. And if the owls aren’t playing ball, there’s free Wi-Fi or you can play board games to help you make the most of your time.
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Like many of our favourite travel spots these pet cafes have all been affected by the current Covid-19 crisis. They may be closed at the moment, but put a pin in your furry dining plans for the future and make sure you check they are open before jetting off.
