Vancouver tips: Hooray, hooray, for Sophie’s Cosmic Cafe

On September 17, 2010 · Leave a Comment

During our recent trip to Vancouver, BC, we were able to stroll from our gorgeous vacation rental townhouse in Kitsilano (read all about it) to this great restaurant for anyone visiting Vancouver with toddlers and little kids.

Sophie’s Cosmic Café sits at the corner of West 4th Ave. and Arbutus, and offers up more than a feast for the belly—and the eyes. In addition to walls decorated to the hilt with vintage lunch pails of the Laugh-In and Gremlin variety, vintage toys, posters, and pendant lamps that reach and wrap through the air like tentacles from the attic… they’ve got toys by the basketful ready to go for the little guys.

As you might expect, this is a popular breakfast spot for local families, especially those with proud tots parading by showing off the new toys they’d discovered, and no one batted an eye when I asked where I should park my folded stroller. My request to split plates among the children was also met, happily, with a can-do smile.

For weekend breakfasts, go early to avoid a wait among the breakfast crowd (they open at 8 a.m.). Or try them for lunch or dinner, which is also offered 7 days a week. My vote: Eggs Benedict.

Sure, you can find crayons, high chairs, and boosters at a lot of restaurants, and rest assured you’ll find them here, too. But Sophie’s Cosmic Café doesn’t just want to keep your family busy until the “Berries and Whip” hit the table—they clearly want to see smiles on your faces. And it was all I could do to shed mine on the way back from the ladies’ room, which showcased a steamy collection of framed Engelbert Humperdinck album covers.

Reminder: Enter to win the Safety 1st onBoard Air car seat ($199 value)! Ends 9/22/10. Click here.

Safe journey,

Shelly Rivoli, author of the award-winning guide Travels with Baby
http://www.travelswithbaby.com/