Barbie Doll fans around the world will be interested to know that at the end of the month of January, the first ever Barbie themed restaurant in the world finally opened its doors. Located in Taiwan on Zhongxiao Road in the busy shopping district of Taipei sits the brand new Barbie Cafe. The cafe is licensed by Mattel, and Taiwan was chosen for its location because of the popularity and success of theme restaurants there, such as the Hello Kitty themed restaurant that opened five years ago.
The Barbie Cafe is awash in pink. The walls are pink and plastered with various images of Barbie. The chairs are pink, the tables are pink. The menus, the server uniforms, and the purse shaped sofa in the restaurant’s lobby? You guessed it, all pink. The female servers are adorned in tiaras, pink t-shirts that bear a Barbie silhouette, and frilly pink tutu skirts. The male servers wear pink button down collared shirts with a dark colored vest and tie, and attempt, as best they can, to look like Ken, Barbie’s longtime male counterpart.
The furniture in the cafe may as well have come straight from Barbie’s Dream House, or at least Barbie’s Dream Diner. The bar tables are built to resemble a pink stiletto heel. The backs of the chairs are shaped like lace-up bustiers, and some are wearing frilly tutus similar to those the waitresses are dressed in. Some of the booths are decorated to look like oversized princess thrones, and the chandeliers are made to look like elegant tea sets with pots, cups, and saucers. And if you’ve ever wondered what a packaged Barbie doll might feel like, you can find your answer here: The restaurant offers customers the chance to step inside a giant Barbie box and experience a few minutes in the life of a life-sized, boxed Barbie doll.
The menu at the Barbie Cafe was designed with the help of professional nutritionists. The very first page of the menu helpfully offers a calorie chart, and each of the menu items has calorie information listed next to it. Barbie aside, this may be an ideal restaurant for dieters. Some of the items that can be found on the menu include Chicken Toast Box, Philadelphia Steak Salad, and Salmon Beauty Salad. There are dessert items like macaroons served in martini glasses and hazelnut-flavored tiramisu. There’s also a pink drink called the Barbie 128; the “128” refers to the number in the cafe’s address. Main dishes run around $8 apiece in U.S. currency, or around $250 in New Taiwan Dollars. The cafe is open for lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. There are already plans underway to open a second Barbie Cafe in the city of Taichung, and eventually in Shanghai as well.
