Long before there was a Barbie trailer, or any Barbie talk at all, I saw a random picture taken of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling during the filming of the roller blading scene in those ridiculous outfits. I had seen nothing else and knew nothing else. With absolutely nothing to go off of, I instantly knew it was going to be amazing. I said immediately that it was going to be an iconic feminist movie and I was all in. My prediction, however, was that it would be more of a smaller, cult-y thing; I certainly could not have predicted the explosion that occurred. But, here we are; Barbie is running the show, and I am here for it. And, naturally, I had to drag my friends to the pop-up Malibu Barbie Cafe in NYC.
I had a positive mindset going in. I was excited for the day and to be hanging with my girls. But, honestly, I didn’t know much what to expect. We all know that what’s seen on social media can’t be trusted and there’s always a chance that the Malibu Barbie Cafe is just going to be milking money from people.
The Logistics
The cafe was basically reservation only. I believe they would have taken walk-ins if they weren’t booked, but, based on how fast and how early they were booking up, a reservation definitely was the way to go.
Additionally, you have to choose your entrees ahead of time. There wasn’t a ton of options but it seemed appropriate for what it was. Any appetizers, drinks, sides, and desserts you chose in-house.
We were given an hour and a half which was more than enough time. This included being able to walk around and take photos and do all the nerdy, Malibu Barbie Cafe things.
The Experience
It was just as tacky and ridiculous as I hoped. This is the first pop-up cafe that I’ve ever been to at all, but I expected the decor to be a little unpolished seeing as it’s only temporary. I could definitely tell that it was cheaper materials used but that was fine with me; it’s not meant to last long. Overall, it was well done and the esthetics were fun. There were a bunch of photo opportunity spots both inside and outside. My friends and I definitely took advantage and got all of the corny photos.
The food was decent. Nothing impressive but, again, I didn’t expect it to be; it’s a place to go to for the experience, not the food. The drinks were good too. The cocktails were pink (of course) and just darn pretty to look at. Mine came out with little floating flowers in it. It was definitely on the sweet side, but it fit the atmosphere and I still enjoyed it.
The Cost
Honestly, it ended up being cheaper than I would have guessed. A new cult phenomenon in NYC? It just sounds expensive. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t inexpensive, but neither were they price gouging. For New York City, it fell right in the realm of acceptable.
The Location
The New York City one is in an awesome location. It’s right by Pier 16 and, after we ate, my friends and I went into the cute shops and walked down the pier and saw the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Drawback
The one criticism that I’ll give is the restrooms. The women’s room had two stalls and there was a very long wait outside the door. I was very tempted to use the Men’s room; the entire time I was waiting not a single person went in or out. Aren’t we at the point where they could have made that one gender neutral? Given the demographic visiting the Malibu Barbie Cafe, I’d argue that there should be more restrooms for women than men.
