KitTea

Congradulation on the being the first cat café in san francisco! I am so glad it finally happens. Over the world there are many cat café. The experience is once in a life time. I think kittea has a very good business model. Their ultimate goal in the end satisfy multiple purposes. Whether you are looking for a good cup of tea in a room full of cat, or you are looking to adopt a cat in a safe environment, or both! You will definitely enjoy this establishment.
To visit the cat area, I made a reservation through their website. Weekend is slightly more expensive than weekdays. It includes an hour to play with the cats, and bottomless green tea (other drinks and food will cost extra). If you arrive the area early, I do recommend to visit their lounge. You can get you food and/​or drink first, also sit next to the huge window which faces the cat area. Once it’s your time, they will ask you to take off the shoes and coat, and head into the cat room. Once inside, they will introduce you to the cats, also which ones are available to adopt.
We spent the first 30 minutes taking pictures of the cat, tried to pet and play with each one. All of them are very good with human, but not to each other cats. You can see how they become territorial after a while, especially the new comer.
Overall was a fun experience. 30 bucks per person for weekend is a bit steep. Parking is hectic in hayes valley so come early! Parking meter is $ 2 an hour, garage prices varies

My friend and I came here the second month it was open (definitely make a reservation!) and it was a sold out hour. The staff are friendly and helpful in terms of explaining the rules and overall experience. The entire place has a very peaceful vibe and I liked that there was a tea room separate from the cats in case you are just looking to observe the cats. Their tea list is pretty extensive and I would come back just to try a few of their offerings.
Obviously, being the crazy cat lady that I am, I could not wait to get into the cat room and dreamed of all of the cats crawling all over me. Unfortunately, since we’re talking about cats, this was not the case. A lot of the cats were either sleeping (do not disturb!) or totally skittish. While I was expecting this to be the case, I did find the human to cat ratio to be a bit off. I feel like they should plan for some of the cats to be sleeping/​hiding and therefore increase the number of cats per hour.
I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but here it goes (no judgements please): I was a bit surprised/​upset about the unwillingness of other people to ‘share’ the cats. Let me explain — there were four kittens in the room that day, and clearly everyone went straight for them. There was a group of three women who scooped them up at the beginning and proceeded to hold on to them for the entire duration of our time. Yes, the full hour. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty upset. It’s a very strange dynamic when you have to ask a grown woman to share her kitten with you. I ended up not saying anything and sending evil glares in their direction. I wish the attendants/​staff members in the room had picked up on it and had worked out a better system in which everyone has time with the cats. Sadly, not being able to actually engage with the kittens kind of ruined the experience for me, and I’m not sure I’d go back.
With that said, I think it’s a wonderful idea and certainly a great cause. Just beware of the kitten hogs!

I’m glad I finally got the chance to check this place out, it’s super cute! I went with my boyfriend on a Thursday afternoon during happy hour, and we loved meeting all the kitties. Most all of them were sleeping or relaxing except for a rambunctious kitten they had named Coco Puff, but they pretty much all seemed open to being pet while they were snoozing. The staff was all really nice and very helpful, and the chai tea was one of the best I’ve ever had! Like other reviews said, the cat room was super clean and you can tell they work really hard to hold the place to a high standard of cleanliness.
Even if you’re not on the lookout for a forever pet, it’s a really cute pIace to visit if you just enjoy being surrounded by a bunch of adorable cats. I’ll for sure come back next time I’m in the area– I only wish I were able to adopt a kitty right now, when I’m in the market for one this is a great place to look!

This café/​cat space is:
1) Peaceful — Dozens of rescue cats with no prior acquaintance in a room? Whisper-​quiet. They’re often napping in someone’s lap or on one of many high perches. Most are friendly and playful and the ones who aren’t have private places to hang out.
2) Clean — Dozens of rescue cats in a room? I’ve been here a couple times and it always smells and looks meticulously cleaned.
3) Delicious — Oh, there’s these scones that they serve warm with clotted cream, jam, and tea that are really quite a bit better than anything I can seem to find at a regular café.
All in all, this place is a fantastic aberration of a spot that I hope to see more of. More cat cafes, less startups. :-D

Came here on a sunday @6pm.
Parking was rather difficult to find, had to circle around many times as they don’t have dedicated parking or a parking garage nearby.
They had around 8 cats and 2 were sitting there drowsily and the rest were asleep. Since this place is by appointment, there were around 8 people in the same room.
The place is nice, the tea is good. However I would recommend for people to schedule an earlier time, otherwise all the cats are tired out and you cant play with them.

I went at 5pm, there were probably only 6 or 7 cats, all a little older. They seemed pretty tired and not interested. Everyone jumped to play with any of the ones that had a little energy, so it was a little overwhelming for them and underwhelming for me.
But I’d probably give it another try if a friend was interest because your experience is definitely dependent on the time of day, amount of cats available, and people in the space with you.

Super friendly staff, friendly cats, beautiful atmosphere, bottomless tea service, etc.
Perfect for anyone who loves tea & kittens.
I recommend make a reservation beforehand only because it could get quite busy in the afternoon and the space is limited! My friend and I arranged our visit for the first hour of opening so it wasn’t too crowded
They also have events like yoga with the kittens and movie nights with the kittens! (By reservation, I believe for both events)
Pricey– being about $ 25/​1hr per person, but I absolutely would visit again!

(4.5) Visited Kittea a few months ago and had a great time! Basically, you pay $ 25.00 (though I have head their prices have increased) to hang out in a room with cats for an hour. They serve tea and snacks in the cat room at additional cost. All of the cats you meet are adoptable (which is awesome), though it did seem like the cats were overwhelmed by the number of people and the amount of attention in the room.
This place is a «must» for SF cat lovers.
I recently noticed ads for yoga classes held at Kittea. Sounds awesome, though I have not tried them.

I visited Kit Tea on a weekday at three p.m. so I didn’t have to compete with many other people for socializing time with the cats. The space is bathed in natural light and the I enjoyed a great matcha chai at the café. I have visited Purringtons in Portland which has more of a punk vibe while Kit Tea angles towards a Japanese clean and curio vibe.
I think a lot of people come to Kit Tea as a novelty but some of us actually come here with real thoughts of adopting a pet. A cat café is an ideal environment for adoption because the cats are relaxed and already demonstrate the ability to share real estate with other cats.
There are plenty of places in SF to enjoy a quality scone (Arizmendi!) but consider coming here if you are really interested in giving a cat a forever home.

Cool concept. Finally, SF now has its first and only cat café to satisfy people’s sudden urge to play with kittens and to test whether they are ready to adopt.
While it was fun coming in for a full hour, I was pretty disappointed with the cat to human ratio in the room. I came in late in the afternoon and majority of the cats appeared to be exhausted. Most were sleeping and absolutely did not want to be bothered. I feel as though coming here, I spent most of my time sitting around waiting for the next available cat or chasing after them, since the number of cats wasn’t proportionate to the group.
Also, I find the rate of $ 25 for per hour with cats a bit overpriced so I probably won’t be back.
On another note, the staff here and the bottomless tea was okay, the bathroom (and facility in general) is very clean and the décor of the café is modern.
Though they accepted drop ins when we were there, I suggest that you make a reservation in advance to ensure availability.

Nice little hole in the wall KitTea café. There were about 13 cats at the time being but some of them were sleeping I think so we ended up playing with only 8 – 10 I’d say. We went for Friday movie night so they closed down the store for the movie. Definitely reserve online if you wanna come in to enjoy these crazy cats. I’m gonna be honest and say although the movie was playing, I was so distracted by the kitties that I didn’t even bother watching the movie lol you can play with them, pet them, chase them down, and just be a total weirdo with them.
The only thing bad I have to say about this place is the chai tea… extremely strong and will knock you out after about 3 cups or so… I was getting woozy and was about to fall asleep lol oh and another bad thing is this place is very expensive during movie nights or any type of activity nights… our reservation for 2 during movie night came out to be $ 100 with an order of tea and it was for 2 hours. So think about it if you want to go here. Also, if you love the kitties a lot after playing with them then feel free to adopt them as well! Would I recommend this place? Probably if you have the money for it.

Come for the cats, not the food.
My first ever experience at a cat café:
I reserved a spot for me and my friend a couple days in advance online with scone service – quick and smooth.
On the day of, we walked inside and were immediately asked if we had a reservation (I thought it was quite rude if I say so myself). After they confirmed our reservation, we were asked to head to the food room to get our scones. We sat there for a couple minutes and had tea while waiting for the cat room to be cleared (of humans lol). Scones were okay. definitely not worth the $ 6+ each though. At 3:00 exactly everybody headed into the cat room (there were about 7 other people). One of the staff told us some basic guidelines and the rest was play time.
Most of the cats were asleep but it still was really enjoyable. Something about being in a room with a bunch of kittens just feels very cuddly. Time passes by fast, you have been warned.

I’m a cat lover and was always looking for cat cafes to study, read and hang out with friends while I was In Taiwan, where there are plenty of artsy, special, warm… cat cafes. After I came to the US, the cat cafes arent easy to find, I guess, due to the health department’s health codes. I was so excited to find a cat place here in the city,
Kit Tea does a fantastic job of providing a great experience while meeting the strict health code. The ambiance is cozy, artsy and most important of all, the staff here are really nice and you can obviously see the cats are in good hands. The staff in the cat room shared with us the story of this place and a lot of cat knowledge. My partner and I left with joy and fulfillment.
I will definitely go back and introduce to friends.

Uhhh, I mean how can say anything bad about this place… Oh wait, you can’t! Tea and Pussy, that’s all you need in life.
You’re in a warm room, with warm kitties and warm tea or cold, if you’re a weirdo ;-) Hardy-​Har.
This place is not cheap but I suppose it’s worth the price. You either can get a 30-​minute session or an hour. Clearly thirty minutes is not enough. It’s true: Time flies when you’re having fun. The room is full of (I think) 8 – 12 cats. It’s a combo of cats and kittens. You can drink tea in the kitty room but no food. There are lots of toys, lots of tea (all you can drink) and no more than 8 other patrons. Then one staff member there to facilitate and take your tea orders.
I’ve been a few times (yes, a FEW) and I admit, that some of the employees are more fun than others and it changes the whole experience. I’m not going to call anyone out because don’t get me wrong, the staff is kind and nice and inviting buuut some have a little more energy and panache, which can make playtime with the kitties a tad funner. Is funner a word? It always sounds weird when I wrote it, grammatically. Hmmm anyway– I digress, talking about pussies… all the fur balls are adoptable. That’s awesome. Kind of get to test drive or try the milk before buying the cow. Although, don’t dilly dally because the turnover seems to be fairy consistent.
If you’re going for just a fun time, it’s great. If you’re going to check out kitty prospects, it’s great. If you’re going to pick yourself up after a long/hard/tough/didn’t pet enough office animals day, it’s great. So DO IT, go. You can thank me later or now.
They also have food but I can review that yet because nothing has gone in this mouth yet. Possibly my next visit. It’ll happen. Just wait. I know you’re on the edge of your seat.

Who on earth thought of a concept like this? I think it was someone in Japan, or so I’ve heard. I admit, it’s fantastic, but it’s kind of unusual. In a nutshell, you make an appointment to pay to play with kittens and drink tea, hence the name, KitTea.
My friend and I had just finished lunch and I had a sudden urge to play with kittens. Damage control (in case my cat reads this): I house one of the best cats in the world, Wilson «Danger» the Cat, a full-​grown Snowshoe with the best personality and cutest face, who I love dearly, and who smothers me with affection, climbs on my shoulders, and wants little more than to cuddle with me, my roommates, and anyone who comes over (he’s a lover). But still, it’s sometimes fun to have baby cats to hang around with.
So upon my saying that kittens are adorable and I want to rub their little kitty tummies on my face, my pal remarks that there’s a spot in Hayes Valley that can make my dreams of kitten playtime come true! So we head over, check in, choose our teas, and are let into the clean, Ikea-​esque room with full windows looking out onto the street so passersby can get a glimpse of what they’re missing out on. There were 15 kittens in the room, yes folks, real, baby kittens, some bigger than others, but all were still in the category of «kitten», mostly sleeping, playing with toys, lounging in the sun, walking on a giant cat wheel (like a hamster wheel for cats), and doing general kitten things.
One of the people who works there stayed with us in the room the whole time like a mediator which I thought was kind of weird, but then I thought they probably have to sit there to ensure that crazy people don’t steal these adorable little fur balls who would fit just perfectly into my purse. Wait what? I kid, I kid. Actually KitTea is like a really expensive SPCA where folks can go have kitty time and decide if they’re ready to adopt a little furry friend. If you’re at that point, just do it. Cats are awesome pets and I hope you get one with as great a personality as my young friend Wilson who is currently rolled on his back with his soft underbelly being warmed by my laptop. Kitty love never grows old.

I’ve been waiting for KitTea to open for FOREVER. Youtube videos of people visiting cat cafes in other countries can only satisfy me for so long.
The facility is absolutely lovely. The design is very clean & modern, which I personally enjoy. We had 1 adult cat and 9 kittens on our visit here. They weren’t the most active but it was nice just to hold and pet them. For the most part, they were pretty tolerant to being picked up and moved. And even though the employees can’t serve you in the cat lounge because of health regulations, you’re allowed to bring the food & teas into the lounge yourself.
I love that they work with a local shelter to obtain their kittens. All the ones that you get to play with are up for adoption. According to our cat wrangler, they’ve already help 20 kittens find their forever homes since they opened.
I would consider this place to be pretty decently priced: $ 15 for 30mins or $ 25 for 1hr. The reservations come with unlimited cups of 5 different teas. One hour goes by so quickly in here though. I don’t think 30 minutes would have been enough for me! I would recommend placing a reservation if you’re coming on a weekend day because we saw some people turned away.
The food (and tea outside of your reservation) is pretty pricey though. We tried all the included teas aside from Happy Tails (the licorice containing one). There’s a good enough variety that I think everyone would be able to find something they like. My favorite was Cat Nap which has a light floral taste. As for the food, we only tried the quiche. It was tiny for the price and disappointing taste-​wise. It also came out still cold, even top part.
Another downside is that your experience can depend on the other people that you go in with. If everyone is walking around and trying to pet all the cats, it can seem pretty crowded.
I will definitely come back. My visit was probably the highlight of my entire week and was a great way to de-​stress.

KitTea is an adorable cat lounge with the sweetest cats and staff. The entire facility is very clean and beautifully decorated.
You can stay in the Tea Lounge for free and watch the cats and humans play through a glass window, or you can book a reservation online to play with the cats in the Cat Lounge for $ 25/​hr (or $ 15 for a half hour, but that doesn’t seem cost effective). Arrive 5 – 10 minutes before your reservation time. I recommend the earliest time of 11am so that the cats are fresh and ready to play!
We had an amazing host. It was obvious he cared about the cats. He also did a great job of making sure we had enough tea and food. The system is so stream-​lined, that often your order will be at the window for you to pick up by the time you finish paying for said order (so in what feels like a few seconds!).
I expected all the teas to come in pots, but what we ordered actually came in a single large cup. It’s a little pricey at first glance — $ 8 — but this comes with unlimited refills. The matcha cheesecake is delicious. This place is better for a snack rather than a meal.
But on to the more important part — playing with the cats! The cats are very friendly. However, my main complaint is that there were too many people for the number of cats available. That being said, the staff has done a great job of socializing the cats!
My other complaint, which is by no fault of the café, is that people do not seem to understand how to interact with cats, so here are some tips and facts from your resident cat lady to help make your experience more positive!
— Cats are different from dogs. Duh. It’s obvious, but judging by the reviews, people don’t understand that. Dogs crave our attention. Cats really don’t care and will go wherever they please, including high up on the play structures, far away from us. Be patient!
— Cats sleep up to 16 hours a day, so there’s a really high chance of them being asleep when you’re visiting. Don’t pick them up while they’re sleeping. You don’t like being woken up from a nap; neither do they. Feel free to pet them gently though!
And all these lovely cats are up for adoption :-)
Don’t forget to get a stamp card on your way out!

KitTea is a fantastic, unique, place to hangout with some cats and have a cup of tea.
Tea — big selection of asian teas, served in ceramic cups — you get as many refills as you want with your appointment booking fee
Food — a light menu of snacks and lunch/​brunch items. We ordered some snacks on a whim, and the cookies were so-​so but the spinach feta quiche is some of the best quiche I’ve ever had!
Cats — a never ending mix of adoptable, social, cats of all breeds, ages, and personalities. A big thing people should know before going is that the cats are… cats; there’s no promise they’ll want to be petted, play, or even been seen with you. KitTea has really cool wall boxes the cats can climb up into, beds and boxes under the bench seating, and a quiet area the cats can retreat into if they want to sleep or just be alone.
The décor is gorgeous and there’s also a separate café area with a huge window to the cat area you can visit anytime without an appointment if you just want some tea and snacks, or to sit down and work a while.
Most importantly, your $ 25/​hr fee goes to animal adoption and shelters and it looks like they’re getting shelter cats into forever homes week after week, which is great. It can be really hard to get older or adult cats homes, but KitTea is helping to solve that problem!

Great cause and tasty teas. How can you not love kitty cuddle time?
Make a reservation online, because the chances of a walk-​in (especially in days following their opening) are slim. It’s $ 25 for an hour of playtime with bottomless Japanese teas.
Cats aside, the teas were actually pretty fantastic. Hot, soothing, and pretty much perfect.
The staff do a good job of giving you a heads up of how to treat the kitties and how to refill your tea/​snacks (you can order with a staff member and your goods will arrive at a window). A pretty good, mellow time, with of course, the slight scent of cat. Do not expect millions of kittens running over you; on the contrary, there are just a handful of cats (ages will range depending on what cats come in from the rescue they work with) and they may or may not be too sleepy to care for your existence.
You know, like a normal cat.
ALL of the cats are available for adoption, and they are all such sweethearts. It’s hard to walk away from purr machines!
EXCELLENT staff and volunteers, delicious tea, and sanitary space. I love it!

I was lucky enough to come by during the soft opening for investors and neighbors earlier this week. And they are rumored to have their grand opening June 8^th, if all goes well with inspection and such.
The place itself:
–They have 2 rooms. One for just enjoying a cup of tea and another for relaxing with the cats. In the cat room, you can also drink your tea too.
–Really cozy, clean and open atmosphere
–Good sized rooms
The cats:
–They currently have 8 cats (2 kittens to my knowledge), they are also available for adoption
–They let 2 – 4 cats/​kittens out at a time and in rotation, so the cats don’t get overwhelmed
–Some were friendly and some were shy. Just give them some time :)
The Tea Menu:
–Hojicha Sun ($ 11/​pot): roasted Sencha
–Genmaicha ($ 10/​pot): a blend of Bancha green tea, roasted with Mochi rice
–Sencha Wind ($ 11/​pot): «more on the sweet side»
–Matcha ($ 12/​bowl): produced with Uji Hikari leaves
The service:
–All of the employees and volunteers were really friendly and knowledgeable. They really care about the cats
–You can make a reservation through their website (when it becomes available). This is to avoid overcrowding of Kittea
–Walk-​ins will also be available depending on how busy it is at a time
I will frequent KitTea to get my dose of kitten cuddles every now and then, since I live close by. Make sure to make reservations, this place might get really busy.