I cannot tell you how excited I was to go to the ARTBOX cafe in Brighton which, I can say with confidence, is the cutest cafe in the UK. The owners had recently announced that ARTBOX Cafe would transform into a themed cafe every three months, kicking off with “Pusheen Snack Parlour” as their first theme where – you guessed it – Pusheen the Cat is the star of the show. Here’s a little peak into our trip to the Pusheen Snack Parlour!
Please note: as of February 2020, the Pusheen Snack Parlour has now been changed (as ARTBOX Cafe changes their theme every few months).
Our Day Trip to the ARTBOX Cafe, “Pusheen Snack Parlour”!
I got the train from London to Brighton with a few of my friends, humming to the tune “I’m so excited” by the Pointer Sisters as we walked down the hill and around a few corners to the cafe. I managed to take a sneak peek at some photos on Instagram over the past couple of weeks so I already had a plan on what photos to take… But did I remember those thoughts? Nope! I managed to snap a few of their shop outside and oh my gosh it was as cute as the images on Insta. Everything was in the signature pastel green and pink colours of ARTBOX, with Pusheen vinyls peeking out and waving at you as you walked past.
Unfortunately the cafe was fully booked until 4.30pm (as we were a big group of 9 people) so we took this as a chance to casually mooch around downstairs and pick up a few merchandise. I bought a couple of their limited edition enamel pins and had to hold myself back from buying more because otherwise I’d buy the whole shop! (Although I still think about that Pusheen plushie where it’s eating a donut to this day…)
Time quickly sped past and we returned at 4.30pm after spending the afternoon by the pier. We were led up the pastel staircase and to the cafe, where all of the decor was in shades of pastel green and pink and more Pusheen vinyls on the walls. There were two large plushies (and I mean LARGE – as in nearly the size of myself!) peeking out of the equally large windows, and we settled ourselves down at the biggest table. It was quite a cosy cafe, and was a lot quieter, so we almost had the whole room to ourselves! Sunshine poured in from the glass windows which provided the perfect opportunity to take photos.
I ordered the Pusheen x Artbox Sundae which included grey vanilla ice cream together with strawberry and honeycomb, candy ice cream cones, and a macaron on top. I gobbled up the whole thing! It wasn’t as sweet as I expected, even together with my hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream (my favourite drink!).
related post: trip to Sanrio Puroland!
About ARTBOX Cafe…
Okay so here are a few pieces of info about ARTBOX Cafe!
Address: 5-6 East Street, BRIGHTON, East Sussex, BN1 1HP, UK
Opening Hours: Takeout + Boutique/Shop: 11am-7am, 7 days a week | Sit Down Menu: 12pm-5pm (but closed Thursdays)
Cafe Prices: I paid £9 for my sundae so it is a bit on the pricey end, but it is a beautiful dessert and something I wouldn’t mind paying for again. Everything from their menu is under £10.
Other Notes: It is quite a small cafe upstairs so I would suggest going in as early as you can and get your name down on their waiting list. They don’t accept bookings beforehand so you have to go in-store to do that. However, if they are fully booked they do have an ice-cream parlour downstairs where you can take out ice-cream as well as the shop.
How to get there
Getting there is quite easy, especially if you’re travelling from London. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk straight down from Brighton station, but if you get lost then I’d say it’s in the general direction of Brighton Pier (which is their most famous landmark). I wouldn’t recommend driving as the car parks are pretty pricey, but there are Park and Ride options available if you do need to drive down.
All in all, I would highly recommend this cafe – I couldn’t decide what was cuter; the decor, the desserts, or the staff! Everything was Pusheen themed and they didn’t miss a single thing. Even the mirrors in the bathroom had Pusheen vinyls peeking from the edges. You wouldn’t have thought that this was just a temporary theme because of how much attention they paid to every little detail. I’m so glad that a place like this exists in the UK (albeit very far from where I live) and I can’t wait to see what theme they go for next!
Are you thinking of visiting the ARTBOX Cafe? What are you looking forward to the most?
(I can’t wait to see what theme they go for next – my fingers are crossed for Rilakkuma!)
Love,
Lizzie