Hello Kitty cafe organisers on 'two-hour wait' at London's Somerset House

Having first opened its doors last month, the Hello Kitty cafe at London's Somerset House has been a hit with fans of the beloved feline character across the capital ever since.

The themed spot is in conjunction with Somerset House's latest exhibition, Cute, which also spotlights the cartoon icon ahead of its 50th anniversary next year.

Thanks to its pinktastic interiors and adorable drink and food menu, including items shaped like Hello Kitty and her character friends, it soon went viral on social media as fans documented their visits online.

One video alone showing the inside of the cafe has almost 1.5 million views on TikTok with a further 270,000 likes.

However, the increased interest in the spot has meant some have had to queue to get into the cafe.

Zailah, who visited the Cute exhibition over the weekend, told LondonWorld she planned to go to the cafe before browsing the display but couldn't in the end due to long wait times.

She said: "I wanted to go to the cafe before the exhibition just to have a cup of coffee, but when I got there there was quite a big line. I thought 'oh, I still have a bit of time', so I queued up. 

"I later overheard one of the workers saying it's a two-hour wait from here, and I even saw a sign as well that said the approximate wait time from that spot, which was a couple of feet in front, said it would be two hours to get in."

A spokesperson for the cafe has since addressed the long wait times for the spot as it noted the past week has been particularly busy due to half term.  

They said: "During half term, it was tricky to keep waiting times down because so many guests turned up at the same time. At our busiest times, we let guests know that there is a limit on sitting time after they have their food and drinks.

"Unfortunately, even with the most streamlined system, if 1,000 people turn up to a single space at the same time, there's very little that can be done. 

"We keep the queue very well informed about how long the queue will take, but the majority choose to stay and are pleased once they experience the cute coffee shop."

The spokesperson added that wait times for the spot, which is open until mid-April, have already "reduced dramatically since half term" and wait times are typically shorter “at the beginning of the day”.