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Sometimes, you just want to kick back and enjoy yourself while your kid goes HAM.
I live near the Glendale Galleria and Bear and I had always passed this place called Giggles N’ Hugs several times. He always wanted to go inside but it was always after we ate somewhere else.
Finally, Bear convinced me to go to Giggles N’ Hugs when we were about to eat at our usual spot. I’m always up for a challenge so I figured, ‘Hey, why not?’
Now, let’s keep it one hundred – Giggles N’ Hugs is what I like to call Chuck E. Cheese for hipster kids and the parents who love them. While you don’t have the freedom of tickets and hugging a giant mouse as he does his best Bruno Mars impersonation, you do have something like a giant mosh pit full of balls:
There is a bit of a calm chaos within Giggles N’ Hugs. You can actually sit down and eat, while your kid plays and makes new friends. It’s an open play area so you can watch your child from where you are at any given time. That’s a huge bonus because if you’ve ever been in a Chuck E. Cheese, your eyes are everywhere:
One thing I will say I loved about Giggles N’ Hugs was the fact they had a very impressive menu – one could order beer, wine, soda as well as some really yummy food like a cheeseburger, pizza, and even some vegetarian options (sorry, vegans; I did not see any vegan options here).
What I do love about Giggles N’ Hugs is that they have a play on tricky delicious food where they hide veggies in it. I haven’t tried those yet, but I heard there were pretty good.
And our food came out great! (And it tasted great, too!):
Bear spent most of his night playing with the other kids and I caught up on my reading. He was supervised by two workers inside the play area as well as I watched him from a small distance.
We spent a total of three hours in there but it went by pretty fast. I was never bored and clearly, Bear wasn’t. Now that we know the players and how the game is played, how did Giggles N’ Hugs score?
PROS:
- Open play area. You can see your child at any given time.
- Staff providing supervision in the play area.
- They serve food and beverages (including alcohol at a premium).
- If you’re a LA local, it’s located in the Glendale Galleria. The other location is in Topanga.
- They have a strict anti-bullshit rule that I love: if you and another party get into a tiff – EVERYONE INVOLVED GETS KICKED OUT. This enforces a safe environment and for everyone to be on their best behavior.
CONS:
- It’s pricey. Adults are free admission, but children cost $14 per child. The prices have gone up from the past when it was only $11 so I expect they’ll go up again in the future. This is something to consider if you’re on a budget.
- The food is good but yes, it’s also pricey. Our order came out to $30.
- There are only two locations, though Giggles N’ Hugs is talking about expanding.
- While I didn’t mind being there for a long while, some parents might have an issue being there for hours as their kids burn energy.
Overall, I do recommend it. It was fun for Bear and I had a good time to just relax for a little while.
