A Chill, Kid-Friendly Coffee Shop Just Popped Open Uptown

Parents can enjoy a cup of coffee, chat with friends, and get some productive work time in now that Cafe au Play has opened its doors next to the new Surrey’s breakfast/lunch location near Tulane University.

“We built it with kids and families in mind, but we don’t exactly want to be thought of only in that way. We have an amazing playroom, and my vision is a space where everyone feels welcome. I want parents to be able to come here and relax with a magazine or their laptop while their kids play happily nearby, but I also want college students and anyone else in the neighborhood to feel like this is a space for them as well,” Kara Hayes, who owns the coffee shop with her husband James, told Eater via email.

James Hayes did the entire build-out himself, including the “real-deal” play space. “It’s certainly not a lego table shoved in a corner,” Kara Hayes said.

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The menu includes the usual coffee shop offerings, plus pastries from La Louisiane Bakery, and a cute, kid-appropriate beverage the couple named after their daughter — the Charliechinno, warm milk poured into a little coffee cup and topped with sprinkles.

Opening hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In a couple weeks, Cafe au Play will extend hours once it’s fully staffed. “Homework happy hour” runs from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily and anyone there to study or do homework gets a free chocolate chip cookie.

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