Cats abound at many charming lounges and cafés throughout the Bay Area, each with an atmosphere tailor-made for snuggling and playing.
While calling them “cat cafés” is a bit of a misnomer due to permitting regulations around food and animals, most kitty-centric spots sponsor an adjacent lounge to get you your feline fix before or after you’ve had coffee and a bite to eat. The majority partner with nonprofit animal rescues, and all cats are spayed or neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated.
Stop in for some love at these cat cafés from Oakland to San Jose (plus a spot that’s all about bunnies). There are just a few rules to remember: guests may not pick up the cats, shoes are prohibited (booties are provided), and visitors must sign a waiver before entering.
Cat Town, Oakland
(Joan Walsh)
Declared the “Nation's First Cat Café” by Time Magazine, Cat Town opened in 2014 with a space for food and drinks from Souvenir Coffee (along with cat-themed merch and t-shirts) and an adjacent cat lounge. The cat area is divided into two rooms. The first features replica buildings modeled after Oakland landmarks like the Tribune Building and the Twin Federal Towers where the cats can climb and lounge. The second contains private “cat studios” where prospective families can spend a little one-on-one time with the adoptable cats. More volunteers are available here than at any other spot on this list to answer questions and help with adoptions.
Cost: $14 for 50 minutes
Adoption fee: $50
Special Events: Calm Cats and Yoga mats every 2nd Tuesday ($14), Cello Serenade nights and Game Nights are also available
// 2869 Broadway. (Oakland), cattownoakland.org
Whiskerwood Haven, San Francisco
(Joan Walsh)
The newest cat lounge in town, Whiskerwood Haven opened about a year ago blocks away from the USF campus. While this lounge doesn’t have beverages, its location on Geary Boulevard is close to choice spots such as Fifty/Fifty Coffee and Tea (3157 Geary) and Padoca Café (2884 Geary). The owner, who is often onsite, also volunteers for Pilots N Paws, a nonprofit that transports rescue animals from shelters by air.
Cost: $15 for 30 minutes or $25 for 60 minutes
Adoption fees: Set by the cat’s rescue partner.
Special Events: Yoga With Cats ($50); two-hour lounge Study Sessions ($20)
// 3000 Geary Blvd. (Inner Richmond), whiskerwoodhaven.com
Nabi Cat Café, Santa Clara
(Joan Walsh)
Nabi (Korean for butterfly) describes themselves as a “Bay Area cat café with a Korean-inspired touch.” Drinks here are impressive and rival any regular café with unique concoctions like chestnut lattes, cookie butter chais, and tiramisu lattes. This is also the one spot where drinks are actually allowed in the cat lounge. The space is small with an upstairs-downstairs layout and they provide little wooden trays to put your drink on while petting (just keep a close watch so the felines don’t steal a sip). The location close to Santa Clara University makes it popular for college students looking for a caffeinated study break.
Cost: $28 for 60 minutes with free café drink
Adoption fees: Set by the cat’s rescue partner.
Special Events: Two-hour cat lounge passes with a free drink are available Tuesday through Thursday ($42).
// 2255 The Alameda (Santa Clara), nabicatcafe.com
KitTea, San Francisco
(Joan Walsh)
Fourteen cats reside as “purrmanent” residents at KitTea and an additional 16 others are up for adoption. A complimentary tea or cold drink is included in the price of admission, but the selection is minimal. Outside food and drinks are allowed to be taken in the lounge, though, and there are many good options nearby on Valencia Street, including the ever-popular Arizmendi Bakery next door. The front area doubles as a gift shop selling trinkets and adorable cat-themed wares.
Cost: $18 for 30 minutes or $30 for 55 minutes
Adoption fee: $75 to $350
Special Events: Mewvie Nights that include an alcoholic drink or bottomless green tea ($40); live music night Cello and Chill ($42); Cats on Mats Pilates class ($40)
// 1266 Valencia St. (Mission), kitteasf.org
Itty Bitty Kitty Cafe, San Jose
(Joan Walsh)
The Itty Bitty Kitty Café is located at the back of Cambrian Park Plaza, a retro San Jose strip mall adorned with roses and white picket fences. Open only on weekends, it’s best to book your visit in advance—though walk-ins (cash or Venmo only) are permitted when they have space. The lounge has two different rooms, each of which are designed like a cozy family home, and admits a maximum of four people at a time. A small table with cookies and coffee sits right outside for a post-petting refresh.
Cost: $15 for 50 minutes
Adoption fee: varies
// 14420 Union Ave. (San Jose), ibokrescue.org
Mini Cat Town, Multiple Locations
(Joan Walsh)
Mini Cat Town is a Northern California nonprofit located in several easily-accessible shopping areas in Silicon Valley and the East Bay. In San Jose, you’ll find them in the large Eastridge Shopping Center (2200 Eastridge Loop); at the Milpitas location at the Great Mall (447 Great Mall Dr.), you might catch the resident cats assisting staff at the front desk (and sometimes sleeping on the job). Mini Cat Town is also open at Pleasanton’s Stoneridge Shopping Center (1 Stoneridge Mall Rd.) and on Palo Alto’s quaint pedestrian shopping corridor, California Street.
Cost: $15 for 30 minutes
Adoption fees: $200-$500
// Various locations, minicattown.org
Bunny Café, San Francisco
(Joan Walsh)
This café was the most impressive of those on the list, with a large selection of pastries, hot snacks, and a DIY instant ramen station. The drink menu includes coffees as well as specialty drinks like the dalgona latte and seasonal pumpkin spiced lattes. The adjacent lounge has seven bunny pens housing up to two bunnies each. A ‘Bun Ambassador’ starts the session with an informational summary of each, including where they were rescued from—the most in-depth information provided by any of the cafés we visited.
Bunny Café is open all day, including for an afternoon Hoppy Hour with beer, wine, and soju drinks while the Bunny Lounge closes for rabbit naptime. Before leaving, check out the gift shop’s assortment of bunny-themed items, including soap, stuffed animals, mugs, bags, sweatshirts, bunny ears, and even bunny bento boxes. Located in Fisherman’s Wharf, this is a great place to take out-of-town guests.
Cost: $25 for 30 minutes or $36 for 60 minutes (price includes grip socks)
Adoption fee: $120
// 1327 Columbus Ave. (Fisherman’s Wharf), bunnycafesf.com
