Looking for a new indoor playcentre to take the kids to play? Twinkle Kids Cafe in Burwood is well worth the drive! It’s got lots of fun spaces to keep the kids entertained for hours, and a great cafe to keep parents satisfied.
We arrived at the family-friendly Twinkle Premium Kids Cafรฉ on a Saturday morning and were the first visitors.
My two children, aged five and three, immediately wanted to dive into the ball pit, but first we had to perform the COVID-safe QR scan check in, pop our shoes away (Twinkle is a socks-only venue, so please remember socks or you will need to purchase some at the front desk before entry) and grab our lanyards. Adult entry came with a coffee voucher for mum – score!
Twinkle offers meals and snacks in a gated cafe setting with climbing equipment, toys and role play stations
Toys are grouped loosely by age but are available at hand-height for everyone to access
The cafe abides by strict health and safety standards, ensuring the COVID-safe protocols are followed
Twinkle Kids Cafe: Play areas
Inside, the cafe is a mixture of role play, physical play, free play with toys and games plus traditional cafe food and drink.
Role Play: Twinkle has a long rack of costumes from astronaut to ballerina and a range of wild wigs and accessories. There’s also dedicated role play areas, the Twinkle Hospital with stethoscope, bandages and doctors coats; and the Twinkle Grocer, with rows of plastic fruit and veg to pretend to buy, plus tiny carts for the miniature shoppers.
Physical play: The ball pit, needless to say, was a huge hit! There’s a generously-sized, shallow pool of lightweight balls in pastel colours with a steep double slide for whizzing into them (and softplay staircase providing an easy escape for those who change their mind at the top). The slide and ball pit are set into a huge, enclosed climbing frame with hanging ropes, rolling pillars and platforms with a second, curved slide providing an exit at the other end.
Freeplay: Kids loved ducking in and out of the cubby house, riding around on the ride-on cars, playing the miniature piano, using mini-tramps and bouncing on oversized balls. There’s stacks of toys, arranged loosely by age, and there’s a dedicated baby space with a low boundary wall around it where you’ll find rattles, puzzles and musical toys.
My son loved hanging out in the bubble section of the climbing frame, enjoying a view of the bustling cafe beneath!
Twinkle Kids Cafe is a mixture of role-play, physical play and traditional cafe with a bright and inviting layout
The coffee is served to your table (you’re given a number on a stand, cafe-style). We also had banana bread and babycinos
Food and drink
The cafe offers a meal menu, but you can also opt for lighter snacks and treats by ordering from the cabinet
- Full menu: Expect favourites like fish and chips, Caesar salad
- Snack menu: Banana bread, muffins, ice cream (served in a cone) fairy cakes, croissants, ham and cheese sandwiches
We ordered a mocha and two babycinos (which came with marshmallows!) and an excellent ham and cheese toastie
There’s also small shelved area of lunchboxes, model cars, sketchpads and other brightly coloured toys and children’s items.
A couple of less-impressive features:
- There’s no toilets inside the venue. While there is a baby change station with a bin for wipes, if your toddler (or you!) needs to go, you have to swipe out and leave via the electronic gate and go to the bathrooms about 20m down the walkway. In our case, this meant taking bags and my laptop, and that also meant losing my table.
- By 10:30am, the playcentre was heaving! Be prepared for it to get busy, and if you’re a small group or solo, choose an individual table unless you are happy to share.
- Lastly, the cafe has recently installed win-a-prize claw machines, which may not be to everyone’s taste as kids may pester you, asking to be able to play.
Essential Details:ย Twinkle Kids Cafe
- Where: Shop 48A, Level 1, 42 Railway Parade, Burwood (30 mins drive from Chatswood)
- Prices:
- Weekdays, prices are $9.99 per hour or $17.99 unlimited per child on weekdays
- Weekends and public holidays, $11.99 per hour or $24.99 unlimited per child
- Children under 12 months get free entry
- One family, the second child entry is half price
- Website: twinklekidscafe.com.au
