Candy Land Café is hard to miss on the corner of Pacific Highway and Hawthorn Street in Little Italy. The art deco facade is painted in the bright pink, yellow, orange and blue colors of the iconic Hasbro board game.
Oversized candy-themed decorations, cupcakes and lollipops transform Hilton’s Bayside Kitchen restaurant into a life-size replica of the Hasbro board game. The experience is complete with the famous colorful squares that wind throughout the restaurant and lead Candy Land fans to an outdoor patio. The trail ends, just like the board game, with a larger-than-life castle, complete with gigantic cupcakes and gumdrops.
Candy Land Café supervisor Ian Osuna said the giant candy-themed props are popular with cafe visitors for taking pictures and reminiscing about childhood memories of playing the game. The cafe’s menu features American comfort food with a whimsical twist.
Allison Wilson, from Ladson, South Carolina, is visiting San Diego for Comic Con with her daughter, Madeline.
“I love the lemonade we had! It came with a piece of cotton candy, and you stick it in and you swirl it around, and it changes the color of the drink. So, mine turned out pink, and I believe hers turned out orange,” Wilson said. Madeline showed off her hand-decorated gingerbread man, she named Wilson, and then bit the leg off.
Osuna said the food is meant to inspire nostalgia with classic American fare like smash burgers, curly fries, colorful grilled cheese and tomato soup, and an expansive dessert menu filled with interactive candy-themed treats like make-your-own ice cream flights.
Right in front of the merchandise and candy store, visitors can also utilize a free candy-themed photo booth, where the photos can be sent to their phones. The store has a variety of different candies available to buy, as well as stacks of the iconic Candy Land board game and Candy Land-themed T-shirts.
The pop-up experience is hosted by Bucket Listers in partnership with Hasbro and will be running until Oct. 4. Candy lovers can purchase tickets online or in person at the cafe. Each ticket includes a 90-minute dining experience, with $10 discounts on food and $5 dollar discounts on merchandise.
