Millie & Maisie Play Café — Local services in London

I had been looking forward to taking my two year old twins to Millie and Maisie given that it is one of the smaller, more intimate soft plays locally for us and one of my twins is autistic so struggles with crowded and noisy environments. I found the staff here to be very nice and welcoming, however many of the parents were very cold and judgemental. We were the only “ethnic” people in the building, and I had assumed given they are located in south London it wouldnt be such a suprise to see non white children. My daughter is very small for her age and non verbal, a very mild mannered and gentle, curious child who was fascinated by the slide. She was making attempts to climb up it after sliding down and as I tried to encourage her to move along as it was delaying other children coming down, a couple decided to confront me and aggressively tell me to “remove” my children as though they are animals. Then when my back was turned told me to “control my kids” when they were not behaving badly at all or troubling anyone. I was forced to defend myself and my children with no staff around to step in and everyone watching and no one helped.I ended up leaving in tears and refuse to take my children back to this establishment as clearly black children are not welcome and will be made to feel they are a nuisance by other parents. It’s safe to say this centre is only for the “millie and maisies” of London. Anyone else will be ridiculed and looked down on by other parents simply for existing in the same space. I am only giving 2 stars because of the staff. But the type of people this place attracts is extremely off putting for anyone who isnt blonde with blue eyes. A waste of money and a waste of a day for my children. I will not...

Disappointing Experience – Poor Customer Service & Inconsistency

I was really looking forward to visiting this play café and was even considering getting a membership, but my experience few days ago completely changed my mind.

I ordered a flat white and was surprised when it was brought to my table in a takeaway cup, despite me dining in. When I asked if I could have my coffee in a ceramic cup, the staff refused to make a fresh one. Instead, the waiter returned with two cups—one with my coffee hastily poured into a ceramic cup and the other with the leftover coffee still in the takeaway cup. This was not only unprofessional but also completely unnecessary.

The explanation given was that all coffees are served in takeaway cups due to the presence of babies. However, I later saw another customer, who ordered after me, receive their coffee in a ceramic cup. To make matters worse, ceramic cups were clearly on display, proving that the policy was inconsistently applied.

Additionally, I was surprised to find an extra charge for oat milk on my bill, as there was no mention of it on the menu. Transparent pricing is a basic expectation in any café, and this omission left a poor impression. Who is still charging extra for plant based milk in London 2025 ?

The lack of consistency, poor customer service, and unclear pricing policies made for a disappointing visit. Instead of creating a welcoming and professional environment, the café fell short in multiple areas. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I would not recommend...

A welcome edition to the Clapham Old Town area for young parents, with friendly enthusiastic staff and sparkling new activities to enjoy.

However there is no way around the fact that this place is cramped when full of parents and kids. It’s a long and thin wedge-shaped space meaning you only need to stand still with your little one for a few seconds to block the way for others. Being divided across two floors (ground floor and basement) also means there is a steep staircase gated at the top and bottom.

On the ground floor they have a huge busy board wall plus lots of puzzles, alongside the coffee shop and toilet/changing room. Whereas downstairs is mostly soft play, including a well-intended but small ball pool which becomes cramped if more than two toddles + parents are inside.

The rest of the downstairs space is mostly either a brilliant fort+slide or a huge climbing wall which didn’t seem especially popular with any kids… personally I think a much bigger ball pool and smaller climbing wall would have been more fun and popular.

I seriously think a dozen more of these places could open around the Clapham/Balham/Northcore Road and they would all do well, such is the demand and number of toddlers in the area. So despite the compromised choice of building I have no doubt this will continue to do well, just maybe try to avoid busy times to make the most of your experience.

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