Come Cuddle Guinea Pigs at Hilary’s Cafe: A ‘Fleabag’ Pop-Up Experience!

Amazon Prime’s Fleabag Pop-Up Hilary’s Cafe on Melrose. All Photos by Billy Bennight for The Los Angeles Beat

For Amazon Prime’s “Fleabag” fans in the know, Hilary’s Café is a way to connect with this critically and publicly well-received comedy. The promotional pop-up”café” set in a storefront on Melrose lets you pet and cuddle one of their lovely and sweet guinea pigs. But you will have to act quickly to bathe in the glory of Hilary’s Café. The Café experience will end at 6 PM this Friday, the 9th of August. The hours are from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and you should plan to come in advance to pick up your ticket. Sessions are about 40 minutes long and guests have 30 minutes to enjoy a beverage and a treat as you make a new sweet friend in a light and lively environment.

Award-winning playwright Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who writes and stars as Fleabag, with Sian Clifford, who plays her sister, Claire, at Amazon Prime Experience Screening of ‘Fleabag’ at The Hollywood Athletic Club. Photo by Billy Bennight.

If you can’t make it to Hilary’s Café, you can find solace in this extensive photo gallery of my 30-minute visit with Spike the lady guinea pig. Roughly 15 of us gathered inside the café after waiting in a short line. The room is designed to evoke the café run by the main character in the Amazon Prime show “Fleabag.” Fans may notice details like the torso sculpted by Fleabag’s evil godmother, When you enter, you are offered a selection of treats and a drink of your choice. Then the magic happens. One of the attendees bring you your very own Guinea Pigs to hold and play with until the session has ended. The are plenty of photo and selfie opportunities while you soak up the charm of Hilary’s.

Amazon Prime’s Fleabag Pop-Up Hilary’s Cafe on Melrose. Photo by Billy Bennight.

After some necessary press prep to cover the café, I was ready to start my relationship with the lovely Spike. She had short hair, unlike the other Guinea Pigs, and she started off a little nervous. But I was able to put her at ease and we did our bonding thing. She even cleaned herself at my table, letting me know she was pretty relaxed about the situation. Near the end we even cuddled and got a little closer before my server came to pick her up.

Having Spike for that short time was a gentle and life-affirming experience. I’d recommend that anyone with the time on Friday drop by Hilary’s. It’s also a good memory to attach to the fun of the popular but soon-to-be-ending series. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who created, wrote and starred in “Fleabag” has said that the show has come to its natural end in its second season unless she decides to resurrect it when she is 50. But fans can look forward to “Run” on HBO, which Waller-Bridge will executive produce is written by associate Vicky Jones, who also worked on the theater run of “Fleabag.”