Hear the name Witch's Cottage and you may conjure up a mystical vision. And inside the new North Hollywood space, there will be witches here, yes. But that's just the beginning.
In one area of the two-story cafe, restaurant and bar, constellations beckon. One crystal guide evokes another. A blue booth is flanked by an abstract mermaid sculpture and, elsewhere, howling wolves are etched into the bar top.
Witch's Cottage co-founder Celina Lee Surniak, left, with investor and partner Ana Lovelis and co-founder Danielle Ozymandias. The three envisioned a welcoming space that sees the world through a magical lens.
Hidden wonders are everywhere. Walk around the hand-built tree trunks of the cabin and maybe, if you're lucky, you'll see a small door hiding a little witch. Sit at one of the tables and don't be surprised to hear birds chirping on the artificial trees. Branches sprout from the paintings and each corner is a nod to something born from a fable.
A decade-long vision of the founders, Witch's Cottage has transformed the former Federal Bar into a colorful, whimsical fairytale forest gathering place. A place where one can come for fantasy and stay for chicken etouffee and the Hex Breaker, a rum-heavy tiki-style drink for adult wizards.
“I wanted this to feel lived-in,” says Danielle Ozymandias, who dreamed up the space with her business partner Celina Lee Surniak, a fellow creative who, like Ozymandias, strongly identifies as a witch. “I wanted this to be a visual feast because I think maximalism is very interesting. It may be ADHD talking, but I knew I wanted a lot.“
The Witch's Cottage dining room aims for a fantasy forest-inspired look.
While they certainly designed Witch's Cottage to be family-friendly, Surniak and Ozymandias say part of their creative intent was to bring joy to adults.
“Everyone tries to embarrass you,” Surniak says. “Like, 'You can't buy that coffee. Save your money.' No, let them drink the coffee they really love. Let them get that annual pass to Disneyland. Let them have a weekly movie night, even if they go alone. The world is so strange right now. What we can do is find joy in the little things.
A fairy at a media preview of North Hollywood's new Witch's Cottage.
“Being able to give adults the opportunity to say 'I'm a fairy' is the best feeling ever,” Surniak continues. “And it's not just at Renaissance fairs. Be a fairy here.”
Or be anyone. A sign near one of the restaurant's bathrooms makes it clear that it doesn't matter which one guests use. Ask them to simply wash their hands. “You can enter as a witch, a dragon or just a FedEx worker,” says Ozymandias. “There is no trial.”
The Witch's Cottage had its grand opening this weekend and the community responded immediately with lines out the door. This was not entirely surprising: the project was built by a collective. More than 200 volunteers donated more than 3,000 hours to bring the space to life, and the two founders attracted more than 100 investors through an online crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $167,000.
“We're normal people,” Surniak says. “We don't have a lot of money. We don't have savings. We don't own property. If we were going to do something, we would need help.”
Surniak says that within three days of creating their campaign, they found an angel investor who offered them the funds to secure the building. Other investors followed, including Ana Lovelis and her husband Kenny Enea, known in the area for the elaborate haunted houses they hosted in their home. The two came together as creative partners and helped with construction. Lovelis says he recognized in Witch's Cottage a vision of life similar to his own. She remembered that once, years ago, she dated someone who had a skeptical and practical view of the world.
“And then there was me, saying, 'That butterfly is a sign from my grandmother,'” Lovelis says. The Witch's Hut, he says, reflects the world's view through a magical lens. At a time of great stress for many, perhaps a place like this is necessary. As Lovelis says: “What's the harm?”
The Witch's Cottage is a two-story space that serves as a cafe during the day and a restaurant at night. Dinner service begins at 5 p.m.
Surniak still has a day job, working as a stunt and intimacy coordinator on theater and Hollywood productions. Ozymandias, who previously worked in the local theater world, is primarily focused on Witch's Cottage at the moment, helping to come up with recipes and ensuring the bakery can accommodate as many dietary restrictions as possible.
Beyond the new menu items, there's more in the works, including community events like sound baths, comedy nights, and classes on composting, native plants, and parenting. Or even some more casual workshops, like a long-awaited evening on how to make a broom.
Hidden behind the bar upstairs is what's called the Tempered Flask Tavern, and it's an elaborate tabletop role-playing game room. Here you will find a smoking dragon, but also digital windows that game masters can use to activate various effects. In the center is a long table, flanked by a knight, a digital fireplace, and weapons. It's not open yet, the plan is to rent the room by the hour.
The Tempered Flask Tavern is a hidden room dedicated to board games within the Witch's Cottage. It will be available soon for guests to rent.
Although Surniak and Ozymandias say they have been building vision boards for more than a decade for what the place could look like, recent cultural changes gave them confidence that the time was right. They point to “Stranger Things” and how it generated a conversation around “Dungeons & Dragons” or the success of the Disney+ series “Agatha All Along.” More locally, they noted the emergence of gaming-focused bar Roguelike Tavern, which is moving to Studio City, as well as the news that experiential art firm Meow Wolf would be building an exhibition in the city.
Collectively, they felt invigorated that North Hollywood could support a strongly themed cafe, a home for those who rolled a 20-sided die, ever searched for the meaning of the Tower card or simply enjoyed watching “The Lord of the Rings.”
But you don't need to know the inner workings of role-playing games, tarot, or Middle Earth to feel at home in Witch's Cottage. After all, this is a space for anyone who has ever been touched by a fairy tale, dreamed of the fantastic, or wanted to believe in the power of wishing on a star.
Views from inside North Hollywood’s the Witch’s Cottage.
So spend a little time in the Witch’s Cottage, and maybe you’ll start to imagine that cocktail is a potion, and those deviled eggs did in fact hatch from a dragon. Diners may debate between the “iron forged fondue melt” (a patty melt) or the “meze heartwich” (a white bean purée on sourdough), but childlike wonder is the specialty of the house.
“Everybody is somebody’s kid,” Ozymandias says. “And I just want a safe space for people’s kids. Even if you’re 50, or 80, you’re my kid. I want you to feel loved, and to have a cup of something warm or magical. I want you to know that whatever is outside those doors, when you’re in here, I got you.”
