Hear the name the Witch’s Cottage and you might conjure a mystical vision. And inside the new North Hollywood space, here there be witches, yes. But that’s just the start of it.
In one area of the two-story cafe, restaurant and bar, constellations beckon. A guide to crystals calls forth in another. An azure booth is flanked by an abstracted mermaid sculpture, and elsewhere howling wolves are engraved into the bar tops.
Witch’s Cottage co-founder Celina Lee Surniak, left, with investor/partner Ana Lovelis and co-founder Danielle Ozymandias. The three envisioned a welcoming space that views the world through a magical lens.
Hidden wonders are everywhere. Circle the cottage’s hand-constructed tree trunks, and maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll spy a tiny door hiding a little witch. Sit at one of the tables, and don’t be surprised to hear the sounds of birds chirping from the man-made trees. Branches spring forth from paintings and every nook is a nod to something born of a fable.
A decade-long vision of the founders, the Witch’s Cottage has transformed the old Federal Bar into a colorful, whimsical fairy-tale-like forest of a gathering spot. A place where one can come for the fantasy, and stay for the chicken etouffee and the Hex Breaker, a tiki-style, rum-heavy drink for grown-up sorcerers.
“I wanted this to feel lived in,” says Danielle Ozymandias, who dreamed up the space with business partner Celina Lee Surniak, a fellow creative who like Ozymandias very much identifies as a witch. “I wanted this to be a visual feast because I think maximalism is just so interesting. That may be the ADHD talking, but I knew I wanted a lot.”
The dining room of the Witch’s Cottage aims for a fantasy forest-inspired look.
While they certainly designed the Witch’s Cottage to be family-friendly, Surniak and Ozymandias say part of their creative intent was to bring joy to adults.
“Everybody tries to shame you,” Surniak says. “Like, ‘You can’t buy that coffee. Save your money.’ No, let them have the coffee they really love. Let them get that annual pass to Disneyland. Let them have a weekly night at the movies, even if they go alone. The world is so weird right now. What we can do is find joy in tiny things.
A fairy at a media preview for 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 restrooms makes it clear it doesn’t matter which one guests use. It asks that they simply wash their hands. “You can walk in as a witch, or a dragon, or just a FedEx worker,” Ozymandias says. “There’s no judgment.”
The Witch’s Cottage had its grand opening this weekend, and the community immediately responded with lines out the door. That wasn’t 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 via an online crowd-funding campaign that raised more than $167,000.
“We’re regular people,” Surniak says. “We don’t have a lot of money. We don’t have a nest egg. We don’t own property. If we were going to do anything, we would need help.”
Surniak says 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 have hosted at their home. The two joined as creative partners and helped with construction. Lovelis says she recognized in the Witch’s Cottage a similar outlook on life as hers. She recalled once years ago dating someone who had a skeptical and practical view of the world.
“And then there was me, being like, ‘That butterfly is a sign from my grandma,’” Lovelis says. The Witch’s Cottage, she says, is reflective of viewing the world through a magical lens. At a time of much stress for many, such a place may be needed. 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 theatrical and Hollywood productions. Ozymandias, who previously worked in the local theater world, is focusing primarily on the Witch’s Cottage at the moment, helping to devise recipes and ensure the bakery can accommodate as many dietary restrictions as possible.
Beyond 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 workshops that are more lighthearted, such as a hoped-for night on how to make a broom.
Hidden behind the upstairs bar is what’s called the Tempered Flask Tavern, and it’s an elaborate tabletop role-playing game room. Here, one will find a smoke-puffing dragon, but also digital windows that game masters can use to trigger various effects. A long table sits at its center, flanked by a knight, a digital fireplace and weaponry. Not open yet, the plan is for the room to be rented out by the hour.
The Tempered Flask Tavern is a hidden room dedicated to tabletop games inside the Witch’s Cottage. It will be available soon for guests to rent out.
Though Surniak and Ozymandias say they’ve been building vision boards for more than a decade of what the spot could look like, recent cultural shifts gave them the confidence that the timing was right. They point to “Stranger Things” and how it spawned a conversation around “Dungeons & Dragons,” or the success of Disney+ series “Agatha All Along.” More locally, they watched the rise of a game-focused bar such as the Roguelike Tavern, which is relocating to Studio City, as well as the news that experiential art firm Meow Wolf would be building an exposition in the city.
Taken as a whole, they felt bolstered that North Hollywood could support a heavily themed cafe, a home for those who have rolled a 20-sided die, once looked up the meaning of the Tower card or just enjoyed a viewing of “The Lord of the Rings.”
But one need not know the inner workings of RPGs, tarot or Middle-earth to feel at home in the Witch’s Cottage. This is a space, after all, for anyone who has ever been touched by a fairy tale, dreamed of the fantastical or wanted to believe in the power of wishing upon 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.”
The stunning Swiss Cottage looks like it’s been plucked from a fairy tale and opens to the public from 12 March 2026 in a charming Irish village near historic Cahir Castle
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
The wallpaper is partly original and partly the fruit of a 1980s restoration project(Image: Heritage Ireland)
Nestled just beyond a quaint historic Irish village sits a stunning cottage that appears to have been lifted straight from the pages of a storybook – and visitors are welcome to step inside.
Constructed in the early 1800s by Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Glengall, it functioned as a charming rural picnic destination, a meeting point for the local hunt, or simply a tranquil escape from everyday life.
According to Heritage Ireland, it’s thought to have been the work of renowned Regency architect John Nash.
The Swiss Cottage most likely earned its name due to its striking resemblance to an Alpine dwelling, reports the Irish Mirror.
Sykes Cottages offers a wide range of handpicked holiday homes across the UK and Ireland, from cosy countryside retreats to stunning coastal escapes. Prices start from £27 per night
But the magic doesn’t stop at the façade. Inside, a winding spiral staircase leads visitors through elegantly appointed rooms.
The walls feature wallpaper that offers a glimpse into the past. This design was painstakingly recreated during the cottage’s 1980 restoration.
The stunning interior was the vision of celebrated fashion designer Sybil Connolly, who oversaw the entire décor.
One delighted Trip Advisor user said they “still can’t stop thinking about this place.”
They added: “When we reached Swiss Cottage after a walk through the green park, I felt like I was caught in a fairy tale.
“Everything around us froze, and a house from another era opened up to us — romantic, mysterious, magical. I’ve never seen that before.
“This wave-shaped straw ceiling, carved wooden parts, windows of all shapes, as if specially made for dreams… and inside is a real masterpiece!”.
“Rare Parisian wallpaper, spiral staircase, fine details. Everything says beauty for beauty’s sake. It’s not just architecture — it’s mood.
“A place where you want to sit with a cup of tea on the veranda and just watch the leaves rustle. I think I left a piece of my soul there. A true miracle that cannot be forgotten.”
The cottage opens its doors to visitors from 12 March 2026. For those wanting to extend their visit, nearby Cahir Castle makes an excellent addition to the itinerary.
This 13th-century fortress stands as one of Ireland’s finest preserved medieval castles. Perched dramatically on rocky outcrops beside the River Suir, it has featured as a filming location for numerous historical productions.
The castle provided the setting for acclaimed period dramas including Excalibur and The Tudors, which starred Henry Cavill.
Previously the home of the powerful Butler dynasty, Heritage Ireland notes that this prominent Anglo-Norman family occupied the castle for almost 600 years following James Butler, the 3rd Earl of Ormond, receiving it in 1375.
The fortress was considered impregnable, offering the Butlers protection against all dangers.
Yet this belief was shattered in 1599 when the Earl of Essex mounted a devastating military assault on the stronghold.
