Family Friendly restaurants!
This entry is about our experiences with restaurants that we think are “family friendly” but that doesn’t mean that your precious pride and joy can check their table manners at the door!
Hey, I don’t pretend to know all the answers in the world of Parenting, but I know when Ms. misbehaving rears her ugly head and disciplining is required! We have 3 children under the age of 5 and they are far from little angels, but they know what the consequences will be if they act up in public places.
For those parents who are oblivious (What type of parents are you?) to your little ones running around the restaurants, spitting and throwing food, screaming in such high decibels that the water glass almost shatters…my recommendation to you is, how do I put this nicely, “take your monster of a child and leave the restaurant immediately!” You are giving all of us conscientious and considerate parents a bad name!
We have our own method of, what I would consider, successful dining out with kids. We’d ask the waiter/waitress to bring all the food out at the same time. This way, everyone will be eating and hopefully finishing at the same time.
Believe me, I’ve learned from my past mistake when I took the 3 kids out to a restaurant by my insane self (yes, crazy you say!). They ate first and I waited and waited for my food. When it was time for me to eat, they were off the wall!! This is where I graciously packed everyone up and left the restaurant with my untouched meal and dined at my leisure at home. Thank goodness for the microwave! 
If that doesn’t work, we have another method of “chew and screw”. My husband is a fast eater, so he would finish first with the kids, take them out for a walk around somewhere…and leave me to dine in peace. You yearn for that minute moment of dining alone, after having 3 kids, without feeling embarrassed.
With that said, here are some of the restaurants that I think have good ratings in terms of food, kids’ menus, value for your money, and ambience (if you have time between inhaling your food quickly, so the kids won’t act up, to notice).
Some of these restaurants are a national chain, just make sure you check their websites for a location near you. For you international diners, if you happen to be visiting the U.S., here are some of the “family friendly” restaurants for you to consider.
- California Pizza Kitchen(CPK)…They have a number of different choices for kids and the food is delicious. Our kids love soups. Sometimes we skip the kids’ menu altogether and just order 2 bowls of soups and they just chow that down dipping it with bread. Very important, they also have crayons and paper to distract the little ones. If not, make sure you have an arsenal of toys to keep the little people occupied throughout your dining. You can also register your children under the age of 10 at their website to receive a FREE CPKids meal during their birthday month at http://cpk.com/register/cpkids.aspx
- Bertucci’s (http://bertuccis.com/)…For $4.99, your little ones can have a variety of pizzas, pastas, salads, a free Hoodsie ice cream, along with “bottomless” fountain drink or milk. Now, that’s value!! My 5 years old son loved the complimentary mixed salad that Bertucci’s serves before any meals. I didn’t know he liked salads until then. A healthy meal, what’s not to love??!! And they even have pizza dough, crayons and paper for your little ones to entertain themselves.
- Uno Chicago Grill(http://www.unos.com/)…They also have a number of different choices for kids, like pastas, pizzas, chicken dinos, etc…free refill on milk and soft drinks. Our sons absolutely love the brocolli cheddar soup. I wish Uno’s would offer the bread and butter as a starter. It’s great that they’ve changed their menu selection recently, it has more new dishes and a nice menu makeover as well.
- Romano’s Macaroni Grill(http://www.macaronigrill.com/)…For $4.49, your kids will be so stuffed with the pizzas and the pastas they offer. There will definitely be leftover with the huge portion and the sides they offer. And for dessert, vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, YUMMY!!
- The Cheesecake Factory(http://cheesecakefactory.com/)…Their menu is a book thick, but they don’t offer kids’ menu. This place is a bit pricey, I think. But the portion is huge and the food is good, depending on what you order. Hmm, I wonder what’s for desserts, they have about 35 different kinds of cheesecakes but they do have other delicious fattening desserts as well. *drooling*
- Chili’s(http://www.chilis.com/)…I never knew Chili’s has 111 locations Internationally and many locations nationally. Check out their website for a location near you. They do have a kids’ menu and offer more variety than the other restaurants mentioned above, like a ribs basket, corndog, and your usual fares, pasta and pizza, etc…The one complaint I have is that the wait for your meal can take a bit longer than the other restaurants. And you know how kids can only sit for so long.
- Rainforest Cafe(http://www.rainforestcafe.com/)…This place is catered to kids, but my kids can’t eat here because they are always afraid of the loud noise and the fake animals on display. This is the only place from this list, I think, that doesn’t offer a good value for your money. The kids’ menu is average in terms of selection and the portion is tiny compares to the other restaurants mentioned above, granted it’s supposed to be kiddie size portion but still, we always have leftover with the other restaurants. And the adult menu is also pricey and not much to rave about.
As you can see, I don’t dare to include any fancy establishments where you have to dress up and the minimum cost of an entree is $50 or more. That is reserved only for those date nights with your other half…no matter how rare and infrequent they are *boo hoo hoo*! (Meet me at Fleming’s)
We will spare the owners, the waitstaff, and the patrons the chance to meet our 3 rascals until they are about 21! And you should do the same for our sake when we are fortunate to get a rare and romantic date with each other not with your screaming, obnoxious, and out-of-control children. A heartfelt thank you to all the thoughtful and considerate parents/diners!!
Bon appetit!
This entry is about our experiences with restaurants that we think are “family friendly” but that doesn’t mean that your precious pride and joy can check their table manners at the door!
Hey, I don’t pretend to know all the answers in the world of Parenting, but I know when Ms. misbehaving rears her ugly head and disciplining is required! We have 3 children under the age of 5 and they are far from little angels, but they know what the consequences will be if they act up in public places.
For those parents who are oblivious (What type of parents are you?) to your little ones running around the restaurants, spitting and throwing food, screaming in such high decibels that the water glass almost shatters…my recommendation to you is, how do I put this nicely, “take your monster of a child and leave the restaurant immediately!” You are giving all of us conscientious and considerate parents a bad name!
We have our own method of, what I would consider, successful dining out with kids. We’d ask the waiter/waitress to bring all the food out at the same time. This way, everyone will be eating and hopefully finishing at the same time.
Believe me, I’ve learned from my past mistake when I took the 3 kids out to a restaurant by my insane self (yes, crazy you say!). They ate first and I waited and waited for my food. When it was time for me to eat, they were off the wall!! This is where I graciously packed everyone up and left the restaurant with my untouched meal and dined at my leisure at home. Thank goodness for the microwave!
If that doesn’t work, we have another method of “chew and screw”. My husband is a fast eater, so he would finish first with the kids, take them out for a walk around somewhere…and leave me to dine in peace. You yearn for that minute moment of dining alone, after having 3 kids, without feeling embarrassed.
With that said, here are some of the restaurants that I think have good ratings in terms of food, kids’ menus, value for your money, and ambience (if you have time between inhaling your food quickly, so the kids won’t act up, to notice).
Some of these restaurants are a national chain, just make sure you check their websites for a location near you. For you international diners, if you happen to be visiting the U.S., here are some of the “family friendly” restaurants for you to consider.
- California Pizza Kitchen(CPK)…They have a number of different choices for kids and the food is delicious. Our kids love soups. Sometimes we skip the kids’ menu altogether and just order 2 bowls of soups and they just chow that down dipping it with bread. Very important, they also have crayons and paper to distract the little ones. If not, make sure you have an arsenal of toys to keep the little people occupied throughout your dining. You can also register your children under the age of 10 at their website to receive a FREE CPKids meal during their birthday month at http://cpk.com/register/cpkids.aspx
- Bertucci’s (http://bertuccis.com/)…For $4.99, your little ones can have a variety of pizzas, pastas, salads, a free Hoodsie ice cream, along with “bottomless” fountain drink or milk. Now, that’s value!! My 5 years old son loved the complimentary mixed salad that Bertucci’s serves before any meals. I didn’t know he liked salads until then. A healthy meal, what’s not to love??!! And they even have pizza dough, crayons and paper for your little ones to entertain themselves.
- Uno Chicago Grill(http://www.unos.com/)…They also have a number of different choices for kids, like pastas, pizzas, chicken dinos, etc…free refill on milk and soft drinks. Our sons absolutely love the brocolli cheddar soup. I wish Uno’s would offer the bread and butter as a starter. It’s great that they’ve changed their menu selection recently, it has more new dishes and a nice menu makeover as well.
- Romano’s Macaroni Grill(http://www.macaronigrill.com/)…For $4.49, your kids will be so stuffed with the pizzas and the pastas they offer. There will definitely be leftover with the huge portion and the sides they offer. And for dessert, vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, YUMMY!!
- The Cheesecake Factory(http://cheesecakefactory.com/)…Their menu is a book thick, but they don’t offer kids’ menu. This place is a bit pricey, I think. But the portion is huge and the food is good, depending on what you order. Hmm, I wonder what’s for desserts, they have about 35 different kinds of cheesecakes but they do have other delicious fattening desserts as well. *drooling*
- Chili’s(http://www.chilis.com/)…I never knew Chili’s has 111 locations Internationally and many locations nationally. Check out their website for a location near you. They do have a kids’ menu and offer more variety than the other restaurants mentioned above, like a ribs basket, corndog, and your usual fares, pasta and pizza, etc…The one complaint I have is that the wait for your meal can take a bit longer than the other restaurants. And you know how kids can only sit for so long.
- Rainforest Cafe(http://www.rainforestcafe.com/)…This place is catered to kids, but my kids can’t eat here because they are always afraid of the loud noise and the fake animals on display. This is the only place from this list, I think, that doesn’t offer a good value for your money. The kids’ menu is average in terms of selection and the portion is tiny compares to the other restaurants mentioned above, granted it’s supposed to be kiddie size portion but still, we always have leftover with the other restaurants. And the adult menu is also pricey and not much to rave about.
As you can see, I don’t dare to include any fancy establishments where you have to dress up and the minimum cost of an entree is $50 or more. That is reserved only for those date nights with your other half…no matter how rare and infrequent they are *boo hoo hoo*! (Meet me at Fleming’s)
We will spare the owners, the waitstaff, and the patrons the chance to meet our 3 rascals until they are about 21! And you should do the same for our sake when we are fortunate to get a rare and romantic date with each other not with your screaming, obnoxious, and out-of-control children. A heartfelt thank you to all the thoughtful and considerate parents/diners!!
Bon appetit!
I miss “Fresh Choice” and “Sweet Tomato” restaurants in the Bay Area, CA after relocating here. They are buffet restaurants with different types of salad, vegetable, pasta, soups , pizza, fruit, ice cream , etc in kids flavour. Kids under 3 is free . You only need to pay less than $2.00 for a 5 years old. And more than that, it’s kids ‘friendly place where you don’t have to worry about kids running around since it’s a buffet place
Thanks for the list! My little guy also loves Red Lobster - fish and things on the walls, great kids menu (applesauce ;)), biscuits, etc.