Kiddie friendly restaurants

[katkinn]

Just wondered what your fave kiddie friendly restaurants are and if you have any gripes about them (or can you tell me if I'm over-reacting!!)

Well my two fave ones at the mo are Pizza Express and Giraffe.

Both have loads of highchairs, normally have other things for kiddies to play with ie balloons, crayons, paper, hats etc. They also both have plastic beakers and strawers. Plus I've always found in every branch of both that I've visited, the staff are SO friendly towards the wee monkeys which makes it such a more enjoyable trip.

Plus they are renowned for being kiddie friendly so I don't feel that bad about taking my noisy, cutlery throwing, water on table/floor chucking, occasionally whingey wee angel!!

And they have room for the pushchairs, rather than making you feel like you should leave it out in the street!

BUT a couple of bugbears with each.

Pizza Express, WHY don't they have a children's menu?? I want ALL of my pizza thank you very much, yet Hettie won't eat a whole one and I certainly don't want to eat half of it (and I don't want to take cold pizza with me either thank u v much!!!) Plus at £6ish a pop I really don't want to spend that much on her lunch. What do other people do there? (or am I just a pig who shouldn't eat a whole pizza - they're not THAT big are they??!!)

Giraffe - in our local one which is about a 15 min walk away and UBER handy (despite being the fecking busiest restaurant in London ) they have over 30 highchairs So you can imagine how many children they get in there on a lunchtime (especially at the weekends and in holidays - a total tourist hotspot)

So WHY THE FECK do they only have ONE changing table (in the disabled toilet at that) On Sunday I had to wait FIFTEEN mins to change H's nappy Which frankly I think is shite.

On the plus side they have a fabbie children's menu - lots of things with mash rather than chips etc but they don't have any children's cutlery Are you expected to bring your own??? (certainly with H coming up to 22 months I don't carry round baby cutlery with me anymore) She's progressed from using a teaspoon for everything (and eating a sausage with a teaspoon is a bit of a challenge tbh) yet a normal fork is absolutely ginormous for her.

The man looked at me as if I'd asked him to strip naked when I asked if there was any child's cutlery (considering as well that at least half their customers are children )

Any thoughts or comments? And you additions please!!!! Always after new places to try!!

katkinn
xxxx

[Damsella]

Tootsie's are very child friendly as well.

And Peter Jones.

[katkinn]

And Peter Jones.

natch I think I should have shares in that place!! I'm sure that H thinks both there and John Lewis Oxford Street are her second homes.

eta - although it's SCARILY expensive for a sandwich in there don't you think?? I got a pannini and a diet coke the other week and it was about a tenner, which - when you consider it's essentially a cafe/canteen rather than a *restaurant* I think is a lot of money (ie the same price as Pizza Express)

[Chocolate Lips]

I found Pizza Hut to be incredibly friendly and helpful!

ETA but then that doesn't class as a 'restaurant'.

[sparkliness]

Love Pizza Express, however it's in an ancient narrow building in Durham and you have to go up about 5 stone steps to get it and through a tiny porch area, the buggy is always in the way as are the highchairs, and if you sit in the middle where they invariably put us The loos are down a narrow staircase in the basement. But generally the staff are good, and I love the activity packs. We order olives and doughballs and then begrudgingly share our pizzas with Molly - deffo a bambino pizza option would be good, expecially when I actually want to order a salad.

We also go to Nandos a lot. Loud music helps to drown out the noise, 12 min service time and all Molly's faves incl olives, spicy rice, cherry tomatoes and bottomless organic frozen yoghurt (and we only buy one between three ). The staff are friendly - for some reason the Newcastle and Metro centre ones don't give out child packs like the other ones I've been to.

Brewsters in theory is a good idea, but A) the food is overpriced and not that good, B) because Molly knows there is a play area it is impossible to keep her at the table so she doesn't eat and we take it in turns either wolfing our food down or sitting in the living hell which is the 'fun factory'.

Giraffe sounds good, but sadly none here. Also really liked Wagamamas when we went in Tunbridge Wells, but there isn't one round here.

[Damsella]

There are actually two dedicted children's play areas/restaurants near me:

Blue Kangaroo

Gambado

[spritzer]

I would say tootsies every time. They have a seperate childrens menu with organic and normal food that includes a drink and an ice-cream for about £6 which I don't think is bad. They also provide cutlery (well, brighton does anyway), balloons, crayons and a colouring in thing and don't mind how much mess you make. but, they are a bit short on highchairs when it's busy and only have 2 changing mats so not ideal there.

TBH it's hard to find nice places for adults that properly cater for kids. Much as I like BK and KFC it isn't really ideal food

Also, we tend to eat out at lunch mainly in the summer when we can sit outside and somehow the mess and noise doesn't seem so humiliating

And, in Brighton the seagulls and pigeons come and clear up all the mess your LO has made

[Blonde Girl]

I second Wagamamas, except the one in Soho as they tutted and rolled their eyeys at Dan when we took him in there - AND gave him a high chair that unclipped itself from the table!

Not sure if you are fancying Wagamamas at the mo though Katkinn.

Also Strada is pretty child friendly for lunches anyway, only thing is I don't remember if they had a children's menu or not - but the pizza's are mahoosive so easier to allow them a (very) small piece of yours.

[Lois Lane]

I second pizza express - the few times I've taken P in there the staff have been lovely and not at all worried about her throwing cutlery etc and singing at the top of her voice!

Perhaps not very classy but I've also had good experiences with Harvester and Little Chef (when on the road to and from Wales to see my folks). They are really happy to accommodate children and provide colouring bits and a children's menu.

I found on our recent holiday that the Americans are SO clued up for facilities for kids it puts us to shame. There is no tutting of other diners or rolling of eyes when you pitch up with rugrats in tow - you are more likely to get total strangers come up and say how lovely your child is.!!! Never happens over here!!!

[schnapps]

The Pizza Express I go to does offer a children's menu - maybe it's northern thing!! To be honest on a good day Lex can finish a big one but normally get him the children's one.

Est Est Est is really good as well as the children get to make their own pizza. They bring a base with your choice of 3/4 toppings and let them decorate it and then they take it to the cook. (While wearing a chef's hat).

Also go to a couple of local Italians who are always really good with Lex and have children's options (well reduced portions of the adult menu).

Me thinks there is a theme here!!

[seashell]

Although Thomas is not toddler age yet, this is a really helpful post for when he is!!! It is good to know even now as we do go to some of those places and i was wondering if children and babies were welcome there - Thomas seems to start up just when our meal is served

[Lon]

We mostly go to Pizza Express and they love William in there, as he is still little I take food in for him and order some dough balls for us to share as well.

I do know that ASK has just started doing a kids menu but I haven’t been for a wile so I don’t know if it is any good.

One thing I have is a little toddler cutlery set from Tesco it has a knife, fork and spoon in a little case. When we order him something off of the kiddies menu they come in handy, not that he has got he hang of self feeding yet but if we put something on the fork he will get it in his mouth.

Lon

[August Girl]

We only have Brewsters, Pizza Hut and 3 McDonalds to choose from around here. I only go to the Pizza Hut but it's not my ideal choice.
There is a large cafe in the main town but they still allow smoking so there is no way I'd go in there.

[*kate*]

I always find Zizzi's good for the kids. Also we have a lot of small italian restaurants near us that are great.

Est est est as well.

Every chinese restaurant we've taken the kids into has been very good with them, also the local indian restaurant was fab with the kids.

I detest places like Brewsters, smell of kids feet from the ball pool (sorry but it's a pet hate) and awful awful food. Ditto McShites.

[sparkliness]

Where is Zizzi's Kate?

[BJMac]

Not sure if it's a chain or just a one off, but Ma Potters Chargrill at the Trafford Centre are very child friendly. They do free baby food/toddler meal, and always bring over crayons, and balloons etc and make a big fuss of Dixie, so they get a thumbs up from me

[shamu]

We like Gourmet Burger Kitchen - though the one nearest me is tiny and doesn't have any changing facilities they do have a children's menu (we go next door to Pizza Express to change him )
Pizza Express is now a no go for us as James refuses to eat Pizza :confused: - I must have the only child on the planet who doesn't like pizza They've gone and changed their menu so the one thing he would eat isn't on it any more (a salad with tuna and cannellini beans)
There's a lovely organic restaurant/bistro near me which caters well for kiddies too - packed at the weekend though....
Wagamamas is great - the children's menu is yummy and if he leaves anything I finish it off Though I'm not keen on the clip on high chairs and in Brent Cross you have to wait ages on the weekend (or get there at 11am.....)
John Lewis in Brent Cross is good too
Oh and I've found the cafes in M&S tend to cater well with high chairs etc
I take cutlery with us for James and have been known to take a plate (he can't be trusted not to throw the plate on the floor...)
Shamu

[*kate*]

Where is Zizzi's Kate?

It's on Grey Street in Newcastle City Centre. Down from the Theatre Royal.

There's also one in York which we've been to more times!

[Azana]

I have to say been deeply unimpressed with the kid's food in 2 branches of giraffe now - Richmond one and Southbank - Southbank they gave her an undercooked sausage and Richmond cold beans. Both times it was sorted but tbh the staff were not very apologetic - the sausage incident was particularly not good.

At the mo' liking Bar Estillo - they do a kid's tapas menu!

Like GBK - didn't realise wagamama's did a child's menu so shall check that out!

We have a great local restaurant that does any pizza/pasta for a fiver for early dinner that is great.

Az

[IncyWincySpider]

Normally I do everything to avoid chains of more than a couple of restaurants but we've been to a couple of Blubeckers http://www.blubeckers.co.uk/blubeckers/index.html and found them pretty good. The childrens menu had real food (rather than just sausage + chips etc) and they gave out crayons etc.