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DEL.ICIO.USWhat Restaurants Are Best for Kids?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
LOVE ME SOME FROZEN YOGURT: Yoforia is one of my 11-year-old’s favorite spots for a treat
Photo: Jenni Girtman/ AJC staff
Parents magazine’s July issue (which hit newstands last week) has a survey from more than 50 full-service and buffet style restaurant chains as part of an on-going series of ‘ten best’ articles.
The magazine surveyed the restaurants and logged info about reservation policies, kid amenities (likes crayon and coloring stuff) and changing stations in the bathrooms. On the food front, they asked about trans fats and food allergy accommodations, then compiled the answers into their report after checking out the menus.
Here are the magazine’s top ten in order of their ranking:
Legal Sea Foods
Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes
Mimi’s Cafe
Uno Chicago Grill
Chili’s
Red Robin
The Old Spaghetti Factory
P.F. Chang’s
Denny’s
Claim Jumper
I find the results somewhat amusing. First, shouldn’t the survey have asked parents and kids what their choices would be, not the restaurants? Okay, maybe all and a comparison?
Second: Denny’s? Are we kidding? Everything served there comes from a box. The Old Spaghetti Factory? No wonder our children can’t make informed decisions about what they eat. Cheap and easy doesn’t equal good.
Here’s my list, and it’s not all chain restaurants:
Chipotle — my daughter LOVES this place. For a chain, it’s pretty darned fresh.
Chili’s — yes, she loves to eat here. And admittedly it’s very kid-friendly. I dig the burgers. She likes the Kraft macaroni-and-cheese and broccoli with cheese sauce.
Maddy’s — she can get down on a pulled pork sandwich and listen to a little blues at the same time.
Fritti — great pizzas, lots of choice, she likes to sit outside.
Baraonda — ditto, plus she likes the pasta choices.
Eclipse di Luna in Miami Circle — insalata Caprese, calamari fritti and chorizo. Plus she can dance to the live music. If you get there a little early, it’s not such a crazy scene.
Chocolate Bar — okay, this one is an obvious splurge, but everyone needs a dose of a really well-made dessert from time to time.
Palomilla’s — my only regret is that we don’t get to this little family-owned Cuban spot more often.
Okay, one more pizza place: Mellow Mushroom. Very kid friendly, plus she loves the pizza, though we usually get it for takeout and watch a movie.
Yoforia — she really loves the tangy taste of this “that’s so 70s” yogurt joint — especially since she can have raspberries AND Captain Crunch for toppings on the original flavor.
What would your list be?
Permalink | Comments (30) | Post your comment | Categories: Dining
Comments
By Left to Right
June 16, 2008 2:34 PM | Link to this
It all depends on the age of the child. Huge difference in tastes between 3 year olds and 11 year olds.
By Becky
June 16, 2008 3:12 PM | Link to this
My 5 yo grandson loves anywhere they have seafood, mostly crab legs, but he’ll eat all seafood..his twin sister likes crab legs also, but that’s about it..He has a more varied tatse pallet (sp) than she does..This weekend, he decided that he likes steak, so I took him to Outback..Since I wasn’t sure if he would eat it after I ordered it, I got one steak for all of us & he ate over half of it..
By ispeakthedrewth
June 16, 2008 3:28 PM | Link to this
Thanks for listing the joints where the curtain climbers are welcome. I will stay a mile away from every place listed. When I go out, I don’t want to dine with your brat.
By GirlAfraid
June 16, 2008 3:34 PM | Link to this
Frontera - cheap, fast, good, casual crayons, teddy grahams, live music on the weekends, and I can get a decent margarita! Agave - They have a kids menu and special drinking cup for kids, they have a patio, kid friendly service, their margaritas are top notch as is their food. CA Pizza Kitchen - Casual, kids menu, special kids cup, crayons, good pizzas and their servers are kid friendly. Taqueria Del Sol - I know people complain about their seating policy but it truly works. Casual, open dining. Pretty inexpensive, my 2 year old loves the guac, we love the margaritas (I sense a pattern). Everybody’s Pizza at Emory - Casual, great pizza, outdoor seating, decent beer selection.
By Double Income No Kids
June 16, 2008 3:59 PM | Link to this
Great blog! I’ll reference it frequently in the future so that I know which places to avoid!
By z_mama
June 16, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this
We like Maddy’s too. We get our son two sides (beans, mac & cheese) for $2 and he’s set. Plus he loves the plastic instruments they give you as table numbers.
Baraonda may be kid friendly, but is not for babies or toddlers. No high chairs, no changing table in bathroom.
By kc
June 16, 2008 4:20 PM | Link to this
Some of Ms. Girtman’s choices are NOT places where other diners should have children inflicted upon them. I was so very appreciative at Longhorn yesterday when the hostess asked if our party contained children. Put parents with children in a separate room (or planet).
By Happily Childfree
June 16, 2008 4:20 PM | Link to this
Ispeak & “D.I.N.K”, you are my heroes! I love you! When my husband & I go out to eat, we want to relax & unwind, not see, smell & hear anyone’s unruly, nose-picking, belching, sloppy-eating tirebiters.
By Mark
June 16, 2008 4:30 PM | Link to this
Children should not be allowed in public until they learn to shut up. Keep your whiney, snottynosed spawns at home until they learn manners.
By rerservoirDAWG
June 16, 2008 4:39 PM | Link to this
There are some real a holes on this board. Don’t get mad at the kids. Their parents are the ones to blame for out of control behavior. That being said, as a former restaurant owner, I gave my management team full authority to ask a table to take their children outside until they could calm down. It is common courtesy to allow others in the establishment to enjoy their meal.
By MamaS
June 16, 2008 4:39 PM | Link to this
Mark - well, they certainly won’t learn manners hanging out with you!
By rerservoirDAWG
June 16, 2008 4:44 PM | Link to this
and by the way Mellow Mushroom sucks. Their staff is full of a bunch dirty stoners.
By mayretter local
June 16, 2008 4:44 PM | Link to this
lighten up people. this blog is for those with kids, not another one for esposusing the fact that you don’t like kids. we understand, and are thankful you aren’t breeding.
By amy
June 16, 2008 4:47 PM | Link to this
I agree. Thanks for listing the places I will avoid. Really, parents, take control of your kids. I went to an Outback once and the kids were running around the tables, jumping in the booths… When I was little, it was a TREAT to go to a restaurant, AND we had to keep our butts firmly planted on the chairs, and act like an adult or else we would not be allowed to go again. There is nothing more agitating than parents who think that their kids are “cute” and also think that the whole world thinks they’re cute and can just do whatever they want, and act like they’re at their house when they’re not.
By VoiceOfReason
June 16, 2008 4:48 PM | Link to this
First, why are you people that don’t like to dine with children on this blog? You really think that if you stick to this list then you’ll never eat with children again? Yeah….good luck with that.
Second, if you hate children so much, I’m guessing that you’re probably not a very ‘lovable’ person yourself. Please tell me where YOU dine and I promise to stay away from there. Thanks in advance.
By fer
June 16, 2008 4:58 PM | Link to this
It’s perfectly fine to want to eat in places free of children, but some of you are so hateful that it’s beyond rude! I suppose you came into this world as fully-grown adults and had no childhood of your own.
By Honky
June 16, 2008 5:00 PM | Link to this
Seriously, children who don’t behave should be sold as slaves…and I blame the parents!
By ispeakthedrewth
June 16, 2008 5:01 PM | Link to this
Voice of Reason I hope you haven’t spawned, but I’m fearful you most certainly already have. You were probably daydreaming about having a clutch of little crumb snatchers when you were in high school. I hope to sit next to you at a booth at Outback one day. I want to get drunk on draft beer and barf down your neck. By the way, my dog loves me plenty.
By some guy
June 16, 2008 5:11 PM | Link to this
I like eating with kids who are parented well. I don’t like eating with kids who haven’t been told/shown that throwing food, screaming, loudly whining, etc in public have any consequences. It’s always fun to watch, though, as some kid runs around the table and mommy turns and unconvincingly says “stop it, Dakota!” then goes back to gabbing
By Meridith Ford
June 16, 2008 5:27 PM | Link to this
For G’s sake people! Calm down. GirlAfraid: Love it. Wish I had thought of Frontera — thanks for the other tips. KC: Ms. Girtman took the picture. if you have a beef with the blog, you’d need to speak with me. Amy: If you eat at Outback, you deserve what you get.
By KidH8R
June 16, 2008 5:43 PM | Link to this
Chuck E Cheese.
By Owned by three big ones
June 16, 2008 6:05 PM | Link to this
As a mother of two and now a grandmother of three, I always receive compliments from not only restaurant staff, but other customers when dining out with them. My children learned early on how to behave in restaurants and I am proud of my daughter and son and their spouses who have taught my grandchildren how to behave also. Good manners and teaching appropriate behavior starts at home and carries over when you are out in public. I too abhor dining with those neglected children of others who run around all over the place, tripping wait staff and generally making an ugly scene. I do blame those parents. And Becky? My seven year old grandson loves crab legs too and we go to Six Feet Under and they are always happy to see him come. He is such a pleasurable dining companion when he comes to visit and I am proud to be with him.
By Stranger
June 16, 2008 6:23 PM | Link to this
What we need now is a list of restaurants to avoid the “kid haters” on this blog. Some parents do not control their children well enough. But if no children ever go out to eat, they never learn how to do it correctly. My child may act a little childish occasionally, but he’ll grow out of it. It’s obvious some of you never will.
By Jen
June 16, 2008 6:38 PM | Link to this
A good family friendly place in Virgina-Highland is Osteria 822.
I love the food there!
And before dark it’s very family friendly with lots of kids. After dark it turns into a night spot. It seems to be a natural transition.
I’ve been there both with my husband and son and also just with the girls.
By SA
June 16, 2008 7:01 PM | Link to this
Why does every single freaking blog about kids and restaurants get taken over by smug, obnoxious people who hate children?? If you haven’t noticed the topic is good restaurants for children—-not “I hate breeders and their snot-nosed spawn.”
I only wish your parents had hated kids as much as you do so we could have been spared from you and your tired rants.
By Andrea
June 17, 2008 9:17 AM | Link to this
Our daughters have enjoyed Woodfire Grill and the staff has been very kind about letting them see the wood burning oven. The angry stares from the other diners were over the top. Don’t assume every child who walks in the door is ill behaved.
Mellow Mushroom depends on the location. We consistently got a waiter who was a seething ball of rage at our formerly regular location. Now that we visit another location, we are happy customers again.
By FCM
June 17, 2008 3:02 PM | Link to this
My kids seem to like the following:
Sweet Tomatoes (yes its a chain)…they like being able to select what they want. I like that they make healthy choices.
Chili’s—not sure what they love about it.
Mellow Mushroom—stoned staff or not the pizza has been rockin’ since the 70’s when I was kid and ate there. That Espernaza dressing would make dirt taste good.
Frontera—they love Mexican food but this one does seem to be a fav. They just opened one out by us.
Pappadaux (sp?)—my eldest loves to go here and get her fill on seafood.
Cracker Barrel—although the rockers and store may be part of the appeal. So are the green beans that are as good as Grandmas.
Marietta Diner and Alpha Soda—these seem to tie. Though the Diner wins for dessert…those cakes are amazing.
Buggaboo is the favorite for steaks. Although this may have to do more with one of the previous managers at Kennesaw location (he moved) than the food.
Wild Wing Cafe—This is the #1 pick when I say what do you want. They like mixing and matching the apps to make a meal.
I realize that most (if not all) of these are chains. However, chains seem to work better for children. Children like familiarity.
By Muffin
June 20, 2008 8:58 AM | Link to this
My nephews seems to like any place that has some other action going on other than the food: Frontera and other mexican joints are always a hit b/c there’s usually live or piped in music for them to dance in their chairs to (i mean sitting in them, not standing on them). And yes I too used to be an avoider of children until I had nephews. You only have to fall in love with one kid before you ease your stance on the rest of them. However I still abhor ill-behaved children. Luckily my nephews are extremely well behaved and if by some chance they weren’t, i can promise you my brother would have them out the door in under 10 seconds.
By Becky
June 20, 2008 9:29 AM | Link to this
owned by three big ones, thanks for the info on Six Feet Under..As for having manners, my 2 are very well behaved when we go out..They order their own food & when the server brings it to the table,they say thank you..As someone else posted, all of these rantig about not wanting to eat where there are kids, I wish your parents had hated children as much as you do..I would rather eat where there are 15-20 kids, than any of you.. May be another blog, but what about adults that don’t say thank you when my 5 yo grandson holds the door open for them when we are out somewhere??
By Julie
June 23, 2008 4:33 PM | Link to this
Becky -I am with you about a blog on people who are rude to polite kids (or little ones who say “HI”). I have a two-year-old son, and I cannot tell you how many people not only don’t respond to him in Target or the grocery store when he looks at them and says “HI! HELLO!” -but roll their eyes and turn away! I’ve really had to bite my tongue on several occasions to keep from asking them what the harm in saying hello back to a child would be. After reading some of these posts, I think I have a good idea who some of these people are -the same ones who don’t say “Thank You” to your grandson. While I wholeheartedly agree that there are many restaurants (and BARS) that kids DO NOT belong in -there are plenty they do belong in, and if you’re going to eat there, don’t give me looks! I keep my child under control, or we are out the door immediately. No running around and screaming tolerated. However, in extremely loud Mexican restaurants and chains like Outback -what do these people expect? I have to say -for a chain -Cheesecake Factory is great for kids. They tag and park your stroller in their coat closet for you, and they’ve always been very accomodating with bringing orange slices and fresh fruit for my little guy to munch on. One word of warning -like everything else there, the kid’s portions are WAY oversized.The chicken fingers would have satisfied my 260 lb father. We usually give him an appetizer plate full of stuff off of our plates -or I think if you had two older kids you could have them split something.