Name some family friendly restaurants! Something where a toddler could make noise and not a huge scene, maybe a place that understands a kid needs to eat and we can't wait 45 minutes for our food to come out...?
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I think any of your big chains are good, Chili's, Ruby Tuesday, Applebee's, Olive Garden, etc. They all seem relatively rambunctious whenever I have gone.
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We’re not big fans of chain restaurants, so there are probably a bunch I haven’t tried, but I was impressed with the kid’s menu at Pizzeria Uno. They can get pizza or pasta, and with the pasta they can have as many veggies in it as you want without any additional charge. They serve big portions too; my LO eats a big lunch and then has enough left over for dinner too. The food is ok; pretty standard chain quality.
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Do you have a Red Robin? That's the first one that came to mind for kid-friendly sit down restaurants.
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I love rain forest cafe because it's so loud in there no one ever hears her if she gets upset. Plus there is so much for her to look at she behaves really well anyway.
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Family friendly for us is something with a counter where you can order and pay, so you eat at your own pace, lol.
Any place with a salad bar is also good, you can get something while you wait.
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@Emsmems: Agreed. At least at our local Red Robin, they've kind of divided the restaurant into the bar/adults only side and then more of a family side. It's a great choice for young kids.
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@Emsmems: @coopsmama: I thought about that, too. Ours is so far away, though - at least 25 minutes to get there.
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Cheesecake Factory works well for us because it's loud and they have a kid's bread plate that includes bananas.
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I agree, chains seem to be best. They seem to seat a noisy section vs quieter section. Also, anywhere with outdoor seating.. Loud kids sound a lot less loud outdoors! Lots of local diner type places seem to be kid friendly as well.
Here are our favorite places to go with our two active, loud kids
B.good
Panera
Chili's
99 restaurant
Bertucci's
IHOP
50s diner (local diner)
Shake shack
Friendly's
Whole Foods
Cheesecake Factory
Papa Gino's
Mall food courts -
If you like Dim Sum, for us it seems dim sum places are easy to take kids too since food comes out quickly in carts and you eat and go fairly fast.
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Chinese restaurants are child friendly for sure. Food comes out quickly, and the restaurants are so loud that i'm not too concerned if LO fusses.
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Agree with RAINDROP & FREKCLES... In general I feel like most Asian restaurants (non high end) are very kid friendly.
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Going to have to agree with @Raindrop dim sum restaurants are loud and fast. We go with my two nephews and my LO has a blast yelling and no one notices!
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California Pizza Kitchen
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IHOP! On Friday's they even have a guy there making balloon animals
and kids eat free!
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In addition to chains, I find diners to be a good option too. We have a few local restaurants here that are open floor plans which makes them pretty loud and they are pretty family friendly. I have actually called local places before to ask them if they are kid friendly too. Sometimes they immediately answer "of course" and sometimes they stutter and offer to go check which I take as code for no.
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@Freckles: @Raindrop: LO loooves dim sum!!! Her favorite are the shrimp rice noodles like mommy.
We don't eat out at restaurants much but when we do it tends to be local and casual. We haven't had an issue yet taking LO to restaurant. Usually places are quick quick to bring apps out or give her crayons now. And usually for the first 10-15 she is occupied people watching. Lol
Mexican, Asian restaurants, Italian family style are all good bets! And agree on diners. We've even taken LO to a "fancier" crepe place and they were actually much more family friendly than I thought. The owner /chef brought her a fruit plate and a personal crepe all free of charge!
I have also find she does better sitting at the booth or a regular chair than a high chair or booster.
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@locavore_mama: She looooves anything with shrimp but sadly, we think she's allergic because her face gets really red afterwards.
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@Freckles: oh nooooo!!!! Sad face.
I would be so sad if LO was allergic too. the beef ones are just not as good!
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@T-Mom: Ooo good suggestion. M goes to town on the bread and bananas while we can take our time reading the HUGE menu!
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@MamaMoose: we always go right at 5pm.. We are so lame, haha. It's us and the other parents of little kids!
We have also been known to frequent buffets because of the "immediate food" benefit. Our food standards have really gone down after having kids, haha. Chinese buffet, Italian buffet, salad buffet.. and the kids like the free soft serve that usually comes with.
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@T-Mom: " Our food standards have really gone down after having kids, haha."
That is totally us.
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Chipotle!
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Indian buffet!
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We like to go to the Indian buffet. Most food are soft enough for LO to eat even though she only has 4 teeth and they never charge us for her! She's not afraid of spicy food though!
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I 2nd the Indian/Chinese buffet suggestions. We also love Ledos (a local pizza chain)
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We go out several times a week and take him to most places with us (we avoid big chains and go local when we can)- we are just very careful about WHEN we go. We avoid going out on Friday/Saturday nights when there is always a long wait, or for brunch we go earlier Sunday mornings to avoid big after church crowds. We also use the Open Table app to avoid long waits if we go during a busier time.
Our favorites are pubs and breweries- there is usually plenty of background noise so he doesn't attract any additional attention and a decent selection of foods to choose from. We also ALWAYS bring a sippy cup of water or milk and a favorite snack so he stays busy while we wait for food to come. He also likes to dip our straws into our water glasses and drink that way- it keeps him busy and happy! He almost always eats off our plates with whatever we are having, I hate the prices and lack of nutrition in most kids' meals.
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Mexican restaurants. They are usually loud, the food comes fast, and you are in and out quickly.
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Oh.. Also, whenever we go out to eat (not very often now with the two kids making it more chaotic and more expensive!) We arrive at 5, order the kids' food as soon as we sit down, have the waiter come back to take our order, and once the kids are done with their food (usually right as we are about halfway done with ours) we let them watch videos on the tablet or my big screened phone. It's a beautiful system. No shame about the tablet in public because it keeps them QUIET.
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@MamaMoose: @T-Mom: @mrs. wagon: 5pm is key for us, as well. That way she's not cranky or tired and we get there before the crowd. I think we may have to try Cheesecake Factory this week! We're having a "family" Valentine's dinner since I'm heading out of town on Friday.
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@LemonLong: @beaker: buffets are a great idea, too!!
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@beaker: We still haven't tried Ledos, but I know so many families that love it!
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