Adventure, baby!

Nolita

Tacombi: Kid-Friendly Restaurants Nolita, New York

#Tacombi: #kidfriendly #restaurants #LES #nyc via brunchwithmybaby.com

Tacombi started out selling tacos out of converted VW bus in Playa del Carmen. Now, comfortably parked in Nolita, Tacombi transports taco-lovers to the streets of Mexico by offering a piece of the Mexican beachside lifestyle set up in a garage just off Houston Street.

The food at Tacombi is prepared from scratch everyday, using fresh, wholesome ingredients to serve up the diversity of homestyle Mexican beach cuisine in a simple taco.

#Tacombi: #kidfriendly #restaurants #LES #nyc via brunchwithmybaby.com

For a largish party of six, we ordered a variety of the tacos on the menu. They have quite a few varieties, plus a dish called Corn Esquites ($3.95; toasted corn, lime, & chipotle mayo) that is a crowd pleaser. Each dish is pretty small. The restaurant advises having three tacos per person as an ideal portion. We ordered the Guacamole Con Totopos ($11.49) which was actually a star dish. The tortilla chips look to have been made in house, and the guac was creamily divine. We had to order a second helping since it was so good. Our non-vegos ordered Crispy Fish tacos ($4.49 for two). My dish was the Tostada Del Amor ($4) which featured refried beans, avocado and cheese. Absolutely delicious, but I should have ordered another serving.

The beauty of Tacombi with kids is how entertaining it is for older toddlers and above. The big VW in the middle of the room is actually where the tacos are dished up, so not only is it fun for kids to run around looking at the car, they can also watch their food being made while they wait. The restaurant is a super casual, no-frills kinda place, which is also idea for taking little ones who aren’t good at sitting still and keeping food on their plates.

The taqueria is pretty big, but the wait is still long for a table, so arrive early and put your name down. They will seat incomplete parties, however, which was great for us as two of our friends were running super late, and we were still able to sit down and start ordering food.

#Tacombi: #kidfriendly #restaurants #LES #nyc via brunchwithmybaby.com

#Tacombi: #kidfriendly #restaurants #LES #nyc via brunchwithmybaby.com

#Tacombi: #kidfriendly #restaurants #LES #nyc via brunchwithmybaby.com

#Tacombi: #kidfriendly #restaurants #LES #nyc via brunchwithmybaby.com

#Tacombi: #kidfriendly #restaurants #LES #nyc via brunchwithmybaby.com

#Tacombi: #kidfriendly #restaurants #LES #nyc via brunchwithmybaby.com

#Tacombi: #kidfriendly #restaurants #LES #nyc via brunchwithmybaby.com

Last Bite: Tacombi serves up homestyle, beach-inspired Mexican cuisine in Nolita. Take friends on the prowl for a trendy lunch. Wriggly kids are welcome.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Tacombi
267 Elizabeth St.
New York, NY
Phone: (917) 727 0179
Prices: $$
Hours: Sun-Wed 11am-12AM, Thurs-Sat 11am-1am. Now open for breakfast Sat & Sun 9am-1pm
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Butcher's Daughter: Kid-Friendly Cafes Nolita, New York

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Being vegetarian, I was super excited to try out The Butcher’s Daughter, a new juice bar, cafe and “vegetable slaughter house”. The cafe treats fruits and vegetables as a butcher would meat: They chop, fillet and carve fresh produce into heathy vegetarian dishes as well as press them into pretty juices. The menu changes daily to reflect seasonal fruits and vegetables, and is 100% vegetarian and non-dairy. Most of the items on the menu items are vegan and gluten-free, and they are happy to prepare substitutions for most dietary restrictions (yay! Fussy eaters + special dietary folks rejoice!).

The Butcher's Daughter - kid-friendly cafes, Nolita, New York via brunchwithmybaby.com

We arrived at peak brunch hour — 1pm on a Sunday. There were a few free tables and we were seated straight away at the communal table. The interior is pretty small (seating 35 people max). During the warmer months they can fit an additional 30 people outside.

The Butcher's Daughter - kid-friendly cafes, Nolita, New York via brunchwithmybaby.com

While we were seated quickly, we had to wait a while for our server to realise that we needed menus, and again a while longer to be served water. Our server helpfully offered to give Cheese a smaller paper cup out of which to drink, but of course Cheese only wanted Mommy and Daddy’s huge metal cups (but it was a really nice thought).

The Butcher's Daughter - kid-friendly cafes, Nolita, New York via brunchwithmybaby.com

Alec’s standard favourite brunch dish is eggs Benedict. He ordered The Butcher’s Daughter equivalent — the Smashed Avocado Benedict (two poached eggs, curried hollandaise, ripe avocado smashed with curry, mustard seed and lime, on a whole-grain English muffin, served with roasted potato hash, $15). Alec’s comments: “The bread was quite solid and dense, which balanced the light eggs and hollandaise sauce. The potatoes were quite lightly spiced too. Really tasty. The only odd note was the watermelon, but I didn’t mind it.”

The Butcher's Daughter - kid-friendly cafes, Nolita, New York via brunchwithmybaby.com

I ordered the Egg Sandwich Platter (folded eggs, carrot cashew cheese, kale, tomato jam on toasted 7-grain served with roasted potato hash, $14). I was in absolute heaven. The eggs and carrot cashew cheese were creamy and flavoursome — but the big hit was the sweet and spicy tomato jam. It really gave a punch to the sandwich and elevated it to one of my top brekkie sandwiches (my other fave is from local Brooklyn cafe Ted & Honey).

The Butcher's Daughter - kid-friendly cafes, Nolita, New York via brunchwithmybaby.com

Cheese was being a fussy bugger and only picked at a few things from our plates. We tried bribing her to sit still with the phone, but it only gave us enough time to scarf down our food at an indigestion-inducing rate, and to high-tail it out before we embarrassed ourselves in this super-hip joint.

Despite the high prices and slow service, The Butcher’s Daughter is my kinda place. There are a lot of vegan joints, but few (if any?) that are dedicated vegetarian, where you can still get things like eggs, honey and yogurt on the menu (you can have these items substituted for things like tofu eggs if you’re vegan). All the food is foraged from farms in upstate New York and Connecticut by Michael Geller of Mike’s Organics.

The Butcher’s Daughter also specialises in freshly-made juices and smoothies, plus a juice cleanse of varying levels that you can try (juice and raw food, juice and a bit of raw food, or just juice).

It’s worth noting that while this cafe is small, there is some room for the odd full-size stroller, especially near the bar area on the left side of the cafe. Your best bet is to bring an umbrella stroller or carrier.

The Butcher's Daughter - kid-friendly cafes, Nolita, New York via brunchwithmybaby.com

Last Bite: A vegetarian and juice-lover’s heaven. Be prepared for a long wait and steep prices, but once your food comes out you won’t regret it. Kids are welcome although not catered to. Start your baby’s hipster training right here!

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: Very little.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

The Butcher’s Daughter
19 Kenmare St
New York, NY
Phone: (212) 2193434
Prices: $$
Hours: Sun-Thur 8am-10pm, Fri-Sat 8am-11pm