kid friendly restaurants Archives - Page 2 of 3

Sarabeth's West: Kid-friendly Restaurants, UWS, New York

April 30, 2013 / Manhattan Munchies, Upper West Side / 3 Comments

A visit to Sarabeth’s usually requires a reservation and careful planning. We were super lucky on this occasion to walk in on a Sunday afternoon and be seated straight away, with no reservation.

Sarabeth’s West has a bit of a different look and feel than the TriBeCa restaurant. It feels slightly more formal, particularly in the upper seating area. While it’s still super kid-friendly (when we walked in, there was a table of no less than eight parents each with a baby), the feel of the restaurant is geared more towards adults than families.

We were all starving, so we promptly ordered Cheese her own meal of grilled cheese and fries. I can neither confirm nor deny whether I ate most of her meal as well as my own. Perk / con of having a toddler – double meals!

The grilled cheese was tasty (ahem), on a sweet brioche bread. The tomato ketchup is not the best idea for a toddler, but Cheese insists on dipping her fries in it and sometimes eating them.

My lemon ricotta pancakes were absolutely delish. Not quite filling enough for lunch, so lucky I had the kid’s leftovers as a fall back.

I don’t usually order juice, but this time I went with the “four flower juice” on a friend’s recommendation. Good call – it was one of the best juices I’ve ever had. I can’t even say why – it was just a taste explosion in my mouth. Order it! You won’t be sorry!

Last bite: Sarabeth’s is the perfect pleaser for both kids and parents who want to eat well in a relaxed, but still elegant, restaurant.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes, but you’ll need to fold it if possible.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Sarabeth’s West
423 Amsterdam Avenue (80th Street)
New York
Phone: (212) 496 6280
Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-10:30pm, Sun 8am–10pm

Isabella's, Upper West Side: Kid-friendly Restaurants, New York

April 21, 2013 / Manhattan Munchies, Upper West Side / 4 Comments

It doesn’t get more kid-friendly than Isabella’s. They’ve got the whole shebang – high chairs, take reservations, friendly wait staff who entertain the kids, crayons, kids’ menu … they’re doing it right, and, as a result, Isabella’s is known as one of the most kid-friendly, elegant, dining spots in Manhattan.

Isabella's, Upper West Side — Ready for brunch!

On our way to the Natural History Museum, we went to Isabella’s for brunch. We were seated as soon as we arrived, thanks to our reservation, and the staff immediately gave Cheese crayons (which she immediately put in her mouth and ate).

Isabella’s looks like such an elegant dining establishment, it’s hard to believe that it’s kid-friendly. The staff are the friendliest we’ve encountered anywhere, talking with Cheese and entertaining her for us (thank you!!!), as well as being efficient and courteous to us.

Isabella's, Upper West Side. Kid-friendly restaurants, New York. — Me and my Cheese.

Last Bite: Isabella’s deserves it’s reputation as a premiere kid-friendly restaurant – we can’t recommend it highly enough for a relaxing meal with your family.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes. Bring a folding stroller though as in rush hour, you’ll struggle to find a place for anything bigger.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Isabella’s
359 Columbus Ave
New York
Phone: (212) 724 2100
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am-10pm Sat-Sun 10am-11pm
Reservations

Bark Hotdogs: Kid-friendly Restaurants, Park Slope, Brooklyn

April 9, 2013 / Brooklyn Bites, New York, New York Food, Park Slope / 0 comment

Finding a great vegetarian hotdog is like discovering a unicorn in Prospect Park. That’s how much I love a good, veggie dog. Last summer I discovered Bark Hotdogs when they set up shop in Brooklyn Bridge Park. I won’t lie, I ate at their concession stand at least three times a week. Bark Hotdogs are actually based in Park Slope – right smack in the middle of our walking path between our home and Prospect Park, making them the perfect stop-off for a really kid-friendly meal.

Bark Hotdogs, Park Slope - kid-friendly restaurants, Brooklyn — Roomy interior with lots of kids.

Bark is super kid-friendly, as evidenced by the random kids we captured just in the picture above. The menu is full of things kids love to eat (hotdogs, burgers and fries, oh my!) as well as beer and wine for adults. I appreciate how both parties are well catered for.

Order and pay at the counter, and park your stoller in the big space there if it doesn’t fit by your table.

What makes their hotdogs so good? For me, is basically that they taste amazing (kind of smokey), without that weird, rubbery texture you usually get with fake meat dogs. My husband always gets the regular meat dogs and he says they’re delicious, so it would seem Bark offers something for everyone.

While there are highchairs, there are only two tables of regular height, so when we put Cheese in a highchair, this is what she looked like. Instead we popped her on our laps until space at a regular table opened up.

The shakes deserve a mention because Cheese and I (ok, just me then) are obsessed with finding the perfect shake. We ordered a classic vanilla malt, and, as you can see, Cheese was a huge fan. It was everything a shake should be – thick, very malty, and totally delicious.

Last bite: Delicious food, fast service, lots of space. The perfect place to bring kids of all ages.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Not a specific menu, but the entire menu is kid-friendly in general.

Bark Hotdogs
474 Bergen St,
Brooklyn, NY
Phone: (718) 789-1939
Hours: Mon-Thur 12pm-11pm, Fri 12pm-12am, Sat 10am-12am, Sun 10am-10pm

Get directions.

Eat & Play In Madison Square Park: Kid-friendly Restaurants And Playgrounds, New York

April 5, 2013 / Cheese, Flatiron, Manhattan Munchies, Outdoor Play / 2 Comments

Tourists love the Flatiron building. Actually, I do too. We end up in this area of town a lot, sometimes passing through with visiting friends, sometimes on our way to or from something fun like a gallery or shopping.

Popular bird sculpture – a new addition to the Flatiron area.

I’m always happy to stop at Madison Square Park, right next to the Flatiron building, because it has the key ingredients (ha!) for a successful outing with little kids. Good food, plenty of options, and a fantastic playground, all in the one block.

Best Place For Overwhelming Food Options: Eataly
Eataly is where to go when you don’t know what you want to eat. It has so many options, from eat-in restaurants to takeaway counters, that there is literally something that everyone will like, even the fussiest of kids. My personal favourite is Le Vedure, the restaurant that focuses on vegetables – it was a huge hit with miss Cheese too, who really enjoyed the cannelloni.

Eataly
200 5th Ave
New York, 10010
Phone: (212) 229 2560
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-9:30pm

Best Food To Grab And Go: Shake Shack
From its humble origin as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park, Shake Shack sure has grown. It’s now the go-to fast-burger of choice for a lot of New Yorkers. Personally, I love their crinkle cut fries and thick, custard shakes. The Shake Shack we know, love and line up for today, officially opened in MSP in 2004. It’s in the perfect location to grab fast, decent food when you’re in the area, and sit in the park to eat it. Be warned though, keep your babies and toddlers away from the shakes – they’re totally addictive, even for the under 2s set.

Shake Shack
Southeast corner of Madison Square Park
Near Madison Ave. and E.23rd St.
Phone: (212) 889 6600
Hours: Open daily, 11am-11pm

Best Place To Let Kids Burn Off Steam: Madison Square Park Playground
Madison Square Park is a huge, beautiful area with a kids’ playground, dog run, and big grassy area. The MSP playground is large and super clean, with a dedicated toddler area as well as the bigger kids’ gym. Good luck keeping your little toddler in their designated area though! The big kid area is just too enticing for little toddlers like our Cheese.

Sarabeth's TriBeCa: Kid-friendly Restaurants, TriBeCa, New York

April 3, 2013 / Manhattan Munchies, TriBeCa / 3 Comments

Sarabeth’s is a New York brunch institution. We finally visited our closest branch in TriBeCa and were not disappointed. A visit to Sarabeth’s requires some planning – make sure to reserve your table via OpenTable well in advance. We arrived right on time and were shown straight to our table – complete with kid’s menu and crayons already waiting for the toddler. A highchair was whisked over, and a sippycup with water in it was handed to Miss Cheese. Way to create a happy atmosphere for the party from the get-go.

Crayons, kids menu/coloring in, sippy cup. Score!

I ordered an omelette for me, pancakes for the Cheese – of course the little girl wanted to eat my omelette, so I ended up with the pancakes. Both were delish though, so not a bad exchange.

imge — Spinach and goat cheese omelette, side of croissant.

Sarabeth’s TriBeCa is such a clean, elegant place to stop by for lunch. Service is fast and friendly, the food is always cooked to perfection. Most importantly for us, everything ran smoothly and quickly, so our toddler didn’t get a chance to get bored and start fussing. This particular branch is large, with lots of tables and space in between, so you never feel cramped. There were also lots of kids happily dining with their families, so we were in good company. And when they’re so kid-friendly, why wouldn’t there be lots of kids? Baby-haters need not worry though – even with several kids of various ages in the restaurant, it’s still a place that adults minus kids will enjoy for the ambiance and really great food.

Two blocks from Sarabeth’s is the Washington Market Park playground. We actually went before lunch as we were early – it was great to have the kid run out off her energy before wanting her to sit still in a highchair for a while. Cheese particularly loved the sandpit in the toddler area. It’s a huge playground though, with two big play gyms for big kids as well as the toddler area.

Washington Market Park, Tribeca – little kids’ area.

After lunch we went to another nearby park – Battery Park, right on the Hudson River. We used to visit this park a lot when I was pregnant, so it was fun to come back again with the baby now 19 months old. I love this park because it has a lot of Tom Otterness sculptures – if you’re a local, you’ll have seen his adorable figures all throughout the 14th St-Union Square station. In this park however, the sculptures are huge and encourage kids to interact with them. Cheese was even more enthralled with the sculptures than she is by most regular playgrounds. She climbed all over them and was so upset when we had to leave to go home for bed.

The Real World sculpture series by Tom Otterness, Battery Park.

Last bite: Sarabeth’s is the perfect pleaser for both kids and parents who want to eat well in a relaxed, but still elegant, restaurant.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes. They have an area in the front entrance where you can leave your stroller.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Sarabeth’s
339 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013
Phone: (212) 966-0421
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-10:30pm, Sat 8am–11pm, Sun 8am–10pm

Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain; Kid-friendly Restaurants, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

March 30, 2013 / Brooklyn Bites, Carroll Gardens, New York, New York Food / 1 Comment

We often end up at the Farmacy on a Sunday afternoon when we’re craving a grilled cheese and shake, and want somewhere close, low key and extremely kid-friendly. I have an obsession with finding the perfect grilled cheese sandwich, and Brooklyn Farmacy has the best grilled cheese I’ve found so far.

Brooklyn Farmacy, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, NY.

The shakes at Farmacy are phenomenal – we always order a vanilla malt thick shake to share. It arrives in an old fashioned glass, so thick that it’s hard to slurp up through the straw.

Sharing a shake, Brooklyn Farmacy, Carroll Gardens, NY.

What makes the grilled cheese so special? The cheese is plentiful and sharp, and oozes out the sides of the bread. The bread is crispy but not hard, and is toasted in a sandwich press rather than being fried, so it’s never oily.

Grilled cheese glory. Brooklyn Farmacy, Carroll Gardens, NY.

One more reason why we keep coming back to the Farmacy – it’s one of the most kid-friendly, baby-friendly, and, thankfully for us, crazy toddler-friendly restaurants in Brooklyn. No one minds if your toddler, like ours, spends their entire time there running around the store and playing with the old fashioned scale in the entrance. Bless you, Farmacy, we love you.

Highchairs: Yes – but only one. There is, however, plenty of room to keep your baby in their stroller at your table.
Stroller storage: Yes – if it’s not too busy you can leave your stroller in the back room or by the front door.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No (there is a large bathroom where you can change your baby on the floor if needed).
Kids’ menu: Not a special menu, but most of the food is friendly for bigger kids.

Brooklyn Farmacy
513 Henry Street (at Sackett st),
Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Phone: (718) 522 6260

Winter/Spring Hours: Mon-Thur 10am-10pm, Fri 10am-11pm, Sat 8am-11pm, Sun 8am-9pm

Get directions.

Superfine; Kid-friendly Restaurants, DUMBO, Brooklyn

March 20, 2013 / Brooklyn Bites, DUMBO, New York, New York Food / 1 Comment

On a cold, unexpectedly snowy day, we trudged on down to check out Superfine in DUMBO. It’s such an in-the-know-only hipster joint – if you didn’t know it was there, you’d walk straight past it.

Inside is a spacious bar and restaurant, where kids are welcome and the cocktails run strong.

We wheeled our jumbotron stroller up the ramp to the eating area and were given a massive table next to some strollers. “Great,” I said to the hostess, “stroller parking!”. “Actually, there are babies in there”, she confided, as she slipped away again. We peeked inside the strollers and, sure enough, there were babies asleep in there. We sat down, baffled as to what to do with the slumbering babes, when their mother came over and let us know that they could sleep through a hurricane, so not to worry about them. Ok!

And that, really, sums up the atmosphere at Superfine. Super casual. Anything goes. Park your stoller (and potentially babies, too) wherever they fit.

We also found some spare toys they had lying around for Cheese to play with when she wasn’t running up and down the ramp like she was possessed by a demon.

We were super keen to try out Superfine’s brunch menu, but I didn’t realise it was only served on Sundays, so we had the Saturday lunch menu instead. My sandwich with fries was fresh and tasty, and the fries were devoured by Miss Cheese.

The cocktails are a must-have. If you’re a lightweight, be prepared to have someone escort you home after just one, as, yes, they are that strong.

Superfine is known for its live bluegrass music, but sadly we didn’t have any during our visit, so perhaps it’s only on Sundays – their website is a bit sparse, so I’d suggest you call them directly for more information on anything.

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

Superfine
126 Front St,
Brooklyn, NY
(718) 243-9005
Call for updated hours.

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Moo Burger; Kid-friendly Restaurants, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

March 16, 2013 / Brooklyn Bites, Cobble Hill, New York, New York Food / 5 Comments

We’re at Moo Burger a lot – it’s our go-to place in the neighbourhood for burgers, shakes and fries. Despite Shake Shake being only a block away, we prefer to walk over to Court Street – for me, it’s because I dream about the uh-mazing sweet potato fries and shakes made with Blue Marble Ice Cream.

The Moo folks sure know their audience. We’re always sat at a table with no wait and Cheese is quickly given a cute little straw cup with water.

Moo’s pitch is “gourmet, organic burgers, sides and drinks, all handcrafted with fresh, local ingredients”. We bring a lot of visitors to eat here and everyone ends up full and very happy.

Especially Miss Cheese. She LOVES the fries. What makes them so great? They’re soft in the middle and crispy on the outside. Basically, your perfect sweet potato fry.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes (stroller must fold up however). On days when it’s not too busy you can fit a larger stroller at the tables.
Easy access: Yes (one step).
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.
Kid-friendly rating: ♥♥♥♥-

MooBurger
240 Court Street,
Brooklyn, NY
Phone: (718) 246 8259

Hours:
Mon 5pm-10pm Tue/Wed/Thu/Sun 12pm-10pm
Fri/Sat 12pm-11pm

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Ellen's Stardust Diner; Kid-friendly Restaurants, Midtown Manhattan, New York

March 13, 2013 / Cheese, Manhattan Munchies, Midtown West / 0 comment

Somehow I’ve managed to live in New York for two years and not hear about Ellen’s Stardust Diner until now. It’s totally a tourist trap – in the middle of Times Square with exorbitant prices, but it boasts something even I was willing to wade through the Times Square mosh pit for – singing waitstaff! And not just any singing waitstaff – Broadway singers between Broadway jobs, literally singing for their supper.

The outside isn’t much to look at. It looked so dodgy in fact, that Alec waited outside with Cheese while I poked my head in to make sure it wasn’t a total dump. What I saw, however, was this …

As you can see from the photo, the diner was packed. It’s two floors so there’s lots of room, and when we arrived at 2pm we didn’t have to wait at all for a prime table.

A word of warning, this place is loud. So loud I had to point at the menu to my waitress after she dropped by once her number was over (she was excellent, by the way. I would totally pay to see her in a show).

The menu is huge – and really overpriced. Be prepared to get totally fleeced in this diner. You will however, in return, get a solid, decent meal, and an amazing show of constant, extremely high quality, singing. Also, take note that you’ll have to tip the staff twice – once to your individual server for their wait service, and once for the entire team for their singing, as they only get paid minimal wage ($5 an hour – WTF?!) and don’t get paid to sing. Whoever is running this joint is making a FORTUNE.

Our visit however was well worth the expense. All three of us enjoyed the singing immensely, as well as being happy with the food. Cheese spent the majority of our time there standing up in the highchair and dancing. She just couldn’t believe all of the live music – when various singers walked straight up to her and sang to her, I thought her little head was going to explode with joy.

This was not a relaxing lunch experience by a long shot – but it was so enjoyable that we will definitely be back. Note to dairy lovers who order shakes – they will bring out the shake in a glass plus the leftovers in the metal cup it was spun in, so unless you can stomach two shakes in a sitting, be safe and share with a friend.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes – bring a folding stroller if possible though.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.
Baby-friendly rating: ♥♥♥♥-

Ellen’s Stardust Diner
1650 Broadway (at 51st st),
New York
Phone: (212) 956 5151
Hours: Mon-Thur 7am-12am, Fri-Sat 7am-1am, Sun 7am-11pm

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Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House; Kid-friendly Restaurants, Midtown Manhattan, New York

February 12, 2013 / Indoor Play, Manhattan Munchies, Midtown, Midtown East, Murray Hill / 0 comment

With the weather so cold and foul, I planned a lunch with friends at Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House purely because they also have a playroom in the building, and because they take reservations for brunch. Smorgas is known for its Scandinavian food, which makes most people think of meatballs. Being vegetarian, obviously meatballs are out for us – thankfully their brunch menu is full of traditional brunchy fare that everyone will like, including picky toddlers.

On arriving, we were met by a friendly hostess who immediately offered us a high chair and kids menu with crayons, and directed us to the stroller parking area. Immediate score! Between the waffles we ordered for the Cheese off the kid’s menu and the crayons, our cheesy little friend was having a ball.

Our server was a bit slow to take our order – and we had some really annoying screw ups with my order in the kitchen. Take note – do not try and make changes to any items on the menu, or you’ll be sorry! Also, if you’re a vegetarian, check your dish carefully for meat as you eat it.

The food was pretty good – the Cheese loved her waffles (which came with a little milk box).

After lunch we made our way to the Heimbold Family Children’s Playing and Learning Center upstairs. It was a pretty cute little area – lots of engaging things for kids to play with, like a slide, train table, play kitchen and mushroom house. It was also completely packed with parents and kids, so it wasn’t the best experience – toddlers all wanting to play with the same toys … cue all kinds of excitement!

Would we be back? Probably not to the restaurant, unless we wanted to go to the play space again. When the weather is nasty out, it’s definitely a really good option for a Saturday afternoon.

Highchairs: Yes. Stokke of course!
Stroller storage: Lots – bring your giant stroller if needs be.
Easy access: Yes. They have elevator access.
Change tables: Yes – although you have to get the elevator down to the floor below to use the restrooms, which is a bit odd.
Kids’ menu: Yes.
Baby-friendly rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Smorgas Chef @ Scandinavia House
58 Park Ave
(between 37th St & 38th St)
New York, NY 10016
Phone: (212) 847 9745

Hours:
DINNER: Mon-Sat 5pm-9:30pm
Brunch: Sat-Sun 11am-5pm
Lunch: Mon-Fri 11am-5pm

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