Hipster babies rejoice – they, too, can brunch in trendy SoHo at Public. While not a hugely family-friendly venue, they do have high chairs and are very accommodating to babies. Great food (lamingtons!) and atmosphere – a perfect choice for brunch with friends who aren’t into the regular family-restaurant scene. No reservations for brunch, so arrive when they open to be seated first.
Lamingtons! Oh, and other tasty food.Cool, industrial space.Breakfast, Aussie-style.Baby and boys check out the self-serve treats.
This chic little eatery is part of The National Hotel. No-fuss breakfast and brunch are their speciality. Babies are more than welcome, with staff especially friendly towards the young diners.
Highchairs: Yes. Stroller storage: Yes. Easy access: Yes (there is a special entrance for wheelchairs and strollers). Change tables: No. Kids’ menu: No. Kid-friendly rating: ♥♥♥–
The National
557 Lexington Ave (at 50th st)
New York, NY 10022
Reservations: (212) 715 2400
You don’t get more family friendly than the Bubby’s restaurants. The TriBeCa branch is a bit more upmarket than its Brooklyn sibling, but also has less space. Tables are a bit crowded together, making for a squished dining experience. A bright, rowdy atmosphere makes it fab for families. Take the kids to the nearby Hudson River Greenway afterwards to run around.
Highchairs: Yes. Stroller storage: Yes. Stroller parking is outside the restaurant – be prepared to leave it on the street. Easy access: Yes. Change tables: Yes. Kids’ menu: Yes. Kids-friendly rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Bubby’s TriBeCa
120 Hudson St, New York 10013
(At N Moore St)
Phone: (212) 219 0666
Elegant dining – with kids? Absolutely possible at Maialino; kids and babies are made to feel very welcome. Despite not having a kids’ menu, the staff offered several suggestions for meals they could make for the 11-month-old babies we had dining with us. We chose the pasta with a butter sauce – and no-one even batted an eye at the piles of pasta thrown on the floor. Sorry about that, Maialino – next time perhaps spaghetti noodles are not the best idea for babies with minimal hand-eye coordination.
Cheese loves the specially-made pasta.Alexis and Baby J multi-tasking.We made it!
Highchairs: Yes. Stroller storage: Yes, for strollers that fold up. Easy access: Yes. Change tables: No, but the restrooms are in the lobby of the Gramercy Park Hotel, which are large and have space for diaper changes. Kids’ menu: No, but they will cook custom dishes for kids on request. Kids-friendly rating: ♥♥♥–
For Alec’s first Father’s Day, we wanted to try a restaurant near Central Park. Landmarc at the Time Warner Center is right on the edge of Central Park, at Columbus Circle, so it’s the perfect location if you want to dine and then stroll or play.
With Dad and the spoon.
Landmarc features standard breakfast and brunch food, like omelettes, pancakes and egg dishes. I found them to be a bit over priced (a basic omelette starts at $18), you do get to eat lunch with a killer view of the park and Columbus Circle.
A real family restaurant, there are always lots of kids dining at Landmarc – which will be obvious as soon as you arrive and see all of the strollers parked outside. Be sure to reserve your table in advance via Open Table.
Last bite: Solid food, great view, and you’re right on Central Park!
Highchairs: Yes. Stroller storage: Yes. Stroller parking outside the front of the restaurant (inside the Time Warner Center), or you can bring in small foldable strollers with you. Easy access: Yes. Change tables: Yes. Kids’ menu: Yes.
Landmarc
10 Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10019
Phone: (212) 823 6123
Delicious organic, vegan food – that even the fussiest carnivore will enjoy. Welcome to Cafe Blossom.
Vegan BLT sandwich.
Alec took me to Cafe Blossom for my first Mother’s Day. It was the perfect location for a special outing – unique (and cruelty-free!) dishes, made with flair and obvious love.
Baby greens and flowers salad.
I was pleasantly surprised at how baby-friendly Cafe Blossom was. They couldn’t have been more accommodating, or friendly towards us and Cheese.
Trying out a healthy fry.
Cheese loved the (healthy!) fries, while I was enamoured with every dish on the menu. Usually I only get a choice of one or two vegetarian items, so to have an entire menu of dishes that I can eat is such happiness.
Fruit crumble.
Cafe Blossom take reservations – which I would strongly recommend, especially on weekends.
Happy first mother’s day to me!
Last bite: If you’re vegetarian, vegan, or just love delicious food, check out Cafe Blossom. Be sure to try our favourite dishes, the BLT and fruit crumble.
Highchairs: Yes. Stroller storage: Minimal. Bring a small, fold up stroller or carrier. Easy access: Yes. Change tables: No. Kids’ menu: No.
Cafe Blossom
41 Carmine St, New York 10014
(Btwn Bedford & Bleecker St)
Phone: (646) 438 9939
Not only is the food at this famous establishment delicious, the staff is also more than accommodating towards babies. While we were initially trepidatious about bringing the babies to Balthazar, the staff checked our strollers and sat us down quickly.
Little Cheese enjoying Balthy.
The ever-helpful staff brought us bread for the babes to chew on, baked freshly in the Balthazar Bakery, gave kids spoons to play with (which then then spent a considerable amount of time picking up again off the floor …), and a little crayon kit to draw with.
The bread basket – fresh bread and pastries from the Balthazar bakery.
Brunch at Balthazar means fresh bread and pastries, best ordered in the bread basked and shared with a group, and one of their delicious egg dishes.
Scrambled eggs in puff pastry with asparagus
I always order the same thing – the scrambled eggs in puff pastry with asparagus (it actually comes with mushrooms as well, but I request it without the shrooms as I’m a bad vegetarian and hate mushrooms. It’s one of Balthazar’s signature brunch dishes for a good reason – perfectly cooked eggs and asparagus in flaky puff pastry. Yum!
The only downside we experienced was that the tables are tightly packed, making it hard to squeeze in with a highchair. Get to know your neighbours well! Reservations (a few weeks in advance if possible) are recommended to avoid waiting, particularly on weekends.
Highchairs: Yes. Stroller storage: Yes. Easy access: Yes (no stairs). Change tables: No (they do have ample bench space in the restrooms however and are more than happy for babies to changed there). Kids’ menu: No.
Balthazar
80 Spring Street
(b’ween Broadway and Crosby)
New York, NY
Reservations: +1 (212) 965 1414
