The holidays are right around the corner, and for better or for worse, that means you’re going to be expected to put in some quality time with the family. Fortunately, if you’re not into the whole entertaining thing, you can always round up the gang and head to a restaurant instead. Each of these restaurants have received accolades for being some of the most family-friendly restaurants in the country. Here are 11 great restaurants for dining with a family.
Broward-Palm Beach
Rainforest Café
Rainforest Café has been at Sawgrass Mills for more than a decade, but for tykes and the young at heart, the restaurant’s gimmicks still seem fresh. Lightning flashes. Thunder cracks. A thin mist wafts. Monkeys chatter. Drums beat out an African rhythm. It’s all simulated, of course, but…More >>
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| Yes it’s cheesy, but it’s a winner with the kids. |
Dallas
Fuji Steak House and Sushi Bar
Don’t let the kids sidetrack you to the Chili’s next door or the Goff’s across the parking lot. The real deal in kids’ meals is the far pricier Fuji’s Steak House and Sushi Bar. Yes, this is one of the best sushi bars in the city, thanks to chef Son Le, formerly of Steel fame–one that you…More >>
Denver
Locanda del Borgo
Okay, you’re done dating. You’ve navigated the end game, gotten married, made a family. But you’re still a human being! You can’t live forever on Happy Meals and quote/unquote family restaurants. Sometimes you just have to take the plunge and take the kids to a place with real chairs and…More >>
Red Trolley
Who’s the party pooper who decided that happy hours were just for the boozin’ crowd? Shouldn’t everybody be able to revel in that special time of day when the sun slants just right through the trees and proprietors slash prices like maniacs? Red Trolley, the popular new ice cream joint on West…More >>
Houston
Tony’s Mexican Restaurant
The bar at Tony’s Mexican Restaurant stays busy serving up margaritas and mojitos, but its clientele is mainly families. It has the three main requirements for a happy family dinner: good food, low prices and a kid-friendly staff. Tony’s offers kid’s plates including quesadillas, tacos,…More >>
Miami
Pacific Time
Jonathan Eismann’s two biggest fans — daughters Landon, age 3, and Morgan, age 8 — were inspiration for the kids’ tasting menu now offered at Pacific Time (Morgan created the menu’s art design). Forget mac and cheese or PB&J; sandwiches. We’re talking tuna tartare with Idaho…More >>
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| Pacific Time boasts a winning combination of critical praise and kid friendliness |
Minneapolis
Quang Restaurant
Guest Best: Stewart Woodman When a family dines out as a team, simplicity is essential. Here are foolproof instructions for feeding your clan by the most direct route possible. First, go to Quang. Order a strawberry bubble tea for each child, a pho (number 506 is preferred) to…More >>
Nashville
Bailey & Cato Family Restaurant
You’ll want to pop a Caduet before taking on the chicken at Bailey & Cato’s. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels elevate the minute you lay eyes on this East Nashville cottage restaurant, which looks like a scene from road-foodie Michael Stern’s wet dream. Once inside, you’ll encounter…More >>
Orange County
The Pike
Not to be confused with that taxpayer-subsidized, almost-always-barren-of-tourists monstrosity known as the Pike in Rainbow Harbor, Long Beach’s the Pike is a bar and grill owned by Chris Reece, drummer of the famed SoCal punk band Social Distortion. Located on Fourth Street near the Art…More >>
Phoenix
La Piazza al Forno
When we imagine the ideal neighborhood Italian joint, we picture a casual, convivial spot on a charming street, a place where locals gobble up great pizza, knock back a few glasses of wine over steaming bowls of pasta, and are generally treated like family by doting owners. And guess what? It’s…More >>
| “The Piazza family dishes up great pizzas, pasta, and homemade desserts at La Piazza al Forno.” |
St. Louis
Onesto Pizza & Trattoria
Look, you can let the kids drag you to another grim fast-food joint or one of those arcade-type restaurants where pot-addled teens in rodent costumes redolent of 30 years of b.o. try to distract the tykes from the fact that the pizza they are eating has a crust made out of industrial-grade…More >>
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