Good Food & Kid-Friendly

[sdownes]

Hi, Any suggestions for a restaurant that has really great food but is also kid friendly?

[thegirlwholovestoeat]

Went to Max & Dylans (Theater District) with a 5 year old this weekend. The staff was overly accommodating and the choices on the kids menu were very reasonably priced. There are also a lot of kid-friendly items on the regular menu (think mac n cheese, sliders). both of our meals were great, will definitely be back!

[ceo]

Full Moon in Huron Village, Cambridge is a decent restaurant that caters specifically to families with kids; they have a play area with a train table etc. The menu is a bit limited, but the food is good, for both kids and grownups.

[MrsCheese]

Agree with the others that it's a pretty broad question. I can think of many, many places in the entire Boston metro area. I can give you some of the places we've gone multiple times with our 3 year old: Sel de la Terre (Natick and Long Wharf locations), Trattoria Il Panino, Sichuan Gourmet (Framingham), any restaurant in Chinatown, East Coast Grill, Fugakyu, Moulton's, Il Casale. That's off the top of my head- there are many more.

Some of it depends on the pickiness of the kid(s) - my daughter will eat almost anything, so she's easy to take out because we don't need a kids menu or any special accomodation. I also use the "white tablecloth" test- I tend to shy away from taking her to places that have white tablecloths (of course there are exceptions, but a decent rule of thumb). And then of course there are a few gems like Sel de la Terre that are nice and have very good food AND have a kids menu (that actually has food that real people would want to eat rather than tyson chicken nuggets- SLDT's grilled cheese on brioche is fantastic, and it comes with their rosemary frites just like the "big people food").

[Eatin in Woostah]

Agree, SDLT is a great spot with kids. Small correction - they don't put rosemary on the kid's frites, but they're still some of the best frites in the city. I think the key is that the restaurant be flexible enough to speed up the pace of the meal if it's clear that the kids are really hungry or melting down. So if there is someplace that you've been where you know they just can't get the food out quickly, it may not be the best choice.

[sdownes]

More specifically, 6 and under kids, not a chain, any part of the Boston area and immediate neighborhoods, flexible on price range. Thoughts?

[WilderPenfield]

Fuloon and Gran Gusto have both devoted extra attention to our infant -- she just had her first gelato at Gran Gusto. We've had good luck most places by staying casual and going for either late lunch or early dinner, when the restaurants are grateful for the business and the baby can't oogle other peoples dates and plates, as she likes to do later in the evening.

[sruperto]

gran gusto is fairly kid friendly but the only problem i have is how slow the service can be there sometimes. dining with a 6 year old and 21 month old, i don't always have the luxury of waiting 45 minutes for our entrees to appear.

[gansu girl]

OK, this narrows it slightly, but not much - off the top of my head, there are lots of options in Chinatown - just search the board. Pretty much any casual place in the North End. Picco in the South End is very kid friendly and has food adults will love, too. Full Moon in Cambridge is specifically geared toward diners w/kids - there is a kids play area (but a 6-year-old will think it passe). The food at Full Moon is good, not outstanding.

Personal recs - we eat most often at the food court in the Allston Super 88/Hong Kong market, at Vinh Sun and Great Taste in Chinatown, Shangri La in Belmont. Kitchen on Common in Cushing Sq. Belmont has a nice menu and will give your kid(s) a bowl of noodles/mac-n-cheese if they're not willing to tackle the menu.

Again - the more specifics the easier it is to recommend. We take our first grader lots of places with us, but my usual "rule" is no dinner over $40 w/her along - not enough time/space to enjoy it - so my personal recs are all super-casual spots w/great food.

GG
http://www.semisweetonline.com

[gansu girl]

It really depends on how old the kid is . . . and what sort of food you like, what price range you're up for, what sort of atmosphere. For example, if the kid is an infant, lots of options. If the kid is 2, then you're more limited. There are plenty of casual places with great food that would be kid-friendly (thinking Chinatown, etc.). Want to take your kid to L'Espalier? Not such a great plan, no matter the age.

GG
http://www.semisweetonline.com

[viperlush]

These are some of the restaurants that we successfully brought my infant nephew and his infant cousin.

Ristorante Fiore (on the patio for lunch) in the North End.
Grafton St (Sunday brunch) Harvard Sq
Ginger Park/ Banq (Dinner) South End

[mabelm4050]

Lots. What ages are the kids and what area(s) are you considering? Good kid-friendly chains are Bertuccis and Legal.