baby friendly places in LA?

[samtron608]

Hi All:

Sometimes we just cant get a baby sitter......

I have a 9 month old...very well behaved in public. If we have a highchair, we can sit him there, give him some baby snacks and he will be content. so no worries about a loud crying baby.

so.....when we take him out with us to eat, we take him to casual places....but wondering if there are any "nicer/better" places to take him for our dinner....

obviously places like Providence, Mellise, are a no no for sure..

Hatfields?....hmmm..probably not

Hungry cat?

Mastros. other steakhouses?

Rivera? probably not..

Pizzeria Mozza?

Animal, Laxy Ox? maybe....

are there any chowhound worthy places that we can take our boy with us?

Help! would love to eat a nice dinner on the fly once in a while with our boy! Thanks!

[Emme]

Angeli Cafe is definitely kid and baby friendly. They'll even give your baby dough to play with... if you want that :)

[westsidegal]

caveat about Angeli Cafe:
their bread is very ADDICTING.
I found myself dreaming about it days later. . .

[maudies5]

Toscana and Tavern are very kid friendly. Tavern, particularly so at brunch. My guess is that Hungry Cat would also be welcoming to kids

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The Hungry Cat
1535 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Toscana Restaurant
11633 San Vicente Blvd Ste 100, Los Angeles, CA 90049

[TonyC]

2 more data:

The adorable toddler running around at Beer Belly yesterday afternoon should be their mascot.
Little Doms has always been very accommodating

There's a whole website dedicated for this very activity in LA:
http://tastertotsla.com/

too bad the op is no longer checking back.

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Little Dom's
2128 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

[Das Ubergeek]

I agree with your assessment, samtron608—we took a very well-behaved toddler to places all over LA and OC and only rarely had a problem. Most places are happy to accommodate, and if you're worried (as we were) about the food "blast radius" problem, ask if they have a napkin you can set under the chair. (Hungry Cat even put out a whole tablecloth.)

It might be worth bringing your own chair-able high chair—that worked well for us—and maybe just avoid the highest-end places, or dine before the rush.

[tablefor1]

Tar Pit is famous for letting the little ones in! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tar-Pit...

Although, I don't necessarily recommend the food.

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The Tar Pit
609 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

[Phurstluv]

Really? Is it really that bad?? I still want to check it out.

[Discokill]

For what it's worth, if you can get in the habit of dining at 5-7 you'll find an entire world of parents eating at nice restaurants with kids in tow. I think I saw more strollers at Izakaya at Kaysu-ya than I've seen anywhere else.

Personally, I've done Akasha, A-Frame, Fraiche and Waterloo & City many times with child in tow (three guesses where I live). Hungry Cat seems like a fine one to me, I've also heard Rustic Canyon is kid-friendly though haven't done it with child personally.

Honestly in all of my dragging child out to eat I've never had an issue. Just be aware of your fellow diners, make honest assesments of what you think is appropriate or not, be prepared to chomp down the rest of your dinner and leave quickly if needed and go early and grab a corner/patio table. And when all else fails, a couple of episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba on the iPhone works wonders for me.

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The Hungry Cat
1535 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Akasha
9543 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

Izakaya
8420 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Fraiche
9411 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

A-Frame
12565 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

[AAQjr]

How was A-Frame with a baby??? It's small, loud and you have to share tables.. (I do like the food! just surprised to see it come up here)

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A-Frame
12565 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

[bulavinaka]

Every time we go, we bring our two kids - eight and 11 - we always sit outside at the "picnic" tables. Never had an issue. It can get very loud inside, and it's kinda cramped - that's why we always sit outside...

[Discokill]

Yeah same here, I try to do outside and have never had a problem. Of all the places I've dragged my 2 yr old to, A-frame has honestly been the easiest, the staff there is so ridiculously kid friendly I've contemplated asking them to babysit.

[bsquared2]

We took our 16 month old to Spice Table and they were as nice as can be. The place is a little small, but they really welcomed our kid. We also had a good experience at Lazy Ox. We had lunch outside and had the place to ourselves. Our child is very good at restaurants so we have been able to go to a lot of places. Even Parks BBQ.

The only place we had a bad experience at was at Lukshon. The pretty much told us we weren't welcome (even though we were eating at 6pm and had reservations!).

Spice Table is a really good choice. Thought the food was great and the service was good. The owners wife is Vietnamese and my wife ended up chatting with her for a bit.

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Lukshon
3239 Helms Ave, Culver City, CA 90034

The Spice Table
114 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

[Phurstluv]

Wow. He's even a Nazi about kids in his place!!

[Phurstluv]

I took my first son, who was less than 2 at the time to Campanile. Luckily my Mother-in--law was also with us, so one of us was watching him and entertaining him at the same time. Perhaps a few diners gave us the stink eye, when after our meal, we let him wander a bit (not by peoples tables, but in the front of the courtyard area, b/c he was fascinated with the fountain), but we never let him disturb other people.

Basically, LA is a super casual town, there are only about 4 or 5 places that are still formal now, so as usual, Servorg's advice is spot on, call the place you're considering, to give them a heads up and inquire as to whether a young child would be welcome. Most ethnic restaurants would never dream of turning you away, it's mainly the trendy spots where adults go to drink and forget about small kids that will be a bit problematic, in that you'll get dirty looks or the resto just won't be as accommodating.

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Campanile
624 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

[Phurstluv]

PS - other places we've taken him or them as small children : Geoffrey's (brunch is a good time to introduce kids to fancier places), Jer Ne (Ritz Carlton in MDR), Chart House, Buca di Beppo, Gladstones, El Tepeyac, I Cugini, & Border Grill.

Now, a lot of these places are not considered CHOW favorites and were chosen simply on the proximity and ease of where we live, but as you know with a young child, sometimes you just need to get out, and the food is not always the star, it's just nice to get a break, and expose your little child to the fine art of dining out. Hey, we were all little at one time, and if my parents didn't start taking me out to steakhouses and luau places when I was 3, I probably would not have turned into the Chowhound I am today.

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Border Grill
1445 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401

I Cugini
1501 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401

El Tepeyac Cafe
812 N Evergreen Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033

[maxzook]

In all the times I've been to Caioti Pizza Cafe in Studio City, I've never not seen children, ranging from newborns and toddlers to teens, and from couples to full-scale parties taking up two-thirds of the restaurant ... and i have never seen misbehavior.

If child-friendliness can be measured by the reaction of a childless single to having kids in the restaurant with him ... I don't know what their secret is, but it works.

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Craft
10100 Constellation Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90067

Caioti Pizza Cafe
4346 Tujunga Ave, Studio City, CA 91604

[ebethsdad]

Its a nice story. I'm surprised you haven't heard it. Caioti's salad dressing is rumored to induce labor in women who are overdue. While this is considered an urban legend it is true that every time I go to Caioti there is at least one family with a baby there. While Caioti doesn't fit the "upscale" label they do have really good pizza, pasta, and, of course, salads.

[NYCnowLA]

I once saw a lady breast feeding her child at a table @Craft. They must be very accommodating! (No Lie) They also have a nice outside area that may be easier for you as the weather turns nicer.

[Servorg]

I would call any place you are seriously considering and check with them about a) the availability of high chairs (for instance I don't think Animal has them) and b) just to generally see how enthusiastic and welcoming they are on the phone about the idea.