Children's meals -how old is too old?

[popmimiboo]

Obviously depends on the child, but when do you think it becomes unreasonable to order a children's meal in a restaurant?
(I live abroad and not many places do children's menus as such so I was just wondering!)

I think it depends on how big an appetite they have. Most kids meals are tiny and lacking choice. In my poor college days I did sometimes order a kids meal to save dosh

Generally they say up to age 10 or 12 in places we've been to. Dd1 was angling for an adult menu last time we went out. I said fine, but we weren't having pudding with adult menu so if she wanted pudding would need to have children's - she went for children's option!

I remember my nan had one at her 80th birthday meal, as she couldn't eat large platefuls of food!

I'd agree 10 - our 10 year old DD can happily eat an adult portion (no idea where she puts it, she seems to have hollow legs) but a kids meal leaves her hungry.

It varies I think. Some places specify under 10 or 12. My dd1 has just turned 11 and for the last year or so has been gravitating more towards the adult menu.

I was out with my 76 year old mum yesterday.

She ordered from the kids menu

8-9?
Limited range, small portion and childish fish finger type options probably limit beyond this

My boys still torment dd who ate children's meals at age 16. She has an appetite like a mouse and still looked young enough to get away with it. Now at 21 she eats off of the light bites menu or has a starter rather than a main.

My DS isn't great with unusual food and has a tiny appetite, he's nearly 10. While I'd love for him to want to eat bigger portions and be more experimental, I'm happier to take the risk of him not liking/eating much at home, rather than in a restaurant so I hope he can keep ordering from the kids menu for a while yet!

Dd who is 13 still has childrens meals at some places as the adult portions can bw ridiculous. Sometimes she will have a light bite.

I guess around 10 years old is normal to stops eating children's meals.

Howver I really wish restaurants would just offer two portion sizes for all dishes. DD (13) has a small appetite and can be overfaced by an adult meal but she wants something more grown up than burger/fishfingers/pizza & chips!

Not what you are asking, but a pub near us has a 'smaller appetites' menu which is proper real food, and is utilised by children, older people and people like me who are always dieting. It's great. Much better than a 'kid's menu' which is usually an afterthought by restaurants.

Another pub has a 'children's menu' but also says they will do half portions of regular meals for children on request.

Bloody brilliant that.

I really dislike kid's menus that specify 'under 12s only' or whatever.

My dd is 6 and no longer really wants this. They often end up being just as expensive as it might be entire 3 course meal from kids menu v adult main course (which dd prefers).

That said I would happily order ffrom kids menu for self if I wanted to. Can't see why you shouldn't.

I often order childrens portions for myself

A lot of the places we eat at have two different sizes of children's menu.

It's been 12 on most menus I've seen, but my kids starting eating adult options before that in most places because they don't really like chicken nuggets/fish fingers etc. They would happily have had a children's pizza or pasta but that's not always available. I still love it when (rarely) a restaurant has a really varied children's menu, even though the days for that are long gone in our family.

I recently went to a place... a really apparently dingy tea shop type thing.... that had a great children's menu, including quite simple things like vegetable sticks and hummus, cheese sandwich up to the usual chicken nuggets, to the more unusual home made chicken liver pate, mini beef wellingtons etc. The children;s menu had about 15 options on it, all of it homemade and nothing over £5.00. It catered to EVERYTHING. I was very seriously impressed.

My problem is DS. DD1 is 13 and can eat more than me so the "normal" menu is fine. DD2 is 9 and not very adventurous so kids' menu is fine for her.
DS, however is picky beyond belief and really doesn't eat much but, at 15, he doesn't want to be choosing from the kids menu. Last time he ate a side order of garlic bread as his main but I'm sure he'd have preferred the childrens pasta or something.

My 8 yo sometimes eats if the kids menu, sometimes the adult. He tends to have jacket spuds given the chance. The best kids menus are those which state that half potions from the adult menu are available and have kids and junior meals too. My DS doesn't tend to pick burgers or nuggets but lots of places offer chicken wraps or sausage and mash which he likes.

I reckon 10 or 12 is the limit. He shared a starter with me and had a kids meal and a pud yesterday. He still wanted popcorn on the way home. Regular kids meals are not enough for him at 8.

dd 15 and her best friend ordered a child's meal each.

or they might even have shared it
they were paying for themselves though.

otherwise I guess 10 or so

Most places that 'do' kids meals are mainly the Iceland type of dinners I find. Only one that doesn't around here is the mexican and they still also do nuggets etc option.
Luckily we can order an adult portion and split it between out 2. One chooses the main, one chooses the pud. The restaurant make the same revenue (have twice as much washing up) but know we'll return as it is good customer service.