Child-friendly restaurants/cafes in the City

[SpareWheel]

I sometimes work in the Western End of the City of London and try to have lunch with DW and the DKs there if we can.

Often we go to Pizza Express (they ALL have high-chairs, nappy changing and they have just started doing a kiddies menu ) and a like a few other places, but we fancy a change. Any suggestions?

Places we like in or near the City:
The Crypt Cafe under St. Paul's
Pizza Express (Ludgate Circus, London Wall and Bishopsgate)
Sofra on the edge of Covent Garden
Pizza Paradiso at the Cut - they dote on the DKs there
Bank at Aldwych
Loch Fyne in Covent Garden - they have GREAT fish and the best baby-changing facilities I've come across yet
Benugo/Deli Restaurant in the Crowne Plaza on New Bridge Street
Shakespeare's Globe Restaurant

[Not close to the City, but absolutely fabbo is the Blue Kangaroo in King's Road] - great food and a lovely soft play area

We really don't like:
The White Swan in Fetter Lane (they wouldn't even let us through the door with DKs)
Davys (WAY too smoky - roll on July)
Porters in Covent Garden (very rude, slow and salty overcooked food)
Sweetings in Queen Victoria Street - no high chairs or facilities

Sparewheel, hasn't one of those smart burger chains set up on Ludgate Hill?
I work central City and my top tips for family lunch are The Place Below (under St Mary le Bow on Cheapside), the Barbican Waterfront Cafe on sunny days and the Wagamama under Citypoint just off Moorgate.
Nice to picnic in Finsbury Circus Gardens too but that might be a bit easterly for you.
Respect for even thinking of taking a baby into Sweetings Did they all do a Bateman stare at you?

Thank you so much, Marina.

There is a Wagamama on Fleet Street, but down a steep flight of stairs and all long bench seating.

We do like the Place Below - the food is lovely and the staff are really friendly, but finding a table can be a prob sometimes and DD hates being jostled.

The Wagamama at Citypoint is fully buggy accessible and there is usually at least one PFB being proudly shown off to a gaggle of colleagues

Just next to the City at Liverpool Street is Spitalfields market and in the new bit of it there's a Giraffe and Canteen (The Observer Food's best restaurant this year) both of which are very child friendly. I

I use museum cafes as default-child-friendly places - so Museum of London is the obvious one in the City.

We have been several times to Flaneur on Farringdon Road - odd location, and I think it hasn't done as well as it should because of that - but loved it utterly.

There is a sweet little serious Italian vegetarian place on Whitecross St near the Barbican - Carnevale - not specially set up for children & may not have high chairs (so perhaps better for slightly older) but very appealing & welcoming.

Bink - you are a * - Museum of London's a great idea.

I've just checked and they have a 15% off voucher for the cafe on their website.

Thanks! Went to Museum Cafe this lunchtime.

It's quite nice - got an open area to sit in the sun and the food's OK too. They've got a little enclosed patch of grass in a sunken garden where DKs can run around. Also it's not too far from the Barbican, so they can look at the fountains (maybe we should have gone straight to the Barbican Waterfront Cafe anyway!)

Flaneur on Farringdon Road sounds quite good, but no high chairs so maybe something for when DKs are older...

Haven't seen a new burger place, but don't often venture up that end.

I think Smiths of Smithfield is fairly child friendly - haven't been there for years but used to take dd there when she was little and dh worked in the area and had to work weekends sometimes...

I second the suggestion of Giraffe in Spitalfields.

Bink, you know how Old School the Bank of England is...they probably don't even have women's loos never mind weekend opening
Flaneur looks delightful, must go there soon.
Know and love Carnevale although have not been for ages.
Might as well name and shame the otherwise wonderful Alba, also on Whitecross Street as being the sort of place that makes mums with pushchairs go and sit in the basement handy for the loos and the bins . Can't have shouting infants upsetting the big City boys upstairs can we? And the owner is a parent of young children himself, for shame
Glad you had a nice time SpareWheel.
Museum of London is great but a bit too close to the works canteen for me

Agree, Smiths of Smithfield (ground floor) is very child friendly. The food is fine, although, IMO, not what it used to be.

Leon is a v good chain with kids. There's one at Ludgate Circus, and one at Spitalfields. Excellent v healthy food, good attitude, etc.

We also like Gourmet Burger Kitchen, which has a branch facing St Paul's Cathedral (south of it, next to a Cafe Rouge and the Apostrophe). Very nice burgers, fries not that good.

NQC, that's the burger place I meant

Yes, that's what I thought.

(Oh, did you leave socks here? Also, someone left a little round cup type thing with ml measurements on the side ...)

Some of these restaurants, I didn't know about. And eating out in the City is probably something we'll be doing for ages, tbh.

Oh, I'm quite fond of Apostrophe, which has a branch by St Paul's, and another near Old Street. The service is a bit crap, and it's cafe style, but the sandwiches are great. Lots of chilli jam and capers. And they do quiche, which always goes down well with my kids.

We did leave socks there! that's dd.
Small round cup thing is not ours though

LEON IS CRAP-CRAP-CRAP. I NEED TO RANT.

This lunchtime we to Leon at Ludgate Circus with two little kids (2yo and 9mo DDs).

Bleddy hell - what a crap place for kids and frankly it's CRAP FULL STOP. [inhales] You get your food in a cardboard box like at McDonalds, you only get plastic cutlery, it's farking expensive (£18 for two small boxes of very substandard salad, a cup of soup and two drinks). I almost gave DD1 a piece of chicken which was still pink in the middle!

It gets worse - you can't book a table for less than 8 people. They have NO high chairs. They have no nappy changing facilities. There is nothing remotely like a children's menu (except the usual chicken nuggets - ugh!). The disabled loo is very scruffy and has a greasy floor, it is also locked so you have to wait and ask the staff to unlock it, it gets used as storage so you have to undergo an assault course over tables and cleaning equipment to get in, then the door locks behind you (which is a big pain in the arse if your kid sheds socks like a cherry tree sheds blossom).

NotQuiteCockney - apologies for the vehement dissent, but I cannot believe we went to the same place! Ain't never going back there!

Strada - near St. Paul's - can't remember which st.

Carluccio's - west smithfield

Comptoir Gascon- charterhouse st.

Not sure if the above have high chairs but they are all welcoming of dd in her buggy .

Many thanks to KTeePee for Smiths of Smithfield - they sound great. High chairs on all floors and careful to recommend the quiet times. Probably going there in the next few weeks and will report back.

Did a search and found this dusty-old thread. Looking to go out to London this weekend and staying at the youth hostel which looks like it's near St. Paul's. Any suggestions for child-oriented eateries around that area?

I think Flaneur must have shut down (it's website is offline). Have been to a Carluccio's in Leicester (I assume it's the same brand) which was pretty good.

I love LEon the BLuewater branch is amazing for kids. They have toys, over ten high chairs, loads of space to push buggies! Some places I feel I am always in the way,squeezing by tables.

I live near BLuewater so vist Leon a lot, the staff are so friendly always willing to carry to your tray or get a high chair.
I go with my nephew he's five and he loves the kids fish fingers with rice and peas. I saw the other day a poster for kids parties, I think that's a great fun, healthy altertive xx

Have you been to One New Change opposite St Pauls. Upstairs they have Byron Burgers, Zizzis and Nandos. They have large clean toilets as well as lifts.

just realised how old this thread is!!!