Best fancy restaurant good for adults and children

[snoodles]

Any recommendations of fancy/Michelin/amazing food restaurants that also cater well for children and where children are also welcome?

There are nearly 3000 michelin-star restaurants around the world, you're going to have to be more specific.

You might also want to specify what you mean by child. You could mean infant, or teenager, or anything in-between which will have very different needs and result in different recommendations.

If you're thinking in/near London, the Hand and Flowers, Murano and Hide are all child-friendly.

Tredwells was very child-friendly before it closed, so I would think that Apricity (the chef-patron's new place in Mayfair) would be the same though I haven't been yet.

Children ages 2 and 5, London, outskirts of London

Helene Darroze at the Connaught. We have had our children's birthdays with family there several times. Wonderful kind staff and allow you to bring your own birthday cakes too!

The Goring

The River Cafe. Don’t have a kids menu but will always do pasta pomodoro or a pizzetta type thing and very welcoming.

Hide was great.

Lots of the hotel based restaurants welcome children and have kids menus.

We have a formal family party coming up and small children (9mo-3yo). We only considered places with private dining. Many restaurants won’t take under 12s (even some smart gastropubs) or will only do so if going down the private dining route anyway.

I would hate you if you brought your 2yo to a fancy restaurant for dinner and I was there, sorry (and I have three kids and a 2yo grandchild). The most gorgeous, best behaved 2yo is unlikely to be anything but a massive PITA after half an hour. Lunch is different.

This, if I'm paying Michelin prices for a meal then it would be a very rare treat that would also involve me finding a baby sitter, if I got there and foundittle kids there I would be really upset.

OP don't ruin it for everyone else, this is the kind of thing that is once in a lifetime for a lot of people who wouldn't be able to afford to do it again.

Olive Magazine ran a kid-friendly restaurant overview a few years ago, with several London options: www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/family/best-family-friendly-restaurants-in-the-uk/

Really hope that's a typo for 12 and 15.

Those not wanting young children in a posh restaurant - surely it depends on their behaviour.

Because we travel a lot, our dd has gone to restaurants since she was a baby and has always behaved perfectly (not always an angel at home but knew to behave when eating out).

We took sticker books and colouring, talked to her lot and she wasn't allowed to shout, mess about with her food or leave the table.

Admittedly, this was never at a posh restaurant but that's purely because we like eating at places where we can dress casually, feel relaxed and not pay extortionate prices.

Even as a toddler, we could have taken her anywhere to eat, knowing that she wouldn't have disturbed other diners. I'm sure she can't be unique; there must be plenty of well behaved young children.

I have well behaved children and love eating out. But i would still not take them to somewhere expensive and they are older than yours. All children can be unpredictable at age 2 and 5. Not fair on other diners.

When our children were that age we took then to Hakkasan for the dim sum brunch. It’s a set menu and they were happy to try everything and really enjoyed it.

Also both Hakkasan and Yauatcha (same chef) have lots of children dine there so perfectly welcoming of children that age.

It sounds like you took you well behaved children to appropriate restaurants, that is great. But not the same as taking them to Michelin stared fine dining restaurants.

Hotel restaurants will generally be fine, there may be a curfew for younger diners eg first sitting only for the evening.

Ignore the naysayers, my kids ate in proper restaurants (ok not Michelin star but smart French) and never once did they disturb other diners (bit of a brag but several times other diners commented on their behaviour and more than once the waiters said they were better behaved than their adult clients!) children who are brought up to set at the table and eat politely can from a very young age, no iPads (hadn't been invented, so I carried colouring books, blank paper and crayons as required.

Go for it, you know your children l, just check the restaurant's policy

Good for you OP wanting to take them somewhere nice.

I find it ridiculous that some fancy places don't even allow tiny babies (my local one cited health and safety because of hot food being carried about so obviously don't have much faith in their staff!).

I agree with the river cafe BUT when I've been there are about 10 plus. I don't think it's right for a 2 year old at all

@Magenta82

I've seen adults behaving appallingly at a Michelin starred restaurant, a stag do ... people, adults can be very badly behaved even spending a fortune (thankfully there was two sections and I was in the other section but saw the chaos going to the toilets)

Go for somewhere with a private dining room. Lots of restaurants and clubs in London will have one (or more than one). We went to a family special occasion dinner at the Ivy a few years ago in a private dining room and it was perfect. Actually the kids were very well behaved anyway, but it meant there were no concerns about noise or the impact on other diners. It also meant that the older kids could choose the play list, which kep them happy, and the younger one could curl up on a sofa in the corner later on.

A 2 year old would probably prefer to eat Babybel and then run round the restaurant. Michelin food would be wasted on him/her.

This ^

Please don't take a 2 & 3 yo to a Michelin (possible exception of one in a hotel). For the sake of other diners. Your charming little delights may be always well behaved but there's the potential for things to go tits up and you will be the parent the clientele are talking about in disparaging terms of years to come.

I'm lucky to dine in them regularly through work. For some, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and don't risk spoiling it for them. Alternatively, pay for private dining and manage the risk that way.