Eating out with kids – what makes a restaurant truly family-friendly? Share to win a £100 family meal.

[geemumsnet]

Parents, we’ve all been there - keeping DCs entertained, avoiding meltdowns, and maybe even enjoying a meal ourselves! But what really makes a restaurant great for families?

What are your non-negotiables: a brilliant kid's menu, welcoming staff or the little extras that make all the difference? Maybe you’ve had a standout dining experience you’d love to share. We’d also love to hear your top tips to make dining out with kids easier?

Tell us in the comments and vote in the poll for a chance to win a £100 gift card for Toby Carvery, Harvester or Stonehouse Pizza & Carvery. Enter by Monday 5th May. T&Cs apply.

A good kids menu is a must, preferably with space for colouring, and some crayons (our local gastro pub has proper pencils which is a lovely touch)

Comfortable high chairs, when DS was that age. And clean! No leftover pizza sauce from the previous occupant smeared everywhere.

Good baby change facilities, again our local pub has a lovely little basket with a few nappies of various sizes/wipes/nappy bags in the baby change which is fab, because who hasn’t been caught out.

A small section of books/toys depending on the type of restaurant.

Friendly waitstaff definitely

Good food for kids they actually like with fruit or vegetables on the side. Quick service and some sort of distraction like colouring pens or puzzles. Servers talking to the children and making them feel comfortable. Plastic cups and child friendly sugar free drinks. Maybe an outdoor play area.

I actually thought my local brewers fayre was amazing for kids before it closed-
Lots of kids food options on a fun activity sheet- my dd loved the mix and match options on the menu.
Loads of space, high chairs, could choose a different table each time.
Playground outside.
Large baby change facilities in a separate toilet with hand washing facilities right there instead of a cramped baby change pull down in a normal loo where I cant wash my hands with baby in view.
Board game table, can play boardgames.
Self serve drinks, keeps kids occupied while they wait for good- dd thought it was great fun to get us all waters.
Fun staff who don't expect perfect, quiet behaviour from children!

Going out tonight with the kids and the things that help are kids meals (especially when reasonably priced!) And things like colouring to keep them occupied, and just somewhere where they feel welcome, my kids aren't particularly noisy and I don't let them run around but equally they won't sit in complete silence and behave all night so if the staff make them feel included it really helps

Fast service is the main factor for me. My toddler children can sit still, but not for ages, and especially not if they're hungry. The best local cafe for us is one where if you arrive right at the beginning of the lunch service, they will bring out a lukewarm bowl of macaroni cheese within a couple of minutes (there is no point serving it hotter than the sun either - that just leads to frustration).

Real food - I hated that so many restaurants had really good quality locally sourced ingredients etc meals for adults, then “something with chips” for kids, with the “something” being obviously low quality. And at least one vegetable should be served with the kids meal, not just a protein and a carb.

a restaurant near us offers half portions of most of the adult meals, which works really well for older kids who aren’t quite ready for a full adult meal but are up for something a bit more interesting/filling than the “something and chips” for small kids.

We went out for Mother’s Day yesterday, 6 adults and 3 kids aged between 3 and 12. It was a Vietnamese place chosen for the adults, not specifically child friendly but all the kids eat a range of food so we weren’t worried. The waitress offered high chairs, kids menus, colouring pencils etc without us having to ask, and when we ordered she offered to bring out the kids mains with the adults starters - again without prompting. Things like that really help you to feel at home I think. Not having to ask for the little things that make a difference.

Menu is probably the most important thing for us. LO is 3 and will eat a lot of what we eat. He won’t eat chicken nuggets or fish fingers which seems to be the main options in a lot of places.

A few things a lot of places do which would make me not go back - serve children’s meals piping hot and on a hot plate, don’t provide (or treat you like a PITA for asking) for a plastic cup and a spoon and act like LO doesn’t exist.

Our favourite local place is a small cafe where all the staff are lovely, they talk to LO, have a variety of puzzles, books and toys which are offered, provide child sized cutlery, have a large and clean baby change, service is pretty fast and my favourite part - they offer a range of ‘snacks’ that are brought with drinks as part of the children’s meal. Means LO gets veggie sticks and hummus, corn on the cob or a piece of watermelon to keep him going.

A kids menu with small versions of proper adult food, vegetarian options included. Included drinks that aren’t fizzy pop. Colouring sheets/puzzles and crayons. High chairs that meet the table, plus booster seat. Fruit as an alternative to dessert if included in the kids menu. In a perfect world, a no screens policy, talk to your dc and do the puzzles.

One of our local restaurants has a small soft play/activity area which is great for my DD with SEN who struggles to stay in her seat in typical restaurants. It might not be for everyone, but it's nice for restaurants to cater to families whose children won't/can't sit still for a whole meal!

Easy place to park, welcoming staff, somewhere for the kids to play (outside or soft play area) is a really nice touch. Good kids options served in a kid friendly way. I think it's more of an environment thing as well, went to Italy and everywhere we went was so kid friendly. Everyone has to buy into it.

Good menu choices are essential. I also never eat anywhere without checking the reviews first.
A place opened up near us which had a room at the end of the restaurant (surrounded by glass so children visible) for children to play in. It had a tv screen either something on, and some play equipment. Unfortunately it was soon all broken and not maintained which made it an unappealing area for DC. I can see that’s a commitment for a restaurant but if the space is there it’s a good use of it. Otherwise an appealing activity pack is always helpful.

Prompt service with the kids meals coming out first!

Absolutely good menu choices, if there are multiple choices, and your DC's will enjoy and sit at the table and be engaged in their meal, then there are less likely to be tantrums and being bored and wanting to run around.

Decent menu options for the kids. Sausage and chips or chicken and chips being the only options is so behind the times. Even better are the restaurants who will do anything off the adult menu in a half portion for the kids.

Also, places with a little play area to keep the kids entertained while they wait for their meal to arrive.

Definitely a little pack with colouring etc - the Wetherspoon ones are good, where the colouring is also on the kids menu

Toby carvery is our go-to place to eat ! It's near to us, there is a place for the DC's to run around after, whilst the adults have a relaxing drink - and the food is really good (although we don't go on Sunday as much as we used to - just costs too much) Love to take the family again

If I have a friend recommendation, I am more likely to go with my children, it has to be clean, with quick service, decent portions, with fresh food, we like Harvester and Toby's - a carvery has to be with tender meat, great gravy and fresh vegetables.

I was always so pleased when a restaurant did kids meals that are smaller versions of real food, rather than just chips/nuggets/sausages. Train them out of the beige food while young (or at least try!).

I like a pub Sunday lunch where the children can have a mini roast dinner and a nice family chat around the table. And a play area they can explore.

Soft play is the only thing that entertains my children. Couldnt care less about colouring.
Being able to order ahead for children and adults would be helpful. We have limited time to eat before my children have enough.

I think it's the atmosphere, comfortable seats, informal being able to to request small changes.

Harvester always gave my girls a chance to make their own choices on the salad bar. A small thing, but they liked to be in control of their bowl!

It's the quality of the food above all. Good options for the kids, not just nuggets or pizza and chips, which are not worth paying to eat out for. Ideally I'd love there to be a tasting plate / tapas type option for the kids so they could try some different things without pressure.

We eat out a lot less that we used to - mainly down to cost, we do love to treat the children, and have found that most mid priced establishments cater really well for young children. We go to harvester and Toby's - we have had good experiences with them and if it's somewhere we can get to easily and know that my DC's will enjoy their food, and the environment we will take them, the tomato and meatball pasta is a favourite with ours. We also like the ability to book a table at a specific time so don't have to wait for a table.

I think that quick service is really important; of course, there will be longer wait times during peak periods, but getting the kids food and drinks out asap is really important. There should be some colouring options provided and the biggest bonus is if a restaurant has a small soft play section.