You might enjoy the Boathouse at Forest Park. You can rent little paddle boats and explore the historic park, many of the canals have been there since the 1904 worlds Fair.

The restaurant there offers many opotions, burgers, fish, salads, etc.. The food is decent , not the best but the atmosphere is great as you overlook the lake and the park beyond. There is often Live music from some of St Louis best bands.
YOu can also rent bikes in the park too.

I dont recall if anyone mentioned the Magic HOuse in Kirkwood - great for younger ones .
http://www.magichouse.org/

Have fun!

Hey Stokebaily - Have you been to Sassie's for BBQ? We are thinking of going tonight, even though RibAMerica is going on downtown.

Hi, Anne. No, hadn't even heard of it. My husband is so proud of his BBQ skills that I don't know if I could lure him there. Let me know what you think. I rode my bike through Schlafley's parking lot today and noticed some serious grills getting set up there, wondered what the deal was.

Yes! forgot about the boathouse.

We went to Sassies last night - it is mentioned on another STL thread - It was very good. The ribs are not as good as my mothers though! :)
My son and husband had pulled pork that was outstanding. We all agreed we would defintely go back! It is just east of Lindell on Grand.
have a great Memorial weekend!

Thanks, Anne. Will look for it. Maybe north or south of Lindell?

PS to visitors, about Schlafly's: if you see it, try their beer on tap. The brewery/restaurant is very popular, near my house and maybe a couple of miles SW of Forest Park. American food, including bison burgers, reasonably priced.

Anne, I thought you were going to try Pappy's? I've never heard of Sassies, we'll have to check it out.

The RibAmerica thing is downtown. I've always thought that was way overpriced for the portion size.

Other good restaurants to try for 7, 8 and 11 year olds would be Blueberry Hill and Fitz's in the UCity loop. Or Pi for Pizza just east of the Loop. I'll keep thinking...

thanks...we already had Fitz's on the list (we buy Fitz's here in Dallas)..and the kids LOVE root beer. so, that was a "no brainer"...

Pi is the name of the restaurant for Pizza?

Blueberry hill sounds good...but, wouldn't they have basically the same type of menu as Fitz's?

I understand there are lot of good Italian restaurants in town ("The Hill" area?)...any particularly GOOD ones...which would be "kid friendly"?

Iam just trying to make sure that we eat at places that we can't go to anywhere else.

thanks to everyone for the GREAT SUGGESTIONS!

We really enjoyed the City Diner for breakfast one day. It had great atmosphere and was VERY kid friendly and reasonable for the amount of food you get. Loads of fun.

http://www.saucemagazine.com/citydiner/

Can you get Thai pizza? The loop's got that, too, and not expensive. (not that I ever actually get the pizza when we go there)

I actually prefer B-hill to Fitz's. Better food, better atmosphere.

http://www.restaurantpi.com/ They recently delivered pizza from Pi to the White House, which was a big deal in the pizza rivalry between Chicago and St. Louis Pizza. I think the name has something do with both pizza pie and that St. Louis area code is 314.

The Hill has great upscale restaurants and not so many great lower cost ones. Gian-Tony's is probably the best of that category. And they are open on Sundays which is unusual for the hill. Many people will tell you to go to Cunetto's for pasta. I find it expensive and not very good for the cost, also has a huge wait most nights.

You can also try Amighetti's on the hill for Italian sandwiches for lunch. Missouri Baking Co. is a bakery with great Italian sweets that you can pick up to eat later. Or take them to Forest Park for a picnic and then rent a boat to take out at the boathouse--no need to eat there to rent a boat.

And I'll ditto the City Diner suggestion...for breakfast, lunch or dinner. http://www.saucemagazine.com/citydiner/

ok - I did not even have a beer or glass of wine last night - It is Pappy's Smoke House - I gave wrong name and wrong address.... Where the double hockey sticks did I get the name Sassies???? :D
Pappy's Smoke House 3106 Olive Street
Saint Louis MO 63103

Another good choice at The Hill and certainly A-OK for kids is Favazza's. We're Cunetto's fan, but will go to Favazza's without hesitation when Cunetto's line is just too long.