ezvalet

Hey everyone, i posted about 2 months ago about bringing a baby to the city for vacation...anyway we are leaving mid may for our second visit! Anyway, we will be traveling with an 8 month old, and would love some suggestions for dining out. We love italian, spanish, american, chinese. Also, would love to go to serendipity, can anyone give me the address? Any other tips on visiting the city with a baby would be appreciated! We don't want to walk in anywhere get dirty looks when they see us with an infant!
Thanks!
Mel

Scarlett

225 E 60th between 2nd & 3rd Ave

The only time I feel like giving anyone a dirty look when they bring babies into restaurants is when the baby screams or cries so loud it drowns out the conversations of all adults in the room
Carmines is excellent for families.
Any Chinatown restaurant.
Village and Soho have plenty of places where families go.
During the day, if you sit at an outdoor cafe, you can have a noisy baby and who cares
Have fun!

MFNYC

America on 18th st between b'way and 5th av. It's about the most kid friendly place around. Big, loud, huge menu and kids all over the place, especially saturday and sunday brunch hours. they usually have balloons makers and magicians floating around. Most better restaurants are not baby friendly. Most chinese, mid-range Italian , coffee shops, & delis are kid friendly. In the village area there are many little places with outdoor seating that are pretty casual. Look in the area of Bleecker St. & MacDougal St. You'll see tons of places.

MFNYC

Also, many restaurants do not have high chairs or booster seats.

Doug

Would definitely 2nd MFNYC's America recommedation. Geared towards kids.

mclaurie

Most places in a residential neighborhood (ie not midtown) are used to babies. Outside sidewalk dining is always a good option as Scarlett says.

Since this is your 2nd trip to Ny, I'd highly recommend investing in a Zagat guide. It has a long list of of child friendly restaurants.

General tips-try to eat dinner early, don't put a stroller where people can't pass, if the baby starts crying (badly) one of you should take him/her out of the restaurant.

Don't miss the zoo and the carousel in Central Park!

Ryan

We've been taking our son to restaurants in the city since he was a month old, so he's fairly comfortable in that setting. (He's almost 2 now.) We've generally eaten a bit earlier than we would have pre-child, as he's less likely to be tired around 5:30 or 6 and the restaurants are also generally less crowded, which makes it a bit easier to get in and out without a long wait.

In terms of dining options, you'll probably see plenty of other people with children at neighborhood types places. In mid-town, for examle, most of the residential areas are East of 3rd Avenue, with a ton of nice places between 47th and 57th.

actravelgirl

Check out urbanbaby.com for some dining suggestions. Also, we have been taking our now 3 year old daughter out for dinner since she was an infant. You will find many child-friendly places in the city. Time Cafe (on Lafayette) is great for brunch and very child-friendly. Lupa is a terrific Italian (one of Mario Batali's) and we take our daughter there all the time. They serve both lunch and dinner. Mary's Fish Camp in the Village has great seafood and our daughter loves their calamari and lemonade! We've even taken our daughter to Union Square Cafe. They couldn't have been nicer and complimented us on how well-behaved she was. All of the above mentioned places have high-chairs. Have fun and enjoy!

GoTravel

Your best bet is to eat early. Try and eat by 6PM and you will have your pick of restaurants.

MFNYC

Lupa's and Mary's Fish Camp get VERY crowded and sometimes have long waits for table(1hr+) unless you plan on eating before 6. Mary's opens at 6 with a line for the 1st seating. You generally need a reservation at Union Sq (Mary's doesn't take reservations and Lupa takes limited reservations). If you make a reservation, request a high chair.

Elainee

Eat early before the restaurant staff gets too busy.