NYC restaurants that are great with kids
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
NYC restaurants that are great with kids
im looking for some restaurants in manhattan that will be fantastic to visit with kids. menu, atmosphere, simple foods like great pizza or pasta.
#3
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 10,210
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't really believe in kids' menus. They usually have sub-standard chicken nuggets and hot dogs. In NYC, I think you'd do better with a restaurant that serves family-style meals where everyone can find something good off the regular menu and share.
Italian restaurants are very kid-friendly. John's in the Times Square area (or in the West Village) has nice pizza, is large, and can get you seated fairly quickly. Carmine's on the Upper West Side (NOT the one in Times Square) is a great family-style Italian restaurant. But if you want something more central, Tony's DiNapoli is similar.
I think you'd also do well at a Chinese restaurant. Ruby Foo's is fun, though a little expensive. If you go down to Chinatown, you can get dim sum. That's good because it gives everyone some variety for a relatively modest price, and you get to try new things. Most dumplings are very kid-friendly, and they can learn to use chop-sticks. Also Congee Village or Congee Bowery has excellent roast chicken and serves inexpensive, family-style Chinese food.
Barbecue is also a pretty kid-friendly food, and there are some really good places now. I love Blue Smoke (reservations essential, though, at least a week or two in advance, especially on weekends ... or go for brunch or lunch with no reservation). A little more downscale is Hill Country in the Flatiron District, where you buy meats by the pound and eat off brown paper. It's messy but fun, though later in the evening it's got a more adult, honky tonk atmosphere. Nearby is Hill Country Chicken, which serves only fried chicken. It's a fast meal and pretty good. You order at the counter and take your food back to the table to eat.
Shake Shack is a favorite for hamburgers, but so is Five Napkin Burger (reservations required unless you want to wait an hour or more ... even for weekend lunch). But there are a lot of great burger places in NYC (I also like HB Burger, an offshoot of Heartland Brewery).
Finally, Mexican food is pretty kid-friendly. Though upscale, Rosa Mexicano is festive and fun, and the waiters will cater to kids (their guacamole made tableside is also very good). There are several, but the largest is near Lincoln Center.
And for dessert, kids love Max Brenner near Union Square. It's really not my favorite, but it's a wildly popular dessert place (it also serves mediocre food). The atmosphere is great, and it's perpetually busy. You'll definitely have to wait for a table, but something special for dessert is good for kids, and the chocolate desserts there are made more for their palates than for adults.
Italian restaurants are very kid-friendly. John's in the Times Square area (or in the West Village) has nice pizza, is large, and can get you seated fairly quickly. Carmine's on the Upper West Side (NOT the one in Times Square) is a great family-style Italian restaurant. But if you want something more central, Tony's DiNapoli is similar.
I think you'd also do well at a Chinese restaurant. Ruby Foo's is fun, though a little expensive. If you go down to Chinatown, you can get dim sum. That's good because it gives everyone some variety for a relatively modest price, and you get to try new things. Most dumplings are very kid-friendly, and they can learn to use chop-sticks. Also Congee Village or Congee Bowery has excellent roast chicken and serves inexpensive, family-style Chinese food.
Barbecue is also a pretty kid-friendly food, and there are some really good places now. I love Blue Smoke (reservations essential, though, at least a week or two in advance, especially on weekends ... or go for brunch or lunch with no reservation). A little more downscale is Hill Country in the Flatiron District, where you buy meats by the pound and eat off brown paper. It's messy but fun, though later in the evening it's got a more adult, honky tonk atmosphere. Nearby is Hill Country Chicken, which serves only fried chicken. It's a fast meal and pretty good. You order at the counter and take your food back to the table to eat.
Shake Shack is a favorite for hamburgers, but so is Five Napkin Burger (reservations required unless you want to wait an hour or more ... even for weekend lunch). But there are a lot of great burger places in NYC (I also like HB Burger, an offshoot of Heartland Brewery).
Finally, Mexican food is pretty kid-friendly. Though upscale, Rosa Mexicano is festive and fun, and the waiters will cater to kids (their guacamole made tableside is also very good). There are several, but the largest is near Lincoln Center.
And for dessert, kids love Max Brenner near Union Square. It's really not my favorite, but it's a wildly popular dessert place (it also serves mediocre food). The atmosphere is great, and it's perpetually busy. You'll definitely have to wait for a table, but something special for dessert is good for kids, and the chocolate desserts there are made more for their palates than for adults.
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,715
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm with Doug. You don't need kids' menus. The Korean BBQ places on 32 st. where you cook the food at the table are great with kids. I've been to this one with kids and it's fun. http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/kum-gang-san/
Virgil's BBQ in Times Square is considered good BBQ. Virtually any pizza place will be fine with kids. Peanut Butter & Co. downtown if they like peanut butter.
http://ilovepeanutbutter.com/sandwichshop
Any diner or coffee shop (look on menupages.com) and some like Johnny Rockets have a 50's theme, Alice's Tea Cup, Cowgirl (same as Hill Country, go early in the evening or during the day). Ellen's Stardust Diner near Times Square has singing waitstaff and is popular with families.
gocitykids.com and mommypoppins.com have kid friendly restaurant listings.
Virgil's BBQ in Times Square is considered good BBQ. Virtually any pizza place will be fine with kids. Peanut Butter & Co. downtown if they like peanut butter.
http://ilovepeanutbutter.com/sandwichshop
Any diner or coffee shop (look on menupages.com) and some like Johnny Rockets have a 50's theme, Alice's Tea Cup, Cowgirl (same as Hill Country, go early in the evening or during the day). Ellen's Stardust Diner near Times Square has singing waitstaff and is popular with families.
gocitykids.com and mommypoppins.com have kid friendly restaurant listings.
#5
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 26,710
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Besides Virgil's in the Times Square area, there are a number downtown. Bubby's is notorious for bring child friendly.
Lombardi's is not only of the best pizza places but if they are not too busy, they will show the ovens to the children. Especially the bad ones.
If the children are adventurous they will be mesmerized by the carts of dim sum at Jing Fong and Golden Uniorn. And there is one of the best store made ice cream places in the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.
Pomme Frites only serves Belgian French Fries but kids line up for them and they are filling.
Lombardi's is not only of the best pizza places but if they are not too busy, they will show the ovens to the children. Especially the bad ones.
If the children are adventurous they will be mesmerized by the carts of dim sum at Jing Fong and Golden Uniorn. And there is one of the best store made ice cream places in the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.
Pomme Frites only serves Belgian French Fries but kids line up for them and they are filling.
#6
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 10,210
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I realize now from another thread that the OP is traveling with a daughter (one child), and two people don't do well at family-style Italian restaurants like Carmine's and Tony's Di Napoli (portions are too big for two to enjoy happily). So I might hedge my recommendation of those two. But the other places are still great.
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i enjoy food and spending time with my daughter (7yrs) and talking while eating.
im going to take note of these locations and judge by where i am at the time.
at nearly 40 im still a growing boy so the large portions migth work
she would enjoy a good sushi place too!
thanks guys
im going to take note of these locations and judge by where i am at the time.
at nearly 40 im still a growing boy so the large portions migth work
she would enjoy a good sushi place too!
thanks guys
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wow restuarants were very very busy and the good ones were impossible to get into without reservations.
serendipity had a 2.5 hour wait
tony dinapoli forget about it if no reservations
mulburry street was good for a kids pasta. im sure some adults would like it too but i find it more appealing to kids.
ruby foos looked fantastic
i dont think HB burger has anywhere near one of the best burgers ive ever had.
we had lunch at american girl. food is horrible, your daughter may just like the environment.
we ended up eating at places we walked by and found available and interesting.
serendipity had a 2.5 hour wait
tony dinapoli forget about it if no reservations
mulburry street was good for a kids pasta. im sure some adults would like it too but i find it more appealing to kids.
ruby foos looked fantastic
i dont think HB burger has anywhere near one of the best burgers ive ever had.
we had lunch at american girl. food is horrible, your daughter may just like the environment.
we ended up eating at places we walked by and found available and interesting.
#9
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,937
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Any meal at American Girl has the very worst food, but girls do like it. I have seen adults not order any food and just a drink with alcohol. Good idea which I did not try.
But the book shop at AG has some good stuff.
The store must be a nightmare at this time of year.
But the book shop at AG has some good stuff.
The store must be a nightmare at this time of year.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Raquel
United States
17
Dec 27th, 2002 06:37 AM