Fave 5 Kid-Friendly Restaurants (when you still want good food)

02/15/2019

My name is Teri and I’m the proud mama of a beautiful, busy, hilarious, brilliant one-year-old boy. Being a mom is a challenging and beautiful adventure that nothing else in my life prepared me for. Luckily, I have an amazing husband who is there through all the ups and downs, awesome friends who are happy to share their parenting knowledge (or at least laugh with me through the chaos!), and an extended family who is always ready to help. I work as a marketing and communications professional, and love sharing my experiences as a mom.

Before we had our son, my husband and I used to love to eat out. It was something we did socially with friends regularly, and just the two of us would grab supper or brunch pretty consistently without giving it much thought. Now that’s changed—we don’t go out as often, so when we do we don’t want to just go anywhere, we want to go somewhere delicious! And sometimes we live the kiddo at home and can eat anywhere, but we also like to take him along when we can. So here is my list of the top five kid-friendly restaurants that are still delicious.

Before I dive into my list, a couple of disclaimers. One: our son is about a year and a half old, so the things I love about restaurants might be different than what you look for if your kiddos are older. Two: I definitely didn’t prioritize healthy eating with some of my choices, but hey—eating out is a treat right??

1. Amigos.

If you’ve never been, go immediately. They have some truly delicious Mexican food, and the atmosphere is causal and hip enough that you don’t feel like you’re making a sacrifice. The menu is pretty big, they have highchairs and there’s guacamole—what more can you ask for? Minors are allowed until 8 pm.

2. Fuddruckers.

This probably isn’t a surprise to anyone, but there is no way I could leave this classic off my list. Burgers you can top yourself! Fries! Non-stop pop! Milkshakes! Liquid cheese you dispense with a pump! I’m hungry just thinking about it. They also have plenty of highchairs and it’s usually loud enough that your children definitely won’t be a distraction.

3. The Broadway Café.

This one is a favourite with my parents, and I’ve remained a fan even now that I’m the mom. The menu has everything you could ask for—all-day breakfast, sandwiches, burgers, chicken fingers, salads, soups—the service is super friendly, and they also have highchairs. The meals are big enough that if your kiddo is little he can probably just eat off your plate.

4. Cora.

Another place with meals big enough to share, Cora is on my list mostly because I’m a breakfast lover, and any place with all-day breakfast is a winner in my books. They have highchairs for kids and give them crayons and colouring sheets, and the plates usually come overflowing with fruit that our son loves to gobble up. They serve non-breakfast items too, but… waffles.

5. WDM restaurant

If you want affordable food with all the classic options (French toast, bacon and eggs, chicken fingers, hamburgers…) and you’re looking for a place with an activity attached, head to the WDM. Our little guy loves to explore Boomtown, and our family ate there recently for less than $17 (total!) and didn’t even finish our food. They have highchairs and it’s pleasantly noisy, so it’s family friendly and a great way to spend the morning or afternoon.

There you go mamas! Don’t be shy—take your kids the next time you want to eat out. And yes, Boston Pizza will always be there, but there are lots of great options in the city if you want to shake it up a little.