When our little darlings (now 15 and 13, and accomplished and eclectic eaters) were younger, we tried a variety of strategies. One successful method, as noted above, was early Sunday dinner - starting at 4:30 or 5 - frequently at ethnic restaurants - often japanese (the oldest went to Katsu once at about 3 months old in his car seat and slept under the sushi bar while we ate), but also some favorite mexican, thai and chinese spots. By the time the older one was in kindergarten he insisted on placing his own order (and still does) at Ethiopian Diamond. If you can pick an uncrowded time and place, it will be less stressful all around.

Also - order something for the kids the instant you sit down. An appetizer to share, or even their dinner, while you peruse the menu for your choices. Kids are likely to be much more tractable with a full stomach and something to do. Good waiters get this and won't mind serving their meals before serving the rest of the table.

Finally, don't plan to order a multiple course meal until the children are old enough to have a track record of being comfortable enjoying a protracted dining experience. Think appetizer and dinner, or dinner and dessert, but probably not all three.

The keys are picking your moments and staying flexible. Parental bias aside, children are not always adorable, and occasionally a hoped for meal out was just not meant to be. That's when you politely ask for the rest of the meal to be packed to go, apologize profusely to the restaurant staff and neighboring diners as necessary, tip heavily, and hightail it for home. These are also "teachable moments" for the kids. Not so much a lecture, but a reminder the next time they ask for a treat that there are ground rules on baseline manners for eating out, and everyone will have more fun if they're followed!

The one suggestion I would add is that you should abandon all preconceptions about what your kid will/won't eat. When we started taking our toddler out, we assumed she wouldn't eat anything but rice/bread/noodles at ethnic restaurants. I think this was partly based on my experiences as a very picky eater as a kid/teenager -- I wouldn't touch anything "weird." Toddlers, though picky, can be picky in different ways. My daughter, it turns out, adores sushi, pappadams, tofu, fish tikka masala, duck with crispy noodles and a variety of other things I never would've tried as a teenager. She doesn't like them consistently, being a toddler, but I've learned not to discourage her from eating anything that's not super-spicy.

Without starting a debate on whether children should occupancy their parents to dinner, I would like anyone’s recommendations for some kid-friendly restaurants. My child is 4, and she is planning on turning 5 very soon. She is well behaved, especially in a restaurant setting, but like most children her age she gets bored after an hour or so. So, more specifically, here’s exactly what I’m looking for:

-A meal that can be enjoyed in roughly an hour’s time.
-A place that will provide a kid’s menu, create a smaller portion, or allow us to share our meal with her.
-It must be a sit-down dinner. No take-out, eating in the car, etc.
-The wait to be seated must be short, especially as we most likely go out on weekend nights.
-There are no geographical limits, other than being in the greater Chicagoland area.
-Price in not a factor, but a nice healthy mix of different priced places would be nice.
-The food has gotta be good

Please as many as humanly possible. I will do my best to try them all!

Thanks.

This topic was discussed extensively on this thread:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... ily+bistro

and I would refer you to:

http://www.tastingmenu.com/archive/2005 ... 051117.htm which was recently featured in Time Out Chicago.

Antonius and I know this situation well, with our recently-turned-5 son. In general, Chinese or Mexican or Middle Eastern restaurants are both welcoming of children and places where it's easy to find something your child will eat.

For example, our son loves noodles fried with pork at Ed's Potsticker, and the potstickers too.

At too many taquerias to mention he will ask for one taco of carne asada with nothing else on it. (The word for 'plain' is sencillo, by the way.)

He also loves the roast chicken at Semiramis, and their rice (preferably not garnished with the dreaded green parsley...), and at City Noor is happy to eat their (very good) chicken nuggets and fries washed down with guava juice, while we order something more exotic.

For Japanese, an appetizer order of chicken yakitori at Matsuya plus rice keeps him happy till it's time for ice cream.

Chicken (or roast pork on Saturdays) at Papa's Cache Sabroso is another good choice...

Good luck eating out with your daughter!

Amata

MAG wrote:This topic was discussed extensively on this thread:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... ily+bistro

I actually did a thorough search of the site and did read the aforementioned thread. However, if you read the thread again, you’ll see very few recommendations are given. Rather the topic turned into a debate on whether children should dine or not. That is why I mentioned that in the first line of my post. Most other recommendations are general, such as ethnic food.

MAG wrote:and I would refer you to:

http://www.tastingmenu.com/archive/2005 ... 051117.htm, which was recently featured in Time Out Chicago.

Thank you.

-A meal that can be enjoyed in roughly an hour’s time.

I find a lot of times I run roughshod over the way servers want to do something and order the kid's food at the very beginning while I'm still deciding. But that's possible because...

-A place that will provide a kid’s menu, create a smaller portion, or allow us to share our meal with her.

You really should scope out the menu before you commit to sitting down. I've gone into places that you'd think might be family-friendly and found that the only hamburger is the $12 2/3-pounder, the only plate of pasta is served on a banquet platter, etc. If they don't have appetizers that I think will go over reasonably well or something, I don't go in there. (Though sometimes I'm surprised anyway. I took them to Feed, they loved the atmosphere and the staff was very friendly to them, but the mac and cheese was sprinkled with a little red pepper or something-- they wouldn't touch it. They basically ate pie there, and that was it.)

If you're going to take them to more upscale places, the key is to do so in neighborhoods where they're used to kids. No place on, say, Southport or in Lincoln Square is going to last by not welcoming families (which isn't to say I'd have taken them to every restaurant there, but most are family-friendly). I don't expect the same reaction in Wicker Park or River North, say, where kids in tow would be as exotic as a jaguar on a leash.

But the best advice is, as in the other thread, ethnic restaurants. There may be a Mexican restaurant in town that isn't friendly and welcoming to kids-- oh wait, I actually found it-- but there aren't many.

I realize this isn't a list, but I don't really have a list per se. Bistro Campagne in the summer, when you can sit outside. That's my list.

I think I covered my go-to spots in the previous thread.

I'll also second Mike G's advice on ordering something for the kidlet first - I at least do this if bread isn't available, even if it's just a cup of soup or chili.

So, who do we like??

Goose Island Clybourn - they have crayons, plastic straw cups, Mac n Cheese and mini burgers. We usually order a bowl of veggie chili to share before we even figure out what beer we want and then add Mac n Cheese instead of fries (only $1 more) with one of our meals for the kidlet.

Taqueria La Oaxaquena - They make a small dish of arroz con pollo for my daughter. They have chips. They have outstanding chicken soup.

Dapper's East - Typical greek diner fare. The buusboy wipes my daughter's face.

Kitsch'n on Roscoe - Friendly staff, diverse menu, if you sit on the year round patio, no one minds the mess.

Wishbone - Very kid friendly - plenty of sides to make a meal - hoppin john (or jack) mac n cheese and corn muffins. A very respectable smoked Brisket

Sabatino's - They cater to families of multiple generations - the brought my 2 yo 3 cups of soup and 2 plates of noodles and didn't charge extra.

Klas - see sabatino's

Pete's Pizza

Julius Meinl - They don't LOVE kids here, but as they are on Southport - they are tolerated and your soon to be 5yo will enjoy the pageantry with which they present Hot Chocolate here and you can enjoy the second best croissant in town. Note: They usually make you leave your stroller by the door.


I hope you find this helpful, I realize it isn't comprehensive and I'm not sure what neighborhood you are looking in, but this is where you can find us on any given Sunday.

I actually did a thorough search of the site and did read the aforementioned thread. However, if you read the thread again, you’ll see very few recommendations are given. Rather the topic turned into a debate on whether children should dine or not. That is why I mentioned that in the first line of my post. Most other recommendations are general, such as ethnic food.

I apologize if it seemed that I was criticizing your searching skills, it took me a while to find the old thread as the search mechanism is not an exact science so I wasn't sure if you had seen it. Like Kafien, my list is on there as well. But to reiterate,

Pretty much any smaller family owned ethnic restaurant, LTH, La Oxaquena, Turquoise etc.

Bistro Campagne and erwin are typically good choices. Avec on the early side.

Summers are always great as outdoor seating is awsome for kids.

Our personal favorite is Volo. We have a sort of special deal there given that we've been going since it opened, however, I have seen other well behaved kids there.

Given Chef Bubala's support of Purple Asparagus, I think Thyme should be mentioned as a good possibility as well. And once the weather is nice, the patio at Thyme would be especially great!

p.s. MAG, in your first post above the comma at the end of the tastingmenu.com url is interfering with the link, which is definitely worth reading for parents (and restaurant folks)

p.s. MAG, in your first post above the comma at the end of the tastingmenu.com url is interfering with the link, which is definitely worth reading for parents (and restaurant folks)

Fixed.

http://www.piazzacafe.com/

I am not sure if this is too far but La Piazza in Forest Park is pretty kid friendly. They will actually bring out dough so the child can make their own pizza. If what the child renders can not be turned into a pizza crust they will do away with it in the kitchen and the child is none the wiser. It is interesting as it keeps the child occupied and involved with their food. I haven't been in awhile so you may want to check and see if they still offer this.

410 Circle Avenue, Forest Park IL
Phone 708.366.4010

La Piazza also recently sent this out.

>Reply-To: <piazzacafe@sbcglobal.net>
>From: "Newsletter" <info@piazzacafe.com>
>To: "La Piazza" <piazzacafe@sbcglobal.net>
>Subject: Attention Parents!!!
>Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 21:09:36 -0600
>
>*** Crafts & Cuisine***
>
>La Piazza & Team Blonde invite you to spend quality family time together-
>separately! Make going out an easy and fun experience for everyone.
>Parents can enjoy a peaceful and sumptuous meal at La Piazza while kids
>explore their artistic side around the corner at Team Blonde. Kids can
>enjoy jewelry making, painting, and craft projects for boys and girls with
>kid-friendly meals. For ages 4-12, $30 per child.
>
>When - Saturday nights*, beginning 12/17. Make a reservation for dinner at
>La Piazza between 4:30 ­ 6:00pm, let us know you are doing Crafts & Cuisine,
>and we will make a reservation for your children with Team Blonde (children
>should arrive at Team Blonde at least 15 minutes before your reservation at
>La Piazza).
>
>Plan your next family night out and call today for reservations!
>708.366.4010
>www.piazzacafe.com
>www.teamblonde.com
>
>* not available on 12/31, schedule is subject to change, please call ahead
>to confirm dates and times.

I think Amata is dead on in framing a response in terms of types of places rather than just individual spots. In my neighborhood we've been welcome with our 5 year old at all the Mexican places and the entire asian strip on Argyle and Broadway. Specifics include Tank, Hai Yen, Nhu Hoa, Silver Seafood, Fiesta Mexicana, Thai Pastry, Thai Avenue, Thai Aroma, and a bit more upscale - Riques, La Fonda and Tweet. And, dare I say it, we have eaten at Taste of Heaven without incident.

We've been well received at Il Fornello on Irving Park for a bit more upscale Italian. And in the same area, Pizza Rustica. Our boy also loves Sunshine Cafe on Clark for big bowls of udon noodles and japanese pickles.

Devon Ave. in general has been a great place including Mysore, Udupi, Gandhi.

Stella's on Broadway for weekend breakfast worked out.

To reiterate my search principles: I look for ethnic eateries where extended families are the cultural norm, I look for places with decent amount of floor space between table to minimize potential collisions or spillage beyond the borders of our table. Even a completely casual storefront can be a bad choice it the tables are so close that everyone is exposed to either noise or food pollution, however unintentional.

But overall, we've done very well and been rarely, if ever, either snubbed or embarrassed.

I was recently at Feed (2803 W Chicago) for an early dinner and saw two separate tables with children about the age you mention. Ordering is counter-style and the prices are very fair. The specialize in chicken and bbq (I found the chicken to be better than the BBQ) with a variety of sides. It's BYOB too which also helps to keep the bill down. I seem to remember a thread here that discussed Feed so you could look that up for more information/reviews. For what it's worth, my husband and I both enjoyed our meals.

I scanned the earlier thread (which I thought did contain quite a few suggestions) but may be duplicating some things anyway.

RAM brewpubs have a children's menu and even I think a special kids' night. I have seen magicians in there making balloon animals. I don't like the food there, myself, except for the burgers and chili.

You always see a lot of kids in suburban bistros such as the aptly named Betise, Ravinia Bistro (did it reopen? I heard that) that place called Via Bella or whatever in Highland Park, and so on. Johnny D's on Euclid in Mt. Prospect has kids all the time and so does that place near it called Moon Doggie's or whatever. (Sorry; I get sign dyslexia when I'm driving around that area.)

I wonder if I could complicate things, by also asking for places to avoid. In other words, which places are NOT kid friendly? The other thread noted several places, such as Pasteur, that were not shy about discriminating against children (which I believe is absolutely absurd—but I digress, this is a topic for another day).

I’m not talking about hypothetical dining experiences, but personal experiences in which your family was not treated properly because you had kids.

Thanks for all your recommendations; I’m looking forward to them.

Since we were just there for dinner last night, one place comes immediately to mind: Cozy Noodle on Davis Street in Evanston (there's one somewhere else -- Hyde Park or Lincoln Park? -- as well). Cozy has very good Thai food -- not as great as Chicago's best Thai places, by any means, but for parents it has a number of advantages, at least for those of us close by. The food comes very quickly and there are many options for kids, including the baby egg rolls and the small pot stickers which my kids like. But best of all is that the restaurant's walls are lined with various varieties of vintage toys -- bobble-head dolls in one section; retro lunch boxes in another, etc. Much to distract kids with. The bathrooms have toys in them too! None to take home -- all the toys are glued down -- so I suppose that might cause problems sometimes. Cozy is small, though, and can get filled up at prime time on weekends, though we've never had a problem getting in for a weekday dinner.

I'll second the motion listed above of Edgewater/Andersonville offering tons of ethnic kid-friendly options, Taste of Heaven (which never tasted that great to me and so isn't any big loss) being the exception. My one heartache--HopLeaf does not allow children because of some specific tavern license they orginally had. Oddly, when it was just a bar, I recall two instances of being there and seeing couples with their teeny babies in the carseat at the foot of their barstools--not as evil as it sounds, it appeared to be a date night out for one good beer.

Also, of course Pasteur didn't want kids--their entire premise (as far as I could tell) was to let you enjoy decent, upscale Vietnamese that was served by silk-clad hostesses and waitresses who may have worked for an um, a very effective and subservient house of ill repute, without breaking any laws. And de-boning a Red Snapper in such a way that makes you short of breath.

But Pasteur is closed so it doesn't matter. The lesson is: don't take your kids where kids never ever appear and always take your kids out early. Last year we had a blast at Hama-Matsu on New Year's Eve but we arrived with 2 year-old Sam at 5:30 pm.

Renga-Tai (spell?) in Lincolnwood is lovely and authentic and multi-generational in the way that more places ought to be.

It's a repeat but I tell you, Sunshine Noodle on Clark is the best example I can fathom of a kid-friendly spot. No one has mentioned it here but it's sort of like Early Bird Florida meets toddler time except the seniors are Japanese and the food is very good and super consistent. Plus if you go before 6:30 pm there will be other families with kids who might start flirting/playing/comparing with each other (allowing you to EAT) and the Japanese seniors (who used to be a big part of the neighborhood but then left for the burbs) wink and nod at you. And the waitstaff, all two of them are sort of pudgy and sweet and sometimes offer up ice cream sandwiches.

Avoid any neighborhoods where trendy is the norm as children aren't regular customers. The staff don't even know how to deal with them and the other diners will loathe you.

But whatever the case I'll say it again go early and then hopefully, you can go often. If you make friends at a neighborhood joint, that's the best thing you can do because they'll know you, your kid will feel comfortable there and everyone is happy.

Try White Fence Farm at the main location in Lemont.

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3635&start=0&

The above thread has discussion and includes a link to another thread with further info. Yes, it's a bit of a drive, but the youngster should be thoroughly entertained for a while. I loved my many visits there as a youngster, particularly the llamas and chicken housed outside in the back, and it still gets its share of patrons of all ages.

I'd also recommend a place like Fuddruckers. We started going there when I was a bit older than your son, and I have been there since as an adult. You order at the counter, and then wait for your number to be called. You top your own burger. The restaurants are generally large, offering room for your child. Plus, the kids meals that I ate here as a child were much better than those at any fast food burger place.

Another place to try, but maybe when the kid is a bit older is Ed Debevics. I haven't eaten there in 5 years, but it definitely has entertainment.

Avoid Feast. They seem to hate kids. (Of course, I have kind of a general dislike for the restaurant, so I could be projecting.)

Good spots: Northside, Brett's, Manzo's, Sabatino's, almost any Mexican place, almost any Indian place, almost any coffee-shope type place, Lutz... there are a lot. There have already been som good suggestions in this thread.

We introduced our daughter, a long time ago, to non-kid friendly places when she was four. The first thing we did was to be the first people thru the doors, when the restaurant opened. Of course there were times when she was a kid, and we would leave, but we did not disturb a bunch of other folks, since we were so early,and would finish our meals at home. The staffs appriciated our efforts, and as time went on, our kid was comfortable in nicer places, and knew how to enjoy herself, without inflecting herself on other guests.

I think I already posted this in the old thread, but when we lived in Chicago (until our son was 17 months old), our three standbys were Lula Cafe, Lao Sichuan and Irazu. Aside from being extremely kid-friendly, all have smaller plate options (as such, you might want to try a tapas place - I have no doubt that Cafe Ba-ba-ree-ba is kid friendly, but I can't speak for the food itself).

I saw lots of families at Babareeba on a Saturday between 4 and 5pm. I agree that's probably a good choice. I am a bigger fan of their paella than their tapas, but it would fit in with what you're looking forl

Now I would disagree on Babareeba and I had actually deleted my original post until looking back to "Your Bar"'s question about kid un-friendly places.

We stopped there for lunch unintentionally about two weeks ago. We were intending to go to Fillipos, but it was closed, despite their banner announcing their recent lunch option.

So we arrived at Babareeba with optimism given the hostess' happy welcome. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that we had the anti-Thor with us that day. Suffice to say, it was not his best restaurant moment and I will admit it. We did our best to minimize it, immediately removing him once there was a bit of unpleasantness. We ate quickly, we cleaned our area, including the floor prior to departing. Not one other patron gave us any dirty looks. My son and I departed early to retrieve the car, my husband got the check fully intending upon tipping well (+20%) in recognition of the disruption. He thanked the waiter for his patience, who turned on his heel without any recognition of his comment.

Now compare this with a recent dinner at West Town Tavern. We went with Thor and his grandparents, arriving at about 5:30. He was a bit exuberant (there are lots of fans - his fan favorite [pardon the pun]). Both the hostess and Drew Goss commented on how glad they were to see a happy patron. It was relatively empty, so unfortunately the normal toddler noice reverbed a bit more than I would have liked. Thankfully, I noticed a subtle increase in the music level, which eliminated that concern. The lovely hostess stopped by to say hello to my son at his level to his great enjoyment and they got our meal out without seeming rushed under an hour. Our server got a 27% tip.

Going back to my original post and the link that I provided, there are ways that parents and restaurants can work together to make an experience happy and relatively peaceful for all parties. There is obviously a difference between a place where the servers genuinely want to see you back and, pardon my bias, a LEYE place, where you are once face among many, and it is more acceptable to be say snotty.

In some ways, the anonymity offered by LEYE restaurants can work in your favor when dining with a small child. I still prefer trying to establish a nice relationship with a restaurant (and, of course, being acknowleged by servers), but if you know you're in for a tough meal with a child not on his best behavior, I think I might choose a chain (which, of course, is probably why they don't look too kindly on kids ).

My 28 month old daughter has serious food allergies (dairy, wheat, egg, nuts and peanuts) which limit where we can take her -- I'd never take her to a Thai place for example, too many peanuts. But we love to go out, so we've found our "safe" spots.

Lalo's -- the waitresses are incredibly sweet, they have a kids' menu and provide crayons and the chips are always a hit.
John's Place -- kids' menu, crayons, welcoming vibe.
Mitchell's -- classic diner type place with kids' menu. Other diners work well too.
Joey's Brickhouse -- friendly staff and kids' menu, but food sometimes takes too long, even at 5 pm
Tilli's -- convenient after a trip to the farmers' market

I concur in the recommendations of Goose Isalnd, Wishbone, Irazu and Kitchen on Roscoe.

Hi,

I'd like to say, that it seems whereever we eat, we're fine with the kids with us. I have a darling 3 1/2 year old son and an 8 1/2 month old daughter. Both are rather seasoned in the "going out to eat" biz, so, MOST of the time they are both well-behaved.

My problem, is more on my son being a VERY picky eater. He DOES have a slight milk allergy, but he is getting over that. Right now, his kick is "chicken nuggets". He's getting a little better with his diet variety, but I totally envy all of you and your kids that will eat most anything on a kid's menu or variations.

It's tough to take him to places if they don't serve some sort of chicken nuggets/fingers/strips. Cause then, it's just bread until we can get ourselves to a Wendy's(which his is nugget of choice). It's weird cause when he was a baby, he'd eat all kinds of veggies and fruits and meats....but in pureed form....he'd be really shy with trying to feed himself and he even used to eat pasta pretty well. Now, it's like chicken nuggets and that's seems to be it. He's a big bread eater and cracker eater, but getting him to eat anything beyond that is like having to pull teeth.

So, we either, 1) feed him ahead of time(like in the car) or 2) hope they have a kids menu we can utilize. We went to the Schaumburg Benihana's and were met with disdain when we brought our Wendy's nuggets bag in...they told us we couldn't bring in outside food...so, we were kinda stuck and attempted to give him rice, he had a little bit, but then that's about it. We hope as he grows, he'll get out of this phase and try more foods...otherwise, I dunno what we'll do. Can't eat at places that serve chicken nuggets/strips/tenders forever.

We are hoping our daughter will be more open to eating anything placed within the vicinity of her mouth, and HOPE she also doesn't have a milk allergy, which will make things problematic again until she outgrows it.

Can you imagine? A toddler that does NOT eat mac and cheese or grilled cheese? :/

About 2 weeks Check Please did a kid picks edition. I could not find reference to that specific episode on wttw's website. The 2 places I remember the kids recommending are

Midevieval Times. - Good show but I personally thought the food was only ok and the price kind of high. They don't have milk only pepsi or Iced Tea or water to drink. I thought was kind of weird since there were a lot of small kids in the audience.

King Crab
1816 N. Halsted Street
Chicago

I have not eaten at King Crab so I have not opinion.

One other restaurant from a regular Check Please episode that caught my attention as a decent family place is
Fat Willy's Rib Shack.
2416 W. Schubert
Chicago

It looked family friendly and not real expensive. Its on my list to try.

Mike G wrote:
I find a lot of times I run roughshod over the way servers want to do something and order the kid's food at the very beginning while I'm still deciding.

If it's a good server, they'll ask if you want to do that anyway