Great Eats For Kids - Need Recs, Please
My sister and her three kids are coming for a visit and we will be spending a lot of time in Manhattan. Of course 95% of the activities will be geared towards the kids and so will the places we have to eat.
Recommendations please for inexpensive (more on the side of cheap), kid friendly (we could sit down) places to eat other than McDonald's. Her kids like veggies and are all under the age of 10 (2 girls, one boy). Manhattan only, thanks
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8 Comments:
Shake Shack (get there early to beat lines)...it's in a park, there are plenty of benches.
divinebovine at 1:26PM on 06/01/09
hmm.. there aren't too many things that come to mind immediately. If you know what areas you'll be visiting, it might help.
I can direct you to some hopefully useful resources
Time Out NY has a separate Kids section.
Menupages has a "kid-friendly" option in their features drop-down menu. You have to pick a neighborhood to start your search first, and then narrow down by feature. Here's my search of Midtown East.
engmcmuffin at 1:55PM on 06/01/09
Hi,
We have 2 little kids and eat out a lot in Manhattan. Here are some ideas of places with decent food and kiddie options:
-Co -- for lunch. It's pricier than your usual pizza place but this could be your one special dining option during the week. 24th and 9th I think.
-hill country barbecue, is a fun spot, not at all fancy and you should be able to deal with everyone's food requirements. on 26th street near broadway i think.
-joe's shanghai -- maybe not the best chinese in chinatown manhattan but they do have good dumplings, and it can be very affordable for a group.
-e.j.'s luncheonette: this is really basic not the best food but definitely excellent for families, and kids too. there is one on 3rd avenue in the 70s on the east side, and one on the west side (i like the east side one better). french toast is decent, eggs are fine. just stick to basics and service is super fast. and an added bonus it's cheap.
-the burger joint inside the parker meridian hotel on 57th street. great for families, very good burgers. can get crowded so be sure to send someone ahead to order. and it is basically burgers and fries. don't expect much else.
-cabrito, good for mexican in the village, and big enough for a group and is petty authentic. not super cheap but tasty.
-serafina (there are a few of these, on on the upper east side near 79th street) is good decent pasta and enough room for a group and fast and easy for kids.
-penelope on lexington avenue in the 30s is a good brunch/dinner spot. you might want to try to reserve but american food is solid and there is enough room for you all.
-if you are interested in being a bit more adventuresome, there are a few great indian places on lexington avenue in the 20s. a few of them are southern indian which is all vegetarian and they can get big dosas (there is also a dosa cart at washington square park that is supposed to be good) or other fun things. you should probably do a little more research before picking a place there.
And Shake Shack is a great choice but expect to wait a long long time so either have someone order first and have the kids meet you later (there are 2 locations: -outside at Madison Square Park or Upper West Side near the Natural History Museum).
and time out kids is a good resource, but i don't always trust the recommendations for food.
hope that helps. laura
cherrypatter at 2:50PM on 06/01/09
i see a lot of families at "the city bakery" (18th st between 5th and 6th ave). this place does a buffet-style brunch/lunch that might be fast and easy.
if they're allowed to have sweets:
- "jacques torres chocolate haven" on hudson might be worth a visit. it's big and colorful and kid-friendly. i heard they're now serving ice cream.
- "milk and cookies" on commerce st is really kid friendly. if you order a dozen, they will even make custom cookies while you wait!
kristin314 at 4:23PM on 06/01/09
I second Shake Shack, Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven and Milk & Cookies.
Alice's Tea Cup has a couple different locations and is fun for both adults and kids.
You could try Pipa at ABC Home & Carpet - there's space, a funky interior and good, cheap food.
Also think about places with outdoor terraces.
Here's a link to an article I wrote that might be helpful:
http://nymag.com/travel/visitorsguide/46356/
Sweet Freak at 8:28AM on 06/02/09
We recently accompanied a VERY ACTIVE child and parents to John's Pizza on Bleecker. There were several large parties of families with kids of all ages when we were there, so it's pretty group and kid-friendly. They were even cool with stroller storage accommodations. The prices are great, pizzas are sold whole but the slices are kid-friendly in size, and the seats/tables/dinnerware are hard to destroy.
savecara at 11:23AM on 06/02/09
This looks kind of cool if they're visiting the week of June 20th:
http://www.kidsrestaurantweek.com/nyc.asp
justhungry at 2:26PM on 06/02/09
Thanks so much for the recs guys. I love this site.
QueenAlli at 3:43PM on 06/02/09