Hi fellow travelers! I hope you all are exploring! I wanted to post about a subject that is constantly on my mind: Where to bring to my kids to eat? Now, I have children that are quite on the unruly side, they don’t like to sit still, my daughter prefers to scream at the top of her lungs randomly and when they throw a fit the whole room hears them. I envy the parents that sit their kid in a high chair and that kid can entertain themselves for hours. I pull out our entire playroom of toys just to keep my kids distracted long enough so I can eat. So, what is it I look for when taking my kids to a restaurant? Sure, the kids menus are important, especially if there are stickers involved, yes the food selections matter, if there are no chicken fingers or hot dogs, forget it, we have to leave. But, what I really look for is whether or not the staff is frustrated or the patrons are annoyed by screaming kids. Now, I know that at McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A and Red Robin that this is not a problem, but I can only eat there so many times. I want other options, so I have a few places that I definitely would like to mention.
Breakfast is the easiest meal to take my kids to, they love pancakes and waffles and it’s not a very formal meal, there are three restaurants that I don’t mind my kids being loud and obnoxious at. The first one is Snooze A.M. Eatery, they have several locations in the metro area and in Arizona, California and Texas. I love Snooze because the atmosphere is loud and eclectic, the wait staff are young and funky and they don’t seem to mind much of anything. The kids menu is pretty standard with crayons and a coloring page, but wait until you hear about the pancake of the day! Yes, they offer kids pancakes, bacon and french toast sticks, typical breakfast fare, but the option of a pancake dripping in candy or some fancy sauce also ups the ante. We usually get one to share and the kids are in breakfast heaven!
The second breakfast spot is The Delectable Egg, the location we go to is in Greenwood Village, CO and I love this place, because although it’s not super loud and the usual patrons are older adults, the manager is amazing, he gets to know his clients and doesn’t mind our rambunctious kids. They also offer a small package of Wikki Stix with their kids menu, which keeps my kids entertained. Their meals include a Bear pancake which is inexpensive and cute in it’s presentation.
The last breakfast place is The Original Pancake House, the location on Orchard and University Blvd. earns my favor. because not only is it loud and busy so no one can hear my screaming kids, but they give you toy cars and tablets for your kids to play with! It shows me that they encourage kids playing and entertaining themselves while the parents eat or chat with friends. It also tells me they want kids there, plus sometimes they will comp you a Dutch Baby pancake which is not bad at all!
When it comes to Dinner I have to encourage myself to bring the kids out, they can be cranky and tired by 5:00 pm and won’t sit through a long meal at a restaurant. But, one fool proof lunch/dinner location that I love is The Aquarium Restaurant in Downtown, Denver. The fish swimming by, mermaids that magically float into the tank periodically and the kids menu make this spot a must eat. Yes, the adult meals are on the expensive side, but the kids menu is brilliant! The kids can eat anything from fish and chicken to hot dogs and mac & cheese. They also have a shark character cup that you can put drinks in, but, the best and quite possibly the messiest dessert the kids love is the Paint Sharkey Crispy Treat. I mean, out of this world fun for the kids and they are so entertained while doing it. They get a rice crispy treat in the form of a shark that they then can paint with chocolate and other sauces, a paintbrush is even provided. The restaurant may seem formal because of the prices but families bring their kids there to eat after they have visited the aquarium so children are obviously the guests of honor. It is a total under the sea experience!
There are many restaurants we go to with our kids, but I have learned that some locations are just more comfortable to be at than others. Leave a comment about your favorite spots to eat at with your kids! I would love to add more places to our list!
Breakfast is the easiest meal to take my kids to, they love pancakes and waffles and it’s not a very formal meal, there are three restaurants that I don’t mind my kids being loud and obnoxious at. The first one is Snooze A.M. Eatery, they have several locations in the metro area and in Arizona, California and Texas. I love Snooze because the atmosphere is loud and eclectic, the wait staff are young and funky and they don’t seem to mind much of anything. The kids menu is pretty standard with crayons and a coloring page, but wait until you hear about the pancake of the day! Yes, they offer kids pancakes, bacon and french toast sticks, typical breakfast fare, but the option of a pancake dripping in candy or some fancy sauce also ups the ante. We usually get one to share and the kids are in breakfast heaven!
The second breakfast spot is The Delectable Egg, the location we go to is in Greenwood Village, CO and I love this place, because although it’s not super loud and the usual patrons are older adults, the manager is amazing, he gets to know his clients and doesn’t mind our rambunctious kids. They also offer a small package of Wikki Stix with their kids menu, which keeps my kids entertained. Their meals include a Bear pancake which is inexpensive and cute in it’s presentation.
The last breakfast place is The Original Pancake House, the location on Orchard and University Blvd. earns my favor. because not only is it loud and busy so no one can hear my screaming kids, but they give you toy cars and tablets for your kids to play with! It shows me that they encourage kids playing and entertaining themselves while the parents eat or chat with friends. It also tells me they want kids there, plus sometimes they will comp you a Dutch Baby pancake which is not bad at all!
When it comes to Dinner I have to encourage myself to bring the kids out, they can be cranky and tired by 5:00 pm and won’t sit through a long meal at a restaurant. But, one fool proof lunch/dinner location that I love is The Aquarium Restaurant in Downtown, Denver. The fish swimming by, mermaids that magically float into the tank periodically and the kids menu make this spot a must eat. Yes, the adult meals are on the expensive side, but the kids menu is brilliant! The kids can eat anything from fish and chicken to hot dogs and mac & cheese. They also have a shark character cup that you can put drinks in, but, the best and quite possibly the messiest dessert the kids love is the Paint Sharkey Crispy Treat. I mean, out of this world fun for the kids and they are so entertained while doing it. They get a rice crispy treat in the form of a shark that they then can paint with chocolate and other sauces, a paintbrush is even provided. The restaurant may seem formal because of the prices but families bring their kids there to eat after they have visited the aquarium so children are obviously the guests of honor. It is a total under the sea experience!
There are many restaurants we go to with our kids, but I have learned that some locations are just more comfortable to be at than others. Leave a comment about your favorite spots to eat at with your kids! I would love to add more places to our list!