Restaurantarama has a few child-blessed friends whose idea of a kids-in-tow evening on the town is bringing a few slices of Christian’s Pizza to Fridays After Five and gulping down wine from a plastic cup. Nothin’ wrong with that, of course. There’s safety in the sheer number of families taking part in said Friday night ritual, and there’s something to be said for loud music and the Pavilion’s distorted acoustics drowning out the hoots and hollers of the toddler set. But if you’re in the wee-one way and prefer to sit at an actual table and drink your wine from an actual glass, there are options, people. In honor of schools-out season, Restaurantarama here sets forth one such child-friendly eating-out guide. Now, you’ll notice that this list excludes the forever child-friendly fast food restaurants. That’s because food that takes five minutes to prepare does not count as “dining out” in our opinion. This is not an exhaustive list either. Just a sampling of the characteristics to keep in mind.
Macaroni and cheese, please
A kid menu is a clear indication that a restaurant expects, if not welcomes, the under-agers. Your chain restaurants are good for this sort of thing—think Ruby Tuesday and Red Robin, where chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese are a sight for tired parental eyes. They have crayons too!
 Patios like Eppie’s’ on the Downtown Mall are a parent’s best friend—nothing a kid does can be half as annoying as the busking banjo players. |
If you’re looking for something a little more local and from-scratch, however, a few other places have the same kind of homey food that lots of kids prefer, while boasting a unique ambience and hand-crafted entrees for the adults to savor: Both Fardowners in Crozet and Eppie’s on the Mall have more gourmet versions of kid-popular mac ‘n’ cheese, plus other down-home comfort foods that kids typically love. Fardowners even provides those cool, triangle-shaped crayons that don’t roll off the table—a big plus for sore parental backs.
Pubs and pizza parlors
Casual fare typically means laid-back attitudes, and casual décor is fairly difficult to destroy. Pony up to the Shebeen Pub and Braai or McGrady’s Irish Pub (now nonsmoking!) and throw a few back while the kids munch happily on a plate of “chips.” Or get yourself a pizza pie at Pizza Bella or Anna’s Pizza and enjoy a glass of Chianti while your baby gnaws quietly on the crust for a glorious 30 minutes.
Self-serve with style
The order-your-food-at-the-counter-and-seat-yourself arrangements from the likes of Aroma’s, Eppie’s, HotCakes, and Zazus can not be more highly recommended. These places serve real, from-scratch food (and booze!), but because you’ve already paid before you sit and can have your food served in a to-go box, quick escapes are a breeze.
The great outdoors
Ah, patios—the great dining equalizers. Patios are your chance, dear parents, to eat at all your favorite fancy pants places where kids typically cramp your style. Who cares that your toddler is picking her nose and spilling her milk all over one of Hamiltons’ al fresco tables—you’re on the Mall for goodness sake! Nothing your kids do can be half as annoying as the busking banjo players or as disgusting as the dog droppings nearby. Generally speaking, any place with a patio is a parent’s best friend. Almost all the restaurants on the Mall—from Ten to the Nook—have seasonal, outdoor sections and are therefore ripe for the kid contingent, in our opinion. Notable other, potentially kid-friendly patios include Zinc, Horse & Hound and Maya on West Main Street.
Additional guidance
A few other tips for dining out with child: 1) Ask for your check when the food arrives—that way you can make your exit as soon as junior decides he’s done being strapped to the high chair, 2) Ignore, ignore, ignore the snide comments and dirty looks of the childless diners around you—as if they weren’t loud, obnoxious kids once too, and 3) Tip your server generously—based on Restaurantarama’s research, a gratuity of at least 20-30 percent will somewhat smooth over the mess of a crumb-infested, juice-soaked table you leave behind.
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