Whether you’re looking to avoid the mess of a post-kids dinner kitchen or want a special meal out with family, London is packed with child-friendly restaurants.
Ignore the ones with well-fingered laminated menus of breadcrumbed fish or chicken or plain pasta: the capital’s restauranteurs now appreciate that kids will eat more adventurously if they’re offered it — and parents prefer not to spend hard-earned cash on something they can pour out of a packet and onto an oven tray themselves at home.
So where in London is best for adults and kids to eat out together? I spent a very enjoyable month eating out with my three children — aged 10, seven and five, plus a friend with her toddler, all of whom have varying levels of fussiness and appreciation for a nice white tablecloth.
From those with in-house childcare to those where kids do the cooking, here’s where you can truly enjoying eating out with your kids this summer:
London is packed with child-friendly pizza restaurants, but none have ever got my three kids beaming like 67 Sourdough has — and we parents loved it too. The quirky setting is the first stand-out: it sits in a classic car showroom a short walk from East Finchley station. Our table was between a BMW Z8 and a row of gleaming classic Porsches, Lambourghinis and even an F1 simulator.
There was no “mum, I’m booooored” whilst waiting for the crisp sourdough pizzas to arrive — because the kids were happily wandering around the impressive classic cars picking their dream fleet if they hit the jackpot inventing the next Chat GPT.
When they did return to the table, there were (car, natch) colouring sheets, and Hot Wheels miniatures to play with. 67Sourdough’s owner Cam — son-in-law of the car dealership’s owner — is passionate about pizza, and perhaps even better than the backdrop is the food: crunchy, tangy sourdough bases with creamy fior di latte mozzarella, a rich tomato sauce and parmesan shavings and sweet basil on the margarita (£12.50).
There’s no scrimping for kids: the £10.50 children’s margarita is the same generous 12” size, just cheesier and devoid of leaves. A “curly cucumber” salad had my kids fighting for it, but the dessert menu — including Nutella or Tony’s Chocolonely calzone, cinnamon knots and pistachio gelato — had us all rhapsodising for weeks. Plus, when I say the service was super-child-friendly and warm, perhaps the best example was when my son got his tiddly Hot Wheel Ferrari stuck beneath the undercarriage of a “so special it’s not for sale” Mercedes… and our lovely waitress just laughed and helped us scoop it out with a broom.
A fun, really different, kid-loving and reasonable restaurant spot in the Capital — we’ll be back very soon (not least to update its new additions to our dream car list).
The Kids Table at Heddon Street Kitchen
The Kids Club
For those meals when you want to actually catch up with friends or talk to your partner — without fielding colouring demands or having Bluey blaring out an iPad — families should know about The Kids Table.
It’s a free service that two mum entrepreneurs have rolled out in dozens of pubs, food markets and restaurants around London, which for certain meals each week host a large table of crafts, stickers, colouring and games, properly staffed by two, DBS-checked and kid-loving supervisors.
You’ve got to be in the know: at Gordon Ramsay’s Heddon Street Kitchen, the vibe is chilled but the Kids’ Table with two hosts, a huge stack of crafts and some games like Connect 4 is tucked away and not visible from most of the restaurant. Only over 3s can stay solo.
My children — who are given bracelets with parents’ phone numbers on just in case — settled down to play and craft whilst we enjoyed the smooth service and lemon swizzle cocktails of Heddon Street Kitchen. As we got stuck into sticky chicken wings and poke bowls, the kids only came back to our table for their juicy burgers and delectable Koffman fries. Don’t miss the epic ice cream bar — also hidden away, upstairs — where kids’ sundaes with unlimited toppings were a very palatable £3.50, and us adults tucked in too, to mango sorbet and salted caramel in cone baskets.
Kids’ main meals are £10, and the Kids Table is at 35 London venues including Fullers and Young’s pubs, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, Art’Otel, Soho House, Young’s, Boxpark and Fulham Pier, as well as a number of independents. More information can be found at thekidstable.co.uk.
Sharkey and George at Nobu’s chilled Sunday brunch
Nobu
There’s a shellshocked look to some of the adults around the table at Nobu when we sit down for Sunday lunch — they can’t believe they’re chomping through a vast unlimited sushi buffet of sashimi and tacos, followed by black cod miso or beef toban and have a conversation with other adults at the same time, all without anyone spilling an apple juice.
How? Because whilst parents gorge on Nobu’s four-course sharing menu, children are entertained by party-makers Sharky and George. My younger two were belly-laughing within seconds of entering the room just off the dining room, and although my ten-year-old was cynical, the excellent entertainment team soon had him rustling up arts and crafts and engaged in a rocket balloons and other mayhem. Ask for a table nearby and you can see your kids; ask for one the other side of the vast dining room and you’ll only hear the live DJ.
The food is excellent, of course: the sushi and taco buffet alone were a majestic feast, but the à la carte mains were outstanding, and the dessert bar very hard to leave, with perfect madeleines and vibrant exotic fruit platters. This is a pricey treat: adults are £90-a-head; six to 12 year olds are £27 for the buffet; only under fives are free. But what a treat it is, and the array and quality of both food and kids’ entertainment mean you won’t feel short-changed.
Press handout
Fallow came out on top as the most welcoming central London foodie spot for families. Walking in with three hungry under-sevens, the maitre d’ made the children the bosses, offering them a central table — no shoving the families in a loo-side setting here — so they could watch the busy chefs in the open kitchen.
They were immediately given a children’s menu (made of recycled seaweed) with proper food options, including smaller but far from stingy portions of Fallow’s famous corn ribs and smoked beef ribs or pizza (a very reasonable fiver). Larger mains or older kids’ portions of sausage, grilled fish, cheese burger or plant burger (£10) were served with really excellent fries, greens or salad.
While we grown-ups chowed down on Fallow’s typically excellent Sunday roast, plus mushroom parfait and confit smoked cabbage, the waiters gave the kids a tour of their mushroom-growing room and even let my chattiest child be a waiter for a round of chefs’ “service!” calls. Fallow’s food was faultless whilst the friendly, family-loving vibe made a Sunday lunch experience all the tastier.
Disney brunch at BAM Karaoke Box
Disney Brunch Club
If you’re thinking the £39-per-child price for a meal at this slick new Victoria karaoke spot looks scary, hold up: you’re getting a lot more than what’s on the menu. You’re here because your kids won’t stop smiling for almost three hours, and quite possibly neither will you.
First it’s down to the slick basement bar for the brunch. Instead of bottomless prosecco — though that’s available at the bar — it’s unlimited apple and orange juice for the kids to enjoy with their meal, accompanied by a Mickey and Minnie Mouse duo of entertainers who draw even the most shy children to sing, dance along or quiz along to Frozen and other Disney hits and win prizes. There’s possibly London’s best face painter too, whipping up intricate unicorns and dinosaurs quicker than I could spell them.
On the menu? Burgers, chicken, pasta or pizza — and I’d add that whilst you’re not heading to BAM for its decent but not exceptional food, the unlimited potato tots were incredibly moorish.
And then comes the really fun bit: your dessert is 90-minutes in a private karaoke room, where we alternated singing from Toy Story and Tangled with a parental blast of Park Life and Wonderwall. The whole family had a ball at this Sunday brunch. We left holding Disney-themed goodie bags, constant sibling arguments forgotten after an afternoon sharing mics.
Press handout
Kids now have sophisticated tastes — and those that love to snack on nori will adore the sushi-making masterclass at Sticks’n’Sushi. From the moment my trio sat down, on a rainy morning at the large, sleek Richmond branch, they were entranced. A sushi chef and two effervescent helpers led them on a quick gallop through Japanese language-learning and its culinary history, before they put on aprons and cheffy bandanas, and started cooking.
First up was a Kappa hosomaki roll (cucumber roll): all 10 kids on the course were expertly rolling uramaki rolls with salmon, avocado, cream cheese and lumpfish roe, before they whipped up two shake nigiri. This £40 session really felt worth its price tag — as well as having made their own sushi lunches, they left with a certificate, sushi rolling mat, chopsticks, chocolate fish and a Japanese phrase sheet, plus expertise in sushi-making that they’ve repeatedly whipped up at home. The chance for your kids to learn how to make you dinner? Priceless.
Aimed at seven-13 year olds, you can drop the kids off and come back at the end. So we had an adults-only morning mooching around the shops, before all sitting down at one of the restaurant’s tables to eat the kids’ sushi creations as well as ordering a few extra of own, enjoying a brilliant lunch all together.
Where The Pancakes Are
Here’s a place to please even the pickiest kids. This three-branch chain (Battersea, Fitzrovia and London Bridge) focuses on every child’s favourite breakfast dish — pancakes. It makes them excellent ones; the buttermilk batter involves 12 ingredients, which is nine more than my bleary-eyed Sunday morning affair. Then it offers a load of topping choices (choose three out of mixed fruit, berry compote, beans, avocado, halloumi, eggs, sausage, bacon or maple syrup), and serves it all up for £6.50. The service was a little haphazard, but our kids were happy to be offered copies of Where the Wild Things Are on arrival, which helped ease the wait. Special children’s cutlery and takeaway boxes for leftovers were appreciated too. The grown-ups were happy with plates pretty enough for a phone-eats-first approach (Instagram was hungry) before gobbling down a Boulder breakfast — pancakes plus avo, herby salsa, tahini, chickpeas and more. Kids’ mini pancake stack start from £5 for one topping.
James Moyle
Every parent knows that pasta is the answer that almost every toddler, tween or teenager wants to the question “what’s for supper?” At Pastaio, it’s excellent pasta that comes quickly, where the kids learn how it’s actually made thanks to the fast-paced open kitchen, where it’s all made fresh daily, and the children’s menu is especially good value.
Families should run, not walk to this always-packed Carnaby stalwart. The children’s menu (£6 for two courses) includes a very generous portion of favourites from the main menu — the lip-smacking slow-cooked bolognese spaghetti, tomato radiatore — or a more simple butter and parmesan dish. There’s also a beautiful little dish of vegetables on the side, and fresh sorbets and ice cream for dessert. Simple, delicious, family-friendly excellence (and Hamley’s is a few steps away afterwards).
Benihana chefs cooking table-side
Bets
Make sure your kids are old enough for this Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant, or just calm enough — the chef prepares meals on a super-hot metal grill just in front of where you sit — but my three young kids were transfixed by the hibachi-style theatrical cooking.
The chef slices, dices and flips veg and meat in the air in front of you, turning beansprouts into a beating heart, onion rings into a steam train, making a Mickey Mouse out of rice, and lighting a fire to transform veg into a steaming volcano. Even noisy kids won’t need an iPad babysitter here: the children’s £14 “Ninja” menu, with activities including a maze, sudoku and story about Japanese children’s Daruma dolls, turns into a chef-style hat.
The kids’ lunch includes lots of courses to keep them interested, from onion soup and sushi, followed by chicken, prawn or steak on the grill, there’s rice, hibachi vegetables and ice cream dessert. Kids mocktails wowed too, with old-school umbrellas and options including a Shirley Temple, and Snow White coconut drink. It was decent value for kids and adults alike too, with a multi-course lunch for adults starting at £19.