The 40 Best Kid-Friendly Restaurants in NYC

372 Fulton St., Downtown Brooklyn; gageandtollner.com

“A steakhouse is so fun for a kid,” says food writer and cookbook co-author JJ Goode. Wait, a steakhouse? Where a prime strip costs $74? Hear us out: “The kids get the onion rings, they get the creamed spinach, they get the special sauces,” Goode says. “It’s all the things they think are fancy and then all the things they thought couldn’t be fancy — made fancy.”

326 W. 46th St.; joeallenrestaurant.com

“The reason this is a great place to bring your kids — and truly, both my sons have grown up going here — is because Joe Allen is filled with and run by theater people,” says author Taffy Brodesser-Akner, “and there are no people more gregarious, understanding, and fun than theater people.”

136-20 38th Ave., second fl., Flushing; springshabu.com/flushing

You choose your broth, and within seconds, a bounty of vegetables, a fever dream of noodles, a feast of fish cakes, and an entire bar of sauces and condiments is unleashed. “The kids love it because there’s no waiting,” says City Councilmember Shekar Krishnan. It can take a minute (or 25) to get a table, but Krishnan has a tip for that: “There’s a really cool claw-machine arcade place downstairs, so the kids play while they wait.”

66 Hicks St., Brooklyn Heights; instagram.com/ingasbarnyc

Local parents already treat this pubby enclave like an extension of their own homes. When you end up in Brooklyn Bridge Park in need of a decent meal, skip the tourist pizza in Dumbo and walk up the hill for a solid burger, a Caesar-like celery salad, chilaquiles, off-menu macaroni and cheese, and a properly “nice” restaurant that nevertheless lets kids color all over its tables.

133-36 37th Ave., Flushing; juqiusa.com

“If you took the gimmicks of Alinea, got rid of the pretense, and added Peking duck, you’d have Juqi,” says Goode. You want to blow your kids’ minds, you come here: Duck, carved tableside, is presented with a wooden chest of accoutrements. Fried rice shows up literally aflame; milk pudding arrives in the shape of two perfect gleaming white rabbits. Against all odds, it works. “You know how comedy can be offensive unless it’s really funny?” Goode says. “This has to be delicious, and it’s all delicious.”

2342 Arthur Ave., Belmont; mariosarthurave.org

Every city kid should experience the singular joys of classic red sauce. You cannot get more classic than the century-old Mario’s, where families are not just invited but expected. The menu plays the hits — antipasto, Alfredo, chicken Parm — and “you can feel that historic energy in the space,” says a Bronx-based toddler mom. History lessons are better when they involve manicotti and tiramisu.

Multiple locations; sushikatsuei.com

Chef Clare de Boer — who manages four boys under 7 — says neighborhood sushi is her move. “There’s full-scale entertainment, watching the chefs at the counter make the sushi,” she says. And there’s steamed edamame, which comes to the table immediately and takes forever to eat. “I can have an entire glass of sake without getting nervous about what’s happening in front of me.” Her own family’s go-to is Katsuei’s Park Slope outpost, which offers another parental perk: Dinner service starts at 4 p.m.

18 E. Broadway; goldenunicornrestaurant.com

No restaurant on this list got more recommendations than Golden Unicorn, suggesting that even in these divided times, a shared truth is possible. That truth: dim sum. “You get there, and you’re immediately looking at food, choosing stuff, tasting stuff. It’s amazing,” says Greta Caruso, co-author of the Green Spoon Substack. You may even learn that your own young daughter’s passion for dumplings is trumped only by her newfound lust for sweet tofu.

Zola, 7, at Golden Unicorn.
Photo: Bobby Doherty

24-19 Steinway St., Astoria; 718-274-3474

Kids’ tastes are comically fickle. One mom reported her son maintained a long-standing passion for sushi but refused to eat cooked fish — until he took a trip to this pick-your-own-seafood spot. “We got a whole grilled flounder, and my 7-year-old basically ate the entire thing himself,” she recalls. “For a while, when we showed up, the staff would say, ‘Hey, flounder boy!’ which embarrassed my son but I found hilarious.”

284 Van Brunt St., Red Hook; redhooklobster.com

Most New York restaurants are very small. Red Hook Lobster Pound is enormous. You can exhale, and your kid is unlikely to bump someone else’s frozen mojito. The lobster roll is the move, of course, but Late Show writer Kate Sidley says there’s a kids’-menu sleeper hit: “You wouldn’t think to order it, but I swear it’s the best burger I’ve had in New York.”

80-02 Northern Blvd., Jackson Heights; thequeensboro.com

The project of three area dads, the Queensboro is a “quintessential neighborhood restaurant,” says Krishnan. “They’re always trying different variations and combos, including for the vegetarian food,” he says, praising a made-from-actual-vegetables veggie burger. And “they have a bunch of kids’ activities, movie nights and things like that, so children can have fun and parents can eat in peace.”

Multiple locations; ayatnyc.com

“I don’t want to take my kids anyplace where there’s going to be a needle-scratch moment” when everything falls apart, says comedian Jordan Carlos. Ayat is fundamentally comfortable: “Nobody is looking over their shoulder at you — they want you to be in there.” Critics agree the six-layer fattats are the main attraction; Carlos’s kids opt for a familiar classic. “You can’t go wrong with the chicken kebab,” he says.

Multiple locations; che-li.com

Watching kids light up in “grown-up” restaurants is an unexpected pleasure, but for that you need elegance, not austerity. Che Li, decorated to look like Michelin-starred Shanghainese fishing villages, exactly fits the bill. “They have this enormous plain steamed bun you cut up like a pizza and dip into this sweet sauce — it’s pure kid food,” one dad says. “And every kid should learn how to eat a soup dumpling.”

53 Great Jones St.; ilbuco.com

“Housemade bread” is the siren song among moms and dads who need assurance their kids will have something to eat. At Il Buco’s market-leaning sibling, there are multiple varieties plus a more energetic environment than the original, so you won’t disrupt anyone else’s meal when your kids go predictably crazy for the carbonara.

210 E. 3rd St.; carnitasramirez.com

A “snout to tail” celebration of pig parts is a nonobvious choice for potentially squeamish eaters, but it reveals one of the great strategies for encouraging kids to try new foods: Everything is enticing if it’s a taco. “The staff always assume that the kids want what they’ve ordered,” observes one regular. “They’re never like, ‘Oh, are you sure you don’t want something more standard? Something with less texture?’ They’re like, ‘Yep, here you go!’”

329 Kent Ave., Williamsburg; misinewyork.com

This is how you know you’ve landed on a perfect new-parent restaurant: You show up with a stroller and a sleeping baby but no reservation and sheepishly ask if there’s room. “We have room,” a host says, “and we have the perfect spot”: the end of the bar, where a clip-on high chair can be placed above your slumbering child. When she awakens, fettuccine with Parmesan is waiting.

Luca, 5, at Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria.
Photo: Bobby Doherty

1271 Third Ave.; ejsluncheonette.com

The best restaurant for any kid, one dad of teens announced unequivocally, “is the closest diner.” For actress, producer, Upper East Side mom, and NYC native Emmy Rossum, that diner is EJ’s: “It’s a place I loved going as a kid, and I had brunch there the morning of my wedding.” Now, it’s where she takes her two children, and “no one cares if your kids are standing on a booth or the milk spills.”

49-02 Skillman Ave., Woodside; cousinlarrys.com

“It feels like a place my husband and I would have gone pre-kids, but they’re great with kids,” says one mom. What is it? An Irish sports bar par excellence with a robust cocktail list, surprisingly exquisite roasted veggies, and a level of hospitality that makes everyone comfortable. “They always take care of us,” the mom — whose family deals with serious food allergies — says. “And they always make their Shirley Temples look fancy.”

131 Sullivan St.; thedutchnyc.com

Your kids won’t care that the burger is made with dry-aged beef or that the restaurant is somehow still a scene 15 years after opening — but they’ll recognize that they’re somewhere special. It could become the first place they feel brave enough to try an oyster, and it will absolutely be the place they remember dessert: chocolate pudding, homemade cookies, and a whole lot of pie.

25 Clinton St.; ivanramen.com

“She’ll be like, ‘This experience was three stars,’ or ‘That was two stars,’” says chef Chintan Pandya of his 6-year-old daughter, “and for her, Ivan Ramen is, like, ten stars.” For novice noodle eaters, there’s an instructional “Art of the Slurp” manga on the walls (the instructions: You slurp), and tonkotsu tsukemen, which involves copious dipping, is basically dinner disguised as sensory play.

142 Mercer St.; lurefishbar.com

If we’re lucky, we’ll all equip our kids with the skills they need to close deals and buy a retirement home for us in the south of France. Jump-start their M&A education at Soho’s go-to power-lunch spot, which is surprisingly child-friendly thanks to its yacht-inspired theme, its justifiably famous burger, and the “kid sushi” that isn’t dumbed down — just real rolls made 40 percent smaller for child-size mouths.

200 W. 70th St.; cafeluxembourg.com

A get-whatever-you-want ethos pervades the Odeon’s uptown sibling. “A bistro is like an elevated French diner, if you think about it,” one Bronx mom points out. Kids can draw on the paper place mats with the provided crayons, while the food — all great — just so happens to appeal to youthful tastes, as evidenced by the giant bowl of berries with whipped cream on the dessert menu.

48-06 Skillman Ave., Sunnyside; instagram.com/belosunnyside

Any given Saturday, “you’ll see families, you’ll see dates, you’ll see groups of people in their 20s,” says one local parent. On the walls: vibrant graffiti murals (local hero Spider-Man on one; Brazilian favelas on another). On the tables: skewered churrasco meats and baskets of fresh-baked pão de queijo, a.k.a. “cheese bread.”

508 Greenwich St.; housemanrestaurant.com

“It’s a true neighborhood restaurant,” says Great Jones co-founder Sierra Tishgart. It has roast chicken, steak-frites, high chairs, and tiny sweet-potato cakes to greet guests at brunch: “With a toddler, you’re like, ‘Just bring over something as fast as you possibly can,’ and they’re already ready.”

119 Ave. A; superiorityburger.com

Superiority Burger is so legitimately cool it remains unfazed by children, which gives parents the ability to feel cool and unfazed by their children too. The food, all vegetarian and mostly in the form of straight-up vegetables, is consistently surprising and reassuringly straightforward. What other reason could you need to go? How about the thick, golden fries, a Platonic ideal of the form and quite possibly the city’s best.

79 Orchard St.; cafekatja.com

“They have an appetizer that’s a giant pretzel,” says a downtown mom, and the rest of the Austrian food is “a good fit for anybody”: sausage, schnitzel, spaetzle. But it’s the servers who makes this a must-visit, since they are unusually attuned to the dignity of children: “The waiters always talk to them, not to us,” the mom says. “They’re diners in their own right.”

328 Douglass St., Gowanus; insabrooklyn.com

Both elevated and low-key, the Korean-barbecue joint is an occasion but not a Whole Thing. The food — chewy japchae, crunchy double-fried glazed broccoli, a pillowy scallion pancake — is very good. Late Night With Seth Meyers writer and performer Jenny Hagel, whose 12-year-old is partial to the “next level” fried chicken, prefers to eat before booking an hour of private family karaoke. “It just breaks up the routine of how we normally interact at home,” she says. “It’s fun to do a grown-up thing with your kid.”

155 W. Houston St.; hamburgeramerica.com

This ode to America’s timeless lunch counters is such clear kid-bait we debated excluding it and then thought, Why? Because it’s too good? Sitting at the counter and watching the cooks work the griddle is too fun? Because a menu of egg creams, smashburgers, and golden fries might make kids too happy? It feels like a chain, but as of now, there’s only one.

Cara, 3, at Hamburger America.
Photo: Bobby Doherty

126 Union St., Carroll Gardens; cafespaghetti.com

In a city brimming with “When you’re here, you’re family” Italian, Cafe Spaghetti manages to feel extraordinarily friendly to actual families. The tight menu skews Bensonhurst classic — immaculate spaghetti pomodoro, fist-size arancini — and the Italianate backyard is like a movie set. (Kids will want to sit on the vintage Vespa.) “We were actually able to have a decent conversation while our daughter was completely consumed with the gravel,” notes one neighborhood regular.

605 Carlton Ave., Prospect Heights; gertrudes.nyc

You can add a latke to any dinner entrée, but if heapings of fried potato won’t sell your kids, this quiet corner spot has something even more enticing: “seven layer” cake. A single slice is as big as a newborn. Kids will love any restaurant, one dad says, “as long as there’s some insane dessert they can’t get anywhere else.”

120 W. 55th St.; qualitybistro.com

Everything Quality Bistro does, it does the most, from the grand, gilded dining room to the cartoonishly long “fromage pull” atop its French onion soup. The pièce de résistance is the butter trolley, adorned with sourdough, jambon cuit, and a cornucopia of accompaniments. “It has kid-dinner vibes,” says a Riverdale mom. “You just kind of pick what you want and make it work.”

8-80 Woodward Ave., Ridgewood; ilgigantenyc.com

“Look, it’s delicious pasta,” admits one mom. Normally, that’s enough, but another mother — who recently stopped in with four adults and four kids under 5 — awards high points for pace. “What you need in a kid meal is for the restaurant to keep everything moving as fast as possible, and they are so good at that,” she says. “There was not even a chance for the kids to fuck shit up because it was just like, ‘Oh, now there’s food; now there’s this; I will try this olive oil.’”

165 E. Broadway; wuswontonking.com

“The food is fantastic,” and the value is “on point,” raves restaurateur and father of two Gabriel Stulman. The real draw is the breadth of the menu. Things like noodles and fried rice and those namesake wontons are “more subtle options for kids,” Stulman says. “And then go to town with flavor explosions and spice for the adults.”

1535 Broadway; theviewnewyorkcity.com

Yes, “the restaurant spins” is a gimmick — one that plays exceptionally well with the under-10 contingent. Come for a birthday, a kindergarten graduation, or before you go to Wicked. The staff is unbelievably accommodating — able to whip up an off-menu chocolate milk on request and play “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters on the dining-room piano — and the food is easy. Kids will have brioche-bun burgers and skin-on fries; you’ll feast on butter-poached halibut and wonder whether it’s okay to order a second Cadillac margarita.

168-11 Union Tpke., Fresh Meadows; boondeebbq.com

An all-you-can-eat Thai BBQ and hot pot already has a lot going for it in terms of immediate gratification and fun factor. That festive spirit extends through dessert — kids can make their own shaved ice or toast marshmallows over the grill after the meat is finished — and even to the bill. Boon Dee adheres to a strict policy of charging children based on their height, which one mom says “is actually really fun.”

3732 Riverdale Ave., Riverdale; tobalanyc.com

“You feel like you’re in Mexico,” says a parent of a 3-year-old, citing the homemade tortillas and exceptional moles. If “kid friendly” is just another way of saying “wildly hospitable,” Tobalá nails it. “The staff,” she adds, “is so beyond.” You won’t need it — what is a tlayuda in the eyes of a preschooler if not Oaxacan pizza? — but there is a secret kids’ menu.

332 Driggs Ave., Greenpoint; berniesnyc.com

City parents can live out their suburban fantasies at TGI Bernie’s with its red-checkered tablecloths and fast service. “I love a restaurant where the bartender knows you need a drink and your kids need their mozzarella sticks,” says Maura Egan, a travel-and-food writer and mother to a burgeoning burger enthusiast. She warns of TikTok crowds, but here’s a simple strategy for avoiding them: Go early.

786 Coney Island Ave., Kensington; jalsagrill.com

The wide menu alone makes Jalsa a standout — this is a restaurant with ten different chaats — but equally important is the vibe. “There’s an ineffable part of what makes a restaurant great with kids,” says Caruso. “Are you getting eye rolls, or are you getting laughter? Here, it’s the latter.” Also, a robot waiter named Simran delivers dishes and sings “Happy Birthday.”

1413 Third Ave.; elizabar.com

“It is, by all accounts, an adults-only spot,” says restaurateur Annie Shi, whose own establishments include King and Lei, “but the staff is so kind and sweet, and it’s never too crowded.” While the food isn’t cheap, it is relatively straight-forward. “I feel like even if your kid’s kind of a picky eater, you can find something on that menu that will work,” says Shi. (Her children are partial to the pork chop.) And there’s always the sundae, a transcendent combo of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and maple popcorn.

Inside Essex Market, 88 Essex St.; shopsins.com

Stuffed pancakes and “pancake sandwiches” are the highlights of the small stall’s enormous diner menu, but the strict no-parties-larger-than-four policy provides an unexpected benefit for one intrepid Lower East Side mother of two: “Anytime the kids ask for another sibling, we point out that we wouldn’t be able to go to Shopsin’s anymore, and that ends it.”