Want to give your kitchen the night (or morning or afternoon) off? Check out the family-friendly eateries we’ve discovered over the years in our Tiny Diner Series. On this page they are organized by town so whether you’re close to home or “out and about” you can be sure to find something yummy for the whole family!
Clinton:
Colchester:
Glastonbury:
- b.good
- Dondero Orchards
- Luna Pizza
- Maggie McFly’s
- Plan B Burger Bar
- Rose’s Berry Farm Breakfast with a View
- Whole Foods
Madison:
Manchester:
Mansfield:
Marlborough:
Middlefield:
- Lyman Orchards Apple Barrel and Breakfast on the Deck
New Haven:
Newington:
Niantic:
Noank:
Old Saybrook:
Palmer, MA:
Rocky Hill:
- Dakota (Sunday Brunch)
- On The Border
- Wood-n-Tap
South Windsor:
Vernon:
West Hartford:
- Hartford Baking Company
- Noodles & Company
- The Cheesecake Factory (Sunday Brunch)
Do you have a favorite family-friendly restaurant that we should check out? Let us know by commenting below!
Hello,
My daughter just turned 1 and there have been a few times ‘out and about’ trying to figure where to go for lunch that has a kid friendly menu. We have found that Panera has a great Mac & Cheese for kids and it comes with a “Tuber” (Yogurt in a plastic tube, like Go-gurt). They also have grilled cheese and PB&J or a deli sandwich. Recently we also went to Olive Garden and I was pleasantly surprised by their kids menu: Mac & Cheese, Cheese or Pepperoni pizza, chicken tenders with pasta or cheese ravioli which included a side of either Grapes, Garlic Mashed potatoes and a third with a variety of drinks (milk, lemonade, smoothie, etc) all for under $6. Plus the unlimited salad and breadsticks for mom and dad made it easy to give her a few bites until her dish arrived. Since these can be found everywhere, it is nice to keep in mind when traveling away from home.
Hi Kalyn,
Thanks so much for the great suggestions! I go to Panera all the time, and I didn’t even realize that they serve Mac & Cheese! It’s definitely helpful to know about kid-friendly restaurants that you can find all around the country. It’s one less thing to stress about when traveling with little ones
Thanks again for sharing your suggestions.
Best,
Shawna
Our favorite family restaurant is Stone and Paddle in Manchester. The food is great and where else can you go where a piece of pizza is .95 and kid ice cream is .95! Not to mention kids eat free on Tuesday’s! There is never a wait and the service is quick!
That sounds great! We will put it on our list
My husband and I, and our group of three under four went to Bria in the west farms mall a few weeks ago. We got there at 430 on a Friday night and were overly impressed with their service and the accommodations for our kids. They gave us crayons, dough for the kids to play with (and eat if they wanted) and just were super friendly. Plus they have paper on the tables so the kids can draw on the table with no worries. The staff made my dinner with angel hair instead of spaghetti (I isually shove food down anyhow- it could have been gnocchi and I would not have noticed) but they insisted I take home one portion! How nice! I highly recommend it!
That sounds awesome, Victoria! I have not been there yet. We will definitely be putting that one on our list. Thanks so much for another great recommendation! Keep ’em coming
You’ll have to check out Rein’s Deli in Vernon! They put down a white paper table cloth for coloring and they take pictures of the kids eating their pickles. There is a pickle wall of fame!
Gianna – This sounds like so much fun! Thank you for the suggestion.
We went to AC Peterson’s in Hartford today. It is my new fav place. They have outdoor seating and the inside was immaculate. Awesome ice cream selection too. Good variety in the kids menu so we actually had a couple items that would please my picky kiddos who don’t even eat mac & cheese or chicken fingers. They offer fresh fruit with the kids meals. Even I was very happy with the adult options– low carb and grilled alternatives. Breakfast was awesome. Happy momma, happy kids!
That’s another great suggestion! Thanks so much. I have a very picky eater too, so I am always interested in places with lots of great kids’ options. We’ll put it on the list! Thanks again!
Red Robin in Manchester or West Hartford! They have great burgers and other food, and a good kids menu with lots of different choices. There is also a lot for the kids to look at in the restaurant, like lots of pictures on the walls, the big RED robin bird and carousel horses. It’s a fun place for the entire family.
Thank you so much for the restaurant suggestion, Marissa!
We will be visiting Avon for Christmas from out of town (California!) and we are totally excited about your review of the Avon Library and plan to have a play date there to get the kids out of the hotel. Any suggestions for kid friendly lunch nearby? We will have our 12 month old twins and our friend with her son, who is two weeks younger, will be visiting with us! So…somewhere that wont hate us for entering their establishment!
Thank you!!!