With more than 8,000 restaurants to choose from in the Houston area, it can be daunting trying to find a spot that's kid tested and parent approved. While plenty of well-known, national chains dot the city's landscape-Chili's, Rainforest Café and iHop, among others-there are just as many uniquely-Houston options that are certain to please. Check out the local spots that score big in H-Town.
Not as diverse as the original Fairview location, the roomier River Oaks-set Barnaby's Cafebustles with people from all walks of life. There's a bit of West Coast influence on the menu —Chicken La Jolla and Petaluma salad, for example-and a coloring placemat menu for the little ones, advertising mac & cheese and corn dog offerings. Pups of all shapes and sizes are welcome on the dog-friendly patio, too, making visits to Barnaby's a true family affair.
Finally, a great place where you can have your cake and eat it, too. At the Dessert Gallery guests choose from soups, salads, wraps, sandwiches and kid-friendly food like mac and cheese and PB&J sandwiches. Top off the meal with a scrumptious dessert while the kids chow on cupcakes, the super-fun "Design Your Own Cookie Platters" or the "S'mores Pupu Platters." The sweet shop also keeps board games on hand, so no one should be, well, bored.
Mia's Table takes family-friendly to a new level with ample green space for kids to run, plenty of favorite menu items and of course, free ice cream. This southern comfort food restaurant serves up meals that taste home-cooked. Chicken-fried chicken, mashed potatoes, delectable green beans, tacos, hearty salads and more are available for moms, dads, aunts, uncles, and single people of all ages. The kids menu offers mac and cheese, chicken tenders, cheeseburgers, corndogs and hotdogs. Mia's table has taken Houston and its suburbs by storm. The two in-town locations are in Upper Kirby and Memorial City.
Part attraction, part restaurant, the 500,000-gallon Downtown Aquarium complex is multi-functional destination boasting a Ferris wheel, an aquatic carousel, Shark Voyage, a white tiger exhibit and a restaurant. The spectacular wall-to-wall aquarium view complements the surf-and-turf menu. Parents can dig into silky lobster bisque and crabmeat-topped Gulf red snapper, while the little ones nosh on popcorn shrimp, ‘sand dollar' pizza and ‘Captain's' grilled cheese. During dinner, keep an eye out for scuba divers feeding fish in the restaurant-set tank.
Good things come in small packages, at least when it relates to dim sum. Take the family for a cultural experience in Houston's southwest Chinatown area, where places like Fung's Kitchen, andOcean Palacesend around carts filled with an endless variety of steamed dumplings. Note: Some restaurants only offer cart service during lunch on the weekends, call ahead to verify.
Hungry's has been bringing in Houston families for American fare for more than 35 years. The neighborhood café has locations in Memorial and Rice Village, both of which offer well-priced, heart-healthy dishes like grilled chicken-and-vegetable wraps, salads and soups. Kids' can choose from pasta, sandwich and burger options.
Jenni Tran-Weaver, of Jenni's Noodle Housefame, knows how important it is for kids to eat their veggies, which is why the restaurateur sends out all the snow peas, broccoli, carrots and mushroom sides a kid could want with the rice, noodle and soup dishes offered on the kids menu. As an added perk, Jenni's Heights location boasts a fenced-in backyard with sidewalk chalk and a 12,000-lb concrete pipe for little ones to play in.
Macaroni and cheese finally gets the respect it deserves at Heights-set Jus' Mac. The kid-friendly food is getting plenty of play at the family-friendly outpost. Take the brood for lunch and choose from panini, salads and 18 varieties of the cheesy classic. Little ones will find the 'All American' to be familiar, while parents can branch out with the pan-seared 'Chik Chik' or the spinach, onion and mushroom-mixed 'Popeye.'
Located on the south shore of Kinder Lake, square in the heart of Discovery Green park, The Lake House is a family-friendly, fast-casual concept from the Schiller Del Grande Restaurant Group (of Café Annie fame) that turns out burgers, Kobe beef hot dogs, signature salads and seasonal sips. Take a seat within the contemporary interior, outside, on the shaded veranda, or enjoy a picnic-style meal in the park. After eating, the kids can burn off pent-up energy sailing motorized boats in the lake, playing in the fountains or climbing on the playground.
Niko Niko's - which first opened in Montrose more than 30 years ago - added a sidewalk-style kiosk for Downtown's on-the-go gyro lovers in late-summer 2010. Expect to find the Greek institution's classic menu with an emphasis on to-go foods-perfect for picnics in Market Square park-as well as a kids' menu with grilled cheese pitas, Jimmy Gyros and Pitza. Bring the family pup to play in one of the park's two dog runs, too.
Mexican restaurants are almost always a sure bet-they're colorful, food comes quickly and everyone is usually able to find something they like to eat. Pappasito's Cantina, which has been around for decades, is a great choice, as is Guadalajara Hacienda. Chuy's, with its hubcap decorations, is also fun, as well as the come-as-you-are Berryhill Baja Grill.
From its original West U location, Skeeter'shas expanded to suburban outposts in Sugar Land, Katy and The Woodlands by sticking to its formula: moderately priced comfort foods in a casual, low-hassle atmosphere. Butcher paper covers the tables of this counter-service mainstay, providing a canvas for burgeoning artists to let loose. While you may not want to show up on weekends without your own soccer team, the weekday lunch hour tends to attract a mature crowd. Adults enjoy mesquite-grilled sandwiches, chicken salads and ice-cold beer, while the kids fill up on taco, fajita and grilled cheese offerings.
A hidden gem in west Houston,George's Pastaria serves up delicious pasta and pizza in a casual, fun atmosphere. With plenty of pasta options for kids in tow, this family-friendly restaurant is the perfect spot to take kids young and older. Often, they even let the kids pasta cool down before serving it. Moms and dads, you don't have to waste all your breath on blowing on your kids' food here. If you need to get some veggies in, the house salad with creamy parmesan dressing is a must-try.
