London's Best Family Restaurants
The children’s summer holiday is no excuse to spoil your continuing gourmet adventures. Encouraging them to cook with you is great for everyone, but we also thought the odd visit to a restaurant would do everyone’s palettes a world of good.
Whereas finding a good child-friendly establishment in London has proven a challenge in the past, there now seems to be more and more eateries catering for the entire family. We picked out a handful to make sure your taste buds stayed sharp over the sprawling summer weeks ahead.
Giraffe, South Bank
Good solid global fare pepper the menu, while the friendly staff make coming here with a young family an absolute joy. It’s little wonder that it’s consistently ranked as one of the best places to take your brood on a special occasion. Candice, who frequently journeys to the capital from Peterborough, is most impressed with the cheesecake at Giraffe.
“I can’t find the words to tell you just how incredible the cheesecake is at this place. I would happily recommend Giraffe to anyone”.
Belgo Centraal, Covent Garden
This Belgian-themed restaurant is probably most well known for being a favourite with the post-office crowd. While there’s plenty to tickle the palette of this mature clientele – the moules’n’frites, the extensive range of Belgian beer – the ‘mini Belgo’ menu is also a treat for the young ‘uns. With each accompanying adult, a child eats for free which, even by Belgo’s thrifty standards, is a snip.
“Belgo is a fun place to eat, and while this is hardly haute cuisine, a total bill for three adults, including drinks and service, of under £60 represents good value”, says Suzy from Covent Garden
Café Rouge. Dulwich
We’ve already tipped our hat to Café Rouge in the guide to great French-style eateries, but this stylish chain of Bistros also caters admirably to the younger crowd. A children’s menu or smaller portions from the adult selection will keep them sated as French-themed puzzles and stickers keep them occupied. Gavin from West Norwood agrees: “It is a great place to go and relax. It's normally filled with families, couples, friends and is very informal.”
Rainforest Café, Shaftesbury Avenue
Guaranteed to wow on every level, The Rainforest Café is family dining gone supersonic. Chow down on a global menu as the sights and sounds of the rainforest surround you. Throw in a few thunder and lightning storms, as well as a healthy donation to the World Land Trust, and this is gastronomy as entertainment, but with a very important message indeed. Paul from Soho thinks this is particularly suited for the young ‘uns: “The staff are entertaining, the setting is fabulous and the decor is outstanding”.
Frizzante, Hackney
Based in Hackney City Farm, this charming little café is a wonderful place to eat. Having bagged Time Out’s ‘Best Family Restaurant’ title in 2004, Frizzante has gone from strength to strength. Between the farm animals and the generous portions, this gets the thumbs up from young and old in equal measures. “This restaurant offers delicious Italian dishes and, above all, very big servings. There's a good balance between quality and prices”, says Veronica from Covent Garden.