The Best Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Philadelphia

Burger spots are usually a safe bet for families, as are brunch places and businesses with gardens and enclosed outdoor space for little ones to move around. From a massive beer hall with an indoor playground to a Center City concert space where children can dine as well as their parents, here are Philly’s best kid-friendly restaurants.

For this latest map refresh, we add: Queen and Rook, Picnic, and Mecha Noodle Bar. And for now, we’ve removed Creekside Market, Lola’s Garden, and Hard Rock Cafe.

Dining out with kids can be a challenge, but some restaurants make it easier with dedicated menus, roomy booths, and exciting decor. Burger spots are usually a safe bet for families, as are brunch places and businesses with gardens and enclosed outdoor space for little ones to move around.

From a massive beer hall with an indoor playground to a Center City concert space where children can dine as well as their parents, here are Philly’s best kid-friendly restaurants. For this latest map refresh, we add: Queen and Rook, Picnic, and Mecha Noodle Bar. And for now, we’ve removed Creekside Market, Lola’s Garden, and Hard Rock Cafe.

The Landing Kitchen

A big, sunny outdoor space makes this suburban cafe from chef Nicholas Elmi a go-to for families. At the Landing Kitchen’s riverside patio, kids can play and color with chalk while everyone enjoys the Top Chef winner’s all-day breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches, small plates of tinned fish or onion rings and sparkling rosé for the parents.

Picnic

True to its name, Picnic is a no-pressure wide open space where family is welcome and much of the menu is eaten with your hands.

The Picnic Burger is not to be missed (with fondue, dijon mustard, onion, and roasted tomato) but other highlights include a variety of oysters, an onion dip potato chip crudite, and rotisserie chicken, which can also be ordered as part of the Picnic Basket, a two-person takeaway meal with charcuterie, mussels, and wine add-ons. The chocolate cake is a popular meal-closer for families.

Sor Ynez

Outdoor patio?

Check. Spacious green area for kids to frolic? Check.

Bite-size portions of tasty tacos and snacks (such as papas bravas, chips and guac, and tacos) the little ones will enjoy? Check.

For those who’ve been looking for a lively spot that’s enjoyable for both adults and children alike, here it is.

Mecha Noodle Bar

Huge bowls of noodle soups for everyone in the family are just one highlight of Mecha Noodle Bar in Fishtown. The restaurant is casual and spacious, with artsy decor, and big tables with benches.

Menu highlights for kids include chicken bao, beef broth with noodles and ramen noodle soup. Colorful nonalcoholic drinks are a hit with adults and little ones, like house-made sodas and boba mixes like strawberry matcha.

Frankford Hall

While known for its juicy sausages, big burgers and savory Bavarian pretzels, this Fishtown hot spot is also an ideal place for families looking for fun for their children. The open-air setup framed with picnic tables and yard games hosts weekend kids programming, arts and crafts workshops, and more.

There’s also a kid-friendly portion of its black forest sundae available.

Honey's Sit N Eat

Honey’s is frequently full of families. In addition to one of the best brunches in town, Honey’s offers high chairs and a kids menu with simple options like a short stack of pancakes, local eggs, fruit, and grilled cheese on Challah toast.

Fair warning: Get there early. There’s typically a wait during the height of brunch.

Craft Hall

With an indoor pirate ship-themed playground, an outdoor garden and dog park, freshly brewed beer from Mainstay Independent Brewing Company, and a menu full of polished comfort food, Craft Hall checks all the boxes for a day of family-friendly fun.

Diners coming by car can even park next door in Lot A at Rivers Casino. A “little ones” menu features a barbecue pulled pork sandwich, chicken tenders, and all-beef hot dog on a potato bun for $10 each.

Sabrina's Cafe (multiple locations)

While adults enjoy stuffed French toast, fluffy omelets, and thick sandwiches at Sabrina’s Art Museum, Graduate Hospital, and University City locations, kids have their own menu with options like grilled chicken, French toast sticks with syrup, and scrambled eggs with cheese. In the suburbs, find Sabrina’s in Wynnewood and over the bridge in Collingswood.

Fringe Bar

This newer addition to Old Town’s restaurant scene sports scenic views of the Delaware River and is big enough for football fans and large families.

Fringe Bar has one of the most kid-friendly dining spaces in the city with a wide outdoor patio area and menu (such as nachos, wings, fried cheese curds, and smaller plates) that’s adjustable for the little ones in the tribe.

Queen and Rook

With over 2,500 games, from board games to arcade games and everything in between, you might not set out to South Street’s Queen and Rook Cafe for the food, but the menu is just as fun as the entertainment. Kids of all ages will love the finger foods, like nachos, burgers, pizza, pretzels and chicken nuggets.

Adults will enjoy a variety of fantasy-inspired cocktails, like Butterbeer (NA or with liquor, vegan, or dairy) and the Dark Elf Trilogy (bourbon, blackberry shrub, thyme, lemon).

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• 123 South Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147, United States
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Bridget Foy's

When Bridget Foy was a newborn, her parents named their restaurant after her.

It’s been a family-friendly spot ever since; there are even options for fur babies. Foy, a mom herself now, runs the casual South Street staple, with its popular pasta Mondays and kid-accessible dishes like cheeseburgers and fries, mac and cheese, and buttered pasta.

P'unk Burger

With seven kids of their own, P’unk Burger owners Marlo and Jason Dilks opened their East Passyunk eatery with young families in mind.

Kids get their own menu with classics like hot dogs, burgers and shakes. And the adult menu has lots of options bigger kids will enjoy, like fried chicken sandwiches, tater tots and sodas with cherry and vanilla flavors. The cash-only BYOB also supports children’s charities throughout the year and has arcade games.

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• 1823 Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148, USA
• (215) 468-7865
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