Kid Dining out Restaurant

[AlisonA]

Occasionally the request comes up for a 'kid' friendly place that has food you'll like and something the kids will like too.

Since I'm not as active on the boards as I would like, and may miss the next request that comes through, thought I'd start this thread, and help add to the list for anyone who searches (and encourage others to do the same!):

Wild Noodles on rte 10 - very casual, counter service with someone bringing the food out to you. Noodles rule here: Asian, Italian and "American"/other noodles dishes (mac n cheese, stroganoff). Everything (except the mac n cheese?) is made fresh to order. This is a 'slow food' chain with a couple of dozen scattered throughout the US. (ps they also have some rice dishes and brown rice if that works better for you!)

Pronto on Millburn Ave in Millburn. My kids LOVE their pizzas (mini or smalls). I love the food - seared salmon wrap with spinach, goat cheese and walnuts current fav, YUM!. Very small seating area (we go for lunch) so you may want to call before heading over to see if seating is available.

Anyone else have new favorite kid friendly places? (where they not only welcome kids, but have food most picky eater kids will eat as well as food that you like too )

[zhelder]

Occasionally the request comes up for a 'kid' friendly place that has food you'll like and something the kids will like too.

Since I'm not  as active on the boards as I would like, and may miss the next request that comes through, thought I'd start this thread, and help add to the list for anyone who searches (and encourage others to do the same!):

Wild Noodles on rte 10 - very casual, counter service with someone bringing the food out to you. Noodles rule here: Asian, Italian and "American"/other noodles dishes (mac n cheese, stroganoff). Everything (except the mac n cheese?) is made fresh to order. This is a 'slow food' chain with a couple of dozen scattered throughout the US. (ps they also have some rice dishes and brown rice if that works better for you!)

Pronto on Millburn Ave in Millburn. My kids LOVE their pizzas (mini or smalls). I love the food - seared salmon wrap with spinach, goat cheese and walnuts current fav, YUM!.  Very small seating area (we go for lunch) so you may want to call before heading over to see if seating is available.

Anyone else have new favorite kid friendly places? (where they not only welcome kids, but have food most picky eater kids will eat    as well as food that you like too  )

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Although I don't live near this area, on nights when I have to stay late at work I go to J.P. Lee's in Milliburn (318 Millburn Avenue) which is a Mongolian stir-fry place. Very friendly for everyone. I've seen lots of kids here, and they seem to love making their own stir-fry bowls, loading them up with meats, noodles, and veggies. It's a lot of fun, you can control what you eat, the place is very clean and the staff and owner are great. Reasonably priced too, it's $11.95 for dinner for adults, and probably cheaper for kids. Dinner is all-you can-eat. They do lunch too, but it's one trip to the stir-fry. They also have a small Chinese buffet, peel & eat shrimp, and a few very no-frills sushi rolls, which are OK, but not great. The shrimp, and some items on the buffet, like the crab rangoons, are very good. But the attraction here is the stir-fry. I love it! I wish he'd build another store in Bergen County!

Wild Noodles has taken a bashing from a lot of people here and elsewhere, but I like it. I thought the food was good and the portions were generous. They closed the one in Ridgewood near where I live (no parking, and really not high fallutin' enough for Ridgewood's Restaurant Row), but they're building some others around the state. I hope to get there again.

Also, although I'm sure they're not related, there used to be a pizzeria called Pronto on Route 4 in Paramus where the Wendy's is now. They were great. They used to make the best personal pies for us kiddies, and they were like $2.00 each. The pizza there was very good, and the place looked like a product of its time, like an old school 70s pizzeria. They must've closed sometime in the late 80s. If I knew there was another pizzeria making the same pizza, I would definitely make a trip.

Edited May 14, 2007 by zhelder (log)

[AlisonA]

Wild Noodles has taken a bashing from a lot of people here and elsewhere, but I like it. I thought the food was good and the portions were generous. They closed the one in Ridgewood near where I live (no parking, and really not high fallutin' enough for Ridgewood's Restaurant Row), but they're building some others around the state. I hope to get there again.

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I did a search and nothing came up for wild noodles. I'd be curious what people are saying, just to hear another view point. Me, I like it, and it definitely works with the kids.

[chefdavidrusso]

I for one am not particularly sad that the Wild Noodles has left Ridgewood. I treid it once or twice when we first moved here and found the food to be acceptable at best. The noodles themsleves were gummy and overcooked, and the sauces tasted very processed to me. Maybe it was just that particular location, but it didn't do much for me.

As for kid friendly restaurants, I feel very particular about the fact that if you have taken the time and effort to teach your children appropriate behavior and take them out at appropriate times, that just about any restaurant can be kid friendly. Gazelle in Ridgewood is my 3-year-old's favorite restaurant, and as long as we go by about 6 o'clock when the place is relatively empty we have a great experience. As for food, any restaurant can easily cook pasta (either with or without sauce). Or if he wants something that doesn't come in a kids portion I just tell the server to box half of it up to take home.

[CigarMan]

I actually had a very enjoyable experience the other night @ Jose O'Reilly's in Norwood. It is an Irish / Mexican place (where the old Cormack's used to be).

Beautiful place, but I was turned off when they first opened up. Didn't seem like they could get their act together.

Don't know what they did, but they certainly got their act together. Besides the fact that my kids actually ate mexican food, it was really enjoyable. Brought a handfull of quarters that my kids have been saving up and set them loose on the game room, while I enjoyed a burrito and a pint of Guinness.

Very kid friendly. Would highly recommend it.

[AlisonA]

I for one am not particularly sad that the Wild Noodles has left Ridgewood.  I treid it once or twice when we first moved here and found the food to be acceptable at best.  The noodles themsleves were gummy and overcooked, and the sauces tasted very processed to me.  Maybe it was just that particular location, but it didn't do much for me.

As for kid friendly restaurants, I feel very particular about the fact that if you have taken the time and effort to teach your children appropriate behavior and take them out at appropriate times, that just about any restaurant can be kid friendly.  Gazelle in Ridgewood is my 3-year-old's favorite restaurant, and as long as we go by about 6 o'clock when the place is relatively empty we have a great experience.  As for food, any restaurant can easily cook pasta (either with or without sauce).  Or if he wants something that doesn't come in a kids portion I just tell the server to box half of it up to take home.

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My kids are well behaved, and I have just ONE incredibly picky eater out of the three. Sure, most places will make 'plain' pasta ~ providing they have pasta, however if you have one who doesn't like it then that is not going to work. (hence the niceness of having rice at Wild Noodles).

And while being well behaved is very good, don't get me wrong, I like to know of places my kids can be more relaxed and 'kids' (and I feel they are enjoying the experience a little more. )