FAMILY FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS IN LA:
DINING WITHOUT CHUCK E. CHEESE
By Leslee Komaiko
For dineLA.com
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We understand. Before you were parents you dined at restaurants that served Jidori chicken rather than chicken fingers. You’ve had to replace Humboldt Fog cheese with that jovial little mouse Chuck E. Cheese. But eating out with the kids doesn’t need to be a sugar-laden, theme park-style trial. More and more, top-notch restaurants in LA are making accommodations for children and their parents. So don’t despair. Here's a list of restaurants that offer something for the whole family.
LA Restaurants for Busy Parents
Restaurants that engage your little one are a stellar choice. They’ll have fun and you won’t have to inhale your dinner. At Evan Kleiman’s casual Melrose Avenue spot Angeli Caffe, children receive a ball of pizza dough to shape and stretch and poke. Then the chefs bake it up and return it to the creator. Meanwhile mom and dad can tuck into Ligurian fish soup or fresh vegetable lasagna.
Older kids will thrill over the chance to cook their own dinner at one of the tabletop grills at Manpuku Tokyo BBQ in West Los Angeles’ Little Japan. There’s also the popular chain Gyu-Kaku. Somehow those loathed vegetables suddenly become intriguing when unwrapped from a shiny foil package and accompanied by various dipping sauces.
Sharing a Room with a View with Family
Visual distractions are also priceless. At the lively pan-Asian eatery Typhoon at the Santa Monica airport, transportation-obsessed youngsters will thrill over the view of small planes taking off and landing. This is also one of the few spots in Los Angeles with a section on the menu titled “Insects,” perfect for children who delight in the gross (though we hear the Taiwanese crickets stir fried with garlic are actually quite tasty).
Watching dozens of dim sum carts zip around the room is nearly as exciting. And if you choose one of the big banquet style Chinese dining rooms such as the excellent Empress Pavilion in Chinatown, there’s such a din no one will mind when a little someone starts belting out Barney tunes. Worried that they won’t touch shu mai? There’s always sticky rice, pork buns and for dessert, sweet and chewy sesame balls.
Alfresco Dining for the Family
Eating alfresco seems to calm ordinarily antsy toddlers. For this reason, we love the patio at Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger’s lively Downtown Latin spot Ciudad, which offers a children’s menu.
At the superb seafood specialist, The Lobster, adjacent to the Santa Monica Pier, there are dynamite views of the Pacific, high chairs and crayons. Order a plate of steamed mussels for a hands-on experience to keep the kids busy and then soak in the ocean views.
Family Adventures with Japanese Cuisine
We have yet to meet a child who isn’t fascinated by the deft work of sushi chefs. And while we don’t suggest showing up with your brood at 8 p.m. on a Saturday night at Matsuhisa or Katsuya, parking at the sushi bar is a great way to get kids excited about eating Japanese food, whether you’re ordering “Eat-A-Mommy” (edamame) or unagi (eel) sushi.
Just about every sushi bar on Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley has high chairs. This includes the superb Iroha and Asanebo restaurants.
Angeli Caffe, 7274 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, 323.936.9086
Asanebo, 11941 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, 818.760.3348
Ciudad, 445 S. Figueroa St., Downtown LA, 213.486.5171
Empress Pavilion, 988 N. Hill St., Chinatown, 213.617.9898
Gyu-Kaku, multiple locations throughout Los Angeles
Iroha, 12953 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, 818.990.9559
The Lobster, 1602 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, 310.458.9294
Manpuku Tokyo BBQ, 2125 Sawtelle Blvd., West LA, 310.473.0580
Typhoon, 3221 Donald Douglas Loop S., Santa Monica, 310.390.6565
