10 Kid-Friendly Los Angeles Restaurants That Adults Actually Want to Eat At

Last updated: October 12, 2026 · By Joel Kuznetsky

These aren’t restaurants you tolerate because you have kids. They’re genuinely good LA restaurants that also happen to make eating out with children surprisingly easy.

Before kids, choosing a restaurant was pretty straightforward. Is the food good? Do we feel like Italian or Mexican? Can we get a reservation? Then you have children and suddenly you’re evaluating an entirely different set of variables.

Do they have anything my kid will eat? Is the restaurant so quiet that everyone will hear the fork hit the floor? Can we get in and out before bedtime? Where are we parking? Is there outdoor seating? Will anyone care if my child gets out of his chair?

And perhaps most importantly: Are the adults actually going to enjoy eating here too?

That’s what this list is about.

We aren’t looking for restaurants with cartoon characters on the walls or places where the primary selling point is that nobody will complain when your child screams.

We’re looking for genuinely good Los Angeles restaurants where bringing kids doesn’t feel like a terrible idea.

Some are extremely casual. Some are nice enough that you could have gone there before having children. One lets your kid watch airplanes land at LAX. Another makes dumplings good enough that adults willingly wait for them. One has been serving Los Angeles for more than a century.

They’re also spread around the city because a “Los Angeles” restaurant list containing eight places within three miles of West Hollywood isn’t especially useful when you live in the Valley or South Bay.

Here are 10 restaurants we’d happily recommend to families.

1. The Proud Bird | Los Angeles

Best overall restaurant experience with younger kids

The Proud Bird almost feels like somebody designed a restaurant after asking a group of parents what would make eating out easier.

Good food? Check.

Casual environment? Check.

Multiple food choices so everyone doesn’t have to agree on one cuisine? Check.

Something genuinely exciting for kids to look at? There are enormous airplanes landing at LAX right outside.

The Proud Bird sits along Aviation Boulevard immediately beside Los Angeles International Airport. It’s part restaurant, part food hall and part aviation experience.

The current food lineup includes Bludso’s BBQ, burgers, pizza, chicken and waffles and other choices, which solves one of the classic family dining problems. Dad can get barbecue, Mom can get something completely different, and the kid who has decided that cheese pizza is the only acceptable food can still participate.

Then there are the airplanes.

The outdoor area overlooks the LAX runways, and there are historic aircraft displays around the property. For a kid who’s into airplanes, this isn’t just somewhere you eat lunch. The airplanes are the activity.

There’s also a Flight Deck Arcade inside. The combination is hard to beat.

• Location: 11022 Aviation Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90045
• Best ages: 2 to 10, but especially good for preschool and elementary-age airplane fans.
• What kids can eat: Pizza, burgers and other familiar options are readily available, and The Proud Bird has a dedicated kids menu.
• What adults should eat: This is a food hall, so don’t feel obligated to order from the same counter. Bludso’s BBQ gives adults a particularly good alternative to default kid food.
• Atmosphere: Large, casual and busy enough that normal kid noise isn’t going to ruin someone’s anniversary dinner.
• Outdoor seating: Yes, and that’s a huge part of the appeal.
• Reservations: Check current options for larger groups and events. For a normal family outing, this is much less formal than most restaurants on this list.
• Parking: On-site parking is a major advantage.
• Price: $$
• Best time with kids: Lunch or an early dinner when you can take advantage of the outdoor space and airplane views.
• Good for picky eaters? Very. Multiple food concepts under one roof give you options.
• Good for grandparents too? Absolutely. This is an easy multi-generational outing.
• What could go wrong: A child who is extremely sensitive to aircraft noise may have a completely different reaction to being near LAX than a child who loves airplanes. The outdoor area can get loud when planes are moving nearby.
• Make a day of it: Honestly, you don’t necessarily need to. For a younger child, eating lunch and watching airplanes can be the activity.
• Website: https://www.theproudbird.com/

Our parent move: Don’t tell an airplane-obsessed 4-year-old you’re simply “going to lunch.” Tell them you’re going somewhere they can eat pizza while watching giant airplanes. That’s a much easier sell.

2. Din Tai Fung – Century City

Best restaurant for making dinner itself entertaining

There is something about dumplings that works extremely well with kids.

They’re small. They’re shareable.You can pick them up. There are different fillings. And at Din Tai Fung, you can watch dumplings being made.

The Century City location is inside Westfield Century City, which already makes the logistics easier than many destination restaurants in LA. You’re dealing with a mall parking structure rather than hunting for street parking while explaining to a hungry child why you haven’t arrived yet.

For adults, this isn’t a compromise restaurant.

Din Tai Fung built its reputation around xiao long bao, the famous soup dumplings, but the menu goes far beyond them. There are dumplings and buns, wontons, noodles, fried rice, vegetables, pork chops and other dishes designed for sharing.

That format works beautifully with families.

A child doesn’t need to commit to a giant entrée. Put several things on the table and let everyone try them.

• Location: Westfield Century City, 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, #2400, Los Angeles, CA 90067
• Best ages: 3 and up, although younger children are certainly common.
• What kids can eat: Dumplings, buns, noodles and fried rice are the obvious starting points. The chicken dumplings can be an especially approachable entry into the menu.
• What adults should eat: Don’t leave without trying xiao long bao. Add wontons, greens and whatever else catches your attention.
• Atmosphere: Polished but energetic. It feels like a real restaurant without feeling like children have wandered into somewhere they shouldn’t be.
• Reservations: Yes. Make one. Din Tai Fung can get very busy.
• Parking: Westfield Century City parking.
• Price: $$ to $$$ depending on how enthusiastically you order.
• Good for picky eaters? Better than you might initially think. Plain-ish noodles, rice and dumplings give you several possibilities.
• Potential allergy issue: Din Tai Fung specifically notes that its kitchen uses shared equipment, surfaces and cooking oils/water and cannot guarantee that items are free from allergens. Families managing significant food allergies should review the current allergen guide before going.
• What could go wrong: The wait. A 45-minute restaurant wait with a hungry 4-year-old is an entirely different activity than a 45-minute restaurant wait without one.
• Make a day of it: This is where Century City becomes an advantage. Walk around the mall before or after, grab dessert or combine lunch with another Westside activity.
• Website: https://dtf.com/en-us/locations/los-angeles

Our parent move: Reserve ahead and order several dishes immediately. Sharing plates arriving throughout the meal gives kids something new to investigate instead of waiting 25 minutes for a single entrée.

3. Jon & Vinny’s Fairfax

Best place when parents want legitimately great Italian and kids want pizza

Jon & Vinny’s is almost cheating.

What do kids want? Pizza and pasta.

What do adults want? Really good pizza and pasta.

Problem solved.

The Fairfax restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and has the sort of menu where you could bring a cautious 4-year-old, a food-obsessed adult and a grandparent and find something for everybody.

Most importantly, Jon & Vinny’s doesn’t merely happen to serve food kids like. Its current lunch and dinner menu actually has a kids section with spaghetti pomodoro, buttered spaghetti with Parmesan, shells and cheese, cheese pizza and chicken cutlet.

That matters.

You don’t have to negotiate with the kitchen to create something recognizable.

Meanwhile, adults can order spicy fusilli with vodka sauce, handmade pasta, burrata, meatballs, chicken Parmesan and a long list of pizzas.

This is exactly what we mean by a restaurant adults would choose even if the kids weren’t coming.

• Location: 412 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036
• Best ages: All ages.
• What kids can eat: This is one of the easiest menus on the list. Buttered spaghetti, cheese pizza, shells and cheese, chicken cutlet and spaghetti with tomato sauce are all currently on the kids menu.
• What adults should eat: Order what you actually want rather than eating the leftovers from your kid’s cheese pizza. The spicy fusilli is one of the dishes most associated with Jon & Vinny’s, but there are plenty of less spicy pastas, pizzas and vegetable dishes.
• Breakfast: Yes. Fairfax currently serves breakfast from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m., which gives families another option beyond dinner.
• Atmosphere: Lively, casual-cool and unmistakably LA.
• Reservations: Strongly recommended.
• Parking: Fairfax. Translation: give yourself time and don’t assume you’re parking directly in front.
• Price: $$ to $$$. Kids meals here aren’t bargain-priced. Current kids pasta and pizza options are roughly in the mid-to-high teens.
• Good for picky eaters? Excellent.
• What could go wrong: It’s popular, tables can feel close and peak dinner is not when we’d choose to introduce a tired toddler to the experience.
• Best time with young kids: Early dinner. 5:00 or 5:30 is a very different proposition from 7:45.
• Website: https://www.jonandvinnys.com/location/jon-and-vinnys-fairfax/

Our parent move: Jon & Vinny’s has several LA-area locations, including Studio City, Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Calabasas and Slauson. Don’t drive across town just because Fairfax is the famous one if another location is 15 minutes from your house.

4. Guelaguetza Restaurant

Best family meal that also feels distinctly Los Angeles

One thing we don’t want this list to become is ten restaurants serving pizza, burgers and chicken fingers.

Los Angeles is one of the best cities in America for exposing kids to food from different cultures, and Guelaguetza is a fantastic place to do it.

The family-run Koreatown institution has been serving Oaxacan food since 1994. The restaurant was founded by Fernando Lopez and Maria Monterrubio after coming to Los Angeles from Oaxaca, and their children continue the family business today.

The food is the reason adults should come.

Mole is central to the restaurant’s identity, but you’ll also find tlayudas, meats, quesillo, memelas, Oaxacan chocolate and other dishes that give kids a chance to experience something beyond the standard children’s menu.

And yes, if your child isn’t ready to embark on a culinary tour of Oaxaca tonight, the restaurant currently offers kid-friendly choices including quesadillitas.

That’s okay.

They can eat the quesadilla while you eat the mole.

Exposure counts.

• Location: 3014 W. Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90006
• Best ages: Any, but particularly good once kids are interested in sharing and trying food from the table.
• What kids can eat: Quesadillas, tortillas, cheese and other approachable components give cautious eaters some options.
• What adventurous kids should try: Start small. Let them taste mole from your plate rather than ordering an entire unfamiliar entrée.
• What adults should eat: Mole. If you’ve never had Oaxacan mole, this is exactly the kind of restaurant where you should.
• Atmosphere: Colorful, energetic and family-oriented.
• Reservations: Available and smart during popular dining periods.
• Parking: There is parking associated with the restaurant, but Koreatown traffic is still Koreatown traffic. Give yourself time.
• Price: $$
• Good for picky eaters? Moderate. There are safe choices, but this is more rewarding for a family willing to share and experiment a little.
• What could go wrong: Some children will be overwhelmed by an unfamiliar menu if they’re already hungry. Look at the menu together beforehand if that sounds like your kid.
• Make a day of it: This is a great restaurant to build into a central LA day rather than treating dinner as the only destination.
• Website: https://www.ilovemole.com/

Our parent move: Don’t order your child an unfamiliar $25 dish and then get frustrated when they don’t eat it. Order food for the table, give them one thing you know they’ll eat and invite them to taste everything else.

5. Moo’s Craft Barbecue

Best for the parent who takes barbecue seriously

There are restaurants that are kid-friendly because they have crayons.

Moo’s is kid-friendly because barbecue is inherently family-friendly. You order meat. You put it in the middle. Everybody eats.

Moo’s Craft Barbecue in Lincoln Heights is the kind of place food-loving adults seek out specifically for the barbecue, which is exactly why it belongs here.

This isn’t “pretty good considering we brought the kids” food.

The attraction is Texas-style smoked meat, particularly brisket, ribs and house-made sausage.

For kids, barbecue can also be surprisingly approachable. Meat, bread, sides and simple components are much easier to navigate than a composed fine-dining entrée.

The atmosphere is casual enough that you’re not spending dinner whispering “sit down” every 45 seconds.

• Location: 2118 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90031
• Best ages: All ages.
• What kids can eat: This depends on the child, but brisket, sausage, bread and sides make it relatively easy to build a plate without ordering a formal children’s entrée.
• What adults should eat: Brisket is the obvious place to start. Add ribs or sausage and enough sides to make everyone happy.
• Atmosphere: Casual barbecue restaurant.
• Reservations: Check current service format before going.
• Current hours: Moo’s currently lists Thursday through Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. or until sold out.

That last part matters.

• Parking: Neighborhood parking conditions vary. Don’t arrive starving five minutes before closing and assume everything will still be available.
• Price: $$ to $$$ depending on how much meat you order.
• Good for picky eaters? Pretty good if your child eats meat and simple sides.
• What could go wrong: Popular barbecue sells out. That’s not the moment you want to explain to your kid that the thing you’ve been talking about all morning is unavailable.
• Best time with kids: Lunch.
• Website: https://www.mooscraftbbq.com/

Our parent move: Go earlier than you think you need to. Barbecue and toddlers share an important characteristic: neither cares about your carefully constructed schedule.

6. The Cloverfield – Santa Monica

Best neighborhood restaurant with a patio

The Cloverfield describes itself as a “family neighborhood spot,” and that is pretty much exactly why it’s here.

Located by Santa Monica Airport, it has a garden-style patio and a menu that manages to hit both sides of our equation.

Kids can recognize pizza and burgers.

Adults can order things like bucatini with short rib ragu, street tacos, fish tacos, salads, steak frites, craft beer, wine and cocktails.

This is the type of restaurant that works particularly well when you’re meeting another family.

Nobody has to dress up.

Nobody is trapped in a silent dining room.

And the adults aren’t condemned to eating mozzarella sticks because someone brought a toddler.

• Location: 3300 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90405
• Best ages: Toddlers through teens.
• What kids can eat: Pizza, burgers and familiar shareable items make this relatively easy.
• What adults should eat: Order like you’re at a real restaurant, because you are. The current menu includes everything from burgers and pizza to fresh pasta and more substantial entrées.
• Outdoor seating: Yes. The garden-style patio is one of the biggest reasons we’d choose this with kids.
• Atmosphere: Relaxed neighborhood restaurant.
• Reservations: Available.
• Parking: Easier than many Santa Monica restaurants because you’re near the airport rather than fighting for a spot immediately off the beach.
• Price: $$
• Good for picky eaters? Good.
• Good for two families together? Excellent.
• What could go wrong: Outdoor seating isn’t automatically perfect. A cold coastal evening or an unusually hot afternoon can change the equation quickly.
• Make a day of it: You’re in Santa Monica. There is no shortage of things to do before or after lunch.
• Website: https://thecloverfield.net/

Our parent move: If the weather is good, request the patio. Outdoor seating gives a family with young kids just a little more breathing room, and sometimes that makes all the difference.

7. DeSano Pizzeria Napoletana – East Hollywood

Best pizza outing when the adults care about the pizza too

There is no shortage of pizza in Los Angeles.

The trick is finding pizza that makes a child happy without making the adults feel like they’ve been sentenced to another night of generic kids food.

DeSano solves that.

The restaurant makes Neapolitan-style pizza using wood-burning ovens and imported Italian ingredients. The current menu includes straightforward choices like Margherita alongside more adult combinations involving sausage, truffle, roasted garlic and other toppings.

For kids, there’s also something inherently fun about seeing enormous pizza ovens and watching the process.

And pizza has one enormous logistical advantage for families:

Everyone understands the assignment.

There’s no 10-minute negotiation about what the strange green thing on the plate might be.

• Location: 4959 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90029
• Best ages: All ages.
• What kids can eat: Pizza. We probably don’t need to overcomplicate this one.
• What adults should eat: Get at least one classic pie and one you actually find interesting. The current menu includes Margherita, Diavola, San Gennaro and a truffle, sausage and roasted garlic pizza among other options.
• Dessert: Nutella dessert pizza exists. Your children may discover this fact whether or not you tell them.
• Atmosphere: Casual.
• Reservations: Check current policies, particularly for groups.
• Parking: This is Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood, so parking isn’t the main selling point. Plan ahead.
• Price: $$
• Good for picky eaters? Excellent.
• Good for groups? Yes. Pizza is one of the easiest meals for several families to share.
• What could go wrong: If your kid expects a stiff, heavily topped American delivery pizza, explain that Neapolitan pizza is different. The crust and center are softer and the style may be unfamiliar.
• Website: https://desanopizza.com/

Our parent move: Bring another family and order several pizzas for the table. Kids get cheese or Margherita. Adults don’t have to.

8. Home Restaurant – Los Feliz

Best for brunch with kids that still feels like brunch

There are stages of parenting when brunch starts feeling like an activity you used to participate in during another lifetime. Home is a good way back in.

The restaurant has been in Los Feliz for more than 20 years and occupies a Craftsman-style property with an atmosphere that feels much more relaxed than a tightly packed dining room.

That’s valuable with children.

You can come for brunch, lunch or an early dinner without feeling like you’re dragging your family into a scene built entirely around adults.

And because you’re in Los Feliz, it’s extremely easy to pair the meal with Griffith Park.

That combination is one of our favorite formulas for family weekends:

Do something where the kids can run around. Then eat somewhere the adults actually like.

• Location: 1760 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027
• Best ages: All ages.
• Best meal with kids: Brunch or lunch.
• What kids can eat: Breakfast and American comfort-food menus generally provide enough familiar territory for younger eaters. Check the current menu before going if your child has a very limited list of foods.
• What adults should eat: This is where you should order whatever you actually wanted for brunch rather than automatically finishing your kid’s pancakes.
• Atmosphere: Relaxed, neighborhood-oriented and much more forgiving than a hushed dining room.
• Outdoor feel: One of the reasons Home works is the setting itself. The Craftsman property and outdoor areas make the meal feel less confined.
• Reservations: Available and worth considering at popular weekend times.
• Parking: Los Feliz can get busy. Build parking time into the plan.
• Price: $$
• Good for picky eaters? Generally yes, particularly at breakfast and brunch.
• What could go wrong: Weekend brunch crowds. A place being kid-friendly does not make waiting 50 minutes with children enjoyable.
• Make a day of it: Griffith Park. This is one of the easiest restaurant-and-activity combinations on the list.
• Website: https://www.homerestaurantla.com/

Our parent move: Park, eat early, then go do Griffith Park. Don’t wait until everyone is exhausted and hungry to attempt brunch.

9. C&O Trattoria – Marina del Rey

Best old-school family Italian dinner near the beach

Some restaurants work with kids because they’re trendy and casual.

C&O works because it understands something restaurants have understood for generations: Families like Italian food.

The Marina del Rey restaurant has large portions, pasta and the kind of lively atmosphere where bringing a group doesn’t feel unusual. It specifically promotes its outdoor patios for groups of family and friends.

For adults, you get an actual Italian dinner. For kids, pasta provides a relatively safe landing zone.

And for families spending the afternoon around Venice, Marina del Rey or the beach, it’s a much better end to the day than giving up and grabbing fast food on the way home.

• Location: 3016 W. Washington Boulevard, Marina del Rey, CA 90292
• Best ages: All ages.
• What kids can eat: Pasta is the obvious answer. Look at the current menu before visiting if you need a very specific preparation.
• What adults should eat: This is the place for a big Italian meal. Come hungry.
• Atmosphere: Lively, casual Italian.
• Outdoor seating: Yes. C&O specifically has outdoor patios.
• Groups: Very good. The restaurant actively accommodates larger family and friend gatherings.
• Reservations: Recommended for dinner, especially with a larger family.
• Parking: Check current parking arrangements before going. Beach-adjacent areas can become much busier on beautiful weekends.
• Price: $$
• Good for picky eaters? Generally very good if pasta is in the rotation.
• What could go wrong: Portions can be substantial, so don’t automatically order an entrée for every small child before seeing what the table is sharing.
• Make a day of it: Venice Beach, Marina del Rey or another Westside activity before an early dinner.
• Website: https://www.candorestaurants.com/

Our parent move: This is a particularly good choice when grandparents are coming. Italian food, big portions and a lively dining room tend to bridge generations pretty well.

10. Tam O’Shanter – Atwater Village/Los Feliz

Best special family dinner with some actual LA history

Sometimes “kid-friendly” gets interpreted as “casual.” It doesn’t have to.

There should be places where you can take children for a nicer family meal and begin teaching them how going to a restaurant works.

Tam O’Shanter is one of our favorites for that.

The restaurant has been operating on Los Feliz Boulevard since 1922 and describes itself as Los Angeles’ oldest restaurant continuously operated by the same family in the same location. It feels like somewhere. That’s increasingly rare.

The Scottish-inspired restaurant is known for prime rib, but the current menu also includes dishes like Toad in the Hole, cottage pie, salmon and other hearty options. There’s serious adult food, cocktails and plenty of history.

There’s also a fun Disney connection. Walt Disney and his team were regulars, and the restaurant still offers a special Table 31 experience built around the table associated with them.

That can make the history much more interesting to a child than simply saying, “This restaurant is old.”

• Location: 2980 Los Feliz Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90039
• Best ages: We’d especially recommend it for kids around 5 and up who are ready for a more traditional sit-down meal.
• What kids can eat: Familiar options are available depending on the current menu and dining format. The restaurant’s 2026 private-event children’s menu, for example, includes hamburgers, chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, fish and chips and even a child-sized prime rib option. For regular dining, check the current menu or call if your child needs something specific.
• What adults should eat: Prime rib is the classic choice.
• Atmosphere: Historic, warm and much more memorable than a generic chain steakhouse.
• Reservations: Yes. Make one.
• Parking: Check current valet and parking arrangements when reserving.
• Price: $$$
• Good for picky eaters? Reasonably good, but we’d check the current regular menu first.
• Good for a birthday or family celebration? Excellent.
• What could go wrong: This is still a proper sit-down restaurant. If your 2-year-old currently considers remaining at a table for 20 minutes an outrageous violation of personal freedom, save this one for later.
• Make a day of it: Griffith Park, the LA Zoo or another Los Feliz/Atwater activity can easily come before an early dinner.
• Website: https://www.lawrysonline.com/tam-o-shanter/

Our parent move: Tell older kids about Walt Disney and Table 31 before you arrive. A little story can turn an “old restaurant” into a place they actually want to see.

So Where Should We Actually Eat?

If you’re staring at this list while everyone is already hungry, here’s the short version.

• If you have a 3 or 4-year-old: The Proud Bird.
• If your kids love dumplings or noodles: Din Tai Fung.
• If everyone just wants great pizza and pasta: Jon & Vinny’s.

If you want your kids to experience something distinctly LA: Guelaguetza.

• If Dad has been talking about brisket all week: Moo’s Craft Barbecue.
• If you’re meeting another family on the Westside: The Cloverfield.

If the kids demand pizza but you still care what the pizza tastes like: DeSano.

If you want brunch before heading to Griffith Park: Home.

If you’re coming from the beach and everyone wants a big Italian dinner: C&O.

If it’s Grandma’s birthday or you want dinner to feel like an occasion: Tam O’Shanter.

There isn’t really a number one restaurant for every family.

There is a number one restaurant for tonight.

And with kids, that’s usually the more useful question.

The 5:00 Dinner Is Your Friend

Before having kids, eating dinner at 5:00 p.m. might have sounded mildly depressing.

Then you have a 4-year-old. Suddenly 5:00 is genius. The restaurant isn’t packed yet. Parking is easier. Your child isn’t exhausted. The kitchen isn’t buried. Your server has more time.

And if dinner goes spectacularly well, you’re finished at 6:15 with an entire evening still ahead of you.

If it goes spectacularly badly? You’re also finished at 6:15. Either way, you’re winning.

For many of the restaurants on this list, we’d rather have a 5:00 or 5:30 reservation with a preschooler than a 7:00 reservation.

That’s not because children shouldn’t be allowed in restaurants later. It’s because we’ve met tired children.

Outdoor Seating Is Almost Always Worth Considering

Los Angeles gives parents one enormous restaurant advantage: We can eat outside much of the year. Use it.

A patio can give a child a little more room, reduce the feeling that every noise is echoing through a dining room and generally make everyone less stressed. It’s particularly useful when you’re dining with another family.

That doesn’t mean outdoor automatically equals better. Check the weather. A beautiful Santa Monica patio at 5:30 can become surprisingly chilly. A Valley patio at 1:00 in August can feel like you’ve booked lunch on the surface of the sun. But when conditions are right, we’ll take the patio.

A Kids Menu Isn’t Everything

We deliberately didn’t require every restaurant on this list to have a formal kids menu. Sometimes the regular menu is already kid-friendly.

Pizza is kid-friendly.

Dumplings can be kid-friendly.

Barbecue can be kid-friendly.

Rice and beans can be kid-friendly.

Pasta is practically an international parental emergency food.

What matters more is whether there is something your particular child will reliably eat. If you have a selective eater, look at the actual menu before leaving home. Don’t assume.

And if your child has food allergies, don’t rely on an article like this one to determine what’s safe. Restaurant recipes, preparation methods and shared-kitchen practices can change. Contact the restaurant directly.

Don’t Waste a Great Restaurant Trying to Make Your Kid Eat Great Food

One of the best things about raising kids in Los Angeles is the food they’re exposed to.

Oaxacan mole.

Taiwanese soup dumplings.

Neapolitan pizza.

Texas-style barbecue.

That’s awesome. It does not mean your child has to appreciate all of it immediately. If your kid goes to Guelaguetza and eats a quesadilla while you eat mole, that’s okay. Maybe they taste the mole. Maybe they don’t. Maybe the 12th time they see it, they finally ask.

The goal is to make restaurants and different foods feel normal, not to turn every dinner into a test of whether your child has a sophisticated palate. There’s plenty of time.

The Real Secret to Eating at Good Restaurants With Kids

Pick the right restaurant.

Pick the right time.

And leave while you’re ahead.

That last one is difficult. Everyone is having fun, so you order another drink. Then dessert. Then coffee. Twenty-five minutes later your previously delightful child is lying underneath the table.

Know when you’ve won.

Pay the check.

Go home. You can come back.

A Few Restaurants We Considered

Ten is an arbitrary number in a city this large.

There are plenty of other LA restaurants that can work extremely well for families, and the right neighborhood restaurant five minutes from your house may be more useful to you than anything on this list.

We also deliberately avoided making this a collection of restaurants that are entertaining for kids but mediocre for adults.

That’s a different article.

This list has one rule:

If we wouldn’t want to eat there without our kids, being good with kids isn’t enough to make the cut.

That’s what separates “kid-friendly restaurant” from a good restaurant that happens to work really well for families.

And we think Los Angeles has plenty of the latter.

Help Us Find the Restaurants LA Parents Should Know About

Some of the best family restaurants aren’t famous.

They’re the neighborhood place where the staff remembers your child.

The restaurant with the surprisingly great patio.

The sushi place that doesn’t blink when your kid orders nothing but rice and edamame.

The Mexican restaurant where the adults eat incredibly well and the kids destroy a basket of tortillas.

Those are the places we want Afterschool Search to help families discover.

As the site grows, our goal isn’t simply to tell parents what to do with their kids.

We want to make the logistics of family life in Los Angeles a little easier.

Find a soccer league.

Pick a summer camp.

Discover a new playground.

Figure out what to do Saturday morning.

And yes, find somewhere genuinely good to eat afterward.

Explore more things to do with kids around Los Angeles at AfterschoolSearch.com.

Menus, prices, hours, parking arrangements and reservation policies change frequently. Check the restaurant’s official website before making a special trip, particularly if your family has dietary restrictions or food allergies.