Finding Kid-Friendly Restaurants (That Parents Will Enjoy Too)
In Ottawa, many parents are wary about taking young children out to eat due to the looming dread of fussiness and picky eating. That’s why parents usually opt for kid-themed restaurants, putting their own preferences aside for the sake of family fun, and finding something on the menu the kids will actually eat.
Things do not have to be this way! Taking the family out to eat at a restaurant can be a great way to get out of the house for some family fun, and Ottawa has many great restaurants that the whole family can enjoy—the trick is finding them. Here are a few tips to help parents find a restaurant that everyone can enjoy.
Friends And Family
The easiest way to find any good restaurant when travelling abroad is to ask the locals. The same goes when trying to find a restaurant in your own area that caters to both parents and children. If your friends and family live in Ottawa and have families of their own, they no doubt know a good spot or two that’s good for kids and parents alike.
Tourist For A Day
If you are having trouble finding a family restaurant, become a tourist for a day. Pick up a travel guide and check out the restaurant section. Travel guides are great for listing restaurants by theme, cuisine, and, more importantly, if they’re family friendly. You may think you know Ottawa pretty well, but travel guides are great for highlighting hot spots in your area, some you may have never otherwise known were there.
Reverse The Search
When trying to find family restaurants in Ottawa, parents tend to focus on their kids alone. Conducting your search in this fashion will ultimately leave you with a long list of kid-themed restaurants, menus packed with French fries, bug-shaped pasta, and chicken fingers. Instead, search for restaurants that you will ultimately enjoy and take a look at their websites.
Most restaurants will highlight whether they are kid-friendly or not, and parents can ultimately judge for themselves how things will go in certain settings. Also, most restaurants post their menus online, giving you an opportunity to decide whether or not there is an item that your child will like, or if dishes can be altered to suit a child’s taste.
The key to any family outing, no matter what the activity, is planning ahead. It may take a little more time and effort to find a restaurant that everyone enjoys (parents included), but in the end, it will make the experience that much more enjoyable. Parents do not have to settle for cheese-burgers and chicken fingers any longer; great family restaurants are out there, you just have to find them.
