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Restaurants for Adults
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Anonymous
| Another thread made me wonder-what makes a restaurant, well, child-unfriendly? What restaurants would you NOT take children to and why? Do you think this is fair or unfair? I'm of the opinion that there are certain places, may they be few and far between, where it is simply inappropriate to take a child, not only for other's sake but for the child as well. What do other people think? |
Anonymous
As a mom who rarely gets child-free time, when we do get a sitter, I aim for non-child-friendly restaurants. No kids menu, no highchair, quiet - that's a date night place. Heck, I think restaurants should be allowed to say "No Kids." |
Anonymous
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We joke that anywhere with a tablecloth is too fancy for our daughter, who's 16 months. When we eat out as a family, we aim for places we've seen kids before - places like Austin Grill and Lebanese Taverna seem to always have a few families there - and we dine on the early side. That's partly because it fits our daughter's schedule, and partly because I think diners who are sitting down to dinner at 8:00 pm or later rightly expect they'll be having a kid-free (or fewer kids) evening even if the place does have high chairs.
I think it's absolutely fair for restaurants to be less child-friendly. I love my daughter, but I don't feel it's appropriate to take her everywhere, and it's not fair to expect a small child to adapt perfectly to every situation. We had a wonderful and very leisurely anniversary dinner a few years at Citronelle. Our daughter would have gone crazy with such a drawn-out meal, and she likely would have driven others in the restaurant a bit crazy too. But does that mean a fancy restaurant like Citronelle shouldn't exist? Of course not. Like the PP, we also aim for places we consider kid-unfriendly when we're having dinner on our own - if we've got a sitter, we want to make it count! We're heading to The Source for our anniversary next month and can't wait, and based on reviews from friends who've been I'll be pretty surprised to see any children there! |
Anonymous
| Thanks for the insight PPs-keep them coming. And no, I'm not a WaPo reporter, just an interested bystander. I felt bad about criticizing some of the PPs on the thread about top three restaurants that folks take kids to, so I thought it might be a good idea to get a wider feel. |
Anonymous
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For us, it comes down to food choices. While we don't take our kids to very expensive restaurants for $$ reasons, I know people who do take them during the early hours when no one else is there. If the restaurant is empty at 5:30, then its good for business. The only restaurant I have been too that I could not imagine taking a child into would be the melting pot. Sharp scewers, raw meat, and boiling oil on the table..perfect situation for our kids.
I think when you take kids is more important than where you avoid taking them. |
Anonymous
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What makes a restaurant "child-unfriendly"?
* no high chairs or boosters * quiet * white table cloth (no paper tops, no crayons) * no children's menu * leisurely, multi-course meals Of course, different kids (or families) are able to handle this type of restaurant with grace at different ages, so it can be difficult to set a rule of what age should be allowed. Heck, I can think of some adults who wouldn't be able to handle the "strange" food and civilized atmosphere of some restaurants. 
Parents should know their own children and their capabilities and be considerate of the other patrons and their expectations for the evening. As for what makes a family restaurant-unfriendly? * plunking the kid on the floor to entertain himself (not safe) * not removing a screaming kid from the dining room until settled * letting the kid run around (not safe or polite) * letting the baby crawl on the dining table * insisting that the kitchen make something not on the menu b/c Junior is too finicky to eat what is available * children who throw food (not messy, but intentionally throwing) * electronic games at the table |
Anonymous
Also, what constitutes a child? My daughter is 4, and I agree with this list:
However, when she’s 8, or 10, I’m hoping that she’ll enjoy a meal at a fine-dining establishment. If she does, I’ll be excited to take her – I love seeing well-behaved kids at great restaurants, enjoying dinner with their parents/relatives. Of course, if she won’t enjoy it, I won’t take her – if she’s miserable, she’d likely ruin the evening for me (and others). |
Anonymous
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Just wanted to chime in that I agree with the poster regarding timing of the meal. Family friendly restaurants - any time is fair game. Nice restaurants, if you want to take kids, go early. There is nothing worse than going to late meal at a nice restaurant and there is a screaming kid. I don't blame the kid - it's late - they are tired.
I also agree that regardless of the place, children shouldn't be running around - unless we are talking McDonalds play area. But I will admit, if we go out to eat with my inlaws, they sometimes encourage my son to act up. They tell him to get up and walk to the other side of the table and sing a song. It's so frusterating, its hard to enforce the sit and talk quietly when they are telling my son something else. |
Anonymous
| Can anyone name some more specific restaurants that they feel are not for little ones? |
Anonymous
I'm the 9:09 quoted above. In this context, a "child" is someone who cannot be expected to sit through a restaurant dinner without crayons, booster, etc, and is open to trying new and different foods. Our five year old can handle some white table cloth restaurants (not Citronelle-fancy, but a few steps up from Cafe Deluxe) IF we go early enough that she isn't tired, cranky and past hungry, and if we keep the number of courses to something reasonable. Usually entree and dessert, sometimes an appetizer as well. I think it is important to know your child and set them up for success. Don't make the leap from McDonald's to Citronelle, but work your way up the restaurant ladder gradually and expect civilized table manners at home as well. And I agree with you that it is nice to see well-behaved kids enjoying a meal at a good restaurant. Refreshing and reassuring somehow. |
Anonymous
In DC, I'd say Komi and Minibar as places I would never, ever take a kid. At the next level, I'd add CityZen, The Source, Central, Citronelle, Marcels, and Proof as restaurants that are very much not child friendly. |
Anonymous
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We went to the Irish Inn at Glenn Echo one time with our children (12 and 14). They shuffled upstairs to a back room. Before long, the room was filled with families with very small, very loud little children. Even our kids thought it was loud and I really did not enjoy the environment at all. We ate quickly and, as we were leaving, I noticed there were no children in any other part of the restaurant. Evidently, we were seated in the designated "kids room" with the other families even though our children were several years older than the others. I was rather put off by the experience and are not inclined to go back to that restaurant.
Like other posters, I am happy to go to a classy restaurant and have children present if they are relatively calm and quiet. Parents have the responsibility, in my opinion, to judge what their children are best suited for and teach them how to behave in a nice place. |
Anonymous
While I wouldn't necessarily consider Irish Inn an adults exclusive restaurant, why were you unhappy that they seated you in an area with other children? Even if your kids are older, they are still kids. It sounds to me like the establishment was trying to find a way to please not only you, but the diners without kids who are seeking a somewhat different experience. The folks who host the restaurant have no idea how your kids will behave even if you do. Again, I'm not exactly understanding why you are aggrieved by this but your choice not to patronize the restaurant again is probably a good one, not just for you but for them as well. |
Anonymous
This kids room we were seated in was crazy loud and little ones were literally running around the room, like at a child's birthday party. We were seated in this room and had ordered before it got crazy, so it was basically too late to be seated in another area. Our kids are big enough that they can sit through a meal calmly and order off the adult menu (no, they weren't always that way), but they're also not toddlers. At a certain point the restaurant should not assume your kids are animals just because they're under age, what, 25? |
Anonymous
I agree on all of these, except Central. It is a little noisier and more festive than the others, and we have taken our kids there successfully. (Granted, they are beyond preschool age and can find something to like on an adult menu.) |