Family-friendly options in Alexandria/Arlington

[Anonymous]

My friend (vegetarian) and her two children (age 4 & 5) are coming into town Friday night in preparation for a flight out of DCA the next morning. Since she is staying over in Crystal City, we thought it would be easier to just meet her there & take the kids somewhere in VA for dinner. My 20-month old will be with us as well. Any recommendations for a place that will make everyone happy? Please note that the moms might like to split a cocktail
Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Italian places are always good, Busboys and Poets has a lot of vegetarian options (vegan too), and even Red Robin offers veggie burgers.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I agree that Italian would be a good option & am also open to other suggestions....I need actual restaurant names though, since I rarely if ever eat in the Alexandria/Arlington area. I am typically shackled to my own dining table in DC due to my DS and his dinner/bath/bed routine! If I am going to get out on a Friday night (albeit early & with kids) I would like the meal to be worth my while! Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

Family friendly places we frequent, that would have plenty of veg options, off the top of my head:

Guapo's or Busboys & Poets (Shirlington)
Bertucci's (we go to the one at Clarendon)

[Anonymous]

Noodles and Co. is pretty child friendly and there is one in Crystal City. They have a variety of options from Italian to Thai.

[Anonymous]

California Pizza Kitchen in Pentagon City- seriously, it would be perfect. The food is not bad for a chain, tons of veg. options, or you could do pasta, whatever. Kids will love it too.

[Anonymous]

(btw - Guapos on Friday nights is an absolute madhouse)

[Anonymous]

Rio Grande in Ballston: grilled veggie fajitas, good margaritas, and lots of music to cover any toddler meltdowns 9concrete floors for easy clean up!). Should be okay on a table if you get there on the early side on a Friday.

[Anonymous]

Jaleo at Crystal City might be worth consideration, especially if the children eat a wide variety of foods. Plenty of vegetarian options. There is also a Legal Seafood in that area if they eat fish. You might want to call ahead though as it can be quite busy.

[Anonymous]

I too thought of California Pizza Kitchen immediately.

[Anonymous]

You're not going to split a cocktail, right? Not snark, just asking because none of my mom friends would ever want to split one.

[Anonymous]

I live in Arlington and have a year old baby and DO NOT recommend Busboys and Poets....The atmosphere is super kid friendly but the food always takes too long to get there and you don't have the luxury of waiting 30-45 mins for your food with a toddler. Noodles & Company is essentially fast food pasta...not worth it if you don't get out much.

We go to Jaleo a lot, so I second that recommendation if your audience is open to Spanish food (we love it). They take reservations on Open Table. There's also a Chile's in Crystal City if you're looking for something on the casual side (as chains go, Chile's is the best, in my opinion). There's also the Carlyle Grande in Shirlington. They don't take reservations, but CALL AHEAD to get yourself on the list and you won't have to wait long. It's a popular place.