Nicer restaurant, but still kid friendly

[AndreAggie]

I'm starting to get a list of restaurants together, and will be making reservations soon. Are there any "upscale" restaurants that are still kid friendly? And when I mean upscale, I still need to be able to go straight from the park (we'll be there in January, so likely jeans/pants and shirts with sleeves).

So I guess I'm looking for table service where I can get an upscale experience, but still bring our son.

 

[Indiana Scott]

We really like Wine Country Trattoria in DCA.
It's a nice sit down restaurant that is more quiet and adult but has delicious food at decent prices. They have some good selections for kids too.

Scott

 

[GatorChris]

Are you looking for something in the park or out of the park?

And what do you consider upscale? I consider Mimi's upscale, but I'm super cheap. What's "up" for you?

 

[DisneylandPlanner]

It is Disneyland all the restaurants are child friendly and you can go after being at the park or get dressed up. What I consider upscale restaurants and I have taken the kids to. In the park Carthay circle. At the hotels Napa Rose and Steakhouse 55 in downtown Disney Catal.
There is lots of discussion about kid suitable but it is Disneyland.

 

[pepe3penelope]

It is Disneyland all the restaurants are child friendly and you can go after being at the park or get dressed up. What I consider upscale restaurants and I have taken the kids to. In the park Carthay circle. At the hotels Napa Rose and Steakhouse 55 in downtown Disney Catal.
There is lots of discussion about kid suitable but it is Disneyland.

I agree with your recommendations in the park & in the hotels. In DTD, (although they aren't too upscale but "nicer" restaurants), I'd like to add Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen & Tortilla Joe's.They are very kid friendly & we like their atmosphere & food.

 

[Rubygoose]

We really liked the ambiance at Storytellers in the GCH. We also enjoyed Cafe Orleans and Blue Bayou in DL.

 

[McNs]

We had a great meal at Ralph Brennan's, excellent food and beverages, kid friendly. When the bread came out there was also a plate of celery and carrot sticks for the kids which was nice, and of course crayons and an activity sheet.

One plus is if you are inside and the band is playing, your kids can be as noisy as they like and no one will hear them

 

[planningjollyholiday]

My kids loved the lounge at carthay circle. They make a good Arnold Palmer, and had a fun kids menu that my boys really enjoyed!

 

[Chiomaca]

We have been bringing my nephews, now 5 and 7, to Napa Rose since before #2 was born. The last two years we've felt comfortable going to the dining room, but before that we ate in the lounge. We'd get there relatively early, find an area where we could create a sort of corral out of the tables and chairs (in a corner whenever possible) and enjoy a wonderful meal without tormenting the people in the full restaurant area. Both adult and kids menus are great and everyone in the restaurant is welcoming to the little ones. One year we even had Thanksgiving dinner at the Chef's Table, so the boys got to watch the food being plated right in front of them.

I suspect my mom and Sister in Law would be just as happy anywhere in DTD, but my brother and I would eat every dinner at Napa Rose if we could.

 

[disneyobsessed808]

I've gone to Napa Rose several times, and always see children in there with their parents. The chefs are very accommodating, and the food is always great.

I would also say that Storytellers Cafe is also a good choice. Not super upscale, but good food nonetheless. It is a pretty relaxed atmosphere, at least when I've been there.

 

[AndreAggie]

Are you looking for something in the park or out of the park?

And what do you consider upscale? I consider Mimi's upscale, but I'm super cheap. What's "up" for you?

In the parks and DTD. We'll be on foot, staying within walking distance of the parks. Hard to define upscale having never been, but thinking somewhere that I probably wouldn't normally wear jeans and running shoes, but since it's Disney, it's ok.

 

[Chiomaca]

We also take the boys to Catal in DTD.

 

[mt mommy]

Although Carthay Circle is more upscale and beautiful, you are at DISNEY! Everything fortunately, is KID FRIENDLY! We went there with our 2 kids, ages 11 and 9 and they had mini kid tacos and sloppy joe sliders!! AWESOME! AND, the adult meals of course, were AMAZING! IMHO CC was worth every penny we saved to eat there!!

 

[Malcon10t]

I'm starting to get a list of restaurants together, and will be making reservations soon. Are there any "upscale" restaurants that are still kid friendly? And when I mean upscale, I still need to be able to go straight from the park (we'll be there in January, so likely jeans/pants and shirts with sleeves).

So I guess I'm looking for table service where I can get an upscale experience, but still bring our son.

To me, it really depends on what you mean by "kid friendly." (I know I am going to sound mean.) If kid friendly means they have food that kids will find acceptable, most of the restaurants (Napa, Steakhouse, Carthay) are kid friendly. The bigger question is if you mean the other customers mind if your child plays hide and seek under their table, if they are yelling and disruptive, etc... Then no.

We take my nieces and granddaughter out frequently to the upscale restaurants, and the chefs are very accommodating towards the kids. (Changing food around, substitutions, etc...)

 

[FlameGirl]

To me, it really depends on what you mean by "kid friendly." (I know I am going to sound mean.) If kid friendly means they have food that kids will find acceptable, most of the restaurants (Napa, Steakhouse, Carthay) are kid friendly. The bigger question is if you mean the other customers mind if your child plays hide and seek under their table, if they are yelling and disruptive, etc... Then no.

I cannot agree with you more. I've been pretty horrified with how I've seen some children behaving at Napa Rose, and more so that the parents seem to think everyone else should just be OK with it because "it's Disneyland'. No. It's a very expensive restaurant, and grownups shouldn't have to endure screaming children during their $300 meal because it's adjacent to a theme park.

 

[rms123]

Our kids did well at Steakhouse 55 and Carthay Circle. We drew the line before Napa Rose and felt Catal was borderline.

 

[Malcon10t]

I cannot agree with you more. I've been pretty horrified with how I've seen some children behaving at Napa Rose, and more so that the parents seem to think everyone else should just be OK with it because "it's Disneyland'. No. It's a very expensive restaurant, and grownups shouldn't have to endure screaming children during their $300 meal because it's adjacent to a theme park.

Thank you. Many people feel Napa Rose and Carthay should have a minimum age, and I disagree with this as unfair to the kids who CAN handle sitting quietly for a 2-3 hour meal. I have many nieces and nephews who I love to take to upscale places. I also have a few nephews I don't even want to take to McDonalds.

Napa Rose is great. They offer some simple dishes for children (mac and cheese, pizza) and if the child has the tastebuds for the higher end stuff, the chefs will work with them.

Steakhouse 55 is one of my granddaughter's favorites (she is 3.) She loves to eat at the "place with pictures". She likes her "noodles" (mac and cheese) and they are good at making her a fruit appetizer so she is eating when we are.

 

[mominstl]

We loved Carthay Circle with our 5, 5, 3 year olds. We went for a late lunch so it wasn't peak time but the kids had a great meal and my husband and I could sit down, relax, have a drink and enjoy our food too. We dine out with them a lot so they are well behaved in restaurants. Blue Bayou was also good. I loved the setting but we were really rushed through our meal.

 

[Mysteryincorp]

We did cafe Orleans with my squirmy 4 year old. We sat outside and it was fine.

 

[AndreAggie]

To me, it really depends on what you mean by "kid friendly." (I know I am going to sound mean.) If kid friendly means they have food that kids will find acceptable, most of the restaurants (Napa, Steakhouse, Carthay) are kid friendly. The bigger question is if you mean the other customers mind if your child plays hide and seek under their table, if they are yelling and disruptive, etc... Then no.

We take my nieces and granddaughter out frequently to the upscale restaurants, and the chefs are very accommodating towards the kids. (Changing food around, substitutions, etc...)

No offense taken at all. We have one 4-year old son who is usually pretty well-behaved. We don't tolerate that sort of behavior at a restaurant. We've taken him on a cruise and the evening dinner wasn't quick and he did fine.

I know I could always get a sitter, but I hate to leave him alone with a strange sitter he's never met while we go out and have a fancy dinner while on a family vacation. Dinner will also depend on how the day has gone. If he's tired and worn out, we won't push it. If he's had a nap and is in good spirits, we might go for it. I was mostly asking because I don't want to get "the look" (you know the one where someone judges you before you're ever seated) from other patrons because we brought a child (for heaven's sake!!) into a nice establishment.