Discover the restaurant chains with kids’ menus chefs recommend most.
We love our kids, but let’s be real—it’s not always easy eating out with them, especially when the menu doesn’t offer anything they actually want to eat. When children have appealing options to choose from, everyone can relax a little more. To find the restaurant chains that do kids’ menus best, Eat This, Not That! asked Eva Filer, home chef, recipe developer, and food blogger at My Rad Kitchen, which spots stand out for their variety, quality, and kid-friendly choices. Here are her top five pics.
Red Robin
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When you’re dining out with kids, a little flexibility can go a long way. Red Robin makes it easier for families to find a meal that feels right for each child.”Red Robin has one of the most flexible kids’ menus, with familiar favorites like burgers, chicken tenders, pizza, and mac and cheese alongside grilled chicken and plenty of side choices,” Filer says. “Being able to swap in options like steamed broccoli while still keeping kid favorites like bottomless steak fries makes it especially easy to build a meal that works for different appetites.”
The Cheesecake Factory
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Some kids are perfectly happy ordering from the children’s menu every time, while others are ready for something a little more grown-up. The Cheesecake Factory caters to both kinds of diners. “The Cheesecake Factory gives kids considerably more variety than the typical handful of children’s entrées, with choices ranging from pasta and flatbread pizza to grilled salmon,” Filer points out. “The broad selection is especially helpful for families with kids who have moved beyond the standard chicken-fingers-and-fries stage but aren’t ready for a full adult-sized entrée.”
Olive Garden
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Picky eating can make restaurant outings feel like a negotiation. Olive Garden takes some of the guesswork out of mealtime by giving young diners plenty of ways to make a meal of their own. According to Filer, “Olive Garden does a great job of letting kids customize a meal around foods they already enjoy, with different pasta shapes, sauces, ravioli, and optional proteins to choose from.” She adds, “That flexibility makes it particularly useful for picky eaters while still giving kids room to branch out and try something different.”
Texas Roadhouse
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There’s something appealing about letting kids order a meal that feels a little more special than the usual restaurant fare. Texas Roadhouse gives families a way to do just that without necessarily ordering from the adult menu. “Texas Roadhouse offers more substantial choices than you typically find on a kids’ menu, including steak, ribs, and grilled chicken alongside classics like mac and cheese and chicken tenders,” Filer explains. “The ability to choose a side and drink makes it a good value while giving kids a meal that feels more like a smaller version of what the adults are eating.
Chili’s
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A good kids’ menu should make ordering easy, even when everyone at the table has a different idea of what sounds good. Chili’s gives families plenty of room to find a crowd-pleasing choice.
“Chili’s offers plenty of variety for kids, with familiar favorites like burgers, chicken tenders, quesadillas, and pizza along with several sides to mix and match,” says Filer. “The range makes it easy to find something for a picky eater while still giving kids more choice than the typical nuggets-and-fries menu.”
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