Dining out with kids

Where are your favorite (non-chain) places to take kids? Let me know!

I always bring my grandchildren to Mac's (4th Street in Santa Rosa) for breakfast! We often see other families doing the same! We are greeted like family and always have the best breakfast! We have never had a bad meal and it has become of beloved ritual! Afterwards, we can walk along 4th Street and check out the books at Barnes & Noble or do a little shopping at the many stores along the route. The kids love it and so do we!

Try dining out at Big Daddy's in Rohnert Park. It's such a relaxed, casual environment with very kid friendly, adult-friendly food for the dollar. The food is quite good to boot. Best wishes to you.

Try dining out at Big Daddy's in Rohnert Park. It's such a relaxed, casual environment with very kid friendly, adult-friendly food for the dollar. The food is quite good to boot. Best wishes to you.

D's Diner in Sebastopol is one of our favorites with the kids and we can eat better then McD's for around the same price! Tons of fries and a lollipop with the kids orders. Outside or inside- either is kid friendly.
Union Hotel Pizzeria (or the main restaurant) in Occidental- pizza dough to play with and kid sized pizzas- gotta try the pizzookie!

ADELS, ADELS and ADELS ON COLLEGE AND MENDOCINO,S.R.

We love Mary's - the downtown one is our fave; Nice and loud atmosphere and friendly wait staff
Also for breakfast, the Omelette Express in Windsor is very nice and you can walk down to the park after.
Chevy's has been mostly good to us, the kids love watching the tortilllas get flattened and if you ask they will give out soft dough for them to play with

I do not reccomend Carrow's- they take for.....ever and are not kid friendly- of course I haven't been there for a year since we had a horrible experience where they left us sitting for 45 min and then told us they forgot our order and had not begun it. they didn't even apologize or offer to "get right on it" we left with 2 crying children and have not returned.

Sandy's pizza has huge lunch slices and ice cream. Also old time candy. My kid and me go there and pay $6 for two huge slices and a drink. Also, I take one to go and bake it at home - awesome ones are the ones on wheat dough. It's by Pacific Market by the Frankin Park and Pacific Avenue (and McDonald/Elizabeth.) Cool location and also has kids videos and DVDs! This is the best pizza you'll taste...ever!

Velasco's Petaluma hands down the most kid friendly restaurant in Petaluma

And kids can eat free on Saturday nights, at the Stony Point Grill.

New owner at Stony Point Grill, yelling chef now gone! :-D

Stony Point Grill would be good, but who wants to hear the chef yelling at all the employees????

Try ROSSO Pizzeria @ Creekside Center on Montgomery Drive. Very kid friendly. Check out the website for more details. www.rossopizzeria.com

Cattlemens. Kids love all the stuff hanging on the walls. It's usually somewhat noisy anyway so kids fit in fine. Mine love the adult food (steak) on a kids menu.

We love HopMonk great mac and cheese and a awesome patio with music on the weekends. Also Russian River brewery. It has some of the best pizza in town. Our son has grown up there and they treat us great. Oh yea the beers are great too. Dempseys in Petaluma serves the best chicken fingers for kids. All meat no breading. Best food in a brewery setting in So.Co.

Fourth & Sea (Petaluma)
Pinky's Pizza
Mary's Pizza

beyond the glory in petaluma is always so nice to my kids. the wait staff have all been there a long time so my kids always see a familiar face. my kids were being really loud one nite and our waitress told us not to stress, that BTG loves to have kids! good food as well as good service

I always enjoy taking my son to Bruno's on 4th street. Even though the restaurant is small and fairly upscale, they are always super friendly and they give the kids this little pack of colorful wax-covered twisty things that we all end up playing with. And their kids menu is GREAT...not just chicken fingers, pasta and a burger.

I thought this was tied into the eating Goat article... sorry, just kid-ding... ok I will stop now before someone bleets the heck out of me....

It may sound crazy but my two year old and five year old love Hanna in R.P
Ken will always come up for something special for them and the staff always brings out extra wet towels.
Within a minute or two of walking in the door, Miso soup and soy beans are on the table with a bowl of ice (to cool the soup) and an extra bowl of the tofu for my youngest.
A couple bowls of soup and soyo beans with a order of tempura vegetables and fish. Then out comes the sorbet.
Around ten dollars will stuff two kids with high quality food, with a big box to go.

I would also have to say that my kids have never been in a Mc Donald’s and junk food is something they do not know.
If you want fast, fresh and healthy food go see Ken and the crew at Hanna’s
Plus mom and dad get the best sushi in N. Cal.

Rosso Pizzeria is a great place for kids. Kids get to shape their own pizza and have it baked and served to them at the table. The kids menu has pizza and pasta and kids size salads. Rosso is fun for kids and parents.

We've been taking our 17 month old to Rosso Pizzeria and Wine bar in Santa Rosa for the last 14 months and it is her favorite restaurant by far. They have free raw pizza dough for the kids to kneed themselves and then the restaurant cooks it in their brick oven and serves it with pizza sauce on the side. The also offer a great kids menu that includes pizzas, fried house made mozzarella, the best mac and cheese you'll ever eat and other great selections. They also state on the menu that they will make whatever your little one desires if they have the ingredients. The atmosphere is very friendly and the price is reasonable for the exceptional quality of their food. They participate in the "slow food" movement and their ingredients are all most all locally farmed. Rosso really is a treat for the whole family!

The criteria for a kid friendly restaurant for me is...
-waitstaff needs to be really speedy, friendly and a flexible. "Can I bring some extra napkins?"
-does the menu have a kids section or is the kitchen willing to make something kid friendly? AND not charge me an arm and a leg for doing so!
-no 30 min wait...sorry the kid only has so much patience.

As a customer I try to...
- go early to avoid crowds
- clean up after my child
- bring stuff to occupy my child
- tip well

Pinky's is great for kids they love it.
Tres Hombres is also really good, they have great chicken strips for the kids. It is actually white meat.
Mr. Mom's is great for breakfast. They have the best bacon!
Beyond the Glory is good too. They have a game room that the kids love!

Beyond the Glory in Petaluma

Love Stony Point Grill...

They have a juke box and ducks in the pond off the patio and no one gets all antsy if your kid gets up and runs around. Also a full bar to keep the parents happy while they enjoy the free sundae with dinner!

We take the kids to :
Chevy's
Outback
Mary's Pizza
Beyond the Glory
Kirin
I do not suggest
Tex Wasabi --- we have only had BAD kid experiences there!

We take the kids to :
Chevy's
Outback
Mary's Pizza
Beyond the Glory
Kirin
I do not suggest
Tex Wasabi --- we have only had BAD kid experiences there!

Pizzicato in Petaluma
Dempsey's Petaluma
McNear's Petaluma
Mi Pueblo Taqueria Petaluma
Mary's Pizza Shack
Pinky's Pizza Petaluma
Lepe's Santa Rosa
Cattlemen's
Sandpiper Bodega Bay
Lucas Wharf Bodega Bay

My son and daughter love HopMonk because they don't have to stay at the table when we sit outside and they have the best mac n cheese and fries.

They also love Chevy's for the fresh tortillas and of course they love playing with the tortilla dough!

Mary's Pizza

Beyond the Glory in Petaluma - They have a game room!!

The Belvedere on Mendocino Avenue has great burgers and pasta

Mandarin Garden on Yulupa

Unon Hotel

Chevy's at the tables in the bar -- they have a great kids menu and it is loud so no one hears anything but the music

Mary's pizza

Our favorite is Bear Republic when the weather is nice and you can sit outside. Hburg
Superburger gives kids a free ice cream for dessert

These are the places my young daughter loves to go -

Divine Pizza in HBurg, they can make their own pizzas- she will eat more if she makes it!
Negri's Occidental- she LOVES the minestrone
Sequioa Burgers - Sebastopol - they offer two different kinds of burgers one with Mustard and another with Thousand Island on it - we are both happy
Checker's in Santa Rosa, they will let her draw on the piece of paper that covers the table cloth and the fresh bread they serve to everyone to eat with Olive Oil she is happy!
Kirin Restaurant in Bennett Valley
The new Kabob and Curry House on Western Street in PTown

Our favorites include:
*Mi Pueblo (both petaluma locations)
*Pizzicato (Petaluma)
*Hallie's Diner (Petaluma)
*Jennie Low's (Petaluma)
*McNear's (Pet.)
*Sandpiper (Bodega Bay)
*Roy's Hot Dogs (Petaluma @ Stockyards)