Going out to eat it with kids is not for the faint of heart. Between the side-eyes and glares that kids get when they "act up" to the lack of "picky toddler" options on the menu, finding a good family-friendly restaurant is a whole thing. Ya feel me?
I decided to put together a big ol' list of spots that have been recommended to us through all of the parents we featured in our "Real Life in Boise With Kids" series. Tried and true recommendations that you'll want to keep handy for the next time you don't wanna make dinner and need a new place to try.
BBQ 4 Life is our go to BBQ spot and has the best pulled pork and mac and cheese sandwich EVER.
Pizza Pie Cafe: It's our go to buffet spot when our kids want pizza & I want to feed them immediately - haha! Also, it's family owned and local. I love their salad bar and dessert pizza.
Hook and Reel: Seafood, good drinks and kids can draw on the table. This one is always a win for us. PS pro mom tip - order ONE of the kid's spaghetti meals and it is enough for a small army of children.
Krystle from Guru Donuts recommends:
Sushi Joy: https://sushijoyasiantogo.com/
Hawkins Pac-Out: http://www.hawkinspacout.com/
13th Street Grill: https://www.13pubandgrill.com/
Holly from All Weather Adventuring's thoughts on eating out with kids are very relatable:
This is a hard one….we usually end up getting take out for my husband and me and making food for the kids at home 😂 (or let’s be honest: it’s fast food a lot!) I’m always open to everyone else’s ideas and suggestions! I will say though that one place we love taking the kids is the Tepanyaki Japanese Steak House on Garden St. It looks like a hole in the wall, but the food is delicious and the hibachi-style cooking (where they cook it in front of you) entertains the kids every time!
Local photographer and children's book author Tamara Kenyon's fam loves a good pizza:
BoiseBits Run Club owner Megan Bert and her family are plant-based eaters and love these spots:
Parrilla Grill - the panko tofu tacos!
Thrifting lover Onyx and her sweet family recommend:
Pad Thai House - this is a family staple for dinner and what kid doesn’t love noodles and rice?
Cafe Zupas - soups, salads and sandwiches sign us up! Kid friendly options and something for everyone. Plus with every meal you get a complimentary chocolate covered strawberry! We love to order to go and have a picnic in the park.
Pizza Pie Cafe - want bang for your buck? All you can eat pizza, pasta and salad! Very affordable, great environment and plenty of variety of pizza! They even have dessert pizza!
Tropical Smoothie Cafe - this is go to when we want something light for lunch. Our daughter loves smoothies and she always gets the junior jetty.
Farmers Markets - they always have a variety of foods and usually they’re serving things you can eat on the go! Which we all know as parents that the littles don’t sit still for very long.
Amanda Stone of the local nonprofit Camp River Run gave us some new spots to try:
Deja Brew - I'm a huge coffee fan. Deja Brew has coffee, a full menu, a liquor license, and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating space.
Baquets - THE BEST French food. My girls are little foodies and appreciate food of all kinds, but Michele and Fronk at Baquets make the atmosphere incredible. Not to mention the amazing food.
Merritts - it's our go to for breakfast. It's tiny. The servers know us and make some heavily whipped cream hot chocolate for our girls.
EverWild Forest School's founder and director Erica Hermsen and her family love:
Farmers Markets - there's so many across the Treasure Valley!
Coffee & Supply Co's owner Mel Heuser recommends some great spots in Eagle:
Flat 16 off HWY 16 has a great grass area for kids to play while you eat on the patio. - www.theflats16.com
Ahi Sushi - We love enjoying fresh, delicious sushi. It's family owned and operated and there is something for everyone. - www.ahisushibar.com
Scoops Ice Cream has patio seating in Downtown Eagle and is the perfect summer evening outing. - www.scoopseagle.com
Eagle's Farmers Market: July 1st - Sept 23rd (open 9am-2pm) - Great food vendors, live music, local artisans and produce right in the heart of Eagle.
Coffee and Supply co. - Obviously! ;) We have a special kids menu (your kids will LOVE the unicorn lemonade!), side walk chalk, hula hoops and coloring sheets for the kids! - www.coffeeandsupplyco.com
Local photographer Katilyn Turner and her fam love local smoothies:
With our children being so young, we really love quick stops and patio dining. We often find ourselves at local smoothie shops like Boise Juice Co, Replenish, and Clean Juice Boise. Here's a tip: On Mondays, Clean Juice Boise offers a *free* kids smoothie with the purchase of an adult smoothie!
The Campbells of You Do The Dishes love eating at:
Edge Brewing (amazing kid's plate!)
And last but not least are my family's go-to spots:
Let's be real... my kids' favorites are McDonalds, Chick-Fil-A and anywhere they can get some plain cheese pizza or a corn dog. EYE ROLL. But here are some other Boise favorites that my kids and their foodie parents can agree on.
Boise Fry Company: We love a good burger and fries and Boise Fry Company doesn't disappoint. With so many custom options it is definitely a crowd pleaser.
Blue Cow Frozen Yogurt: Okay I know this isn't a full on restaurant but it's definitely one of our kids' favorite places. On top of offering all kinds of fro-yo flavors and toppings they also have a great setup with lots of space to sit and enjoy some quality family time. My boys love playing board games together there!
MOD Pizza: We love that you can make your own pizza from a million topping choices and the price is always the same. My kids love to get pesto sauce pizza with plain old mozzarella cheese on top. My husband and I almost always get the Jasper (with black olives) and we all really like the cauliflower crust option and Caesar salad.
How many of these spots has your family been to? Do you have other ones that come to mind? Add them to the comments and give us some new spots to try out!