Older kid friendly lunch places in downtown Chicago

[egoldber]

I am taking Sarah to AG Place in Chicago for her birthday. We have time for a nice lunch before leaving for the airport and I was wondering if anyone could recommend a nice place that would still be fun for an 8 year old. :) We are staying close to Water Tower Place.

[arivecchi]

Cheesecake Factory and Grand Luxe Cafe are both on Michigan Ave and definitely kid-friendly. I also really like Oak Tree Cafe at 900 N. Michigan.

[DebbieJ]

Cheesecake Factory and Grand Luxe Cafe are both on Michigan Ave and definitely kid-friendly.

These two were the first that came to mind for me.

What about Chicago style pizza? There is a Giordano's on Rush St.

Ed Debevics? Rainforest Cafe? Those are all pretty close.

I also hear the Water Tower Food court is pretty nice, although I've never eaten there.

There is also a Ghiradelli shop right near Water Tower. Forget lunch--have ice cream! YUM!

[arivecchi]

Cheesecake Factory and Grand Luxe Cafe are both on Michigan Ave and definitely kid-friendly. I also really like Oak Tree Cafe at 900 N. Michigan.
FYI - as you probably know, Cheesecake Factory and Grand Luxe have huge menus, good food but can sometimes be crowded for lunch. Still, kids love those 2 places.

Oak Tree is more relaxed. Perfect for a girl's lunch. Ask for a table with views of Michigan Ave. I really like their food. Some servers are awesome, some not so much. This was my old neighborhood and those are my top 3 places when I go to Michigan Ave with my boys.

There is also a Hershey's store right accross Ghirardelli. Bon appetit!

[egoldber]

Oddly enough neither Sarah nor I really like the food at Cheesecake Factory, well except for the cheesecake, LOL!

The Oak Tree looks good though.


There is also a Ghiradelli shop right near Water Tower. Forget lunch--have ice cream! YUM!

LOL! That would totally be Sarah's vote! She loves her ice cream. :)

[arivecchi]

I think you would like Oak Tree. It looks pretty fancy because it was just remodeled, but they have a big menu and it is reasonably priced (for a rest in Michigan Ave). Cannot beat the Michigan Ave views!

http://www.shop900.com/restaurant/oak-tree-restaurant

[egoldber]

I looked at the menu and it sounds yummy. :) I was impressed that the prices were not outrageous.

[arivecchi]

Great! Let me know how you like it if you go. I was there for breakfast yesterday and it was yummy! The only drawback to that place is that it is in the Bloomies building so I always end up being mysteriously dragged into the store. :waving4:

[Fairy]

Ed Debevics is great for the tourist (and secretly loved by many native Chicagoans). You can also actually eat lunch at AG. But Ed's has all kinds of great kid food, and the atmosphere is "fun." Personally, I don't care for purposely obnoxious wait staff, but alot of people really love this. The price is right, too.

[egoldber]

You can also actually eat lunch at AG

We are having lunch there the day before. :)

[Fairy]

Two others are the Rock & Roll McDonalds (not as great as it used to be), and Food Life in Water Tower Place.

[egoldber]

Oh wow that Food Life looks really good!!!

Maybe not as fancy, but maybe I'll give her the choice.

[Fairy]

Honestly, Beth, Food Life is wonderful, it really is. It's not for everyone, but I love it. And if you wanna do Ghiradelli after, that's a nice pairing (not that there's not enough at Food Life to satisfy that, too ...)

[egoldber]

OK ladies, how about a low key dinner on Saturday night?

We are having a late lunch at AG (2:30) so nothing too heavy. I suspect she will order pizza based on their menu offerings, so not pizza would be good.

[arivecchi]

Close to Michigan Ave as well? What kind of food did you have in mind?

[egoldber]

Oh, I dunno. Casual and close-ish to Water Tower Place. Other than that, I don't think it matters so much. Some place that won't have an insane wait on a Saturday.

[arivecchi]

This may not be on the mark, but I love this place so I will recommend it. It will be a 5 minute cab ride from Water Tower Place or a quick bus ride. I love this cafeteria-type place in my "hood" called Nookies. It is really casual, not fancy at all, but the food is great and cheap. It is also in a really great location in Old Town, right by Lincoln Park and you can walk down Wells St, which is very lively on a weekend night. There are lots of stores and restaurants on Wells St. I will keep thinking, but this is the first one that came to mind. It will definitely not be crowded on a Sat. night.

http://www.nookiesrestaurants.net/oldtown/facts.html

http://www.yelp.com/biz/nookies-chicago

There are also great sushi and fondue places nearby, but they will be more of a wait. Let me know if you are interested. I will keep thinking of more options, but you might want to venture out to the Lincoln Park neighborhood. It is really close to the magnificent mile and it is a gorgeous neighborhood.

[Fairy]

Beth, forgive me if u already know this, but this weekend is the air and water show; synonamous with insanity. Millions will b descending upon downtown on the lake. So if ur already DT, ur probably fine. If ur coming in from another part of the area do plan accordingly. I can help u with alternative rts if u need it.

Btw, I think nookies sounds like a good option. What about pizzaria uno or due? Insane? Um, yeah. But if u go early enuf shld b ok, and its pure chicago. Ginos east, too. In a pinch, rainforest cafe. Not too creative, but it'll work!

Sorry for the terrible abbr's, but I'm on bberry.

[egoldber]

We are staying downtown, right nest to WT Place, so we should be fine.

[egoldber]

Thanks all! We had a great trip. Of all the suggestions here, we only got to try out Food Life and it was GREAT!!!!

[Fairy]

Awesome! Glad it was all a success.