Kid friendly restaurants - Chicago

[nathethegreatsmom]

We are heading to Chicao Thanksgiving weekend, pretty much kid oriented. We are staying near Navy Pier. What are some good, fun choices to take toddlers, DSs are almost 4 and 17 months. TIA.

[arivecchi]

I used to live right by Navy Pier so can give you suggestions. I assume you only want restaurants within walking distance?

[nathethegreatsmom]

We will have a car, but would prefer to walk. If is someplace really great, we will be using the car on Friday. We are heading to Lincoln Park Zoo that day, so there is something around there, that would be great also. Thanks.

[arivecchi]

By Navy Pier: the only restaurant I liked taking my toddler to in that neighborhood was Fox & Obel for breakfast. There are several casual restaurants in the area but none of them were that great. Fast food: there is a Panera Bread on Fairbanks (I think).

Within walking distance: Cheesecake Factory, Grand Luxe Cafe & Oaktree are all located on Michigan Ave and are kid friendly. There is also a Rainforest Cafe downtown but I have never been to it. One of my faves during the holiday season is Pierrot Gourmet at the Peninsula on Superior St. We went there a lot for breakfast and they just do such a great job decorating it during Christmas. It is about $10-$15 an entree for breakfast, but we loved the ambiance. Not super kid-friendly, but people definitely take young kids there. There are also food courts in the Nordstrom's building (Michigan Ave) and the Macy's buildings (both the one on Michigan Ave and the one on State St.)

I love love love Nookies on Wells. That is my favorite neighborhood rest. Super casual, good food, reasonably priced and very kid-friendly. It is just two blocks away from the farm area of the zoo. Make sure you go to the zoo at night to check out Zoolights. It is absolutely gorgeous! Once you are up in Lincoln Park, I would suggest a quick stop at Sweet Mandy B's for delicious cupcakes!

http://www.lpzoo.org/events/zoolights08.html

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

http://www.yelp.com/biz/sweet-mandy-bs-chicago

[Fairy]

By Navy Pier: the only restaurant I liked taking my toddler to in that neighborhood was Fox & Obel for breakfast. There are several casual restaurants in the area but none of them were that great. Fast food: there is a Panera Bread on Fairbanks (I think).

Within walking distance: Cheesecake Factory, Grand Luxe Cafe & Oaktree are all located on Michigan Ave and are kid friendly. There is also a Rainforest Cafe downtown but I have never been to it. One of my faves during the holiday season is Pierrot Gourmet at the Peninsula on Superior St. We went there a lot for breakfast and they just do such a great job decorating it during Christmas. It is about $10-$15 an entree for breakfast, but we loved the ambiance. Not super kid-friendly, but people definitely take young kids there. There are also food courts in the Nordstrom's building (Michigan Ave) and the Macy's buildings (both the one on Michigan Ave and the one on State St.)

I actually live right by the Lincoln Park Zoo now and love love love Nookies on Wells. That is my favorite neighborhood rest. Super casual, good food, reasonably priced and very kid-friendly. It is just two blocks away from the farm area of the zoo. Make sure you go to the zoo at night to check out Zoolights. It is absolutely gorgeous! Once you are up in Lincoln Park, I would suggest a quick stop at Sweet Mandy B's for delicious cupcakes!

http://www.lpzoo.org/events/zoolights08.html

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

http://www.yelp.com/biz/sweet-mandy-bs-chicago

You forget Ed Debevicks? Now, not my favorite place, and very touristy, but it's definitely fun for the kids. Tho ... that's not really walking distance, is it?

[arivecchi]

I've actually never been to Eds! :bag It's kind of a hike if they are walking from the Navy Pier area, but could be worth checking out! OP, you could also use the CTA if you don't want to drive but still want to leave the Navy Pier area a bit. Just make sure you have a baby carrier for the baby and a Mac or similar stroller for the toddler. I take my kids on CTA buses all the time!

P.S. There is a huge McDs at LaSalle and Ohio that my toddler loves. Just thought I'd mention that in case you ocassionally take your toddler to McDs.

[tiapam]

!

P.S. There is a huge McDs at LaSalle and Ohio that my toddler loves. Just thought I'd mention that in case you ocassionally take your toddler to McDs.

Yes, that McDonald's is different and kind of fun. I would eat on the second floor for the full effect and they have good gelato and (I think) gourmet coffee there, too.

It might sound crazy but with two kids in tow you could do worse than the cafeteria in the Prentice Women's Hospital. It's very new, it doesn't really feel like you are in a hospital, and there are lots of food choices, many of them kid friendly. It's also pretty quiet and cheap too. Open 24/7! Here is a link:

http://freshmarketatfairbanks.com/

They are building a new children's hospital next door (west side) and depending on how far they have gotten, you can get a good view of construction from another public part of the hospital. Very entertaining for DC while still staying warm.