London is one of the best places in the world to eat out. The capital’s restaurant scene features food from around the world from Sri Lankan curries and Japanese ramen to Mexican tacos, Chinese dumplings and pasta made just like an Italian nonna makes it.
Whatever you have a craving for, it’s pretty much guaranteed that there will be a restaurant for you.
But what if you have kids in tow?
Dining with children can be challenging but the good news is that there are lots of child friendly restaurants in London that are guaranteed to keep kids happy, no matter whether you have fussy toddlers or hard-to-please teens in tow.
As you look to plan your family trip to London, make a note of these best restaurants in London for families, all tried and tested.
Family-friendly dining in London
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For something quick, easy and reliable, central London is home to plenty of chain restaurants including Wagamama, Pizza Express and Nando’s.
But if you’re looking for something different for your mini foodie then you’ll find that there are lots of family-friendly restaurants in London to choose from, not to mention some fantastic places to get afternoon tea.
Keep in mind if visiting during the school holidays that some restaurants, including The Real Greek, Bill’s, Yo! Sushi and the Cinnamon Collection restaurants, typically offer a ‘kids eat free’ deal. These special deals for children are typically included when you buy an adult main course. These offer excellent value and are a great way to save money when visiting London with a young family.
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In a hurry? Here are our favourite child-friendly restaurants in London
- Inamo: This fun Asian restaurant has interactive tables where you can play games.
- Wahaca: Colourful, tasty and good value Mexican fare.
- Dishoom: Some of the best Indian food in town and a great place for breakfast too.
- Heddon Street Kitchen: Under 8s eat free all day, every weekday at this Gordon Ramsey Restaurant
- Padella: Their homemade pasta is some of the best in London.
- Cafe Murano: This Covent Garden restaurant serves buenísimo Italian food and their kids menu is just £10 for three courses.
- Apricity: This is the only restaurant in London to offer a 5-course Culinary Kids’ Tasting Menu
- Mildred’s: An excellent vegetarian restaurant with great options for kids.
The best restaurants in London for families
The following family-friendly restaurants don’t necessarily have kids’ menus or automatically come with a tub of crayons but they have all been tried and tested and are some of our personal favourites.
If you’re visiting some of London’s most popular museums then don’t miss our top kid-friendly restaurants near the Natural History Museum as well as our top picks for pre-theatre dining.
Best themed restaurants in London
Two restaurants that were always firm favourites with kids (if not always enjoyed by adults) are now permanently closed. The Jungle Cave (formerly the Rainforest Cave) has permanently shut its doors as has the Shrimp & Grill (formerly Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.).
Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly
For a fun, tasty and reliable meal in the heart of the West End head to this branch of the popular Hard Rock Cafe chain. Located on Piccadilly Circus itself, the Hard Rock is a great option for a family meal.
With excellent food and friendly and fast service it’s a fun and reliable option. We always love seeing what rock memorabilia the Hard Rock restaurants have and in this flagship location you’ll find outfits worn by Rhianna, Shakira and Robbie Williams.
Located close to Leicester Square and Covent Garden, the Hard Rock Cafe is a great option for a pre-theatre meal. We ate here prior to watching Frozen the Musical.
Kids’ Menu: The kids’ menu options include Kids’ salad with chicken, Grilled chicken breast, Mac & Cheese, chicken tenders or a cheeseburger, all served on a Hard Rock guitar (not a real one, obviously!).
The Theatre Diner Cafe
When a restaurant menu features meals such as Frank You For The Music, Cluck Be A Lady Tonight and I’m Getting Calamari-ed In The Morning, you know you’re in for a good time.
The highly enjoyable Theatre Diner Cafe is in Covent Garden and is perfect for a pre-theatre meal. Not only does the diner serves good food but is a fun-filled experience with an all-singing, all-dancing waiting team who bet out musical theatre classics while you eat.
The multi-award winning Theatre Cafe sits alongside and is a good place to stop for a coffee and cake and admire the West End musical memorabilia.
Kids’ Menu: There’s no dedicated kids’ menu but plenty of kid-friendly eats.
Best family restaurants in London for Mexican food
Wahaca
A great option for families wanting tacos without a fuss (or hefty price tag) is the colourful Wahaca chain of restaurants. Founded by MasterChef winner Thomasina Miers, Wahaca delivers lots of small and tasty dishes for sharing at a reasonable price. They also offer a very good children’s menu.
Kids’ menu: Designed for children up to 8-years-old, the £6.95 kids menu includes a dish and a drink.
El Pastor
El Pastor is another great option for tacos, made using non-gmo corn direct from farmers in Mexico. They also serve tasty small plates and sharing plates. There’s no dedicated kids’ menu but there are lots of great options for young eaters.
There are five different locations around London including one in Borough Market.
Best family restaurants in London for Indian food
Dishoom
You’ll spot the queues for Dishoom before you spot the restaurant itself so popular is this small chain of Indian restaurants. If you time it right, however, and visit with older kids (rather than hangry toddlers) then Dishoom is a great option for families.
Dishoom first opened in 2010 and has been wowing customers with their house black daal ever since. And Dishoom is not just for dinner (or lunch), their breakfasts are the stuff of legends with delicious fluffy uttapam pancakes, spicy masala beans on toast and the extraordinary naan breakfast roll.
There are five locations in London; our favourite is the King’s Cross outpost.
Kids’ menu: There is a dedicated children’s menu offering smaller portions and little spice. Staff are also happy to advise on child-friendly dishes from the main menu.
Masala Zone
Masala Zone is a fun place for a family meal. There are locations across London but we like the one located in the West End, near the Royal Opera House.
This is easy dining Indian style with regional food from across the country. Enjoy delicious thalis, regional curries and lightly spiced meats from the grill.
There are seven locations across London in Covent Garden, Soho, Earls Court, Islington, Bayswater, Camden and Selfridges.
Kids’ menu: The kids’ menu at Masala Zone is designed for under 7s. A main course is £8 and a main course and desert is £10.85.
Cinnamon Kitchen
The Cinnamon Kitchen has two restaurants in London, one in Battersea in the iconic Power Station and the other in London City.
Serving tasty Indian dishes including Kashmiri Lamb Shank Roganjosh and house black lentils, this family-friendly London restaurant also has a great kids’ menu for under 8s. Even better, the restaurant often has special deals on over school holidays such as the May half term when kids under 8 eat for free.
Kids’ Menu: Available for under 8s, this Cinnamon Kitchen children’s menu costs just £10.50.
Best family restaurants in London for Asian food
Inamo
Inamo is the perfect place to sample a variety of Asian food. Serving Japanese, Chinese and Thai dishes the food is good but it’s the setting that older kids and teens in particular will love. Use the interactive tables to order food, play games and watch the chefs prepare your meals.
There’s no dedicated kids’ menu but lots of good sharing plates for the whole family to enjoy plus low-level spice options such as cats curry and strawberry sushi. Make sure to order a dragon roll too, that comes shaped like a dragon!
Inamo has locations in Soho and Covent Garden near the London Transport Museum.
Uzumaki Anime Restaurant
Anime and Manga fans should hotfoot it to Uzumaki, a Japanese Ramen restaurant with a colourful anime theme.
Located near The British Museum, the restaurant is named after the young ninja Naruto Uzumaki in the popular Manga series of the same name. Enjoy delicious ramen noodles, mochi ice cream and themed bubble tea in one of the most colourful dining rooms in town.
Benihana
Benihana is a one of London’s most fun restaurants for families where chefs cook your meal at your table. This Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant showcases favourites including Hibachi steak, chicken and shrimp. It also serves sushi and sashimi.
It’s good food but the real appeal here are the fast-paced theatrics by the chefs.
There are locations in Chelsea and Piccadilly Circus
Kids’ menu: The Ninja Kids Menu menu is for children aged 12 years and younger.
Yo! Sushi
This is one of my kids’ favourite restaurants thanks to the revolving conveyor that delivers sushi, sashimi and other tasty Japanese dishes direct to your table. The only downside to the Yo! Sushi dining experience is that the cost can mount up quite quickly!
There are Yo! Sushi branches across London.
Kids’ menu: There is a kids’ menu for children under 12 which includes a main, side and drink for £6.50. Dessert is just a extra £1.50
Yum Bun
Located in the Seven Dials Market Yum Bun is a great place to go for steamed buns. Seven Dials Market is a lively place to go to eat in Covent Garden with kids in general, with lots of different food stalls to choose from.
There are two Yum Bun locations, in Seven Dials Market and Old Spitalfields Market.
Din Tai Fung
If your kids like dumplings then make a beeline for Din Tai Fung. This Covent Garden branch of the world-famous restaurant from Taiwan delivers delicious dumplings and street food. Don’t miss their signature Xiao long bao (delicate steamed dumplings). Be prepared to queue.
Sticks ‘n’ Sushi
We’re big fans of Sticks ‘n’ Sushi, a Japanese chain with seven branches in London. They serve excellent sashimi, maki (rolls) and yakitori skewers among other really tasty Japanese dishes. They also offer a range of salads and large sushi sharing plates.
There are locations in Wimbledon, Covent Garden, Greenwich, Canary Wharf, Victoria, Kings Road and Soho.
Kids’ Menu: There are three set menus for children that start at £7.80 each, as well as a choice of sides and dessert. The kids’ menu itself comes with activities and a drawing challenge.
Best family restaurants in London for Italian food
Spaghetti House
This Italian restaurant chain has been dolling up bowlfuls of spaghetti bolognese and penne all’arrabbiata for years. They have 10 restaurants across London including the original location in Goodge Street.
Kids’ Menu: They have a really good and extensive Kids’ Menu at £7.95 for two courses.
Tavolino Bar & Kitchen
This is a lovely Italian restaurant that sits split across two floors with an outdoor terrace offering a great view over the London skyline. It’s located on the river near London Bridge and serves authentic Italian food.
Tavolino is definitely a more upmarket restaurant but children are given a warm welcome and they do have their own menu.
The menu features pasta and ‘secondi’ dishes of corn fed chicken breast or whole baked sea bream alongside aperitivi, spuntini and antipasti. The bread and pasta is made in house daily.
Padella
You might have to queue for a table at Padella but the wait will be worth it because the homemade pasta here is delicious.
There are two branches, one in Borough Market and the other in Shoreditch. One option is to queue virtually with the pasta bar’s QR codes and have a wander around Borough Market while you wait.
Kids Menu: No dedicated kids menu but plenty of child-friendly pasta!
Best family restaurants in London for pizza
Homeslice
For amazing pizza head to this lively restaurant in Neal’s Yard. Be prepared to wait, however, there is always a queue at Homeslice Pizza (but I promise you that the pizzas are worth it!).
There are five locations in London including Neal’s Yard in Covent Garden, Marylebone, White City, Shoreditch and London City.
Pizza Pilgrims
There are 14 branches of Pizza Pilgrims around London. Come here for proper Neapolitan pizza, tasty toppings and friendly service.
Kids’ menu: Their kids’ menu includes half a Margherita pizza, a juice and ice cream. The menu has activities and colouring from kids too.
Street Pizza
Street Pizza is part of the Gordon Ramsay restaurant empire offering bottomless pizza for £20 per person in four locations around London. Expect classic pizzas including Margarita and Pepperoni as well as some more colourful flavour combinations.
The menu also includes a range of sides and desserts. There’s no dedicated kids’ menu but hey, what child doesn’t like pizza?!
Franco Manca
There are dozens of Franco Manca branches across London who make excellent pizzas to order with a variety of toppings and flavours. We’re particularly fond of the kids’ margarita pizza that comes with bunny ears.
Kids’ Menu: Their kids’ menu includes a pizza, drink and ice cream for £8.25.
Pizza East
If a simple pizza margarita leaves you feeling cold then head to Pizza East in a former tea warehouse in Shoreditch. This is the place to come if you feel like a four cheese pizza with black truffle or a wild mushroom pizza with prosciutto cotto ham. They also serve a V’duja, a vegan-friendly pizza with butternut squash.
As well as the excellent pizzas, Pizza East serves wood-oven dishes, cured meats and cheeses and seasonal small plates.
Kids Menu: Offering one of the best deals in town, kids aged 8 and under can enjoy a main from the kids’ menu for free on weekdays per adult main dish from the a la carte menu.
Gourmet Pizza Company
Located on the South Bank, the Gourmet Pizza Company is a good option if you’re exploring this part of town. Close to The National Theatre, Festival hall and the Oxo Tower, it’s the perfect place for an easy lunch or dinner.
As well as pizza, the restaurant serves fresh pasta and there’s a good kids’ menu too.
Kids’ Menu: The kids’ menu includes three courses for £7.50.
Best family restaurants for British dining
Bread Street Café
Bread Street Café is a great option for families. Run by Gordon Ramsay, there are five branches of this lively restaurant in St Paul’s, Southwark, Battersea, Limehouse and The City.
For parents choices range from Shepherds Pie and macaroni cheese to the Bread Street Kitchen burger and Beef Wellington. The kids’ menu is great value and features favourites such as fish and chips, Mac and cheese and sausages and mash.
Kids’ menu: The Ramsay Kids Menu offers fantastic value for children. Kids eat free, all day, every weekday and on Saturday and Sunday, kids mains are £6. The Kids’ Menu is available for children 8 years and under per adult meal from the a la carte menu.
Heddon Street Kitchen
Another Gordon Ramsey restaurant that looks after kids is Heddon Street Kitchen near Piccadilly Circus.
I’m a big fan of the Fish & Chips (served with mushy peas, of course) and their burgers and also very good. For something even more substantial, there are steaks, large cuts and a generous Beef Wellington for two people.
The Ramsay Kids Menu offers fantastic value for children. Kids eat free, all day, every weekday and on Saturday and Sunday, kids mains are £6. The Kids’ Menu is available for children 8 years and under per adult meal from the a la carte menu.
The Duke of Richmond
This neighbourhood pub is run by chef Tom Oldroyd and his partner Meryl Fernandes who took over the Duke of Richmond in 2018. It’s a great place to go for hearty, local, well seasoned food and an even better option for a Sunday roast (plus they do mini roasts for small people).
Choose from enormous burgers, hand-cut chips, a roast chicken pie or the Welsh mussels so fresh, you can almost taste the sea.
Kids’ Menu: The kids’ menu is great value at £7 and dishes include cheeseburgers, fish fingers and aubergine and tomato spaghetti.
Best family restaurants in London for good fast food
Brewdog
There aren’t many London restaurants that come with their own slide like Brewdog, a fun family-friendly restaurant in London’s Waterloo.
This huge space (it’s also home to a coffee shop, co-working space, brewery and bowling alley) serves fast food favourites such as buffalo hot wings, oak-fired chicken and burgers.
The dedicated kids’ menu, Punk Kids, includes perennial favourites such as chicken strips, Mac n’ Cheese and toasties, served with fries, salad and a soft drink. The Punk Kids menu is for children aged 10 and under.
Where the Pancakes Are
Pancakes make everything better especially when they are as good as the ones served at Where the Pancakes Are. This all-day restaurant has branches in Battersea, Fitzrovia and Flat Iron Square with all three outlets serving up freshly flipped buttermilk pancakes with all manner of savoury or sweet toppings.
Kids’ Menu: The kids’ menu offers a build-your-own pancake option for £8.50 with three toppings.
Maxwell’s Bar & Grill
Located in Covent Garden this American style family-run diner has been serving delicious British and US favourites since the 1970s (the original restaurant was located in Hampstead in North London).
The menu at Maxwell’s Bar & Grill features family-friendly favourites such as burgers, mac ‘n cheese, BBQ ribs, fajitas, salads and more. One of the most popular items on the menu, however, are the Freakshakes, over-the-top, ultra-sweet milkshakes.
Maxwell’s is a great option for a pre-theatre dinner; the restaurant is within easy walking distance of Frozen the Musical at Theatre Royal Drury Lane and The Lion King at The Lyceum Theatre.
Kids’ Menu: The children’s menu at Maxwell’s includes a meal, drink and a pudding for £9.95.
Poppie’s Fish & Chips
Owner Pat, ‘Pop’, Newland has been serving classic fish suppers for 60 years in this retro-fitted restaurant in Camden.
Fresh fish is delivered daily to Poppies from Billingsgate Market and filleted on site. Choose to have your fish grilled or fried or go beyond cod and haddock and opt for mackerel, seafood platters or jellied eels.
Where: There are locations in Soho, Spitalfields and Camden.
Kids’ menu: Kids’ sized portions of cod bites and chips, fish cake and chips and sausage and chips are all available at £8.95.
Five Guys
If you want a good burger then it’s hard to beat Five Guys. The burgers are made to order, the chips (fries!) are delicious and there are a range of other options on offer including hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches. It’s also a great spot for a milkshake! There is no dedicated kids’ menu at Five Guys.
There are 15 locations around London including one conveniently placed near the Natural History Museum in South Kensington.
Caravan
Caravan is less a fast food restaurant and more one of the best London restaurants for all-day dining. With locations across London, this restaurant serves an excellent breakfast with pancakes, porridge and fried jalapeño cornbread sharing the menu (we’re a big fan of their King’s Cross branch).
For brunch try the grilled halloumi or hot-smoked salmon with seasoned rice (they also offer more traditional dishes with poached eggs or chorizo and potato hash).
The all-day dining menu is equally extensive, varied and tasty – all inspired by dishes from around the world.
Kids’ menu: No dedicated kids’ menu but plenty of options for little people including pizza.
Giraffe
A true family restaurant favourite, Giraffe is the kind of restaurant built for kids. Although they don’t have as many locations in London as they used to, the remaining restaurants are centrally located. Expect anything from curry to fish and chips on the varied menu.
Kids’ Menu: Their kid’s menu is a steal at £5 for a main and two sides (under 10s only).
Côte
My kids love going to Cote, a French-style bistro with locations across the city.
The menu offers grilled meats and fish as well as a range of salads and pasta. While the menus might not win any awards for innovation, the food is reliably and consistently good. They also offer a very good and well-priced kids’ menu.
Kids’ Menu: The two-course kids menu is £7.50 per child and a three-course menu is £9.50, available for children up to 7-years-old.
Best family restaurants in London for a special occasion
Granger & Co
For good food in a stylish location head to one of the five Granger & Co locations across London.
Established by the late Australian chef and restaurateur Bill Granger, the London restaurants serve good ol’ Aussie fare including sweetcorn fritters, ricotta hotcakes, and shrimp burgers. Food is healthy, wholesome and very tasty. We’re particularly fond of their breakfasts.
Kids’ menu: The kids’ menu is excellent; healthy, tasty and decent value.
The Coal Shed
The Coal Shed is a steak and fish restaurant that started in Brighton before opening a branch near Tower Bridge. Their concept is “meat, fish and fire” and they serve coal roasted rare breed heritage meat as well as South Coast seafood alongside triple cooked chips and other great-tasting sides.
Kids’ menu: The kids’ menu offers two courses for £10.
The Goring Dining Room
Think you can’t take your kids to a restaurant with Michelin stars? Well The Goring Dining Room in London’s Belgravia neighbourhood proves otherwise.
This is an excellent family fine dining option – apparently it’s a favourite with the Royal Family too. The kids’ menu is not the cheapest in town but it’s a great option for a special occasion.
Kids’ Menu: Dishes on the kids’ menu include beef burgers, spaghetti and chicken and chips. Their knickerbocker glory for pudding is always a winner!
Cafe Murano
Owned by chef Angela Hartnett (who trained with Gordon Ramsay), Café Murano is truly one of the best kid-friendly restaurants in London. The Italian menu is excellent and there’s a dedicated children’s menu which costs just £10 for three courses.
Located in Covent Garden, not far from Leicester Square, this is the perfect spot to stop for lunch or an early dinner after a long day of sightseeing.
Kids’ Menu: The £10 kids’ menu includes three courses.
Apricity
One of the most unique dining experiences for kids can be found at Apricity run by chef and owner Chantelle Nicholson. This Green Michelin-starred restaurant is the only London venue to offer a children’s tasting menu.
And this is no ordinary kids’ menu; gone are fish fingers and tomato pasta and in their place you may find Chalk Stream trout pâté or Hispi cabbage with miso aioli, miso broth and Flanders wheat.
All the dishes have been designed to be “creative yet accessible” and to help children to not only be a little bit more daring when it comes to food choices but to get a better understanding of where food comes from and seasonality.
This really is a restaurant that puts seasonal, local and sustainable produce and practices front and centre without skimping on taste or flavour. Make a reservation now!
Kids’ Menu: The five-course ‘Culinary Kids’ tasting menu is £32
Best vegetarian and vegan restaurants for families in London
Mildreds
For tasty plant-based plates head to Mildred’s. This popular vegan restaurant has been serving up tasty plant-based fare since 1988 and today there are six sites across town.
Enjoy traditional vegan favourites like curries and quinoa bowls alongside BBQ pok buns, zingy bokkeumbap and grilled artichoke Caesar. Meat substitutes are also on the menu if you’re hankering after Cumberland sausage and mash.
For little ones there’s a great selection to choose from including rainbow rice, dumplings and sugar snaps, and bangers, fries and peas.
Kids’ Menu: There is a small but comprehensive menu for kids.
The Spread Eagle
The Spread Eagle is London’s first fully vegan pub. Located in East London, this is a typical British pub with a modern twist: their emphasis is on minimal waste and all food, drink and fixtures are plant based.
The seasonal menu changes regularly according to what local producers and foragers have, but you can still expect to see pub classics on the menu including generous pies, creamy risottos and some seriously good vegan burgers.
Kids’ Menu: There is no dedicated kids’ menu but family-favourites feature on the menu (no U18s after 9pm).
Plants by Deliciously Ella
It’s hard to remember that the Deliciously Ella empire started as a blog written from a table but over time this has become an incredibly successful brand.
Plants by Deliciously Ella restaurant sits in London’s Mayfair and serves up zingy plant based plates. Every day, the kitchen take 14 different plants and transform them into something original and tasty.
The ever-changing menu features a dozen or so sharing plates and, depending on when you visit, may include okra fries with peanut sauce or sweetcorn fritters served with mint yoghurt.
The desserts are wonderfully decadent: sticky toffee pudding, rhubarb mille-feuille and a mango and passionfruit chocolate torte have all featured.
Kids’ Menu: No dedicated kids’ menu but there are family-friendly options on the main dining menu.
The best best food markets for families in London
Borough Market
Top of my list of great food markets in London has to be Borough Market. This is the oldest food market in London with a history dating back more than 1,000 years.
Today the market still acts as a wholesale market, opening at the crack of dawn for trade. But there are also stalls catering to the public and lots of food stalls selling everything from paella and chorizo sandwiches to freshly shucked oysters and empanadas.
Seven Dials Market
Located Covent Garden, Seven Dials Market is a great place to head for an easy meal. You can find everything from crab rolls to steamed buns at this food market, which is also home to the Cheese Bar, a sushi-inspired conveyor belt cheese restaurant. Don’t miss Big Shot doughnuts while here.
Camden Market
Camden Market is another great place to head for fun family dining. They have cafes, terrace bars, fresh-baked sweet treats and lots of street food options. From Lebanese wraps and traditional fish and chips to fried chicken, poke bowls, bagels and more.
Mercato Metropolitano
There are four of these food markets around town; the biggest is probably at Elephant and Castle where 40 food vendors vie for your custom. More convenient possibly is the location in Mayfair in the former church of St Mark’s.
This really is a fun venue and the food is very good too. There are bao buns and dumplings; grilled meats and burgers; lobsters and oysters; sushi, pizza, Asian street food and more.
Mercato Metropolitano does get busy so be prepared to wait if you arrive at prime feeding time or book a table in advance.
