 New online restaurant guide Menulog.com.au is dispelling the myth that kids don't belong in fine dining establishments, by naming the top child-friendly restaurants in Sydney on its comprehensive website. The votes of 1,325 diners have been counted and here is the good news: dining out with kids is no longer an affair to be carried out secretly in fast-food restaurants or second-rate cafés.
"Savvy restaurateurs are finally realising cashed-up diners with young families are a force to be reckoned with," says Menulog General Manager Gary Munitz. "These people are tired of restaurants turning their noses up at them whenever they bring their children along for dinner. As a result, many families simply avoid the chance of an uncomfortable situation by sticking with familiar cafés and bistros, and it's the restaurateurs who are losing out."
The top 20 on Menulog.com.au's list of child-friendly restaurants in Sydney, based on the user ratings submitted by the general public rather than the opinions of food critics, refreshingly includes high-end establishments. The restaurants were graded out of 10 by the customer in the areas of food, ambience, value and service. The results were averaged to arrive at the final total.
1. Gourmet Pizza Kitchen Kingsford 8.5
2. Beaches Restaurant Balmoral 8.3
3. Casa di Nico Italian Restaurant King Street Wharf 8.1
4. Botanic Gardens Restaurant Sydney CBD 8
5. Paua Surry Hills 8
6. Cellini Pizzeria Restaurant Randwick 8
7. Zenpan Japanese Fusion Darlinghurst 8
8. Belmont Pizzeria Pennant Hills 7.5
9. Il Goloson Haberfield 7.5
10. Pancakes on the Rocks The Rocks 7.3
11. Bathers Pavillion Cafe Balmoral 7.3
12. Hog's Breath Café St Marys 7.2
13. Enigma Brighton Le Sands 7.1
14. Gourmet Pizza Kitchen Chatswood 7
15. Lone Star Steak House and Saloon Chullora 7
16. Lone Star Steak House and Saloon Parramatta 7
17. Doyles at the Wharf Watsons Bay 6.8
18. Fratelli Paradiso Potts Point 6.8
19. Gourmet Pizza Kitchen Miranda 6.6
20. Hard Rock Café Darlinghurst 6.5
"The new breed of restaurant understands it's crazy to assume every kid wants chips and nuggets or spaghetti bolognaise when they dine out with their family. Our restaurant research has shown children have more sophisticated palettes these days," continued Gary.
"Most children appreciate being treated as young adults. So rather than offering a separate kids' menu, kitchens are accommodating children by modifying the portion sizes or ingredients of main dishes."
"And whilst most restaurants welcome children who bring their own activities, the assumption kids need to be entertained with crayons and paper at a restaurant underestimates valuable conversational time which most families enjoy over a shared meal. Dining out at a restaurant is now considered a great way to reconnect with your family, away from the television" concludes Gary.
While many of the restaurants on Menulog's top 20 list share this modern attitude toward younger diners, the user-generated results also prove a more classic approach of kids menus and activity areas is still as popular as ever, with family favourites such as Lone Star Steakhouse and Hog's Breath Café also making the list.
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