Kid Friendly Mid/Upscale Dining in NYC

July 9, 2022 5:43 PM

Myself, my wife and our nine year old son will be visiting NYC in August for a few days. It will be our wedding anniversary while we're out there, and we're hoping to find a mid/upscale restaurant to enjoy. My wife and I usually would splurge on a multi-course meal someplace really nice, and while our son is pretty adventurous when it comes to food (most recently he enjoyed stealing some sweetbreads off my plate), you know, he's still a kid.

To be clear, we don't need someplace with a kids menu; if there isn't one, he'll normally order a smaller entree or appetizer for a meal. My son really enjoyed when we took him to Jaleo in Orlando, so someplace that does shared plates might also be good.

posted by noneuclidean to Travel & Transportation (8 answers total)

If you're up for Korean-inspired small plates, Atoboy is fun and a good price point relative to NYC and I'm pretty sure I remember families dining there when I've been there.
posted by profsnaggle at 7:31 PM on July 9, 2022

I feel like most restaurants in New York will be happy to have a kid if you go early (around 5:30/6) and I've seen kids in all kinds of restaurants. This is especially true in Brooklyn restaurants if you want to venture out here -- I especially love Evelina, Sofreh, and Glasserie, all have great sharing menus, and I've gone to all with humans of the younger persuasion.

But if you have a neighborhood/subway line/cuisine you'd like to stick to, we can give more specific recommendations!
posted by LeeLanded at 5:04 AM on July 10, 2022

Tia Pol may not really be fancy, but they have really good small plates, it's in a very accessible area, you can walk the Highline, or walk a bit more to the piers to fill out the night.

MyMoon is in Williamsburg, it's a bit more special, has great outdoor seating, and again, small plates. Downside is that it is in Williamsburg, not sure how comfortable you are with the L train.
posted by kellyblah at 7:41 AM on July 10, 2022

Just went with friends to Momofuku Noodle Bar with their 12yo and everyone had a great time.
posted by Miko at 10:35 AM on July 10, 2022

I had a lovely time when my friends took me to The Milling Room. I definitely saw a few young ones there, although it was just before the pandemic, so I don't know how things are now.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 2:27 PM on July 10, 2022

If you’d be in the mood for seafood, I have always had beautiful meals at Marea.
posted by minervous at 5:00 PM on July 10, 2022

So many good suggestions so far, thank you!!! Since EmilyFlew asked, we'll most likely be sticking to Manhattan. We're staying in NJ and taking the PATH train into WTC and then heading uptown from there. We'll likely be in the Flatiron district on our actual anniversary, but we also have Broadway tickets one night and really enjoyed Chinatown/Little Italy last summer when we visited so may head over there at some point.
posted by noneuclidean at 5:17 PM on July 10, 2022

I would think anywhere in Flatiron and definitely anywhere in Chinatown will be totally happy to have a younger guest if you guys go early. In Flatiron, Upland, The Smith, and Marta are all tasty, mostly with smaller plates to share, and should feel fancy enough for a celebration but not so fancy that you're stressed out about normal kid behavior. Atoboy is also still a good rec in the area.

Definitely go to Golden Unicorn or another dim sum in Chinatown if you haven't, choosing from the carts of food is super fun for kids (and everyone!)

There are a few threads around of good restaurants to go to before Broadway, any of those will be totally cool with kids joining.
posted by LeeLanded at 7:47 AM on July 12, 2022