Best World Restaurants with Kids

Originally Published on 9/24/09

Whilst traveling the world with your little ones might seem a touch ambitious at times, eating global cuisine couldn’t be easier or more fun. Seattle and its environs have a wide variety of world-class international cuisine to tempt Junior’s tastebuds and satisfy your own. We’ve highlighted our favorites and the best from Red Tricycle readers to bring the world to your plate (and your palate) without needing to venture far from the Emerald City. Bon Appetit!

Chinese/Dim Sum:

• House of Hong, International District
  www.houseofhong.com
  High Chairs: yes
  Changing Tables: no

  This bustling family restaurant in the heart of the International District is a big hit with our families. Serving a variety of Chinese, Szechwan and Hunan dishes, House of Hong can easily please groups with different cravings. Dim sum is all the rage with Red Tricycle children; the ability to pick and choose keeps kids’ minds occupied and their tummies full. Our readers recommend the broccoli rabe and shrimp toast; family style dinners are also available if you’re taking a big group.

  There is parking validation for a lot under the freeway if the attached parking lot is full; just ask at the counter.

  Bonus: Inspired by the food you’ve just eaten? Stop by Seattle’s premier Asian superstore, Uwajimaya Village  (www.uwajimaya.com; 600 5th Ave. S) after lunch or dinner and buy ingredients to make the dishes at home, or just have fun browsing the cornucopia of delights on display here.

  House of Hong
  409 Eighth Ave. S, Seattle
  206.622.7997
  Monday – Saturday: 9:00 am – 2:00 am, Sunday: 9:00 am to midnight
  Dim Sum from 10:00 am – 4:30 pm daily

Japanese/Sushi:

• Blue C Sushi, Fremont & University District
  www.bluecsushi.com
  High chairs: yes, in both restaurants
  Changing table: yes, in the women’s bathroom in both restaurants

  Several readers raved about these funky, fun sushi restaurants. The conveyor-belt sushi here means that there’s no waiting time between choosing your food and eating it—perfect for little people with big appetites. Kids love selecting their own single portions, with favorites including the California rolls, fresh fruit cups and plain tofu in sauce. Better yet, there’s virtually no waste because once they’re full, they can stop. You, on the other hand, can stack plates to your heart’s content.

  Bonus: Free parking (and lots of it) at the University Village location; validated parking in a lot below the Fremont location (take 24th to Evanston and turn right into the alley). Your mini sushi fans can burn off their food at the University Village play area located alongside Barnes and Noble whilst you let your meal digest.

  Blue C Sushi
  Fremont location:
  3411 Fremont Ave. N, Seattle
  206.633.3411
  11:30 am – 10:00 pm (opens at noon on Saturday and Sunday; stays open until 11:00 pm Friday and Saturday)UniversityVillage location:
  4601 26th Ave. NE, Seattle
  206.525.4601
  Monday – Thursday: 11:00 am -10:00 pm. Open until 11:00 pm Friday and Saturday

Thai:

• Jai Thai, Multiple Seattle locations
  www.jaithai.com
  High Chairs: yes, in all restaurants
  Changing Tables: no, in none of the restaurants

  Each branch of this Thai restaurant makes a great place to introduce your world eaters to Thai food, or to bring aficionados to enjoy a favorite meal. Featuring southern Thai dishes, each meal can be made with tofu, shrimp or chicken depending on your children’s preferences (and your own, naturally). The Fremont location plays foreign movies on a big wall; great for distracting the kids whilst you continue your meal.
  
  Bonus: Each of these restaurants is fantastically centrally placed for their relative neighborhoods, making them a great dining spot if you’re already out and about in the city. Visit Jai Thai Fremont on Sunday and combine it with a trip to the Fremont Sunday Market, just around the corner.

  Jai Thai
  Fremont location:
  3423 Fremont Ave. N, Seattle
  206.632.7060

  Belltown location
  2132 1st Ave., Seattle
  206.770.7884

  Capitol Hill location:
  235 Broadway E, Seattle
  206.322.5781

  Hours vary by location; open daily in all cases

Italian/Pizza:

• Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, ColumbiaCity and Wallingford
  www.tuttabellapizza.com
  High Chairs: yes, in both restaurants
  Changing Tables: yes, in both restaurants

  People travel from miles around to dine at Tutta Bella, and there’s a reason for that: amazing pizza. One of very few pizzerias in the whole of the US to have accreditation from the official body in Italy, Tutta Bella will delight your little ones with its open-to-view fire-roasted pizza making. When the food makes it to the table, they’ll tuck in with gusto. Toppings are wide and varied, so your children can enjoy simple or complicated pies.
  
  Bonus: The Columbia City location has proven so popular that a second venue has recently opened on Stone Way. This restaurant promises to be just as well-liked by diners big and little.

  Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria
  Columbia City location:
  4918 Rainier Ave. S, Seattle
  206.721.3501
  Sunday – Thursday: 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
  Friday & Saturday: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm

  Stone Way location:
  4411 Stone Way N, Seattle
  206.633.3800
  Sunday – Thursday: 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
  Friday & Saturday: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm

Caribbean/Creole:

• Kallaloo Homestyle Caribbean Creole Restaurant,
  ColumbiaCity
  www.kallalooseattle.com
  High chairs: yes
  Changing tables: no

  Another Columbia City gem, Kallaloo is a great new place to introduce Junior to some authentic Caribbean cuisine. The restaurant is light and airy, with bright pictures on the walls and huge plants to distract wandering minds. A wide range of food is on offer, from the Creole Salad (with avocado and jerk cheese) to the Cuban Pork sandwich to a range of great vegetable sides such as fried plantains and red beans and rice, guaranteed to intrigue even the most cautious of young palates.

  Kallaloo Homestyle Caribbean Creole Restaurant
  3820 South Ferdinand St., Seattle
  206.760.7766
  Monday – Saturday: 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
  Dinner Friday and Saturday, 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm (closed Sunday

Greek:

• Costas Opa Greek Restaurant, Fremont
  www.costasopa.com
  High chairs: yes
  Changing table: no

  This roomy restaurant will entice appetites big and small with its varied menu offering a number of “tasting plate” sized foods—calamari rings, pita bread, and grilled vegetables, to name a few. Another hit with Big Wheel children are the dips with a selection of vegetables, sure to keep the wee ones occupied whilst you enjoy your food. Sit at one of the tables in the center of the room, or cozy up in one of the booths that line the windows and give your charges a great view of bustling Fremont.
  
  Bonus: Costas Opa is just a couple of doors down from Portage Bay Goods (www.portagebaygoods.com), the perfect spot for browsing and picking up handmade goodies for gifts. It carries a selection of cute (mostly artisan) kids’ clothing as well as some toys, so you’ll all have plenty to admire.

  Costas Opa Greek Restaurant
  3400 Fremont Ave. North, Seattle
  206.633.4141
  Lunch from 11:00 am daily; dinner from 4:00 pm daily. Breakfast 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Saturday and Sunday

Honorable Mentions

Looking for even more variety? Planning to dine on the Eastside? Try these other recommendations from Red Tricycle readers and us:

• Puerto Rican:
  La Isla
  Formerly Sofrito Rico; new name, still delicious food. 2320 NW Market St., Seattle, 206.789.0516; www.laislaseattle.com
• Mexican:
  Jalisco Mexican Restaurant and Taqueria
  Great family Mexican restaurant in the heart of Kirkland. 115 Park Lane, Kirkland, 425.822.3355
• La Carta De Oaxaca
  Fantastic value; Mexican food with a regional twist. 5431 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, 206.782.8722; www.lacartadeoaxaca.com
• Ethiopian:
  Queen Sheba
  At this Capitol Hill joint, you can eat with your hands using spongy injera bread as a scoop. Delicious vegetarian options. 916 E John St., Seattle, 206.322.0852
• Vietnamese
  Tamarind Tree
  Another International District fave. 1036 S Jackson St., Seattle, 206.860.1404
• Asian/vegetarian:
  The Teapot Vegetarian House
  Vegetarian food that will delight carnivores as well as vegetarians; visit the Redmond location during the weekend (when the Microsoft hordes are elsewhere).15230 NE 24th St., Redmond, 425.747.8881 or 425.373.1888
  OR: 345 15th Ave. E., Seattle, 206.325.1010; www.teapotvegetarianhouse.com
• Japanese/sushi:
  Toyoda Sushi
  Super-friendly staff; complimentary miso soup and noodle salad when you arrive. 12543 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, 206.367.7972
• Hakka:
  Doong Kong Lau Hakka Restaurant
  Lots of familiar and not so familiar menu items to enjoy. 9710 Aurora Ave. N, Seattle, 206.526.8828
• Asian/seafood and dim sum
  Sea Garden Seafood Restaurant
  Great Eastside dim sum; there’s a branch in the International District too.
  200 106th Ave. NE, Bellevue, 425.450.8833
  OR 509 7th Ave. S, Seattle, 206.623.2100
• Szechuan:
  Seven Stars Pepper Szechuan Restaurant
  Delicious Chinese food tucked away in an International District mall. 1207 S. Jackson St. Suite 211, Seattle, 206.568.6446
• Italian
  Mioposto
  This Mt. Baker restaurant is packed at night with families ordering thin-crust pizzas. Kids’ menu available. 3601 S McClellan St., Seattle, 206.760.3400; www.chowfoods.com

—Sarah Franklin