One of my favorite things about living in Portland how child friendly it is! There are so many kid-friendly restaurants in Portland that it can make an out of towner want to move here. I mean, where else can you enjoy a meal and have adult conversation (and maybe even a beer) while your child plays safely where you can see them? I’ve moved around a lot and, trust me, this isn’t happening everywhere.
As the mom of a 4-year-old, I love restaurants with toys and activities, but finding restaurants that are healthy is also a priority for me. By healthy I mean places that have organic ingredients, source from local farmers, meat that isn’t filled with hormones and antibiotics and tortilla chips made from corn that hasn’t been genetically modified. Anywhere else you might think it would be hard to meet that criteria. But lucky for us it’s pretty easy in Portland. Here are three of my favorites.
Hopworks Urban Brewery
This is by far my favorite because there is something for everyone. They have fantastic beer and a variety of food. This tends to be my go-to because I’ve never had anything that I haven’t enjoyed from the salads to the burgers. The kids’ menu has a great variety as well and I love that you can get sides of organic fruits and veggies. They also offer gluten free options! Both the upstairs and downstairs seating areas have sections with chalkboards, train tables, games, books and enough of everything to keep everyone entertained. You can grab a table right near the play area making it easy to keep an eye out for smaller children. They even have a story time and craft for kids every second Tuesday of the month at 11 am!
Laughing Planet
The food is delicious and straightforward. There are wraps, salads, burritos, smoothies as well as Paleo and vegetarian options. Most of the products are locally sourced and natural, including Draper Valley natural chicken and 100% pasture raised beef (which is totally delicious!) My favorite part is that the tortilla chips are GMO free. Children love laughing planet because there are oh so many dinosaurs on the tables to play with so they can keep themselves entertained while you wait for your food. They have nine locations around Portland and they keep their prices low so you can leave with a full belly, happy children and a full wallet.
Warehouse Café
Open for breakfast and lunch, and everything is made from scratch using high quality and organic ingredients. The menu includes soups, salads, sandwiches and small plates, which are perfect for sharing or if you’re just not sure what your picky eater is in the mood for. There are also plenty of options that can be made vegan or gluten free. Not only do they have a great space full of kids toys, but they even host a variety of fun events for the kids including Stories and Balloons, Tallulah’s Daddy (instruments and singing) and Red Yarn, which are fun musical puppet shows. To top it off, when you’re done eating and playing you can do some grocery shopping or place an order for some of their co-ops such as Frontier.
What are YOUR favorite kid-friendly restaurants in Portland? Share it in the comments below!
Jacqueline Banks is a certified Holistic Health Coach specializing in all stages of motherhood- from pre-conception to empty nesters. She is also the mother of a 4-year-old daughter. In her spare time she loves writing about health and motherhood for her own blog and several others around the web. To find out more about her services or read more articles visit http://www.jacquelinebanks.com or follow her on ,JB Holistic on Facebook or JacquelineMBanks on Instagram.
Great article! I’ve never been to these places but I’ll look for them.
This is awesome. Thank you so much for contributing this.
It’s so important to eat foods that make us feel vital and alive… but sometimes encouraging our children to do the same can be hard. Places like Laughing Planet make it easier!
This is a great idea. Maybe I will purchase some gift cards for some of my tutoring clients.
Not sure how healthy it is, but Zoiglhaus, the new brewery on 92nd and Foster in Lents is extremely kid friendly with a play area! Good food and beer too!
Laurelwood is also kid friendly and healthy.
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