Author: local researcher

With its original Tiffany lamps, lavender walls, Victorian mirrors, and beaux-artes furniture, this place is ridiculously cute. The ambience mimics Alice’s jaunt through Wonderland and the menu is chock full of everything from caviar omelets to country meatloaf, but it’s the frozen hot chocolate and drugstore sundaes that will warrant the wait in line. The self described “coffee-shop boutique” has a deep New York history, prime Upper East Side location, and unforgettable desserts which all contribute to its massive popularity. It’s possible to get a table without waiting during the week.

Contact no: (212) 838-3531

Location: 225 East 60th Street, New York, NY 10022

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Only in New York could there be a restaurant devoted entirely to mac and cheese. S’mac Specializes in the kid food staple, only dressed up and fancied up in various ways, making it almost as good as your homemade variety. From the standard all-American to the spicy Cajun, they do it all. Since some kids won’t eat anything but mac and cheese, this is a tricky way to get some mushrooms, cauliflower or spinach into their diets. Dishes come in three sizes, from medium to far-too-much.

Contact no: (212) 358-7912

Location: 345 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003

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If you’re dining with kids, you’ll need to ask for extra napkins at this Kansas City-style Barbecue Spot in Chelsea. Although the sauce can be quite messy, no kid should be denied the joy of eating smoked ribs off the bone. It’s rare to be able to find barbecue of this quality in a big city, and urban children with rural family roots should be taken here to learn what real food tastes like.

Contact no: (212) 524-4300

Location: 208 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011

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We’ve never met a child who didn’t like french fries. The idea that any such kid could exist seems farfetched, especially after a trip here. Pommes Frites, in the East Village, makes Belgian style french fries and serves them in a paper cone, just as they do in Brussels. They’re just perfect; salty, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Keeping with authenticity, condiments include mayonnaise, peanut sauce, mustard and various curries. For more cautious children, yes, they have ketchup.

Contact no: (212) 674-1234

Location: 123 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10003

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There are dozens of theme restaurants in New York of varying degrees of quality. Most are crowded, overpriced and generally unpleasant. Ninja New York is a rare exception to the rule. Labyrinthine, torch-lit dining rooms decorated to look like an ancient ninja castle will dazzle young diners so much they’ll forget they don’t like sushi. Excellent steaks are available however, in the case that spicy tuna roll is still out of the question. Food is served by ninjas, who drop from the ceiling without warning to display their swordsmanship and serve your food.

Contact no: (212) 274-8500

Location:  25 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013

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This chocolatier’s location is always packed with irrepressible chocoholics who come to sample innovative twists on the sweet stuff. As the official Brenner story tells it, the cafe promotes a “chocolate culture” and offers a “sensual chocolate experience.” Despite its breathless marketing shtick, there is a very full, very kid-friendly menu that’s replete with original desserts like chocolate pizza. Their “urban s’mores” will have you camped at your table until you get a toothache.

Contact no: (212) 388-0030

Location: 141 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10003 and 841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003

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The motto at this East Village cafe is “Shut up and eat it!” Don’t be offended by this, it’s all you’ll want to do once they serve you a heaping plate of fried chicken, greens and mashed potatoes. Once you get past the motto, the staff members here are all very sweet natured and polite. You’ll be served from behind a cafeteria style counter with steaming, deliciously smelling trays of their homemade comfort food. Grab a tray, take it to your table, and possibly give your children their very first food coma. The portions are enormous, prices are cheap and the cooking really is just like mom used to make; assuming mom was a chef in Louisiana.

Contact no: (212) 777-4425

Location: 200 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10009

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Magnolia Bakery is famous for their cupcakes, which are in such demand that they limit sales to 12 per customer, but a dozen should be more than enough. Cupcakes rise and fall on the quality of their icing, and Magnolia’s perfectly thick, near-frighteningly sweet icing is the best. Your children will get the sugar rush their parents don’t usually allow, but which you as parents are obligated to provide. There’s only one small table, so get the pastries to go.

Contact no: (212) 462-2572

Location: 401 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10014

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The legendary Katz’s Delicatessen is similar to its neighboring Lower East Side Tenement Museum, as they both allow you to explore the old days – only Katz’s takes you back with steaming trays of cured meats, rather than curated artifacts. Katz’s has remained virtually unchanged since 1880. The uniformed butchers behind the counters and the authentically old school decor make you feel like an original lower east side settler at a local luncheonette. Few would contest that Katz’s delicatessen makes the best pastrami in the world, and is the standard by which all other pastrami in the world is measured. The manna-from-heaven portions are enormous, big enough for two, so you and your son could fill yourselves and still have some left to take home.

Contact no: (212) 254-2246

Location: 205 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002

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Do one thing, and do it well. It’s good advice, but Il Laboratorio del Gelato, in Lower Manhattan, improves on it by doing two things well. They produce extremely high quality gelato and mouth watering sorbet for restaurants around the city. Recently, they’ve opened up a small cafe that serves individual cups of the cold, sweet stuff. Flavors run from the classic (strawberry) to the unusual (champagne) to the bizarre (earl grey). This is an ideal place to take a child who heretofore has only enjoyed the standard 31 flavors at more pedestrian ice cream shops.

Contact no: (212) 343-9922

Location: 95 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002

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