Child-friendly Eating/drinking

[Jacqueline]

Can anyone recommend a coffee shop or restaurant in the city centre with a bit of open space or garden for a lively 2-year-old to run around in while we eat/drink? It'd be so great to get two mouthfuls of food in a row or to finish a sentence without having to jump up to keep him from running onto the road/pulling everything off the table/injuring himself ...etc.

(Is this too much to ask? Should we just wait a few more years?!)

Thanks

Slightly Frazzled Parents

[db1tau]

Can anyone recommend a coffee shop or restaurant in the city centre with a bit of open space or garden for a lively 2-year-old to run around in while we eat/drink? It'd be so great to get two mouthfuls of food in a row or to finish a sentence without having to jump up to keep him from running onto the road/pulling everything off the table/injuring himself ...etc.

(Is this too much to ask? Should we just wait a few more years?!)

Thanks

Slightly Frazzled Parents

You can go to Baan Somtam near Nightbazar/AIS Shop (when you come from city to night bazar, just turn left before). You can lay down at the tables there and eat. Our son loves to walk around the table and look at the fishtank.

For Coffee and Cake I can recommend "Love at first bite", cross the nawarat bridge and turn right, then first soi left. They have a big garden where children can run around.

Near Nimmanhemin road you can find "Banyan Tree" (near Doiview Apartment). But thats not quite in the city.

Another good italian restaurant is "M cuisine" at the end of suthep road, the staff there is very friendly and often plays with our son while we eat. They have a lot of interesting things like fishtank in a tv and some fountains.

Have fun in Chiang Mai with your child, our son is 2 years and 3 months old an he enjoys it a lot.

Marco.

[Ulysses G.]

Can anyone recommend a coffee shop or restaurant in the city centre with a bit of open space or garden for a lively 2-year-old to run around in while we eat/drink? It'd be so great to get two mouthfuls of food in a row or to finish a sentence without having to jump up to keep him from running onto the road/pulling everything off the table/injuring himself ...etc.

(Is this too much to ask? Should we just wait a few more years?!)

Thanks

Slightly Frazzled Parents

Please only bring screaming children to Thai restaurants as I don't frequent these establishments.

[1bigeater56]

I don't know if you've been to The Duke's but they probably have the best kid's menu in town. It's on the river near the Rimping and is very family friendly. I have noticed though that the families come early to eat and there are many. After about 7 it's adults.

I go there some times with my daughter and son and they are usually busy eating and don't seem to want to get crazy like they do at other places. I think they have a garden area out back near the wood oven and kitchen and my kids did go out there once.

[chanchao]

> You can go to Baan Somtam near Nightbazar/AIS Shop

Err.. this is one of the very few restaurants in Thailand/Chiang Mai that practises double pricing.. They have higher prices on their English language menu. Never again. And it's next to a busy soi so not that great for children to run around. I took it off my 'recommended eateries' site after finding out they started double pricing. (Did like the place before, it has a lot going for it). Yesterday I found another excellent 'upscale' som tam place (well, not really up-scale price wise but it's a level above a road-side granny with a mortar yes) Off the Canal road near the intersection with the Samoeng road. (When going North towards town from that intersection take the very first soi on the left). They do a 'fried som tam' as well that was very interesting, unless you're on a diet. Also very child friendly.

> Is this too much to ask? Should we just wait a few more years?

I recall a very hilarious Dave Barry column about the lunacy of taking kids to restaurants..

Anyway if running around is all that's required then let me think:

* Love at first Bite; more a bakery/cake & coffee shop but there's a pleasant little garden. (Cross Nawarat bridge going East, turn right, then look for the little sign on one of the first sois on the left)

* Middle Ring road, the section between the Hang Dong Road tunnel and the Canal Road... Forgot the name of the place.. one of them pretty much in the middle of that stretch of road towards the Canal Road on the left actually features some childrens playground stuff. Helps disspate energy while allowing the kid to stay roughly in the same location, as opposed to being in Lamphun by the time you finish dinner. (Many restaurants on that ring road have a bit more space around than in-town places)

* 2 years is a bit young perhaps, but 'Krua Huay Kaew', near the monk's shrine where the road to Doi Suthep kicks off, is a pretty awesome location to climb and run around.. No risk of running under cars, just risk of falling off a mountain. But kids should love the location, and see how much supervision is needed to discourage the kid from killing himself.

* Take your kid to one of the hypermarket food centers with children's playground areas next to the food court. And bring ear-plugs. But again this is something kids would look forward to, and very safe from cars or falling off mountains.

* I'm sure there's more places.. anyone else who can continue the list?

I can't wait for my kid to turn 2 and actually do something under her own power other than flap limbs about and produce noise.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[too true]

I can't wait for my kid to turn 2 and actually do something under her own power other than flap limbs about and produce noise.

Cheers,

Chanchao

Have you gone mad??? 2..... let's see.... temper tantrums in the middle of supermarkets, refusal to take anyone's help for anything and then intense frustration which leads to more crying, the problems toilet training, parroting everything that is heard (can be very embarrassing).... give me flapping limbs any day. There's nothing that compares to the terrible twos. I can't wait for my kid to turn 4. That's when things start to get better, in my opinion.

But along the same lines as Chanchao, the restaurants on the middle ring road between the Hang Dong underpass and the river have also got loads of outdoor space. The problem with playgrounds is that everything's made of metal so you still have to follow them around to watch that they don't fall off a slide or someething and crack their head open. I've learned to avoid the restaurants with playgrounds as long as there's a kid under the age of 3 with me.

What about the Bliss restaurant. Never been there but heard they've made some kind of beachy area at the back. Bring a spade and a bucket and some toys and you might be able to get a solid half hour of uninterrupted grown up conversation. But as I've said, I've never been there, so perhaps someone else could verify?

[p1p]

Try gag, leg restraints and a straight jacket. Oh, and a large box.

Works for me!

[JuniorExPat]

Try gag, leg restraints and a straight jacket. Oh, and a large box.

Works for me!

Ahh, old school parenting!

JxP

[1bigeater56]

One thing about kids in restaurants is that there should be some control. I would not let my 2 children act up, scream or do anything anti social. Many parents do not remember this or simply refuse to act in their own interest. There are other customers and children should not bother them. This is simple etiquete

Edited January 24, 2006 by 1bigeater56

[Ricardo]

Try gag, leg restraints and a straight jacket. Oh, and a large box.

Works for me!

The best toy we ever had was, shortly after moving house, a large cardboard box, with appropriate child-sized doors/windows cut into it, and a bit of felt-tip-pen drawing on the outside.

To get back to the topic, the jungle-gym at your local Carrefour will become a very important feature in your life, over the next few years ! Daddy reads his book, the children play, and Mummy shops to her heart's delight, undisturbed. We then eat at the food-court.

For slightly-older children, they serve a basic menu at Go-Putt-Putt, where the children delight in 'beating' us at golf !

[p1p]

Try gag, leg restraints and a straight jacket. Oh, and a large box.

Works for me!

Ahh, old school parenting!

JxP

Blindfold helps too.

I was actually thinking of the parents. Little ones on the rampage and I need these aids to stop from flipping out completely.

[Ajarn]

Try gag, leg restraints and a straight jacket. Oh, and a large box.

Works for me!

Ahh, old school parenting!

JxP

Blindfold helps too.

I was actually thinking of the parents. Little ones on the rampage and I need these aids to stop from flipping out completely.

p1p, in my experience with you and your kids, you have the patience of Job, it seems to me

[p1p]

Nah - Job freaks !

[Jacqueline]

Hi,

Thanks for all your useful suggestions. Know Love at First Bite, but had forgotten about that one. Carrefour also sounds like a good option. It's reassuring to know there are others out there in the same situation!

On a slightly different note (ie doesn't involve food and drink) have you tried Kiddy Land, 2nd floor at Kad Suan Kaew and also Kids Edu Club on Nimmanheimen (only open at weekends) which are huge soft play areas completely free of rusty metal play equipment placed over concrete blocks!

[Sansai Sam]

If your heading from Big C area to the airport there is a fish restaurant along the highway just on the other side of the flyover near Palm Springs and that has a fenced in play area with swings and toys for kids. Its an outdoor restaurant with great prices and good food but sorry I don't know the name. The sign has a big green fish on it.

[db1tau]

I can't confirm the dual pricing in Baan Somtam, we've been there today again and their menu is english and thai with only one mentioned price. And it's really good and cheap, the bill usually never exceeds 300 THB for the whole family.

I have to report some bad thing too, my girlfriend and my son wanted to eat at the "cake cottage" just opposite the "little stars" preschool behind kad suan kaew. After they sat down and got the menu, some guy (apparently the owner or some relative of the owner) came and told something like "go away we don't serve food for you here".

Well she was really angry, so we won't spend our money there anymore, no matter if with or without children.

[chuchok]

I can't confirm the dual pricing in Baan Somtam, we've been there today again and their menu is english and thai with only one mentioned price. And it's really good and cheap, the bill usually never exceeds 300 THB for the whole family.

I have to report some bad thing too, my girlfriend and my son wanted to eat at the "cake cottage" just opposite the "little stars" preschool behind kad suan kaew. After they sat down and got the menu, some guy (apparently the owner or some relative of the owner) came and told something like "go away we don't serve food for you here".

Well she was really angry, so we won't spend our money there anymore, no matter if with or without children.

really, please tell us more about Cake Cottage. Why did the guy say this? what do you think his reasons were?

[db1tau]

really, please tell us more about Cake Cottage. Why did the guy say this? what do you think his reasons were?

Unfortunately I wasn't there with her, but we ate there 2 times ago. Nothing special happened, so our son didn't break things or annoyed other guests. If something gets dirty or requires cleanup from the staff we usually give a larger tip between 10% and 20%. But I can't remember anything special since last time is 3 weeks ago. That guy must have been there too, and maybe got annoyed by something our son did or maybe just doesn't like children.

Strange though, cause opposite a preschool they should have guests with children quite often.

I think there is no problem to go there if you don't have children but since this thread is about child-friendly eating, I just can't recommend it. And you know thai girls get very angry about incidents like this, so better try to avoid it ;-)

[tigerbeer]

Hi everyone,

was doing a search and found this thread, so reviving it. have three kids to take out for dinners mostly, 4 plus, 3 plus and 1 and half years old. should be kid friendly and somewhere we could have a good dinner while the kids play safely. any new places in town ???

TB

[earlofwindermere]

JJ Bakery is a popular place for some families living on the Sansai/Doi Saket side of the city. It's convenient and there's plenty of room to run around (there's a large field and nearly empty car park next door as well).

[Ulysses G.]

JJ's might very well have the best muisli with fruit and yogurt and warm croissants with melted butter in town!

[Sledge71]

Hi everyone,

was doing a search and found this thread, so reviving it. have three kids to take out for dinners mostly, 4 plus, 3 plus and 1 and half years old. should be kid friendly and somewhere we could have a good dinner while the kids play safely. any new places in town ???

TB

Not really new but... At the intersection where the 1st ring road joins the canal road there is a fish restaurant that allegedly has a good kiddies play area.

It's a chain and they have a second ( newish ) restaurant that is on the second ring road near the entrance to laguna homes heading towards the doi saket 118 road on the left. Gets very busy at night, but good in the day also. The food and service varies, we've had great meals there and average meals / service. Look out for the crispy oyster omelet, yum - if you like that sort of thing! It has a covered play area for the children that is supervised, slide, climbing, room full of plastic balls and a few other kiddy things. It's hardly world class but worth a visit if you live near by or are passing through.

[tigerbeer]

Hi everyone,

was doing a search and found this thread, so reviving it. have three kids to take out for dinners mostly, 4 plus, 3 plus and 1 and half years old. should be kid friendly and somewhere we could have a good dinner while the kids play safely. any new places in town ???

TB

Not really new but... At the intersection where the 1st ring road joins the canal road there is a fish restaurant that allegedly has a good kiddies play area.

It's a chain and they have a second ( newish ) restaurant that is on the second ring road near the entrance to laguna homes heading towards the doi saket 118 road on the left. Gets very busy at night, but good in the day also. The food and service varies, we've had great meals there and average meals / service. Look out for the crispy oyster omelet, yum - if you like that sort of thing! It has a covered play area for the children that is supervised, slide, climbing, room full of plastic balls and a few other kiddy things. It's hardly world class but worth a visit if you live near by or are passing through.

hi sledge,

yes that was the one mentioned sometime ago (well not long ago) but i could not find it. You got better directions on how to get there? If I am coming from the superhighway going towards nimmanheimen? turn right on to suthep road towards doi suthep and turn left on canal road? i hardly go that side and don't know much.