Where can we take the kids?! Will we enjoy it too?!
If you’ve got children, you know all about the creeping anxiety that builds before you take your kids out for lunch or early tea. We all know the questions that swirl around - will they sit down? Will the menu cater for their choosey taste buds? How quick is the service? Do they even like having kids in the place?! To be honest, most places aren’t going to turn your little loved ones away but it’s a whole different experience when you’re greeted with open arms, there’s a dedicated kids’ menu, and a good dollop of ice cream to celebrate the fact you’ve made it through the meal. There’s a ton of child-friendly places to relax in across Manchester and here are culturecalling.com’s favourites…
Almost Famous
Unit 2, Great Northern Warehouse, Manchester
Almost Famous Manchester Great Northern is a legendary in the city and the perfect eating paradise for kids. Think American diner - it’s noisy, bold and fast which ticks most of the boxes especially if you’re trying to keep younger kids entertained.
The burgers are seriously tasty, and you’ll definitely go home thinking about your next visit. The kids’ meals cover off a slightly smaller cheeseburger – either a single or double, a chicken burger with all the trimmings, tasty chicken strips and if you’ve got big eaterss you might want to order Home Alone. It covers a cheeseburger, crispy chicken and Cheetos. All the mains come served with fries, dessert and a drink for £12.50 which we think’s good value. You can add on a milkshake for £3.50 and there’s a selection of flavours to choose from.
You can book a table here
Gusto
4 Lloyd Street, Manchester, M2 5AB
We like Gusto. It feels a little bit special but without the big bill at the end. You can enjoy a little slice of art-deco, Italian ambiance, and fresh cuisine right in the heart of Manchester. And every kid likes pasta, right?!
Gusto Manchester is really family friendly and offers fresh, well-presented food for all the family. There’s a dedicated kids’ menu with a varied selection of pasta favourites including: rigatoni pasta with an array of sauces – carbonara, tomato, ragu or simply plain for those really fussy eaters. They can also make their own pizza using a sourdough pizza base with fresh tomato sauce and a choice of 3 toppings from: cheese, chopped ham, chicken, pineapple, sweetcorn, olives, mushrooms, pepperoni or tuna fish. Your kids get to arrange the toppings in a design of their own and then hand it back to get cooked.
If Italian food doesn’t appeal, then Gusto has included the perennial favourites including fish and chips, burger and fries and chargrilled chicken strips with mash, peas or salad. Dessert? There’s a variety of gelato and sorbets to get excited about!
Mum’s and Dad’s will be catered for on the a la carte menu where you can expect to see seared lemon and pepper tuna, sourdough pizzas, risottos and fresh salads or a clipped set menu.
You can book a table here
Rudy’s
Check here for your local restaurant
If your kids like pizza, then they’re gonna love this home-grown pizza restaurant. In a little over 5 years there are now 24 Rudy’s restaurants and just like in Naples, the team make the dough on site every day. It tastes dElicious, and whilst there isn’t a dedicated kids menu, there’s a good choice of classic margheritas, ham and mushroom, and many more to sink their teeth into. They start at a reasonable £7. If they can’t quite manage it all, you can ask the friendly staff for a pizza box and you can take it home for later on. The garlic bread is always a hit with my two and the three flavours of ice-cream will leave them smiling.
If you really can’t face taking the family out, Rudy’s offers a cute ‘Back at Home’ delivery service and you can you have great fun making your own pizzas using Rudy’s special dough.
You can book a table here
Tampopo
Rice is a bit of a staple at my kitchen table and if your kids are up for trying some delightful Asian flavours, then Tampopo is a great place to take them. There are now four restaurants across Manchester, including one in the Trafford Centre, serving up a selection of small and large plates for adults from morning till night. Tampopo’s Junior Explorer menu is suitable up to 8 years old and serves up chicken noodles with a sweet Asian sauce, mini sticky wings and rice and corn fritters. Older kids of 7+ will enjoy the junior pad Thai, Katsu curry with veggies or the chicken fried rice with fine beans and and Asian veggies. We like Tampopo’s homemade lemonade and there’s a good selection of desserts to round off a trip round Asia.
You can book a table here
Honest Burgers
Honest burgers set up by Tom and Phil only 10 years ago in Brixton and now have nearly 40 restaurants across the UK. OK we know it’s a chain but there is a reason that it’s been so successful. The pair set out to make a decent and honest burger and still make them from scratch from a bit skimmed off the rib eye steak in their very own butchery – how cool is that?! They also buy the best potatoes from local farmers to make their infamous double-cooked and rosemary salted chips and by God they’re tasty!
There’s a dedicated kids'f menu which offers a free-range grilled chicken burger with chips and tasty optional extras of basil pesto, tomato, or rocket. The kid’s beef burger with made with 100% beef and comes with the option of having cheese, onion, relish and lettuce. Or none of the toppings, just ask. If they’re vegan, try the Beyond Meat burger with vegan cheese and lettuce. All options come with chips and a drink for a bargain price of £7.30
You can book a table here
The Refuge
Oxford Street, Manchester M60 7HA
Part of the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, this is a stunning 1920’s fully restored art deco building on Oxford Road. It’s a great space to meet friends on a Sunday, pop into for lunch or just sit and relax with a drink whilst soaking up the DJs tunes. There’s an extensive and yummy adult’s menu including an enticing Sunday roast – we like the Roast Platter for Two, garlic and thyme-roasted Cumbrian chicken or vegan wellington.
The child friendly menu offers smaller portions of the Sunday lunches and include Lancashire beef, quarter of roast Cumbrian chicken and a vegan roast wellington. Each come served with roast potatoes, gravy and the ever-favourite Yorkshire puddings. If your children aren’t partial to a roast and for any other day of the week, there’s the standard smashed burger with chips, chicken dippers, chips and salad and cheese and tomato flatbread. All mains are £6.95 and there are 3 desserts to choose from at £2.95.
You can book at table here
Mughli Charcoal Pit
30 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M14 5TQ
Rusholme is the infamous home of curry in Manchester. Its rows of curry houses and bars are alive 24/7 and deciding which one to go to is a challenge (as can be parking your car on a Saturday eve. Just to forewarn you!) But our tried and trusted favourite is the Mughlil; a family run business since the early 1990’s. The menu, as you’d expect, is extensive with over 20 curries to choose from. Their Street Eat smaller plates including Fish Thakos and Bhangin Potatos are truly tasty. There isn’t a Kids Menu on the website, but we know they serve a gentle Tikka Massala, rice and dipping sauce in a neat silver cut-out try – think airline styley – just for kids. There’s also hummus and freshly baked breads including garlic naan and rotis, rice, dhals and the ever popular papadums to whet their Indian appetites.
The Mughli is seriously popular so we’d definitely recommend booking ahead.
You can book a table here
Elgato Negro Tapas
We’re sure many families have already experienced the delights of tapas during the summer holidays and this tapas restaurant in the heart of Manchester really delivers an authentic Spanish vibe. Like most tapas offerings, we’d suggest delving into around 8 – 10 small dishes for the family. Ultimately some will be a hit, others not so, but they kids are bound to leave with a good feel for how it’s done in Spain. As a family of four, we tried the Padron peppers with sea salt, big green olives , Catalan bread with garlic and fresh tomato, Manchego cheese with figs, crispy fried squid, salt cod croquettes, tiger prawns with garlic (you can scoop out the chilli), meatballs in tomato sauce, grilled tenderstem broccoli and the Patatas Bravas were a real hit so we had 2 bowls! There’s a selection of tasty desserts for afters with the mini doughnuts and chocolate tart with raspberry sauce sorbet and coulis delivering big smiles.
You can book a table here
Cowtown Burgers
The brilliantly named Cowtown is located in the South Manchester suburb of Sale.
They’re a small Canadian restaurant committed to sourcing from the best and freshest ingredients around from local farmers, suppliers and producers. Their burgers are made using Angus steak, so you get a great flavour. Alongside the extensive adult’s menu is a choice of kids’ meals. There’s a cheeseburger with the option to add on a slice of bacon + fries, a hot dog and fries, breaded chicken strips and fries, creamy mac and cheese with fries and a pepperoni pizza. All the kid’s meals come with a juice drink and are priced at £8.50. There’s a choice of milkshakes to choose from and a Death By Chocolate fudge cake to really spin your kids into a sugary frenzy! Worth noting that it states that the kids’ meals are for 11 years and under.
You can book a table here
Archie’s
In various locations
Archie’s is a small chain of halal burger joints home-fried in Manchester. Originally set up by four friends over 10 years ago, you can now find Archie’s restaurants in 5 locations in Manchester, one in Leeds, Birmingham and Liverpool. There’s an extensive menu that includes smashed burgers of all meat and veggie types, wraps, waffles and shakes and whilst there’s not a dedicated kid’s menu, there’s sure to be something on the menu that’ll appeal. There’s a choice of 14 burgers to choose from. The beef ‘smashed’ burgers mostly serve up two patties with the usual cheese, with or without all the trimmings. There’s a nice addition of a falafel burger if your kids are veggies and 5 great tasting buttermilk chicken burgers. Fries to go with that? There’s a variety of all shapes and flavours including - curly, crinkled, hot cheese or truffle.
Good news is that Archie’s is strictly walk-in which is great for those unplanned meal stops.