Kid-Friendly St. Louis Restaurants That Don’t Suck [PHOTOS]

Taco Buddha
(7405 Pershing Avenue, TacoBuddha.com)

If you need to give your kid a proper introduction to Mexican food, Taco Buddha is the place to start. They love it.

Katie’s Pizza
(9568 Manchester Road, KatiesPizzaAndPasta.com)

Adults love Katie’s for their fantastic pizza. And with a special kids’ menu, your littles can get in on the action, too, with their own tiny version of Katie’s pie.

Rockwell Beer Company
(multiple locations including 1320 South Vandeventer Avenue, RockwellBeer.com)

Not only is the menu at each location kid-friendly (grab Brasswell burgers and more at the Vandeventer spot, pizza at Francis Park), but the two locations serve as the perfect spots to let kids run around outside and burn off some energy.

Sugarwitch
(7726 Virginia Avenue, SugarwitchIC.com)

Opening for regular hours at the end of the month, Sugarwitch sells wildly popular ice cream treats. So popular, in fact, that it’s gone from a pop-up located in an Airstream on the patio of Olio to a business that needed a brick-and-mortar to keep up with demand. These ice cream sandwiches are adult-approved and the kids love them, too.

Hi-Pointe Drive-In
(multiple locations including 1033 McCausland Avenue, HiPointeDriveIn.com)

Spectacular burgers, fries and shakes? They’re serving every kid’s dream meal each day.

5 Star Burgers
(8125 Maryland Avenue, 5StarBurgersSTL.com)

Sometimes only a big, juicy burger will do. If you’re in need of a gourmet burger but don’t want to take your kid to somewhere too fancy, drop into 5 Star Burgers for a casual atmosphere combined with stellar food.

Gooseberries
(2754 Chippewa Street, GooseberriesSTL.com)

Serving up endless food options including savory sandwiches, fried items, hand pies and more, Gooseberries is the perfect spot to take a kid for lunch. Not only will they love the food, they’ll also love the casual atmosphere that includes dinosaur toys on every table and sometimes movies or games, too.

Gather
(1954 Russell Boulevard, GatherCafeSTL.com)

This place was designed to be kid-friendly. If you want to grab a coffee and good food with a friend but you’re on kid duty, Gather is the perfect spot to reconnect and give the kids some fun. Your littles have their own personal play area here that’s separated from the cafe area by a soundproof wall and you get some quiet time and fantastic eats. Win-win.

Mai Lee
(8396 Musick Memorial Drive, MaiLeeSTL.com)

For food that is as fast as it is delicious, take the kiddos to Mai Lee and watch them discover the magic that is Mai Lee's spring rolls.

J. Devoti
(5100 Daggett Avenue, JDevoti.com)

Serving some of the best Italian food on the Hill, J. Devoti also has one of the best kids’ menus in town. They’ll go crazy over the fresh kid-sized pizzas and the simple (yet delicious) pasta options.

Sugarfire Smoke House
(multiple locations including 605 Washington Avenue, SugarfireSmokeHouse.com)

Barbecue is the perfect food for kids. Not only is it delicious, but it’s messy to eat which means that nobody will stare when your kid has their entire face covered in sauce. Don’t skip the brisket or the legendary mac and cheese.

Tiny Chef at the Silver Ballroom
(4701 Morgan Ford Road, @TinyChefSTL on Instagram)

It’s not weird to take your kid into a bar in St. Louis, especially if it’s to get some food from Tiny Chef at the Silver Ballroom.

Boardwalk Waffles & Ice Cream
(multiple locations including 7376 Manchester Road, BoardwalkWaffles.com)

Kids are obsessed with this adult-approved ice cream shop. So much so that you’ll see a Boardwalk Waffles & Ice Cream location pop up in your own neighborhood soon if you haven’t already. This talk-of-the-town business serves ice cream in a cone, as a waffle sandwich, in a waffle bowl and more.

Steve’s Hot Dogs
(3145 South Grand Boulevard, StevesHotDogsSTL.com)

Every kid loves hot dogs and at Steve’s they can even get a fancy version, too. Try the one covered with mac and cheese, you won’t regret it.

Ted Drewes
(multiple locations including 6726 Chippewa Street, TedDrewes.com)

Don’t forget to take pictures of your kids and their frozen custard-covered faces at this historic St. Louis spot.

Pastaria
(7734 Forsyth Boulevard, EatPastaria.com)

Endless pasta options combined with a bustling atmosphere make this the perfect spot to take squirmy (and picky) kids. They can get exactly what they want and nobody will even notice if they’re just a little too loud.

Imo’s
(1000 Hampton Avenue, Imo’s Pizza.com)

If you’re going to continue the tradition and raise an adult who loves Imo’s Pizza, you have to start them when they’re kids.

Ice’s Plain & Fancy
(2256 South 39th Street, IcesPlainAndFancy.com)

Ice’s Plain & Fancy offers not just desert, but also a show. Made with liquid nitrogen, this ice cream spot provides a science-filled adventure as well as a sweet treat.

The Boathouse at Forest Park
(6101 Government Drive, BoathouseSTL.com)

Make a day of it at the Boathouse at Forest Park. Not only are there plenty of activities to have a nice day out with the kids (kayaking, paddle boats), but the food at the Boathouse restaurant is great and serves as a scenic spot to feed the little monsters before naptime.

9 Mile Garden
(9375 Gravois Road, 9MileGarden.com)

Food truck gardens have been a big hit in St. Louis and 9 Mile Garden has everything that kids and parents could want. Not only do they have a variety of food options so everybody can get exactly what they want, but there’s also space to run and alcohol for parents in need of some “mommy juice.”