I can’t even say that dining out is a guilty pleasure of ours because it’s more of a way of life. We go out to eat at least two times a week, if not more. Austin just has so many great restaurants! That said, we always try to go somewhere that’s kid-friendly yet locally-owned. There are the obvious choices, like Phil’s Ice House, Waterloo Ice House (location at 360 & 2222) and Hat Creek Burger Co (location at Bee Caves Rd & 360). All three of these cater to families with their large fenced-in playscapes. Chuy’s, Trudy’s and El Mercado are also good choices for kid-friendly Tex-Mex. But through extensive research that is by no means exhaustive, we found several other restaurants that are more than willing to provide crayons and a coloring mat. Be forewarned: these are mostly close to my neighborhood of Brentwood. If you haven’t been, come by and check out central Austin’s finest area.
The Frisco
If Las Vegas and Austin had a baby, it would be The Frisco. It’s been open for 60 years and serves top-notch comfort food. The Frisco has one of my favorite burgers in Austin – the 2222 Patty Melt: just meat and cheese served on grilled garlic toast. Plus, their kids’ menu features a whopping twelve selections. Seriously, how many other places offer grilled salmon to the little ones? The kids meals include a side – nine to choose from – and include healthy options like fruit and green beans. The portions are decent-sized so that Mommy will share her fries as long as Lucy eats all of her fruit. They serve beer, wine and the best pie I’ve ever had. Seriously, win-win for all of us. You can find The Frisco at 6801 Burnet Rd. Just look for the big metal chicken.
Little Deli
Austin’s best pizza. Seriously. And I don’t say that lightly. Little Deli is nestled in the shopping center that time forgot. It shares a parking with the Crestview IGA (they still have those?) and a beauty shop/barber shop. It’s unassuming, except for the gaggles of happy families chowing down on pizza, salads and sandwiches at their many outdoor picnic tables. They have pizza by-the-slice, but we usually go for a whole pie so there are plenty of leftovers for our lunches the next day. Little Deli is BYOB and they’re nice enough to provide buckets of ice to keep your beers cold. There’s a little gazebo with stools in it that somehow manages to keep the little ones entertained. Also, the beauty shop down the way always has little animal solar-powered clocks in the windows. Sometimes it’s the simple things that mesmerize a three-year-old the most. Little Deli is located at 7101-A Woodrow Ave.
County Line on the Lake
County Line is one of the first places we dined at when we first moved here and it’s a regular in our rotation. It’s right on the water at Bull Creek so there are lots – I mean LOTS – of turtles and fish just begging to be fed from the County Line’s dock. For a quarter, you can purchase fish food from a coin-op machine so your tot can make some aquatic friends while you feast on some pretty stellar barbecue. Kids’ meals are mini portions of adult BBQ platters and if your little cowgirl is anything like mine, they’ll be happily noshing on sausages and baked beans until it’s time to go feed the turtles again. Just as long as they’re back in time for dessert; kids’ meals come with a scoop of ice cream! As a side note, I’m going out on a limb here: I think County Line’s sausage is the best I’ve tasted in all of the barbecue I’ve tried since moving to Texas. Definitely splurge for the homemade bread, too. County Line on the Lake is at 5204 FM 2222, just before you hit 360.
Finally, because this is a post about dining out I feel compelled to remind parents of a few simple guidelines to going to a restaurant with your kids. Dining out early is a good idea for families if you’re going to less-than-tot-friendly places. The restaurants won’t be as crowded and the kiddos are less likely to have a meltdown due to being tired. If you have an iPad, your life will be much easier for your younger kids. Lucy survived a 5-course New Year’s Eve dinner at Bartlett’s thanks to the iPad and Despicable Me. Finally, your servers get paid very little. Please tip at least 20% and try to clean up if the kids make a huge mess. Happy dining!
