Family Friendly Eating

When Adam was born back in ‘02, we were one of the first in our circle to have kids, so needless to say we tried pretty much maintain our old lifestyle and so Adam got to eat out a lot. Which was great. And we went to all sorts of places.

With Caity, everything changed. She is an animal. Adam actually calls her ‘Animal,’ like the one in the Muppet Show. She is loud. She makes a horrendous mess. It is like some sort of endurance test to survive dining out with her in tow.

We don’t go out much anymore. We don’t even go to people’s houses for dinner. It isn’t any fun for us. Needless to say we are feeling a bit shut in and hermit like these days.
The few times we have ventured out have either been huge success or total nightmares. We also stick mostly to the chains these days, and fairly local too. I have read about people going to Diva At The Met with their babes, but I think that is pushing it. Have some compassion for your fellow eaters.

One surprising success was Earles.

Earls Bridge Park
3850 Lougheed Highway
Burnaby, British Columbia, V5C 6N4
Telephone: 604.205.5025
Fax: 604.205.5105

I had avoided this one for ages, being that they always seemed to be trying too hard to be something they weren’t. Maybe things have changed. For one, we were not the only family with small children in there. Secondly, was the amazing intuition of our waiter. He actually GOT that you need to serve kids something quick. No delays. We asked for a fun drink for Adam and he did a Shirley Temple in a short glass with a straw. Perfect. We asked if they could split the Fries and Chicken Tenders. He divided it into two plates for the kids and served it right away. We were in awe.

We didn’t feel unwanted and we didn’t’ feel rushed. So apart from not having a ‘child’s’ menu, this one is a safe bet.

Another sure thing is Milestones.

Now some of the Milestone chains again try to hard, depending on their location. The English Bay one is a place I tend to avoid for the snob factor in general. The Robson St. one is fine.

Milestones Burnaby
4420 Lougheed Highway
Burnaby, BC
Tel: 604-291-7393

This one is our local. The food is good, the price is right. They have a great brunch and endless patience for children. They have crayons and paper for the kids. They also have a limited kid’s menu. And thank you for HUGE booths that fit you, your children, your coats, bags, snacks and toys.

We used to fall back on Red Robin too. The one at Broadway and Oak was always fairly fast and efficient and they also have a great kid’s menu and crayons. The one at Station Square in Burnaby has had some odd staffing issues, that has made us a bit wary, but our last visit was fine. I wish personally that they didn’t have balloons, but that is only because in my view balloons can only lead to tears.

The Red Robin at Guildford Mall in Surrey is a personal fave with our family because it has a train track attached to the ceiling. This kept our kids entranced for the whole meal.

The huge favorite with our family is sadly, Denny’s. But even I (snob!) have to admit that the food there has improved over the years. It isn’t like the greasy stuff we used to inhale after a night of clubbing. (Remember that concept???)

Denny’s Burnaby Kingsway
5605 Kingsway
Burnaby BC, V5H 2G4

Phone: 604-434-9016

This is our local. It has crayons, toys, a great kids menu with lots of choices, healthy and otherwise. The amazing waitress there brings Goldfish Snacks without us even asking. They have fun cups (for an extra price) and hey, it’s Denny’s! I don’t worry all that much about the noise and mess. I just leave a decent tip.

Penny Farthing Fish n’ Chips is one of my favorites. I am Scottish. I miss my chips in newspaper! They do a great job. The quality and price is fantastic. They are a fun and low key place that does take out too. No problem taking kids there.

Penny Farthing Fish & Chips
5212 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC

So yes, nothing trendy and nothing fancy. But we do live in Southeast Vancouver so there just isn’t that many ‘trendy’ places to infiltrate. We actually live in a bit of a food dead zone. Even the junk food is far away. We have to drive to Victoria and Kingsway if we want McDonalds.

We lived briefly at Main and 15th Avenue. We wish we still did. There we had a Mongolie Grill, we had a passable fish n’chip place. There was any kind of coffee shop franchise you can think of. There was greasy spoons and trendy spots like Monsoon. All in walking distance. Or stroller distance. I miss that place. There is even a Gelato place right on the corner. Didn’t open till after we left, we did have the Dairy Queen to get me through my pregnancy.

So as you can see our memories of West Side eateries has faded quite a bit. I do miss Café Barney’s on South Granville. That was another of my brunch places. That and Ouisi Bistro did great brunches as well as dinner’s.

If you can recommend some fun and family friendly places, please let me know. I would love to build a great list here for all to share. I don’t care about the location either. We have bloggers from all over the West Coast. Share your secrets!