Eating out with kids is one of the *thing* we as a parent always have to worry about. Today I have an insider guide from my blogger friend Lee of Roots in Alpharetta who will help shred the light on his favorite dining places with his young children. Every Friday, you can follow Lee as he talks about food and dining around Alpharetta area at his Foodie Friday series.

See Lee’s suggestion for Dining Out with Young Kids in Atlanta Restaurants.

As a new parent I was terrified of bringing my children to restaurants. From the time they were infants through the toddler years, I was petrified just walking in. I didn’t want my wife and I to be “those parents” with the screaming children. I feared the walk of shame; dragging a toddler out in the midst of a full-on temper tantrum, past the sneering eyes of the other patrons.

So in many ways I let fear dictate our restaurant choices with young children. I sought out restaurants that not only offered food my kids would eat but also were loud enough to drown out any potential episodes of “testing their limits”. The results might seem odd to those without kids, yet hopefully perfectly reasonable to those who have walked in the shoes of a parent. Here’s what I came up with…

The Sports Bar

It might seem counterintuitive but this can be the perfect spot if you fear the unruly child. Indoor smoking bans, a casual environment and an often noisy crowd make the sports bar a decent fit. Don’t expect many healthy food choices for the kids though. My favorite picks here are:

Wild Wing, Windward and GA-400 in Alpharetta

You want loud? This is your place. Junior can scream all he wants and throw Cheerios everywhere. He’s not going to bother those enthralled in whatever is on the twenty televisions. Check out their two-for-one wing deal on Tuesdays.

Mulligan’s Grill, Highway 9 in South Forsyth

It’s easy to miss this little joint. Their chicken fingers are surprisingly good. I found myself distracting the kids to snitch bites of them.

Country Cooking

As toddlers, my kids loved things like green beans and limas that their littler fingers could easily grasp. Many country cooking joints can make delicious mac-n-cheese, always a kid favorite. I like…

Midway Mealhouse, Highway 9 in South Forsyth

For decades this farmhouse resturant has been a fixture in south Forsyth. With tons of veggies on the menu, there’s bound to be something the kids will like. Check out the homemade cakes and pies. Sugar high!

Roasters, Windward and Highway 9 in Milton

My kids can eat their body weight in cornbread and black eyed peas. Roasters is a great place to meet the family during a lunch break from work.

Sweet Tomatoes, North Point Parkway in Alpharetta

Okay, not exactly country cooking, and it is a chain. Humor me here. It is loud, often messy and chaotic. Kids eat free or nearly free everyday. And the buffet is chock full of terrific and healthy finger food for toddlers. Sweet Tomatoes is the best of both worlds.

Breakfast

My kids loved pancakes and waffles, especially if fresh fruit was invited. And grits make terrific toddler grub. Watch out though, they splatter! I suggest Saturday mornings at:

Original Pancake House – Windward in Alpharetta

A bit on the expensive side, but they make a mean pancake. They’ll also do Mickey Mouse pancakes for the kids.

BB’s Bagels – McFarland Parkway in South Forsyth

Silver dollar pancakes? These things are huge! My kids also like the muffins and strawberry flavored milk. BB’s is always crowded and very noisy. The bagels are probably too chewy for kids, but dad’s love ‘em!

Lee is the author of Roots in Alpharetta, a blog about being a rootless relo in the affluent high-tech suburb of Alpharetta. Every Friday he writes about food and dining in a series called Foodie Friday.

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The spring is in full swing and Atlanta is ready for a lot of fun family friendly festivals around town.

• FREE Alpharetta Art StreetFest
• FREE Inman Park Spring Festival
  
• International Food Festival in Suwanee
• Taste of Marietta
• Taste of Decatur
• Georgia Renaissance Festival
  
• FREE Smyra Spring Jonquil from Field Trips With Sue

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Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! Weekly Roundup Apr 24-25: Fun, Festival and Food! is a post from: Atlanta With Kid Travel Blog

Wow! It’s truly a festival weekend here in Atlanta. Not only we have several fun free family friendly festivals around town, we also have another fun food festival – Taste of Decatur.

Taste of Decatur is different than typical food festival because you will buy a ticket that will allow you to get discount in various restaurants that participate in the event. Also you will most likely have to visit each restaurant that you are interested in tasting.

Some restaurants will be offering free food, some 50% off, and some buy one get one free. Some retail will be offering 50% off certain items, free accessories, and some buy one get one free. As an added bonus, everyone who purchases a ticket will receive a Taste of Decatur Member Card that will allow them to access deals and incentives regularly from participating businesses.

Taste of Decatur Information:

Place: Taste of Decatur, Decatur, Georgia
Date: April 24th (Sat)
Time: 11AM-6PM
Cost: $10 per ticket, $30 – family of 4 pack. Right now, there is a sale on LivingSocial for 50% off. The deal will end soon. Sorry.. Wish I can post this sooner.

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Food festival or Taste of {fill in the blank with your local city or town} is probably one of most family-friendly event. There is nothing food can’t fix when you have whiny or cranky kids.

So if you live in the Cobb county, you might not want to miss Cobb County’s largest food festival – Taste of Marietta. There is be over 70 restaurants, fun live entertainment, and game and fun activities for kids.

Taste of Marietta Information:

Place: Taste of Marietta, 4 Depot Street, Marietta, Georgia 30060
Date: April 25th (Sun)
Time: 11AM-7PM
Cost: FREE admission. Food tickets from $0.50 – $4.00

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Whenever we headed to the Perimeter Mall area, we can’t resist to visit our favorite fast food restaurant- the Boneheads Grilled Fish & Piri Piri Chicken. This is the fast food chained restaurant with the sit down type menu.

The Place:
This restaurant caught my attention even before I stepped inside. I noticed the sign showing menu with gluten free options. This is a great option for parents who have kids with food allergy.

The deco is bright and colorful. There are plenty of seating available including booth which what I prefer whenever we eat out as a family. It’s easier to feed them.

It’s the hybrid of fast-food and sit down restaurant which I think has become more popular. Basically, you walk in and order your food at the counter. Then they will give you the number and the staff will bring freshly made food to your table. So you get the best of both worlds. Quick service for family with kids as we all know that eating out with kids has limited window of opportunity before the storm hits. Fresh food with better and healthier choices than typical burger joints.

The Food:
I love seafood so this place is perfect for my taste. Even a non-seafood lover like Mr. Rojo agreed that they have done a great job in seasoning and grilling fish that it doesn’t smell fishy to him. Most of the items on the menu are created from grilled fish or Piri Piri chicken dish. I have tried various items on the menu and never been disappointed.

Kids menu has great choices that will satisfy kids’ taste buds and parents’ guilty conscience to feed them healthy food. Miss J loved Crispy Shrimp and Mr. Z finished up his Grilled Chicken Breast with a bit of bribing.

The Price:
It’s certainly not as cheap as typical fast-food joints but much cheaper than sit down restaurant for a great dish of seafood and healthier choices than typical french fries and chicken nuggets. A family of 4 can fill up their tummies with yummy food for around $30. Also check out their daily special for even greater value menu.

The Detail:
Place: 4511 Olde Perimeter Way, Atlanta, GA 30346

Check out other locations on their site at EatBoneHeads.com

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! Eat with Kids: Boneheads Grilled Fish & Piri Piri Chicken is a post from: Atlanta With Kid Travel Blog

We have heard about Gladys Knight restaurant for a while. But the downtown location is not convenient for us to make a track whenever we have our fried chicken craving so we have never tried until now.

They just opened a new location in Johns Creek – perfect for North Metro residents like us.

The Place:
So off we went. The restaurant has a great airy setting with outdoor seating. It feels very welcoming that we feel good bringing our kids there. There are also a few couch seating for you to lounge if you want. Kids might enjoy that seating as it’s probably more comfortable but for parents I think it won’t be as comfortable especially when you try to eat fried-chicken.

The restaurant is very family-friendly with all the amenities to accommodate family with children. At one time, we saw a group of moms with babies and toddlers. Staffs were very attentive and helpful. There were enough high chairs for the whole group.

The Food:
The food.. oh.. the food was and is amazing! I mean.. who can resist fried chicken and waffle? It’s a perfect combination for the whole family. We have eaten fair shares of fried chicken but I have to say their chicken wings are to-die for. It was crispy and tasty. Your first bite will be the one that you want to savoy for the rest of the day. The size of the chicken wings itself was enormous. It was a jumbo wing so don’t think it’s too small when you order Midnight Train and saw the description of 4 wings and a waffle. Waffle was delish! Even after I stuffed myself with all the wings, I still managed to find space to finish the waffle.

Mr. Rojo thought Midnight Train was too small so the first visit he ordered Uncle Ron. Ha.. He could barely finish everything. The dish came with 4 dark meat chickens and 2 side-order. Mac&Cheese was a big hit for the kids and collard green was perfect for me.

If your kids are not a big eater like mine, they can easily share an order of Waffle Snack which has a chicken drumstick and a waffle.

The Price:
For under $30 we had enjoyed a great meal that everyone love. It has become one of our family favorite whenever the craving for Fried chicken or Waffle hit us.

The Detail:
Place: 3495 Peachtree Parkway, Suwanee, GA 30024

Check out other locations at their website - Gladys Knight and Ron Winan’s

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! Eat with Kids: Gladys Knight & Ron Winan’s Chicken and Waffles – Johns Creek is a post from: Atlanta With Kid Travel Blog