Top child friendly restaurants in Johannesburg

Having two small children can be tough at times, especially so when you add the prospect of having to get them to sit at the table for two hours, that's enough to make even the most well behaved child go loco!

I am finding that like myself, my friends are also building families, and like myself they also find the prospect of worrying after children while at a restaurant unappetizing. When a bunch of my friends and myself want to meet up, we can have around 10 children in tow, aging form 6 months up to 6 years old, I think we strike fear into the heart of many a restaurateur.

Don't get me wrong, My kids are well behaved, sure they could be better, but they are kids and listening to a bunch of adults prattle on must be boring. That said on a recent visit to Australia I was astounded to not find one restaurant with any child friendly facilities. I am not sure if this is a South African thing, but to be child friendly a restaurant needs to have a kiddies menu, a separate play space, climbing frames, crayons ... stuff kids like. In reality where I live, children have an expectation to at least be able to order food that they are familiar with if they want to.


We struggled to find anywhere apart from the local McDonald's that even considered little children, and there is only so much McDonald's you can eat. I did notice however how well behaved the older Australian children were at the table, but there where a very few young children around, and those that I saw where just as rambunctious as mine. My wife and I joked that there must be an eight year training course for Australian children on table etiquette before they are allowed out.

I understand that the entertainment of your children is not the responsibility of the restaurant, but in reality I find that we all tend to favor the places that make our lives easier, and the clever restaurateur will leverage this to attract customers. I also understand that not all restaurants are child friendly, but make it known that you do not cater for children upfront so my children do not ruin your romantic dinner, and I will expect the same when I go to a place like that.

So in order to make it onto my list of top child friendly restaurants an establishment needs to really understand that children and their parents can both have a pleasant experience at their establishment.

Necessities include:

* Good food and a menu for all ages (even gran..)
* A safe place for children to play.
* Crayons, paper, coloring in, Jungle Jim's, climbing frames, slides and swings, some selection of stuff to keep little hands and minds occupied.


Extra marks for:

* Child minders to keep a tab on the chaos.
* Activities, like face painting, Pizza making
* Dedicated play area for children of different ages to play, the three year olds tend to get knocked about by the seven year olds.


So here is my list so far, these are all places that I have been to and can personally add the child friendly stamp to.

Top child friendly restaurants in Johannesburg