I’ll be honest with you, some days I want to go out to eat, but can’t think of anywhere that my kids can come too. No matter where we go, every time our four-year-old picks up his juice glass, my husband and I tense up and flashback to Jing-A‘s opening night when he dropped his pineapple juice squarely onto their nice carpet. We tend towards the same places because we know they are cool with our kids no matter their energy level. But some days, I don’t want the inevitable grease that accompanies those restaurants.
It’s hard to know if a new place will welcome your kids.
The topic of family-friendly environments came up in the beijingkids office last week when we reported on the highlights of the Michelin Awards and the 30 Beijing restaurants that took a prize in the coveted list. Would you take your kids to a Michelin restaurant, or would a trip to a three-star joint be wasted on your children, who will inevitably choose the chicken fingers? Does your kid’s choice matter if you get the high-end experience? Or are you less likely to go because a Michelin pick is usually one where other diners won’t look too kindly on a tantrum or a game of hide and seek near their own expensive dinner?
With that in mind, what makes a restaurant family-friendly? Some say it is high chairs, coloring sheets, changing tables, and child-sized menus. I would add that a truly child-friendly place automatically brings out plastic cups and cutlery for them and knows the children get fed first. Always.
But rather than constantly eating at Blue Frog, or taking them to Annie’s again, is there any place that really gets it? Kimo’s Kids Cafe is essentially an indoor playground with an eatery surrounding it. Kids can come and go as they please, and adults can chill. But the service is slow and the food is just fine. No matter how hungry the kids are, their food inevitably goes to waste because they’re just running around and enjoying the play space.
Kimo’s centers around the kids’ experience, which is fine for a playdate but not a dinner out.
Kimo Ms. Kimo星漠亲自餐厅
Mon-Fri 10.30am-9pm, Sat-Sun 10am-9m. 2/F, Space 3, 22 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang District (6776 5022)
朝阳区东三环中路22号乐成中心SPACE3 2楼
The other extreme is we take them to a nicer place, and one of us spends the night doing activity books while the other gets to socialize, sticking our phones in front of them when we want to have an adult conversation. I really want a place where I can sit, the kids can play and be entertained, and I can perhaps sip my drink and enjoy my food without the pressure to keep the kids quiet or even in their seats. I want a place where adults and children co-exist while we dine.
I found exactly the right atmosphere at Qianmen Kitchen by BSK. Their Halloween party sounded like it had everything: baking cookies, themed children’s movies playing, trick or treating in the surrounding hutongs, and delicious food. Then I learned some friends were also going. It sounded too good to be true.
Well, I got exactly what I wanted: kind people happily entertaining my kids, who moved between watching holiday movies and baking cookies to gobbling down the Silk Road-inspired food put in front of them. They didn’t even ask what it was; it smelled and tasted good, and that’s all that mattered.
A Tigger bakes cookies at Qianmen by BSK’s Halloween party.
I spoke with Jen Lin-Liu, the founder of Black Sesame Kitchen, who helps Chef Zhang with the menu and concept at Qianmen Kitchen. As a parent herself, the idea for the restaurant grew organically. “Parents and children want to be together but not necessarily doing the same thing. Why not give kids more experiences from other countries, to keep these overseas traditions alive while raising kids in a foreign environment?” she argues. “We also give parents some breathing room,” she says jokingly, but that’s exactly what I hoped her Halloween experience would be and precisely why I made reservations for the Thanksgiving weekend dinner, this time inviting more friends. As bars and eateries open their doors to more holiday centered family events, organizers can learn a thing or two from BSK.
Back to the Michelin picks. If you are looking to try something new and slightly more off the beaten path than your usual child-friendly haunts, then we recommend you try out some of the following Michelin picks. When it comes to Michelin-tipped restaurants in general, the Michelin Plate and Bib Gourmand selections tend to be more casual and, therefore, potentially more kid-friendly. Luckily, there are 51 Michelin Plate and 17 Bib Gourmand restaurants to choose from. We can vouch for the quality at the places below, and what kid doesn’t like dumplings and duck?
Dumplings
These dumpling places all come highly recommended, plus dumplings are always great for kids. No diner in a jiaozi joint is likely to complain about your rambunctious kids:
Baiweiyuan Dumpling 百味园饺子 (Michelin Plate)
Beef & Dumplings 匠牛饺子 (Michelin Plate)
Bao Yuan 宝源 (Bib Gourmand)
Duck
Duck places also tend to have families around. If your kids are into finger food and wrapping their own duck pancakes, you can’t go wrong with any of these:
Da Dong (Dongsi Shitiao) 大董 (东四十条) (one star)
1949 – Duck de Chine 1949-全鸭季 (Michelin Plate)
Peking Chamber (Gongti East Road) 四季民福（工体东路）(Michelin Plate)
Quanjede (Qianmen Street) 全聚德（前门大街）(Michelin Plate)
KEEP READING: The Lius Find a Perfect Return to Date Night Dining at Jing Yaa Tang
Photos: Michelin Guide, Cindy Marie Jenkins, Jen Lin-Liu
