Check out the best family friendly restaurants, breweries in Austin for eating with kids
Matthew OdamIf you’re one of the lucky folks who has children and gets to spend your summer suffering under the hot Austin sun, you’re probably having more “what are we gonna do with the kids?” time on your hands than during the school year.
That includes figuring out a few more meals than in the fall, winter and spring, and finding ways to burn off some energy. Your needs probably vary depending on your kids, their ages, your budget and your tolerance for a small bit of social chaos (is it obvious I have two children under the age of 4?).
For the sake of this exercise, I focused on restaurants and breweries good for the one-to-12-year-old set. Though who doesn’t love a good swing? Not all places have playground equipment, but they do have a little extra room to roam. Asterisk represents critic's top picks.
*Austin Beerworks (Sprinkle Valley)
One of Austin’s top breweries teams with one of the city’s best barbecue operators (John Bates of Interstellar Barbecue runs the Yellow Bell Tacos truck on site) for this rustic compound that has board and arcade games inside and a play area and disc golf course outside. 10300 Springdale Road. 512-821-2494, austinbeerworks.com.
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Aviator Pizza & Drafthouse
Pizza, beer and a full-sized enclosed playground make this McNeil area spot a hit with families in the Northwest part of town. 4005 W Parmer Lane, Suite E. 512-827-3553, aviatorpizza.com.
More:Best Thing I Ate in June 2024: 8 places to try in Austin
Batch Beer & Kolaches
An area with undulating rolling turf and some mushroom-shaped stools won’t keep your kids busy for hours, but probably long enough for you to enjoy a coffee and a kolache. 3220 Manor Road. 512-401-3025, batchatx.com.
Bouldin Acres (South Austin)
While the adults play pickleball, drink frozens or eat a great burger from CM Smokehouse trailer, the kids can take advantage of a full-sized playground in the shaded, fenced-in back area. 2027 S. Lamar Blvd. 512-536-0132, bouldinacres.com.
Casa de Luz
Want to encourage a more mindful and calming energy in your child? Let them wander the pathways and take in the sounds of the chimes and fountains at this vegan restaurant at the heart of a South Austin wellness community. 1701 Toomey Road. casadeluz.org.
Related:Restaurant and wellness hub Casa de Luz expanding to East Austin with Casa de Luz East
*Cosmic Coffee & Beer (South Austin)
Water features, hunting for critters and plenty of room to roam will give parents some time to eat some barbecue (LeRoy & Lewis), killer chicken wings (Tommy Want Wingy) or crush some tacos (Pueblo Viejo) at one of the many picnic tables. 121 Pickle Road. 512-481-0694, cosmichospitalitygroup.com.
Doc’s Backyard
The full-sized playground is not officially on Doc’s property, but it’s just a gate-swing and a skip over a sidewalk away from the bar food and cold beverages served on Doc’s outdoor patio. 5207 Brodie Lane, #100. Sunset Valley. 512-892-5200, eatdrinkdocs.com.
Fareground
It can be a little hard to keep track of the restaurants that have shuttled in and out of this downtown food hall, but one thing remains constant: a massive turfed hill recessed from the traffic of Congress Avenue and perfect for rolling. Also, elevator banks and air conditioning is pretty cool to some kids. (Complimentary 90-minute parking after 6 p.m. and on weekends.) 100 Congress Ave. faregroundaustin.com.
*Flores Mexican Restaurant
The staff at this Tex-Mex restaurant do the impossible: deliver margaritas and fajitas in a timely manner, with a smile, and without getting tripped up by the dozens of kids scrambling throughout the courtyard toward the massive playground area. 4625 William Cannon Drive. 512-892-4845, floresmexican.com.
*Fresa’s (South Austin)
Some of the best tacos, margaritas and queso in town will help adults relax as their little ones wander around the massive, shaded outdoor area. Just make sure the kids don’t end up in Bouldin Creek. 1703 S. First St. 512-992-2946, fresaschicken.com.
More:14 new restaurants to try in Austin, and 11 eateries we lost in April and May
Hat Creek Burger Company
A milkshake, a burger and a playground. What more does a kid, or her parents, need? 9 Central Texas locations. hatcreekburgers.com.
*Home Slice Pizza (North Loop)
Dine on some of the best NY-style pizza in Austin in the covered outdoor dining area or at the outdoor bar while the kids play hide and seek or tumble down the small turfed hill. 501 E. 53rd St. 512-707-7437, homeslicepizza.com.
*Jester King Brewery
Where else can you drink some of the best beer (and some dang fine wine) in the world while your kids take a nature walk to a herd of goats? There’s also a great slide that will keep the kids occupied while you wait for your pizza to come out of the open-air kitchen and enough room to throw 20 frisbees or kick a bag of soccer balls. 13187 Fitzhugh Road. 512-900-1820, jesterkingbrewery.com.
More:Jester King, one of best breweries in Texas, now making wine and cider
Kerbey Lane Cafe (Round Rock)
Not only is there a full playground connected to the Round Rock location, kids eat for free (with purchase of adult entree) on Tuesdays. 2120 North Mays St. Round Rock. 512-879-2827, kerbeylanecafe.com.
*Meanwhile Brewing
Whether your kids want to climb around on the shaded equipment set in the sprawling grove of trees while you sip on a Secret Beach IPA, or run their hearts out on the soccer fields while you enjoy one of the city’s best selections of food trucks (the chicken at Distant Relatives is world-class), this Southeast Austin compound has you covered. 3901 Promontory Point Drive. 512-308-3659, meanwhilebeer.com.
*Oddwood Brewing
There’s pizza, beer and some great Egyptian-influenced barbecue for the adults. And, while the kids will love the pizza, too, and the discerning ones will probably be into the barbecue, the real kid-friendly draw is the room full of old school, arcade-style video games, in case you wanna show the kiddos how to catch fire in NBA Jams. 3108 Manor Road. 512-220-0612, oddwoodales.com.
Phil’s Ice House
Three Austin locations of Amy’s Ice Creams sibling burger joint feature full size playgrounds. philsicehouse.com.
*Ski Shores Cafe
Whether your little ones arrive via boat or car, there is a large, fenced-in, turfed area with small mounds for them to run and jump and kick balls away from the water. 2905 Pearce Road. 512-572-2997, skishorescafe.com.
*Sour Duck Market
You can keep your eye on the play area and its oversized chalkboard from almost any seat while enjoying a coffee and some pastries or a cocktail and burgers in the courtyard of this neighborhood haunt. 1814 E. MLK Blvd. 512-394-5776, sourduckmarket.com.
*Vista Brewing
Need 21 acres to let the kids run wild? Vista’s got that. It also has a play area for the kids, an organic farm on site that offers classes, and a solid menu of food to go with their equally solid roster of beers. During the summer, Vista is serving kids meals for $5 on Wednesdays (which just so happens to be half-off wine bottle nights) and on the afternoon of July 27, they are hosting the Hays County Honey Harvest Festival, with free bee education classes, tastings and events for kids, like a scavenger hunt. 13551 RM 150. Driftwood. 512-766-1842, vistabrewingtx.com.
Waterloo Ice House
A family-friendly menu (hot dogs are back for the month of July) make this restaurant with four locations and an almost-50-year history a go-to for many Austin families. Multiple locations. waterlooicehouse.com.