We are so excited to be teaming up with Heather from My Life Well Loved for a fun Blog Swap. While my kids aren’t in the Toddler phase anymore, I remember very well how difficult getting a good meal out could be. Heather is breaking it down for us with this list of Local Restaurants that are Toddler-Friendly. (Meaning they won’t throw you out should a meltdown happen or if a little bit of macaroni were to go flying across the restaurant.)
If you’re looking for ideas for keeping the kids busy on rainy days or ideas for beating the summer heat, check out our guest post for the best indoor activities for kids!
Heather is a Birmingham native who grew up in Homewood, went to Samford University and met and married her college sweetheart there. She runs the popular healthy life+style blog MyLifeWellLoved.com, teaches Pure Barre and loves to lead an active lifestyle with her family. She has a 2.5 year old little boy and is 23 weeks pregnant with their second boy. You can typically find Eric, Heather and Leyton on the weekends going on family walks, at church and enjoying local eats with friends.
Eating out as an adult with a toddler is certainly a much different scenario than eating out around town as a Samford college student. Back then, I wanted to be at the hippest and most fun places although 10 years ago that was pretty limited compared to Birmingham now!
Let’s take an aside to revel in the glory that is the city of Birmingham and all that she has to offer now. Breweries, multiple walking/running/biking trails, new non-chain restaurants popping up all the time, Railroad park and many others… as a Birmingham native in her early 30’s I can’t believe how far our city has come! Go B’ham, go B’ham!
I have a 2.5 year old little boy and am currently 23 weeks pregnant so EASY places to eat out with a toddler are the name of my mom game these days. Here’s our top picks for Birmingham toddler-friendly restaurants:
Bar Taco: We LOVE Bar Taco! You can sit inside or outside, your kids can run around on the outside patio, they are always super friendly and mama can get a margarita. Can I get an amen?
Zoe’s Kitchen: We love the SOHO location especially because you can sit out on their patio with the large umbrellas and have a little enclosed outdoor area for your kids to run around in. Bonus? If Leyton is good for the meal, he gets one of their GINORMOUS chocolate chip cookies that make all my pregnancy dreams come true.
Nabeel’s: I have taken Leyton here with couple friends, with girlfriends and their kids, and gotten take out from here to take to friends who have just had kids. It’s an excellent option to sit on their side patio and enjoy the outdoors plus then with that little tucked away patio, you aren’t bothering the rest of their guests. Insider tip: If you’ve never tried the Feta Theologos app, it’s mouth-wateringly good! My sister-in-law requests we go to Nabeel’s each time just to get it!
Urban Cookhouse: This fast casual American fare restaurant tucked in the heart of downtown Homewood is loud, bustling and no one will notice if your kid has a meltdown. They have healthy options, a yummy kids menu and they go above and beyond to show that they “get the kid thing” by having little cups of Cheerios ready for you to give to your hungry munchkins.
Brixx Pizza: Eric and I have fallen in love with the laid back vibe, the beer draft selection, drink specials, and the Brixx salad with extra goat cheese and salmon. Seriously, it’s so good! The crazy part? You can request pizza dough for your child to play with while you wait! AND they have chalkboard walls kids can draw on, so fun!
Ashley Mac’s: Leyton and I are pretty regular luncher’s at Ashley Mac’s with girlfriends. We love how the founder has really implemented mom-friendly thoughts into her store from the easy takeaway meals to the cute kids’ toy pliable sticks that come with kids’ meals. We enjoy sitting outside where Leyton can run around!
Jim ‘N Nicks: A Birmingham staple, cheese biscuits and a boisterous atmosphere make for the perfect scenario for no one to care about toddler holler
Vecchia: I have learned recently that I’m doing Vecchia all wrong. I usually get the lasagna roll up’s and their wine ON TAP – yes, you read that right! – but lately I hear that the panini’s are where it’s at. We come to Vecchia for the beautiful big wrap-around porch, the scenic views and the ability to walk around and take in Moss Rock Preserve. On Saturday’s they have a bounce house to entertain kids and chalk available for drawing all the time.
Post Office Pies: One of our very favorite things to do with other couples who have young kids is grab Post Office Pies (one of my favorite local pizza joints) and head over to sit outside and have drinks and playtime at Avondale Brewery where you can play bags, kick around a soccer ball, take in the pooch watching or just let your toddler run wild. It’s truly a spring time staple!
Beef O’Brady’s: Kids eat free on Thursday nights with a paying adult and they often have kids’ activities this night as well. It’s low key, you can have a fun night out with your family and nobody is bothered by kids running around.
Although we all know that you can pretty much hit up any Mexican restaurant in Birmingham, I wanted to think a bit outside the box for places to recommend that are toddler-friendly in their vibes and that also have good stuff to offer for adults.
This list also has several options that include healthy food choices if that is important to you like it is to me…well, at least when I don’t have a pregnancy craving hit, ha!
What did I leave off the list? I’d love to hear your favorite toddler-friendly restaurants to hit up in the comments below or feel free to let me know on Instagram under @MyLifeWellLoved!
