Seattle restaurants with play areas for kids that you might want to know about if you travel here with your family

It’s been a long time since my kids have needed a play area at a restaurant but I remember the days when it was so much easier to eat with the kids or eat with friends together with ALL of our kids when we knew there was an area that the little ones could hang in while the grownups chatted and finished our meal. Here are a few restaurants in Seattle that might help you if you’re looking for Seattle restaurants with a kids’ play area while you dine.

Serendipity Cafe in Magnolia Seattle

If you are visiting Ella Bailey Park or the Magnolia Playfield then you might check out the Serendipity Cafe at lunch or dinner time.  This cafe has been here even when my kids were little and they have a small designated play area that is handy when the kids get antsy but you still want to finish your food.  There is also a book store nearby, Magnolia’s Bookstore, that has a large kids’ book section.  Nutty Squirrel Gelato across the street is another local family favorite if you want to make the playground, the meal and the ice cream adventure a whole afternoon event.  Ella Bailey Park has one of the coolest views of the city in Seattle as well.

Cafe Arta at Third Place Books in Ravenna

Cafe Arta is in a really cool bookstore in Ravenna (Third Place Books) where Vios Cafe used to be when my guys were growing up.  We went there recently without kids and had a delicious meal but the little play area is still here.  This bookstore also has a great kids’ books section too if you need to pick out something to read and take home.

Katsu Burger in Ballard

Katsu Burger opened up when my kids were small and we used to love going to the one in Georgetown for their tofu burgers.  Now there are multiple locations and the new one in Ballard (in the old Skillet location) has a play area for kids-there are grownup tables in this area too and it feels pretty contained in an area at the back of the restaurant.  The hubby and I recently ordered a takeout order but ended up staying in because the restaurant was such an inviting space.  I love the Totoro art on the walls and the cherry tree sculpture in the middle of the restaurant is something you need to see in real life.

Ballard Pizza Company

I haven’t been to this place yet because we have our pizza favorites, but the Ballard Pizza Company is supposed to have a play area that is very popular so I didn’t want to leave it off this list. ( If you go please let me know what you think.)  We always seem to be eating some kind of pizza and often get takeout from Domino’s or from Windy City Pie so I know we’ll end up here one day. We also like to visit Tutta Bella and Mod Pizza (neither of these have play areas) and when the kids were small we would just bring a few special toys that they didn’t play with anywhere else to entertain them while we waited for their food.

Playdate Seattle in South Lake Union

Playdate Seattle is a popular hangout near REI and unlike the other places listed above, there is a fee for kids to come and play in the contained playground area.  The cafe part has wifi and decent food, but this is definitely a designated kids’ play area with food available for purchase and not a destination restaurant with a kids’ play area.  For older kids a similar space would be Elevated Sportz in Bothell and Family Fun Center in Tukwila can accommodate a variety of ages.  For nostalgia’s sake, I can’t help but also recommend Chuck E Cheese’s too.  If you want to experience everything but the pool area, you can also head to Great Wolf Lodge just for the day and they have a few restaurants on site there as well.

For other kid-friendly restaurants in Seattle, you can also check out this list of our favorites.  Many of these do not have designated play-areas but they are frequented by many other Seattle families and most will have kids’ menus.  If you are looking for toys to bring along to restaurants for kids, I have some listed in my Amazon store.

Do you have a favorite Seattle restaurant with a play area that I’ve missed?  Or if you have any restaurant in the Seattle area that your kids really enjoy, I’d love to hear about it too.

(PS. the featured photo is one I took at the Panama Hotel in Seattle ages ago and I’m not sure if they still have their kids’ play area there but it is still such a cool space.  This coffee shop has so much Seattle history and it’s featured in the book Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet so it might be one you want to check out anyways if you’re in the Seattle area.)

Terumi

Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys.  She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live.  She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)