Family Restaurants in Denver

Restaurant dining is often a comedy of errors when you’ve got tots in tow, but a night out with your kids—whether they’re babies, toddlers or tweens—doesn’t have to be a stressful exercise. In fact, most restaurants in The Mile High City—even those that are hoity-toity—welcome sticky fingers, strollers and picky eaters. Here are our top recommendations for destinations that satisfy the food and activity cravings of your entire brood.

Fogo de Chao

Picky eaters? Even the choosiest kids will find something to love at Fogo de Chao, the Brazilian steakhouse that brings a never-ending parade of fire-roasted filet mignon, bacon-wrapped chicken, crispy pork belly, sausage and a plethora of sides right to your table. Kids ages seven through 12 eat for half off, while tots six and under are totally free. The massive LoDo restaurant, just a block off Union Station, is the ideal spot for celebrations and holidays—or just a random Tuesday night when you don’t feel like fighting your third grader over what to make for dinner.

Syrup

What kid—or adult for that matter—would turn down churro doughnuts? This breakfast favorite with five locations scattered across the metro area has something to please every kid and kid at heart. We’re talking pancakes topped with cinnamon butter roasted apples and caramel sauce, American cheese and scrambled eggs sandwiched onto a pretzel bun, smashed tater tots loaded up with a biscuit and gravy and the fan favorite brown sugar-glazed maple bacon. Go here when you need a breakfast of champions.

Holey Moley

Banish mealtime boredom at Holey Moley, the latest on Denver’s burgeoning eatertainment scene. With a trio of 9-hole mini golf courses plus a restaurant and bar, you can have a side of putt-putt with your sand-wedges (see what they did there?). Their regular menu is pretty kid-friendly as-is—pizza, burgers, nachos—but there are even more options in the Caddy Kids Meals. Those of a certain age can make the kids jealous sipping cocktails served out of giant bathtubs, trophies and unicorns. (Yes, really.) Ask nicely and they might pour one of their fruity mocktails into the special oversized cups for the kiddos.

Holey Moley

Carmine’s on McGregor Square

Flanked by Coors Field, this 28,000-square-foot entertainment emporium in the Ballpark ‘hood is an intersection of lofty living residences, a swanky boutique hotel, retail shops, office space, an outdoor plaza, bars and cafes, a Colorado Rockies Hall of Fame experience, a food hall and Carmine’s, a contemporary-chic lunch and dinner restaurant specializing in family-style plates of Italian-American obsessions. Much like the original Carmine’s — a staple in the Speer neighborhood since 1994 — the new iteration is all about abundance and celebrating that abbondanza with friends and family. The tables, sheeted with brown butcher paper, double as a blank canvas for kids who want to doodle (each table comes with a cup of crayons) and servers who use those crayons to scribble your order. While there are menu boards scattered throughout the labyrinth of muraled dining rooms, the servers are more than adept at helping diners navigate the syllabus of appetizers, salads, side dishes, pasta, risotto and chicken and veal dishes. Just remember: Everything here is on the big side, and desserts are no exception.

Casa Bonita

When the 50-year-old Mexican restaurant reopened in summer 2023 under new owners Matt Stone and Trey Parker (aka the creators of “South Park”), there was, to put it lightly, some hullaballoo. Casa Bonita is a beloved Colorado icon, after all, a family-friendly destination for any sort of celebration that warrants gorilla-suited cliff divers and sopaipillas. Would the guys preserve the pink palace’s peculiar charm? Would those cliff divers, the roaming mariachi bands and Black Bart’s Cave survive their Hollywood facelift? And, above all, would the food—which had never been known for being especially tasty—finally be great? The answer to all of those burning Casa Bonita questions is yes—Casa Bonita is back, and it’s better than ever. Especially the menu, which is under the direction of chef Dana Rodriguez, a James Beard nominated chef known for taking simple, fresh ingredients and turning them into culinary magic. Make sure you pencil in a few hours here; your kids aren’t going to want to leave.

Ace Eat Serve

Neither kids nor adults can get enough of Ace Eat Serve, an Uptown powerhouse of playtime providing fun-filled afternoons and evenings, coupled with a wicked-good Pan-Asian menu that unleashes crisp-skinned Peking duck, soup dumplings, curried mussels and pork-studded potstickers. The Korean-influenced chicken wings are unassailable, and the crispy beef and broccoli is the kind of dish that everyone can agree on. Bonus: All of the kid-only plates arrive with a complimentary order of doughnut holes sprinkled with five-spice sugar. The food will undoubtedly keep the little ones happy, and the collection of Ping-Pong tables, including several on the expansive (and heated) patio, probably means that they won’t want to leave.

Annette

Named one of "Bon Appetit’s" Best New Restaurants of 2017, Aurora-based Annette embodies everything you could possibly want from a dining experience: an elevated casual vibe, fresh ingredients that are never manipulated, exhilarating flavor combinations (beef tongue with pickled carrot relish; pork schnitzel drizzled with adobo vinaigrette; pork tenderloin and tetra squash), a wood-burning grill that permeates the air with perfumed smoke and a small but enormously satisfying wine scroll. But owner/chef Caroline Glover’s restaurant is also a place where the enormous satisfaction trickles down to youngsters who go bombastic for the cheeseburger, served on a housemade English muffin, the peanut butter and scratch-made jam sandwich and handmade sodas. The dining room is more suited to adults, but families congregate on the patio and inside Annette’s cozy yurt and greenhouses. Annette is a brilliant destination for the whole brood.

The Inventing Room Dessert Shop

There’s always something fantastically wacky and wonderful to try at this bewitching West Highland dessert emporium from Ian Kleinman, a molecular magician and science lab conjurer who schooled Denver in crazy-cool things like Twizzler space foam, exploding whipped cream, spun sugar, candy corn powder, clouds of smoke and pomegranate fizz pop-rocks—tricks that reach way beyond Willy Wonka’s fictional candy factory. Reserved tickets, available on the Inventing Room website, are required to enter the dessert wonderland, which plays host to themed cooking demonstrations and small group tasting tours that commence in a bounty of sweet and savory treats that will blow your mind.

The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa by Marriott

The Brown Palace, the grand dame of downtown Denver hotels, is elegant, prim and proper, expensive and, at first glimpse, the last place you’d ever think of taking your children. Still, there’s something wonderfully fetching about getting your kids all fancified in their frilly dresses or pressed suits and taking them to the hotel’s afternoon tea, a glorious affair that your kids likely won’t forget. The swanky signature spread grandstands tiered china splayed with handmade pastries, scones with jam and Devonshire cream and dignified finger sandwiches, all of which is accompanied by a pot of loose-leaf tea. For the ultimate experience, splurge on the Royal Palace, which includes a decadent truffle, a kir royale for adults and a non-alcoholic glass of bubbles for the regal young prince or princess.

Sam’s No. 3

French toast and pancakes are always an easy sell, as are hamburgers and chicken strips, which is why you’ll find a parade of kids and adults at Sam’s No. 3, a kitschy downtown Denver diner with old-school charm and an old-school menu that dates back to 1927, the same year Charles Lindbergh flew from New York to Paris, resulting in the first solo transatlantic flight. You can school your kids on that slice of history while they enthusiastically crush their Mickey Mouse-shaped pancake, syrup-soaked French toast or cheeseburger from the kids’ menu, a lengthy roster that includes juice, milk, chocolate milk or a soda with each dish. And if your kids haven’t scribbled on the walls since their last timeout, treat them to a wedge of cherry pie. While Sam’s is about as kid-kind as it gets, adults aren’t left out in the cold: Enticing bloody marys, beer, wine and a half-dozen different mimosas come quickly, as do huge plates of biscuits and gravy, seam-busting breakfast burritos and hearty salads and sandwiches.

Avanti Food & Beverage

This high-energy food hall in Lower Highland (LoHi) shelters a collection of self-contained shipping containers, each of which is a mini restaurant. Families can feast from a world-spanning variety of cuisines—everything from Venezuelan arepas and leopard-spotted Neapolitan-style pizzas to Asian noodle dishes and pudgy burgers—and relish their feast at a communal table or in the lounge on the main level, or at an upstairs community space. While the youngins swell their bellies, parents can enjoy a cocktail, glass of wine or craft beer from one of two bars, including the brilliant rooftop terrace, one of the city’s best perches to snap Insta-worthy photos of the beautiful downtown Denver skyline.

Denver Central Market

A veritable one-stop dining experience, this 12,000-square-foot gastrohall located in the hip River North Art District (RiNo) ballyhoos 11 restaurants dispensing a variety of terrific creations: charcuterie-and-cheese plates, creative pastas and wood-fired pizzas, hand-crafted chocolates, sugar-studded pastries and stellar seafood dishes. Outfitted with an ice cream shop, coffeehouse, butcher shop, fish counter and centerpiece bar that pours progressive cocktails (and mocktails), the enterprising market appeases every age group and culinary persuasion. Each of the vendors has its own seating area, but the communal dining space is where everyone seems to congregate; there’s a big-screen TV, too, that showcases sporting events.

Punch Bowl Social

Occupying a corner parcel in the hipster-soaked Baker neighborhood, this behemoth, bi-level eatery and indoor fun factory plays up activities for all ages: wall-size Scrabble, a giant foosball table, Ping-Pong, shuffleboard, bowling alleys, a photo booth and cotton candy machine, private karaoke rooms and vintage arcade and pinball games. Check out the shareable punches (also available as alcohol-free libations), creative milkshakes and the notable dishes from culinary wizard Christopher Cina, whose menu is stamped with temptations like chicken and waffles, steak frites, nachos and an all-American double cheeseburger with all the fixings and fries.

Ace Eat Serve

Slater’s 50/50

Chook Chicken

Chook, with a trio of locations scattered across the city, including its flagship Platt Park storefront, is a come-as-you-are fortress of fowl that pleases parents and kids alike with its crème de la cluck. Here, parents can sip a glass of wine and share a splendid charcoal-smoked whole chicken and a chopped salad, while the kids crunch through rotisserie chicken sliders, falafel sided with tzatziki sauce or elevated macaroni and cheese bathed in a creamy white cheddar sauce.

Slater’s 50/50

Known for their over-the-top milkshakes topped with treats like Twinkies, cupcakes and sprinkles (that’s all on the same shake), it’s no wonder that Slater’s 50/50 is a kid favorite. Grownups can add a shot of chocolate whiskey or huckleberry vodka to their decadent creations, or grab a $7 cocktail or $6 glass of wine during the twice-daily happy hour. The savory items are crowd-pleasing, too, with a burger roster that includes a PB&J version, plus a ghost chili powder-laced burger so hot you have to sign a waiver to order it. (Maybe skip that one for the kids.) With TVs everywhere and a bustling vibe, no one will even notice the shrieks of glee coming from your table.

Homegrown Tap & Dough

A favorite on Old South Gaylord Street, the bustling nucleus of the stately Washington Park neighborhood, Homegrown Tap & Dough is one of those rare restaurants that deftly bridges the gap between cool and casual, making it an ideal destination for young families tempted by craft beer and the scent of pizzas, which emerge blistered and charred from the embers in the wood-fired oven. Kids also love the pepperoni rolls dusted with Parmesan, the fried spheres of housemade mozzarella and the meatball sliders. If you manage to snag a table outside, you can let your little ones loose to try their luck in the retro arcade game room that squats next to a courtyard that’s usually a riot of kids and their parents playing corn hole. If you find yourself roaming around Olde Town Arvada—another neighborhood that caters to families—you can grab lunch or dinner at the second outpost of Homegrown Tap & Dough.