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32 of our favorite Kid Friendly Restaurants near me in Collin County

You might be looking for Kid friendly restaurants near me. Whether you’re a foodie or not, we all need places to eat out with kids. Dining out is easier when the Kids are happy too, and you can enjoy an adult beverage alongside a Kid’s Menu!

It is hard enough to choose a restaurant out of the many great choices here in Plano but it is harder to find that perfect place that is a kid-friendly restaurant with a play area too.

More: Plano Restaurants: The Ultimate Guide for Local Families 

40 things to do for free

That said, we are so lucky that located in the heart of Plano and surrounding areas have tons of great kid-friendly restaurants near me.  

For your Kid’s meal – are you tired of burgers, hotdogs, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, and fries? We have other great restaurant ideas for you that are child-friendly.

Kid friendly restaurants in North Texas

There are many kid-friendly restaurants near me, with excellent menus that will satisfy kids and adults, even those who have sophisticated taste buds.

From farm-to-table spots to a hangout where parents can enjoy a drink while the kids can play nearby, there are lots of options for you.

Some have free kids meals to help you save money too.

Well, if you live in or around Plano, Texas, there are a bunch of them available.

Or, if you’re going out to eat with kids then you want to make sure you visit one of these kid-friendly places and deals such as the Gattitown Coupons, for example.

We have several Kid-friendly restaurants near me for play areas built in for instant fun and entertainment for the kids.

These restaurants were suggested by other Plano Moms who have tried these places.

Kid friendly restaurants

We have created a list of some of the best family and kid-friendly restaurants around North Texas, where adults and children can both have a great time!

Kid Friendly Restaurants near me in Plano

Benihana

5840 Legacy Cir, Plano, TX 75024

Date night, girls night, or a family night, Benihana’s extraordinary one-of-a-kind dining experience is a perfect place for everyone!  Enjoy catching up with friends and family while you leave the cooking to a Benihana master teppanyaki chef, who performs some tricks that will surely entertain both adults and kids.

The kids will love the full Benihana Kabuki kids menu, which includes teppanyaki favorites like Hibachi steak, chicken and shrimp.

Central Market

Location: 320 Coit Rd, Plano, TX 75075

Talking about convenience and healthy food selections –produce, meat, seafood, cheese, and bread to name a few. Central Market is most of the local go-to grocery shop and hang-out place. After grocery shopping, we can grab our drinks from the shelf and get our food from the café.

While kids tend to finish eating fast, they get to play at the barnyard-themed playground just right outside the store.

There are outdoor picnic tables for you to sit and watch the kids play on a nice sunny day in Plano.


Panera Bread

Location: 1900 Preston Rd, Plano, TX 75093

Did you know that Panera Bread offers over 40 entrees combined with a choice of sides (e.g., squeezable organic yogurt, apples, baguette, sprouted grain roll, or chips) and a 250 kid-friendly combinations possible on Panera Bread’s menu?

Hey fellow moms, they are giving us a real break, don’t you think? YES, guaranteed that the kids will find something they’ll enjoy. And, the adults have tons of options to choose from.  Not to mention their pastries, desserts, and sweets which are all freshly baked each day.


The Boardwalk Granite Park

Location: 5872 TX-121 #105, Plano, TX 75024

Choose from Chip’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers, Suburban Yacht Club, Fork & Fire, Blue Mesa, The Biscuit Bar and Union Bear are great options, so grab your food, enjoy the patio and watch the kids play at the outdoor playground on the deck, right by the large pond and fountain.


District at Willow Bend
The District at Shops at Willow Bend

Mama’s Daughters Diner: 6509 W. Park Blvd. Suite 400, Plano, Tx 75093

Shake Shack: 7401 Windrose Ave #150, Plano, TX 75024

Legacy Hall and Box Garden: 7800 Windrose Ave, Plano, TX 75024

Little Greek Fresh Grill: 3100 Independence Pkwy #102a, Plano, TX

Mi Cocina (Plano, Lakeside Location) has a covered Patio and an attached side area that is gated for kids to run and play games.  


family eating

Kid-friendly Restaurants near me in Allen, Texas

*New for 2023*: The Hub in Allen

Location: 1289 Johnson Road, Allen, TX 75013

This venue has multiple restaurant options, from burgers, pizza, seafood, and frozen treats – perfect for every fussy kid!

With DJ Dance parties, Movie nights on the open lawn, and live music for all ages, we think this new addition to Allen is the perfect kid-friendly restaurant.


Hat Creek Burgers

Location: 555 E Exchange Pkwy, Allen, TX 75002

A great story behind this restaurant, with a mission “to provide fellowship and fresh cheeseburgers to all who come in contact with Hat Creek”, and a goal “to become the best fast-casual, family-friendly restaurant in the country”.

They have a really good size kids’ play area with a slide, a half-airstream, and plenty of climbing apparatus; these will keep the kids occupied, while parents can enjoy a drink and a quiet talk.


Uncle Julio’s

Location: 190 E Stacy Rd #3400, Allen, TX 75002


Grimaldi’s

Location: 836 Watters Creek Blvd C-200, Allen, TX 75013

This restaurant is the most award-winning pizzeria in the United States, with its fresh ingredients, handmade mozzarella, ‘secret recipe’ dough and pizza sauce, it makes them one go-to restaurant among families.

They had the bright idea of giving kids some pizza dough to play with and keeping them entertained. YES, What a brilliant idea! Their pizza is delicious which makes it perfect for both kids and adults.

To add, their décor makes you feel that you are in a New York Pizzeria and the ambiance is so welcoming and warm.

Watter’s Creek (Allen) as an area has a lot of restaurants and a play area for kids in a grassy area

Gloria’s Mexican Food (Fairview) 152 Fountain Court, Fairview, TX 75069. The restaurant is next to a splash fountain/water show for kids

Looking for the Best Burger in Plano?

Kid-friendly Restaurants near me in Frisco

Babes Chicken Dinner House

Location: 6475 Page St, Frisco, TX 75034

Who doesn’t like fried chicken? No one. Babe’s specializes a casual home-style dinner for the whole family to enjoy together.

This is a family-run business that has nine locations throughout Texas serving both their original fried favorites, like catfish with green tomato relish, as well as healthier options. Kids and adults will love the real fire truck and a giant tractor parked outside in the Frisco location.

The Frisco Rail Yard

Location: 9040 First St, Frisco, TX 75034

This is a perfect place to hang out when the weather is beautiful. It has become North Dallas’ favorite food truck park with its live music, events, and rotating food trucks for the whole family.

UP Inspired Kitchen

Location: 5285 Dallas Pkwy #400, Frisco, TX 75034

Breakfast, brunch, or lunch make up the full menu at this casual daytime local’s favorite spot in Frisco. Everyone raved about their healthy food options, with each dish being a thoughtful combination of special flavors from locally sourced ingredients, and the family-style patio has a playhouse and kids area for the kids to enjoy while Mom and Dad, and friends get to catch up in peace.


More Kid-friendly Restaurants around Frisco and Little Elm

Hula Hut: 210 E Eldorado Pkwy, Little Elm, TX 75068

Flix Brewhouse Frisco/Little Elm: 1660 FM423, Frisco, TX 75033

Cane Rosso: 3685 The Star Blvd #200, Frisco, TX 75034

Nerdvana: 5757 Main St #112, Frisco, TX 75034

Pizzeria Testa: 8660 Church St, Frisco, TX 75034

La Hacienda Ranch: 4110 Preston Rd, Frisco, TX 75034

Super Chix: Playspace at all locations, one in Frisco and one in Dallas


Kid-friendly Restaurants near me in The Colony

Lava Cantina

Location: 5805 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX 75056

Great food (a blend of Cajun and Mexican cuisine), family-friendly space ( outdoors and overlooking the water)  and live music, what else can you ask for?

best patio lava cantina
photo credit: Dallas Morning News Anja Schlein/Special Contributor

Heritage Pizza

Scroll down to see the Top 10 things we recommend to make eating out great fun for Kids.

Location: 3750 Plano Parkway, Suite 600, The Colony, TX 75056

Grab your pizza while your kiddos play makes for the perfect Kid-friendly restaurant.

Kids eat free on Tuesdays, or you can enjoy a family meal any day of the week for $33. It includes a large pizza, salad, cheese bread, and drinks.

More: Great places to eat at Grandscape The Colony


Kid friendly restaurants medieval times

Kid-friendly Restaurants near me in Dallas

Medieval Times: 2021 N Stemmons Fwy, Dallas, TX 75207

The Melting Pot: 4900 Belt Line Rd #200, Dallas, TX 75254

The Magic Time Machine: 5003 Belt Line Rd, Dallas, TX 75254


More great spots to take Kids out to eat..

Kid-friendly Restaurants near me in Richardson and Carrollton

Super Chix: 1551 E Renner Rd Suite 830, Richardson, TX 75082

The String Bean Restaurant 1310 W. Campbell Rd, Richardson, TX 75080. A Kid-Friendly foods and a Playroom area for kids

Nico’s Cocina: 3065 N Josey Ln #24, Carrollton, TX 75007.

They have a covered patio with a playground attached for kids

We know a couple of Mi Cocina restaurants have play areas too. The one close to us is one of my favorite family restaurants and has multiple locations.


Kid friendly restaurants near me

Check it out and make sure to check their site for a schedule of their free kid’s movie, arts and crafts, and all the family fun. They are one of our favorite restaurants with great patios!


10 Things Guaranteed to Make Families Visit Kid-Friendly Restaurants

  1. Coloring Books for Younger Kids

We love coloring books that have enough clean pages to keep our little ones going for a while when we have forgotten to bring our own, plus crayons that work and don’t break.

Bonus: how about some comics or magazines for our older kids to browse as coloring is now beneath them!

  1. Kid-sized cutlery

Little fingers struggle with adult-sized cutlery. Big forks always drop on the floor with a clang. Have some kid-sized cutlery and you will have happy little diners.

  1. A space to put strollers out of the way

So everyone passing doesn’t trip and kill themselves. Or an offer to put it somewhere quickly and efficiently out of the way until we need it again.

  1. Proper changing tables in both male & female toilets

We hate being forced to change baby on the floor yet again. Some baby wipes and a nappy or two in case of memory loss are helpful too.

And, yes, males do change nappies too, so changing facilities in both male and female toilets is a must!

  1. Kids’ Menus with a bit of imagination

What about some carrot sticks and cucumber slices and baby tomatoes on the plate?

If you must serve those french fries then offer something fresh for little fingers to enjoy, and to keep parents happy that there’s something healthy on the plate.

  1. Smaller portions for kids

We’re tired of huge adult sized goopy macaroni cheese that our kid takes one spoonful of and then pushes away.

  1. Kids are HUNGRY when they arrive

Please bring their main courses with the adult starters without us having to remember to ask for this!

  1. Short plastic tumblers

We kindly request tumblers and preferably plastic instead of long tall glasses that kids can knock over, and while we are at it, we’d love some healthier drink options for kids.

  1. Extra napkins on tables

For the inevitable drink spill.

  1. And if you could possibly manage…

Oh yes, a corner of the restaurant with TV, DVD, playing a kids’ movie and some cushions that they can park themselves on….


Have we left off your favorite kid-friendly place? Let us know by leaving us a comment and we’ll add it to this list!


Pam Parham

Thursday 13th of July 2017

MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes (3 Plano locations) have a giant Moodle Doodle chalk board for kids and crayons for Mooyah-themed coloring pages. Great kids menu too!

PlanoMoms

Thursday 13th of July 2017

So true! Not to mention they have great food! Thanks for the idea!

valerie jacobs

Tuesday 9th of May 2017

Great site & information for Plano (& area) moms! I am happy to open a new business in the area & invite you to come by (call or email) for more information on Kids Cooking Parties or our Kid's Get Cooking - cooking classes for ages 6-12 (younger can join in the fun with Mommy & Me classes)--

For busy moms, we will also offer "Ready-to-Eat" Pick up dinners (3 x week) --