Find a good time between baby’s naps and enjoy a brunch out with your partner or some friends.
You want to find a place with wide enough aisles between tables that you can wheel a stroller or walk with a toddler, no fancy table cloths, and a changing table in the restroom. Ambient noise is generally a big plus!
Some of my go-to places in Berkeley:
- The West Side Cafe in West Berkeley is pretty baby friendly and makes yummy pancakes and chilaquiles.
- Bette’s Oceanview Diner on 4th Street is always crowded, so send a friend ahead of your group to put your name on the list, then enjoy a nice walk on over. It’s noisy, fun, and delicious! It’s also across the street from Cody’s Books and a toy store if you need to kill time or change a diaper.
- Bacheeso’s at Dwight and San Pablo is a favorite of all our out-of-town guests. Because of the popular buffet, there’s no need to wait for your own food or for a piece of bread to throw junior.
Where is your favorite baby-friendly brunch spot?
We love Fatapple’s in El Cerrito. The line can get long, but if you send some people ahead you can cut the wait. Also, my toddler loves looking at the cases of baked goods by the door so we often entertain him that way. If he gets really cranky while we wait, we buy him a cheese puff to eat.
Cafe Tomate. Terrific food. Never crowded. Open at 8:00 am (great when your kids are up at sunrise or earlier). My toddlers love the french toast. Big tables, so room for small toys, coloring books. Patio outside for walking around, usually friendly dogs out there too.
Reviews: http://www.yelp.com/biz/Tp8fFDiqhT4vhO7Ovs3W1w
We really love Meal Ticket on San Pablo. They have a nice menu, including corn cakes with fruit that our girl loves (no tofu scramble though), and the food is always really quite good. They have a great outdoor seating area and the staff were all very baby friendly. Venus, on Shattuck, has actually been pretty good for breakfast too (we ate there all the time before the girl came), but beware that they only have one high chair during the week (two on weekends).
I love Yolk! in Chicago’s South Loop. They have health options like fruit, granola, yogurt, etc., as well as some other delicious options such as waffles with bacon in the batter and all sorts of egg dishes.
And hooray for West Side Cafe. I thought pancakes and chilaquiles were only served simultaneously at my house
We love going out to dim sum restaurants for brunch…they are usually really noisy (so no one can hear your kids yelling), crowded, and interesting. Also, the waitstaff know how to handle children, and there are always high chairs, because multi-generation Asian families eating together are the norm.
East Ocean in Emeryville has a great view and is very spacious (food is so so). Also, lots of dim sum to be had at the Pacific East Mall in Richmond (there is Daimo outside, and various smaller restaurants inside the mall).
My boys and I love Lakeshore Cafe in Oakland. We always get fruit instead of fries and surprisingly my boys (4 and 6) actually love this option. Not super cheap, but fantastically kid friendly management and staff and great food for kids and grownups alike.
SadieDey’s Cafe is now offering weekly brunch specials like orange pecan french toast on Saturday and Sunday. They also have a great assortment of fresh baked muffins and cookies! Yum!
Cody’s on 4th Street has been closed for almost 2 years. Is this a re-post?