NICE restaurant for smaller children

We are going to Chicago next week and taking my 5 yo and my 2 yo. My husband and I love to eat and consider ourselves foodies. We would like to eat one night at a great chicago style pizza place and another at a NICE restaurant that is not a chain. We love to experience original food when traveling. We usually like american, seafood, italian, and steakhouses and would prefer a restaurant near the mag. mile or in the loop. Price is not an issue. Thanks in advance for the suggestions

Wendy - I have a 6yo and a 2yo. I can think of a couple of places, especially ifyou are willing to eat early. That said, Chicago is HUGE - could you share where you'll be, what you like, etc?

I'm going to guess near the Mag Mile or Loop...

Wow....some day I will learn to read...

Ok - so Chicago Original, Nice, Kid Friendly

I'd say an early dinner at Mike Ditka's or Harry Caray's. Don't be put off the the sport figures that own them, the food is rock solid. Harry Caray's is an "Italian Steakhouse" (great chicken vesuvio, grass fed steaks and pastas) - Mike Ditka's makes one of the best pork chops around.

I have taken my kids to both - they are both accommodating and take reservations on a weekend via phone or opentable.com (A necessity w/ kids for a fancy restaurant)

We will be staying at the Hyatt Regency on the East Wacker Drive. So anywhere near there or is easily accessible from there.

wendy774 wrote:We will be staying at the Hyatt Regency on the East Wacker Drive. So anywhere near there or is easily accessible from there.

I recommend Pizano's for very good pizza (both thin crust and deep dish) and more in a nice atmosphere. The Gage offers excellent food and drink (poutine, mussels in curry broth, and more) in a setting where kids will be welcome and grown ups will enjoy (upscale gastropub).

Pizano's
61 E Madison St, Chicago
(312) 236-1777

The Gage
24 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60603-3301
(312) 372-4243

boudreaulicious wrote:The Gage offers excellent food and drink (poutine, mussels in curry broth, and more) in a setting where kids will be welcome and grown ups will enjoy (upscale gastropub).

I'm not sure I fully understand what qualifies as NICE, but I second the Gage recommendation. A co-worker who knows I frequent Symphony Center asked me for a dining recommendation for what I thought was a date night to the CSO with his wife. I told him the Gage--not my favorite food but knowing that a lot of people like it. It turns out it was a whole family outing with their 5- and 7-year-old, and they loved it for a pre-symphony meal. They now eat there whenever they're in that area, with kids or without.

We also had a very good experience at the Gage with our nine-year-old, but I would qualify that you do need to know what your kids are able to handle - it's definitely an upscale restaurant/bar whose primary focus is adults.

That being said, the staff are welcoming and perfectly capable of handling kids, and the interior isn't crowded so you won't have to fear being on top of somebody's intimate night out - and lots of people with kids go there. With the Art Institute practically right across the street, it's a great way to spend your afternoon. The menu is available online and there's a thread about it here.

I think most of the big steak or seafood places would be fine. I would go early though. I think you can do better than The Gage as far as food goes, but that would work for kids.

There are two major variations of our delicious Chicago-style deep-dish pizza: the single-crust "pizza in the pan" introduced by Uno (in 1943) and Due (in 1955), and the double-crust "stuffed pizza" introduced by Nancy's (in 1971) and popularized by Giordano's (since 1972).

If you've never had either type here in Chicago, I recommend starting with the single-crust pizza in the pan. The original Uno and Due, at Ohio and Wabash, are the closest to the Hyatt for getting great pizza of this type; they're about five blocks northwest of the hotel. www.unos.com

If you'd like to try double-crust stuffed pizza. Bacino's is at 75 East Wacker, a block west of the Hyatt. www.bacinos.com Giordano's is in the Prudential building, two blocks south of the hotel. www.giordanos.com

Wherever you go for Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, phone ahead with your pizza order to avoid waiting 30-45 minutes while seated for your pizza to bake.

For a nice restaurant that is not a chain, there are many possibilities. Assuming your children are well-behaved, you should be able to take them anywhere without any worries. Here are some recommendations in the four categories you have mentioned.

For American, we have many excellent contemporary American restaurants. Atwood Cafe, in the Hotel Burnham about five blocks southwest of the Hyatt, is one. www.atwoodcafe.com My favorite is Cafe des Architectes, but it's a bit further, about nine blocks north of the Hyatt. www.cafedesarchitectes.com

For seafood, go to Shaw's Crab House, about three blocks northwest of the Hyatt. www.shawscrabhouse.com

For Italian, Coco Pazzo Cafe is about four blocks north of the Hyatt. www.cocopazzocafe.com Coco Pazzo Cafe is very good for what it is - an Italian restaurant that is slightly less expensive than many other mid-priced Italian restaurant. Its sister restaurant, Coco Pazzo, is even better, but it's further, about ten blocks west of the Hyatt. www.cocopazzochicago.com Also excellent is Cafe Spiaggia, about a mile north of the Hyatt. www.cafespiaggia.com

For the best steaks in the city, go to David Burke's Primehouse in the James Hotel, four blocks north of the Hyatt. www.jameshotels.com/Chicago-Hotel.aspx? ... Primehouse

Here's one more possibility for your nice dinner, one that is closer to the Hyatt than the places already mentioned. Aria is located in the Fairmont Hotel, across the street from the Hyatt. They specialize in pan-Asian cuisine, but they also have steaks and other American fare on the menu. Last time I ate there I had an excellent smoked prime rib. The food is excellent and so is the atmosphere, which is very classy (as you would expect from its location in a luxury hotel). www.ariachicago.com

Here are two more recommendations, for things you didn't mention but are worthwhile checking out and are not far from the Hyatt.

Fox & Obel, our premier gourmet grocery store, is very close to the Hyatt, just across the river and a few blocks east. In addition to things like the finest meats, fish, cheeses, etc that may not be of interest to a visitor from out of town, they have wonderful baked goods (don't miss their cinnamon swirl rolls!) as well as sandwiches, salads, and other prepared foods. They also have a cafe (nothing fancy, just your basic coffeehouse atmosphere) in the rear of the store where you can get anything from a cup of coffee to a complete meal prepared to order. www.fox-obel.com

Garrett Popcorn is a local specialty. They have caramel popcorn (with or without pecans or cashews), cheese popcorn, and a mix of the two. It's a great snack for when you're walking around. They have stores in a lot of locations downtown, including Michigan and Ontario (four blocks north of the Hyatt) and State and Randolph (four blocks southwest of the Hyatt). www.garrettpopcorn.com

Enjoy your visit!

I have yet to find a nice place that serves small children. If you do find one (especially one that serves them with a raspberry reduction), please let me know. I would like to have one of the little buggers grilled up for me on my next visit.

Wow nsxtasy, thank you. Especially for the great explanation about Chicago pizza. You were a BIG help!

Wendy

wendy774 wrote:Wow nsxtasy, thank you. Especially for the great explanation about Chicago pizza. You were a BIG help!

I'm glad to have helped.

Incidentally, there is a relationship between Uno and Due, and Pizano's, mentioned above. Starting in the 1940s when Uno first opened, one of the main people in charge for many years was Rudy Malnati, Sr. His sons, Lou and Rudy Jr., worked there as well. In the 1970s Lou opened his namesake pizzeria, Lou Malnati's, which now has a couple dozen locations around the Chicago area. In the 1990s Rudy Jr. opened Pizano's, which has three locations, including the one in the Loop. Unlike the nationwide chain locations ("Uno Chicago Grill ), the original locations of Uno and Due in River North are still excellent, and they are slightly closer to the Hyatt than Pizano's on Madison (although it's close too, and Pizano's also has a location on State in River North that's not much further). The closest location of Lou Malnati's is on Wells in River North, and that's a bit further than any of these. They're all excellent places for deep-dish though!

Personally, I much prefer Pizano's to either Uno's or Due's (not a fan of the cheese they use) and Pizano's has both good deep dish AND thin crust (actually like the thin the best) and is less of a tourist destination. As mentioned, Malnati's is very good as well but farther--And Pizano's is closer than either Due's or Uno's (Pizano's is .8m from the Hyatt v. 1.0 m for Due/Uno's). But ask 10 chicagoans whose pizza is best and you'll get 11 different answers so take this for what it's worth. The only thing that's actual fact is the distance

And as a significant other to a man with 10 & 11 year old boys, they may be absolute angels but taking them to a very adult place just isn't a fun experience for anyone--they get bored and we get distracted from the meal trying to appease the--so I would recommend places that have a bit more for kids so that you can all enjoy the experience more. For me, that would rule out places like David Burke, Aria and Coco Pazzo--these are restaurants that have an atmosphere that just does not feel kid-friendly to me and with so many places that have both--good food AND an atmosphere that won't make a kid feel uncomfortable, I don't see any reason to try to fit square peg into round hole

Shaw's would work for seafood (the oyster bar on the side even better than the dining room if not too crowded) and I have to respectfully disagree with some of my fellow posters on the Gage--have eaten there many times and recommended to more and the food is always delicious, inventive and served in an atmosphere that is very kid-friendly.

Enjoy your trip!

boudreaulicious wrote:And as a significant other to a man with 10 & 11 year old boys, they may be absolute angels but taking them to a very adult place just isn't a fun experience for anyone--they get bored and we get distracted from the meal trying to appease the--so I would recommend places that have a bit more for kids so that you can all enjoy the experience more. For me, that would rule out places like David Burke, Aria and Coco Pazzo--these are restaurants that have an atmosphere that just does not feel kid-friendly to me and with so many places that have both--good food AND an atmosphere that won't make a kid feel uncomfortable, I don't see any reason to try to fit square peg into round hole...

I've been to David Burke's twice with kids under 12--lunch and an early dinner--and I thought both the space and staff were well-suited to our younger companions. The kids had a blast.

boudreaulicious wrote:Pizano's is closer than either Due's or Uno's (Pizano's is .8m from the Hyatt v. 1.0 m for Due/Uno's).

Not true. Uno and Due are closer. Uno and Due, at Ohio and Wabash, are 0.5 miles from the Hyatt Regency Chicago at 151 East Wacker. Pizano's at 61 East Madison St is 0.6 miles away. Both distances are by walking, according to Google Maps.

I think Uno and Due are as good as Pizano's (maybe a bit better).

Also note - in other cities "hotel restaurant" = barely adequate, but in Chicago we have somehow accumulated many many really good restaurants in hotels. So do not at all dismiss a recommended place just because it is in a hotel. Some really good Chicago restaurants lurk in hotels and above office buildings.

leek wrote:Also note - in other cities "hotel restaurant" = barely adequate, but in Chicago we have somehow accumulated many many really good restaurants in hotels. So do not at all dismiss a recommended place just because it is in a hotel. Some really good Chicago restaurants lurk in hotels and above office buildings.

Actually, this has happened in many cities in recent years. Many hotels have learned that they can increase their restaurant business by being good enough to attract locals, rather than strictly relying on a captive audience willing to put up with mediocre food. I travel around the Midwest quite a bit and have found that high-quality hotel restaurants are no longer as rare as they were years ago. Not that all hotel restaurants are great, of course, but they are out there elsewhere, not only in Chicago. (Hotel restaurants I have enjoyed in just this past year include the fantastic six.one.six in the JW Marriott in Grand Rapids, the 1913 Room in the Amway Grand in Grand Rapids, and Envoy in the Ambassador Milwaukee.)

A lot of upscale places are more welcoming than you'd think. David Burke's, Wave and Cafe Spiaggia are each very warm and welcoming places for families. Primehouse has a very personable crew, Wave will accommodate just about anything (also very nice since it's very close to Navy Pier) and Cafe Spiaggia is an upscale restaurant for a date, yet still easy going and they even offer simple items like; paninos, gnocchi w/ cream sauce and other options for the kids. Don't forget to ask for crayons and some gelato .

If there's someplace you really want to go, but are thinking "maybe not" - call them and ask. Maybe they'll say "wow, uncool" but maybe they'll say "how wonderful, we'd love you to join us". You never know until you ask

leek wrote:If there's someplace you really want to go, but are thinking "maybe not" - call them and ask. Maybe they'll say "wow, uncool" but maybe they'll say "how wonderful, we'd love you to join us". You never know until you ask

Do you really think that any place would say "wow, uncool"? I'm not saying that this is necessarily a bad idea - heck, it couldn't hurt - but it seems like most restaurants, especially those that pride themselves on excellent service (which means almost everyplace, in this economy), welcome smaller children, assuming they are reasonably well behaved (e.g. they don't shout or run around the restaurant). I think JayZ is right, you may be surprised how much they are not only welcome, but how much the restaurant staff go out of their way to make the entire experience enjoyable for the kids as well as the adults. I still remember how exquisitely the staff at Everest dealt with the five-year-old girl dining with her parents at the table next to mine a couple of years ago; the sun was shining through the window onto her, and they kindly asked her, rather than her parents, if she would like them to lower the blinds.

ask them if they have a high chair. if not, you get the picture....

nsxtasy wrote:

leek wrote:If there's someplace you really want to go, but are thinking "maybe not" - call them and ask. Maybe they'll say "wow, uncool" but maybe they'll say "how wonderful, we'd love you to join us". You never know until you ask

Do you really think that any place would say "wow, uncool"?

Not in so many words, but yes. Not every place is able to deal with children. Some places do not want children. Better to ask than assume.

I was actually thinking more that the OP might be thinking it wouldn't work, but then calls and they say "sure, come on in and we'll gladly have you and your chldren" but you're welcome to interpret my words any way you wish, dearie.

teatpuller wrote:ask them if they have a high chair. if not, you get the picture....