Chenery Park Restaurant’s Tuesday Kid’s Club

Chenery Park Restaurant

www.chenerypark.com
683 Chenery Street, San Francisco, 94131, Map it here
415-337-8537

Neighborhood: Glen Park

Cost: Kid’s Menu – $3+; Adult’s menu $15+

Dad Marcel, Mom Jen and 'lil Lena toast to a family night out at the CP.

Ummm, can you say dinner out with your kids in a grown up establishment surrounded by your fellow parent peers?  Why… Chenery Park Restaurant has done it, so you can eat your heart out parents and kids!  By the time I heard the buzz about this restaurant, my daughter was already one year old (how we needed this sooner)…  so to play catch up, we now make this a regular evening out and we recommend you do the same.

Owners Richard Rosen, Gaines Dobbins, John Bedard and Joseph Kowal and their fantastic, attentive, patient staff deserve a medal for starting such a great tradition (and at the very least deserve our generous tips!).  Every Tuesday night starting at 5:30, they convert the entire upper level to a kid friendly safe haven where kids can be kids, run around and socialize and climb stairs, while adults can be adults and eat a real meal in a real restaurant, not from your average kid friendly joint like chain restaurants and quick eats.  The food is very tasty, the surroundings are clean, the décor is nice and homey.  All in all, you almost feel like you’re going out on a (pre kid) date with your honey . . . almost.

The staff is extremely sensitive– one cute waitress even assured me, “Relax that this night is for you” as I shushed my child who strayed too far from our table and began disturbing other (non-parent) diners.

The CP takes reservations, so make one if you have a good sized group coming or you want to be assured a table.  The CP looks after you – they even let you know as you exit that you if you leave anything behind (a sock, a toy, a book . . . ) they will call you.

The CP on Tuesdays is one of our Kid Friendliest picks for dinner in town.

If you are looking for some before dinner activities, the small business district of Glen Park is perfect for strolling with little ones.  Discover the bookstore Bird and Beckett (653 Chenery Street next to Chenery Park), Perch (654 Chenery St.) for unique adult and tot gifts , various coffee shops and a newly remodeled public library (on Diamond Street).  For some high end marketing try Canyon Market at 2815 Diamond Street (see photo below).  And for an after dinner sweet, stop by Eggettes (2810 Diamond Street) for some delicious and interesting light waffle-like treats served in their comfy and ultra kid friendly environment.

Get Your Kicks on Floor 36!

Grand Hyatt Hotel Grand Views Lounge

www.grandsanfrancisco.hyatt.com
345 Stockton Street, San Francisco, 94108, Map it here
Tel: 415 398 1234

Cost: Lunch- Kid’s menu $6 and up, adults lunch $12 and up… Drinks $4 and up  (Dinner costs are higher)

Neighborhood: Downtown/Union Square

Parking:  Sutter Stockton Garage is across the way “kiddie” corner

Locals: Mom Nicole, Daughter Amelie and Dad Ira

Next time you are in Union Square shopping or parading about downtown and you have little Miss or Mr. Potty Trained tugging at you suddenly saying “Mommy, Daddy I need to pee” we recommend you ride up to this little wonder of an establishment to use their loo or maybe stay for a drink or a bite too.

This lounge and restaurant is one of our favorites in the city, one that leads me to exclaim again “Why should tourists get all the fun?”  Here is a place for both locals and out-of-towners alike to enjoy 360 degree views – you can see almost the entire city on a clear day!  It is enough to take your and your little one’s breathe away.  It’s also a nice place to have a cup of tea, relax and feel whisked away from the hustle and bustle of traffic and shoppers below.

The prices for drinking and dining are equivalent to downtown hotel prices, a bit inflated, but the location makes it worth the price of a few dollars more than an average restaurant in the square.  The Grand Views Lounge also tends to be a bit crowded too.  But if you are not in the mood for eats or refreshments, you can use their restroom for free as an excuse to enjoy the views without anyone asking you a thing . . . well maybe just a tourist asking you for directions.   Your child can sit or stand on a the large shelf below the window panes next to the restroom (I do believe this is permitted, but don’t quote me on this) and put her or his forehead to the glass and see all of Russian Hill, North Beach, the Financial District and Coit Tower, the Bay Bridge, the Sunset and Pot Hill.  Talk about photo opportunities!  (The staff will also let you roam the restaurant even if you are not patronizing the establishment and shoot photos, no problem.)

To find this local panorama, simply enter the hotel and go directly up the elevator and hit 36 and enjoy the ride.  Your ears may pop, but my daughter did not complain.

Also, don’t forget to show your child the Asawa Fountain on Stockton Street sandwiched between the entrance to the hotel and the back of the Levi’s store.  Its beautiful, textured bronze exterior demonstrates scenes and images of The City; a creative map-like sculpture for those youngsters who are studying the Community in school.

Ahhh … The Park Chalet

The Park Chalet

www.beachchalet.com
1000 Great Highway, San Francisco, 94122, Map it here
415-386-8439

Prices:  Small plates $5-15, Kid’s Menu selections are $5.25; Happy hour discounts apply on Mondays and Tuesdays; Free live music on Saturdays and Sundays 2-5 PM

Dad John with Daughters Sarah and Charlotte

Where Ocean Beach meets the Golden Gate Park, you will find this little dining oasis.  The Park Chalet, opened a few years after its sister restaurant the Beach Chalet, carries a totally unique vibe.  This ultra kid (and doggie) friendly, casual but hip restaurant is another one of those beautiful mirages of our urban City.

Your eyes do not fool you. Yes, you are seeing a hip restaurant spill out onto the grass and greenery of one of the most famous parks in one of the most splendid cities in the world.  Happy hours, live music and Sunday brunches make you feel as though you’ve been invited to a raging party, and your kids are invited too!  You will enjoy mixing with locals (I met one of my favorite mommy friends there) and love the kid and adult friendly fare (one of our favorites is the beer sampler- The Park Chalet is also a working brewery).  Your children will be relaxed and entertained by a.) the natural surroundings, b.) dogs, c.) hot dogs, d.) kids around them, e.) live music, f.) caramel apples or chocolate castle desserts, g.) some of the above, h.) all of the above… so you can really relax and enjoy your time out!  Everyone just seems to hang out, customers and staff alike.

The staff can often be harried, carrying around big trays of food in tight, crowded spaces, but they still are very attentive to families and your little ones.

Oftentimes it is foggy, so make sure to bring a coat for you and your little one.  But when the sun is out, nothing beats the Park Chalet.  On a warm weekend day it is difficult to get a spot to sit, so if you really want to eat, bring a picnic blanket to sit outside.  Parking can be tricky too, I recommend leaving your car across the street in the Ocean Beach parking lot or the street across from the beautiful Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden and North Dutch Windmill, also a must see before or after your visit at the Park Chalet and a good place to spread out your picnic blanket.  Come early (not hard with children) for the best seats or call for reservations.  Make sure you check out their website too to find out about their many types of happy hours and events.

If you have never been the Park Chalet, do not miss out on this San Francisco treat any longer… bring a friend or come alone with your child – you might just become a regular!

Country Club on the Lake

Lake Merced and Harding Park Clubhouse and Cypress Grill
Harding Park Golf Course

www.harding-park.com
99 Harding Road
San Francisco, CA 94132
(415) 664-4690

Parking: Free around the lake and at the golf course.

Chiarra plays with her Dad Chris

You’ve taken your children to our breathtaking urban beaches, but have you taken them to our beautiful urban lake?  Oh… Lake Merced? … Yes, Lake Merced!  The Lake is the place for birdwatching, picnicking and strolling galore.  Small piers to walk out on, bridges, secret lookout points and paths for discovering and oh so beautiful golf courses of course!  And then they get hungry, the newly constructed Harding Park’s Cypress Grill has great kid friendly eats too!

This location is a kid friendly favorite of ours because it is such a relaxing retreat and it is virtually undiscovered by San Franciscans that do not golf, bird watch or live on that side of town.   You can really get away from it all in a safe, clean outdoors experience.  Bring your binoculars, a coat (as it can be cold and foggy) and park at the picnic area on Harding Road following the signs to the Harding Park Golf Course off of Skyline Blvd.   (There are also other beautiful spots to park and walk all around the lake.)  Wander the paths to see rowers on the lake, birds and sweet views of the lake.  Bathrooms facilities exist at this location near the shuttered Boathouse Restaurant.

When hunger strikes, head up the road towards the golf course and enter the new clubhouse for a treat.  Large windows with views of the lake and trees will please your child while they dine on one of the many kid friendly selections and you all enjoy the kid friendly staff and atmosphere – surprising for a Golf Course clubhouse!  (Many of the selections include bacon, so if you don’t do the other white meat, make sure you tell them to leave it off.)  Lighter menu and snacks are offered outside at the walk-up window where you can sit on their patio furniture and be in the scene.  If you just need to use a nice restroom while you are taking a stroll, no problem, enter the building from either entrance.  (This was my favorite place to walk while I was pregnant, so needless to say, I was grateful for not having to use on of the lake’s portapotties offered in other areas.)

If you want to get moving after your food, continue your walk northeast from the entrance with the walk up window and through the golf course and you will find a nice bridge and great birdwatching opportunities.

This picnic area permits birthday parties without a permit and is usually calm and not crowded.  We find this area so kid friendly that we threw a birthday party for our daughter here.  On what was a beautiful day when we arrived to the picnic area on the lake, turned into a drizzly one with no prior warning.  No worries!  We took the party to up to the Cypress Grill and with plenty of space and parking pulled off the party thanks to the accommodating and kid friendly staff.  Onlooking golfing patrons were a little surprised by all of the children and balloons, but smiled and welcomed us.  Our guests, both children and parents, had a great time!

Wine … and Kids!?!

Vino Rosso

629 Cortland Avenue, San Francisco, (415) 647-1268, Map it here
www.vinorossosf.com

Wednesdays 4-7 PM

Cost: 5 dollars/taste and up

Neighborhood: Bernal Heights

Wine and milk bottles mingle!! Reija, with baby Ryder, and Ashley holding Waylon, take in the scene.

Drinking in a classy wine bar while dining on some tasty Italian food while your child is happily wandering the room … can life with kids get any better?  We usually associate kids with whining, not wining and dining… and at Vino Rosso on Wednesdays, you can have the more desirable latter option.

We enjoyed this cozy little scene one night with some neighborhood families who suggested we meet there.  Upon arrival we were seated next to a group of 4 moms with infants, (some of them nursing!- They have some non-alcoholic selections).  We immediately felt at home.  Families continued to trickle in throughout the evening with youngsters of all ages.

Meet friends, come with your partner or just alone with your little one and be taken care of.  Great service, smiling staff, cozy, warm little spot, generous wine tastes, children dining on gnocchi, what more can you ask for?  You might just become a regular.

If your little one begins to wine for the outdoors, take a break from your wine and take them across the street to the Bernal Recreation Center that sports a little playground on Moultrie at Cortland (behind their library that is currently closed for renovation).  And if you still have extra time, enjoy the little shops and coffee houses lining Cortland Avenue before or after your time at Vino Rosso.

To Kid Friendly Vino Rosso and Cortland Ave. – Salute!