A Toast to Children!

Toast Eatery

1748 Church Street, San Francisco, Map it here
415.282 .4328
www.toasteatery.com

Neighborhood: Noe Valley

Price: Around 9 dollars for a generously sized meal with a kid’s meals starting at 4 dollars

Parking: Free street parking and metered

Out for a Bite- Mom Dayna with Sam

After a nice morning at Noe Valley’’s Day Street Park (Upper Noe Recreation Center), my friend Kory suggested we  head down to Toast for lunch with our toddlers.  The restaurant’s name caused me to crave French toast, but I soon settled on ordering each and every item on the menu while wondering how our tiny tots would make it through yet another adult meal in an adult restaurant.

Well, based on the kid friendly menu selections of lots of yummy American breakfast and lunch selections and one of the most kid-tolerant staffs in the City, we not only made it through the meal, we (almost) ate all the food that we so lavishly ordered!.

We arrived at 11 AM on a weekday and though we did not have to wait for a table, it did take a little longer than usual to receive our food.   That aside, the food was great and both Kory and I were actually able to finish our meals..  This Toast Eatery we rate kid friendly in part because our two toddlers stood on their chairs throughout the whole meal, ate through several mini jam containers that they found on the table and left a collection of Pirate’s Booty crumbs on the floor, and the lovely staff and fellow customers still smiled throughout the meal and commented on how cute our kids were!!  We love these kid friendly city folk!

Also, the outside seating area is a nice bonus on a warm or sunny day.

And wait, there’s more fun to be had.  We suggest either before or after your meal you walk and explore the area of Church Street and 30th Street area:  Café XO and a real nice produce market sit at the end of Church and down the block is the newly renovated Day Street park and recreation center at Day and Sanchez.

Update: On my most recent visit to Toast, I ordered the French toast on croissant and I highly recommend it!  The staff was equally as Kid Friendly as before and the local customers as welcoming as well!

Other Toast Eatery location not reviewed . . . yet:
3991 24th street
San Francisco, California 94114
415.642 .6328

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!