The 10 best kid friendly restaurants in Charlotte

Kid friendly does not mean a crayon cup and a chicken finger. It means a room loud enough that nobody notices, food that arrives fast, space for a restless four year old and something on the menu the adults want to eat. These ten meet all four tests, and every one of them is a restaurant adults would choose anyway. Hours are current as of this writing.

1. South 21 Drive-In

The 1955 drive-in on Independence Boulevard where you park, flash the lights and a carhop brings burgers, the Super Boy, fried fish sandwiches and thick milkshakes to the window on a tray. Nobody has to sit still, nobody has to be quiet, and the car is the table. A Charlotte institution and the single easiest meal in the city with small children.

Hours: See the restaurant’s site for current hours

Address: 3101 E. Independence Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• Eat in the car; no table manners required.
• Carhop service since 1955.
• Fast, cheap and nostalgic.
• Milkshakes that end the argument.

Directory listing: South 21 Drive-In

2. The Wafflery

Build your own waffles, sweet or savory, from 7 a.m. seven days a week in the Belmont neighborhood, with a second Charlotte shop on Rozzelles Ferry Road. Counter service, outdoor seating when the weather is good, prices low enough to feed a family for the cost of one brunch entree, and a menu a picky five year old can navigate alone.

Hours: Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Address: 1020 E. 10th St, Charlotte, NC 28204

Why it made the list

• Waffles built to order.
• Open at 7 a.m. daily.
• No wait, no fuss.
• The cheapest family breakfast on the list.

Directory listing: The Wafflery

3. Club West Brewing

The South End brewery on the rail trail with a huge lawn, a rooftop patio, an Airstream selling cans, pizza and burgers, dogs everywhere and space for children to run while the adults sit. Games, food trucks and events most days. The Charlotte answer to needing a beer and a place for the kids to burn an hour.

Hours: See the brewery’s site for current taproom hours

Address: 2151 Hawkins St, Charlotte, NC 28203

Why it made the list

• A lawn the size of a park.
• Pizza and burgers on site.
• Dogs and kids both welcome.
• On the rail trail for a walk after.

Directory listing: Club West Brewing

4. Botiwalla by Chai Pani

The Indian street food stall inside Optimist Hall, where the whole point is that everyone orders from a different counter and meets at the table. Kebabs, lamb burgers, vada pav and a butter chicken thali from Botiwalla, plus doughnuts, noodles, tacos and ice cream from the rest of the hall, all in one loud, colorful room with its own restrooms.

Hours: Monday to Thursday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Address: 1115 N. Brevard St, Unit 203, Charlotte, NC 28206

Why it made the list

• A food hall: everyone picks their own.
• Loud enough that nobody notices.
• Counter service, no waiting for a check.
• Great food for the adults.

Directory listing: Botiwalla by Chai Pani

5. Pinky’s Westside Grill

The West Morehead burger joint with a bug painted on the roof, an outdoor patio, a menu of burgers, hot dogs, fried pickles and a substantial vegetarian section, and enough visual chaos inside to occupy a child for the length of a meal. Fast, casual, cheap and beloved. Order at the counter and grab a picnic table.

Hours: See the restaurant’s site for current hours

Address: 1600 W. Morehead St, Charlotte, NC 28208

Why it made the list

• A giant bug on the roof.
• Burgers, dogs and fried pickles.
• Patio seating.
• Counter service and quick.

Directory listing: Pinky’s Westside Grill

6. Mama Ricotta’s

Thirty years of red sauce Italian on Kings Drive: bread with hot oil the moment you sit, meatballs the size of tennis balls, penne alla vodka, chicken parm and a sunroom that handles a stroller. The kind of restaurant where a family of five is the normal table, and the leftovers are a second meal. Reserve on weekends.

Hours: Daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 601 S. Kings Dr, Suite AA, Charlotte, NC 28204

Why it made the list

• Bread on the table immediately.
• Portions that feed two meals.
• Used to family tables.
• Open seven days, lunch and dinner.

Directory listing: Mama Ricotta’s

7. The Goodyear House

The NoDa restaurant in a restored 1920s mill house with a large patio, a broad New American menu with a real burger and pasta, weekend brunch and a neighborhood setting that lets a family walk off a meal along North Davidson. Nice enough for the adults, relaxed enough for a six year old.

Hours: See the restaurant’s site for current hours

Address: 3032 N. Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• A patio in a historic mill house.
• A menu with something for everyone.
• Weekend brunch.
• NoDa for a walk after.

Directory listing: The Goodyear House

8. Moo & Brew

The Central Avenue burger and beer bar with a patio, a short menu of burgers, wings and tots, and a room that is already too loud to care about a fussy toddler. Casual, quick, cheap and open late for a family that ate dinner at eight. Plaza Midwood’s default weeknight.

Hours: See the restaurant’s site for current hours

Address: 1300 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• Burgers, tots and a patio.
• Loud by design.
• Late kitchen.
• Fast and inexpensive.

Directory listing: Moo & Brew

9. 300 East

The Dilworth restaurant in a converted house on East Boulevard, a Charlotte fixture for decades, with multiple small rooms, a patio, a brunch that runs all weekend and a menu broad enough to satisfy a grandparent and a nine year old at the same table. Walkable to Freedom Park for the afternoon after.

Hours: See the restaurant’s site for current hours

Address: 300 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203

Why it made the list

• Small rooms mean a quieter table.
• Decades of consistency.
• Weekend brunch.
• A walk to Freedom Park after.

Directory listing: 300 East

10. Haberdish

The NoDa restaurant built on the textile mill workers’ table: fried chicken, cornmeal fried okra, pimento mac and cheese, hushpuppies and sides served family style, in a room children find interesting and adults find beautiful. Fried chicken solves most kid menu problems, and the sides do the rest.

Hours: See the restaurant’s site for current hours

Address: 3106 N. Davidson St, Charlotte, NC 28205

Why it made the list

• Fried chicken and family style sides.
• A room worth looking at.
• In NoDa, near the ice cream.
• One of the city’s best restaurants.

Directory listing: Haberdish

The stop after

Dessert closes the deal: Two Scoops Creamery in Plaza Midwood and its five other locations, or the ice cream guide for the full list. Bang Bang Burgers on East 7th is another easy counter service dinner. If your family restaurant is missing, tell us.