Location, location, location, right? At least that’s what the real estate people tell us.
And, if you’re looking for family friendly spots in Austin that are close to home, or close to your hotel/vacation rental, it’s even more important to whittle your search down by location. So, here is our guide – from breweries to restaurants – broken down by neighborhood!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- North Austin
- South Austin
- East Austin
- West Austin
NORTH AUSTIN
How we’re defining North Austin: basically anything above the river and between MoPac + I35
DOWNTOWN
- Whole Foods Lamar – I love grocery stores. This one is great to check out, generally, and particularly with the kids. The buzz of a grocery store, the food stations spread throughout, BBQ to seafood to DIY, the sights, sounds and people watching is top notch. You can either sit inside upstairs or outside upstairs for a nice view of the immediate area (what’s up Waterloo?!)
- Amy’s Ice Cream – alright, ya’ll. I know. Amy’s isn’t a restaurant in that it only serves one thing: ICE CREAM! And, it’s decadent and old school Austin and kid friendly (duh) and you need to spend your dollars locally. Keep Austin Weird
Be sure to check out our full guide on the best kid friendly restaurants in downtown Austin.
CLARKSVILLE
- Better Half – large back patio with ample seating. That this area is essentially “fenced in” makes it a nice spot to plop down with the kiddos and enjoy a food, drink and people watching
UT AREA
- Crown & Anchor – moderately kid friendly. Pesky parking lot pops up again with no designated area for kids. So, again, just requires extra work on your part. It’s an old classic UT bar, so you’ll see students and professors milling about
- Hopfields – moderately kid friendly. A grab and go quickly kind of place. It’s a bit too small for the smaller kids (again, assume they’re into everything and everyone), doable with the offspring that can sit still for awhile, perfectly good with a 10 year old or teen
HYDE PARK
Restaurants
- (NO LONGER OPEN) Mother’s Cafe – another Austin institution that deserves your money. They serve vegetarian and vegan food only, so if your family is picky this might not be the best place for you. However, I’d say their food is so tasty your kid won’t even notice! Plenty of room, high chairs, crayons provided and the Savory Baked Tofu is delicious
- Julios – Mexican joint. Cash only! Simple, and delicious.
Breweries/Beer
- Not much going on in Hyde Park by way of breweries/beer. This neighborhood is, for the most part, just a neighborhood with a smattering of restaurants, bakeries, food establishments (Antonelli’s). That’s not by accident, based on reading Indelible Austin, which we can appreciate
ROSEDALE
- Pinthouse Pizza – on Burnet. Pinthouse is good. They make mighty fine beer, were started by a group of guys with families, serve pizza (come on) and are just a tad California bro-y 😉 They have 3 locations currently, 2 in Austin and 1 in Round Rock. Can’t speak to the Round Rock location’s kid friendliness, but I’d assume it’s high given it’s Round Rock. We don’t venture up that far north unless we’re going to Dallas.. 😛 Can get packed and jammin’, pizza is significantly better from when they opened, video games for the older kids, nowhere to run or specifically play for the younger ones and the outdoor seating is a single step from those pesky parking lots
ALLANDALE
- Draughthouse – no, it’s not the movie theater spelled incorrectly. It’s one of the best spots in all of Austin to catch a beer, sit outside, sip and people watch. It’s old – opened in 1969 – has a bevy of taps (75 or so), a massive outdoor seating area (not many moons ago it functioned as a regular parking lot, so you’d pull your truck up, open the tailgate and sit and sip), surly bartenders (well, not as surly as they once were, but, still, pick your before you get to the front of the line, alright?!), free sausages on Sunday and a newly arrive resident food truck. It’s a laid back, come as you are Austin institution! And, kids are cool here
BRENTWOOD
THE TRIANGLE
- Hopdoddy – Austin born burger joint! The lines get a bit squirrelly around lunch and dinner time, so something to keep in mind depending on the age of your kiddo. Otherwise, I do love that the line snakes through the place, the burgers are decadent, the marg with corona inserted upside down is refined (obviously) and it always seems to have a healthy buzz about it. Folks are happy to be eating here
NORTH LOOP
- Home Slice – top (3) pick for family friendly fooding. There’s a fenced in playground built into the outdoor seating area and it is always rockin’ and rollin’ with kids. Pizza is delish, kids can roll around and climb on the playground while you eat and sip, kids are provided with a small piece of dough at the table to help tide them over, beer selection is solid. Do it!
DOMAIN (AREA)
- Austin Beerworks – one of the big players in Austin, a trip up north is worth it for you with or without kids in tow. There is an outdoor area that’s essentially fenced off, though it’s all concrete, for the spawn to stretch their legs and get out some energy. Also, the food truck is in the same area and tasty
- 4th Tap Brewing – haven’t been yet, but hear good things from friends that have kids
SOUTH AUSTIN
How we’re defining South Austin: basically anything below the river, above or near Slaughter Lane and between MoPac + I35
Full disclosure: because we don’t venture below the river much these days, our South Austin guide will take a bit longer to bake. But, bear with us and we’ll get there
SOCO
RIVERSIDE
SOUTH LAMAR
ZILKER
WEST GATE
MANCHACA
OTHER
- Meanwhile Brewing – these folks have knocked it outta the park, generally. They’re newer to the brewery scene and have fit in well – beer is great, large playground for kids, live music, food trucks. One of the most popular spots for families, so be aware if you’re going on a weekend (it gets packed)
EAST AUSTIN
How we’re defining East Austin: basically anything east of I35 and bound in by or around 183 and 71
EAST 6TH
Restaurants
- Ramen Tatsu-Ya – best in town if not America? We took our toddler over the Christmas break (2018), so not likely the fairest look at this place by kid friendly standards, but it worked. Come read all about it
- Via 313 – on the way
- Buenos Aires Cafe – on the way
Breweries/Beer
- Zilker Brewing Company – had a tough time rating this one, so will simply say, give it a go. Beer is great, indoor and outdoor seating, Spicy Boys Fried Chicken trailer, but it’s on what I’ll call the East Austin brewery tour line which means lots of people – particularly out-of-towners, bach/rette parties that might be extra tipsy – and tight quarters and it’s on a bustling street, so nowhere for the kids to roam
- Lazarus Brewing – newish kid on the block and would offer the same general take as Zilker: you can do it at the right time, but not explicitly pro/anti kid friendly. Tacos are surprisingly decent, big, clean bathrooms with changing table in men’s room, indoor+outdoor seating, but also on that brewery tour line so lots of people, bach/rette parties, out-of-towners
- Hops and Grain – oldest kid on the East 6th area block having arrived in 2011. Another brewery whose seating is basically part of the parking lot, so be prepared to trundle after the kid(s). Beertenders here are super, super nice and helpful. Indoor seating is a bit dim and not particularly suited to kids. Small bonus: head to the bathroom, which is outside of the main area, and there is a long corridor your kid(s) could run up and down. Also, since this is at the end of the East 6th “line” it’s not as packed, usually, as Zilker or Lazarus, so take that as you wish!
CESAR CHAVEZ
HOLLY
Restaurants
- Launderette – not kid friendly, unless you have kids that are old enough to sit still and not cause chaos. We have an 18 month old, so while delicious, Launderette is definitely out of the question. We’re going to make a best non-kid friendly, but we wish they were list and Launderette will be on there!
ROSEWOOD
Restaurants
- Rockstar Bagels – kid friendly insofar as it’s not a sit down and hang inside of a building and is merely a window for ordering. Your kid can hang out in the area around it, but note it’s just a parking lot on the corner of a busy intersection, so not exactly run wild my child type of setting
CHESTNUT
GOVALLE
Restaurants
Breweries/Beer
- The Brewers’s Table – awesome, awesome outdoor seating area – it has lots of shapes and objects to keep the underlings busy. Beer is okay ( :|), food is gooD
CHERRYWOOD
Restaurants
- Cherrywood Coffeehouse – one of the most kid friendly spots in the city. Each Saturday they have a music hour just for the kids – which tends to get a bit packed unless it’s too hot and keeps away the newbies ;). Nice outdoor, fenced in, area for sitting, eating, drinking and running around. Only thing to watch out for are the grackles; there’s a warning sign on the door out to the outdoor area (seriously), so watch out for those bastards swooping in and stealing your food!
MUELLER
Restaurants
- Halcyon – kid friendly, but likely requires you to traipse around the airy interior. It is in Mueller, after all, so expect kids most all the time (at least during kid hours – not late at night)
- Torchy’s tacos – duh. Needs no more words. And for the taco snobs, don’t worry, we’ll get there, but Torchy’s makes it for convenience and because their tacos taste good in your mouth. Selfishly, I have vivid and fond memoies of eating Torchy’s on Dirty 6th, a sliver of a place, during my first weekend here with my AmeriCorps homies (super nostalgic aside: Austin never would’ve been the same without ya’ll – special shoutout to Daniel)
WINDSOR PARK
Restaurants
- Hank’s – on the way
Breweries/Beer
- Carousel Lounge – man, I love this joint. I’m only giving it a 1 out of 5 toy rating, so I can put it up here. Otherwise, please go here sans kids; watch a band; drink a Lonestar; pay with cash (just because, now); kick back and chill out man. I don’t know that kids are even allowed. Again, cheating and adding just to give them a mention and support the old establishments.
- Knomad – same. This is not kid friendly and I’m rating it a 1 / 5, so I can write this part. Great dive. Go without your kids. Lots of regulars and regular ole Austin folks.
- Oddwood – probably the most kid friendly brewpub in the area and perhaps all brew(eries) pubs not located west of the city. They have old school video games and are opening up a play area out back. Owned by two guys (brothers) that have kids themselves, so they know what’s up
MLK/183
Restaurants
- Sour Duck Market – top pick for kid friendly restaurants, one of our absolute favorites. Like Cherrywood, it has a designated day of music which doubles as a fantastic spot to bring your kids and listen. The outdoor sitting area is huge, lots of tables and, per the music day, is always packed with fellow families
Breweries/Beer
- Southern Heights Brewing – moderately kid friendly brewery. Place isn’t specifically “no kids allowed” (not sure which breweries in town are like that), but it does require a fair amount of watching your kid given the setup: it’s a brewery with no frills and quite a few things for them to get into
- Hi Sign – not technically in this neighborhood, but close and shirks any neighborhood designation so here we sit! Kid friendly due in large part to the big outdoor area in the back that allows the kids to roam. Underrated beer (not for the kids), two good food trucks (fun fact: owner of Regal Ravioli was a bartender at the now defunct Corazon which I frequented too often while working at HomeAway – that is, soft spot for the shout out!)
- Live Oak – same as Hi Sign on the neighborhood front; pretend you’re going to the airport and hang a left. Kid friendly and, maybe, the most kid friendly brewery in town given the outdoor setup. There is an abundance of outdoor space for the kids to roam around without fear of a parking lot. Live Oak even has a mini easter egg hunt during the season for kids which adds points to it’s kid friendly score. Live Oak’s been around for 22 years, too, which makes it the wise old sear in town. Support the old folks too by bringing the youngest folks!
WEST AUSTIN
How we’re defining West Austin: basically anything west of MoPac and bound in by 360 with the smattering of breweries in the Hill Country (Jester King). We’ll include, and callout, the Dripping Springs spots here as well; just know it’s a bit more of a trek out there
Restaurants
Breweries/Beer
- Jester King – Dripping Springs – the granddaddy of them all! Top (4) pick for kid friendly establishment (regardless of establishment type) and an absolute must visit for any self respecting (and beer drinking) Austinite. You can’t call yourself a local, and get your passport, until you’ve been here at least 10 years plus visited Jester King (or were just born here I guess). Jester sits on a big plot of land, comes with a massive open field next to the outdoor seating area and, as of recently, has an on-site farm + goats that are open for tours! Nominated for a James Beard award recently as well
- Family Business Beer Company – Dripping Springs – on the to do list! Comes highly recommended from a close friend as super kid friendly
- Treaty Oak Distilling – Dripping Springs – on the to do list with kid! Last time we visited Treaty Oak was probably…5 years ago, so looking forward to see how it’s evolved. That said, another highly recommended as kid friendly from multiple friends that have kids
- Shady Llama – Wimberley – a trek and reco from friends