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Dining with a Family in New York

The majority of family oriented restaurants stick to a theme until it's mastered, and giving the kids something unusual to keep them entertained while they dine is oftentimes crucial for maintaining peace at the family dinner table. There are a vast variety of options in New York City if you’re traveling with a family, and while most restaurants will happily cater to children, there a few that stand out for families in terms of entertainment value, child-friendly menu options, and good, clean fun.

Whether you’re hoping to find a dinner and show, sip the best hot chocolate in the city, sit down for afternoon tea in a child-friendly tea house, or indulge in one of the best vintage candy shops around, New York City won’t disappoint you.

Jekyll & Hyde’s

In terms of over the top entertainment value, Jekyll & Hyde’s in Greenwich Village stands alone. The restaurant is a spooky, haunted recreation of the world of the disturbed British doctor, Dr. Jekyll, and his creepy downfall into the lunacy of Mr. Hyde. All waitstaff and restaurant staff are dressed in character to keep up with the story, and your children will love that something strange or unusual happens every 10 minutes, whether it’s a skit or a spooky prop come to life unexpectedly. The menu is designed for “little monsters” with design your own monster burgers, monster pizzas, and more.

Adults will be happy to find a full bar and extensive beer menu at this wacky restaurant, where they can treat themselves after a long day of sightseeing with the children.

Serendipity

Serendipity is largely considered to be the most famous café in New York City. It was the favorite of Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy back in the day, and the walls are decorated with pictures of the owner posing with a wide variety of celebrity visitors. The most famous sweet is the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, but an endless menu of cakes, pies, milkshakes, ice cream cones, and crepes are available on the menu as well. Serendipity also set the world record for most expensive dessert a few years back when they created the $1000 Opulence Sundae for their 50^th Anniversary. The sundae is still available, but must be ordered 48 hours in advance.

Alice’s Tea Cup

The popularity of Alice’s Tea Cup is a relatively new phenomenon, but the first chapter of the store on the Upper West Side was so instantly popular that the owners were quickly able to open two more branches on the Upper East Side. Alice’s Tea Cup is a project in making tea time fun for kids and adults alike, and removing the stigma that tea is only for old ladies in the afternoon. Three tea time options are available depending on how hungry you are, and in addition to an individual pot of tea, the tea trays come with homemade scones, tea cookies, sandwiches, and other tea time treats.

The atmosphere in this place is decidedly child-friendly, even the designs on the cakes and pastries which are swirled with butterflies, flowers, and polka dots.

The Candy Rush

The Candy Rush is a Brooklyn institution, and has quickly turned Franklin Street into the sweetest street in town. A twist on a vintage candy store and ice cream parlor, The Candy Rush is quite literally home to any sweet treat you could cream up. Jars of vintage and popular candy are sold for $8.00/lb, thirteen different ice cream flavors are turned into scoops, cones, sundaes, and milkshakes, and crepes and waffles are topped with ice cream and the fruit or candy of your choice. If your kids have been on their best behavior, this is the place to stop for a rewarding afternoon pick me up or after dinner treat.

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Dining with a Family in New York