Los Angeles' Best Family-Friendly Dining 2008

This soul food institution is a cholesterol-drenched guilty pleasure.

Reviews:

• “Decent Food For A Decent Price”
• “where else can you get a chicken and waffles combination?”
• “Go, just to say that you did.”
• “Yumm”
• “Odd combination, but suprisingly good”

Tips: At peak hours (weekend nights), improve your chances of getting in fast by befriending the doorman—he often waves familiar faces to the front of the line.

Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles

This lively play palace dishes up healthy kid-friendly meals and lots of toys for Brentwood toddlers.

Reviews:

• “good healthy food, kids loved it”
• “ABSOLUTE BEST family restaurant!!”
• “Not even worthy of one "Star""
• “Very impressed”
• “Way too crowded”

Tips: Entrance fee is $9 per child, $6 for first sibling and $5 for second sibling. There’s a minimum charge of $10 per person for groups of 6 or more.

Giggles ‘N’ Hugs or email Giggles ‘N’ Hugs

Gargantuan gourmet burgers—assembled with endless made-to-order combos—served up in a retro-modern atmosphere.

Reviews:

• “This is a ten-star burger!”
• “The most insane burger experience you’ll ever have”
• “I am a culinary genius because…”
• “Best Veggie Burger in town!”
• “Great FOOD! Minus the Service”

Tips: A free lot is located behind the shopping center, and metered street parking is available, but read parking signs carefully.

The Counter

Worship burgers, hot rods and carhop waitresses at this modernist palace of Americana.

Reviews:

• “Better when the old man ran it.”
• “Best tasting burger in the world”
• “good for family outings”
• “Classic!”
• “Nasty!”

Tips: Order dinner salads “heavy on the blue” (dressing on the salad and on the side) perfect for carrying on the Bob’s tradition of dipping fries into it.

Bob’s Big Boy

Southern-style barbecue is all about the sauce.

Reviews:

• “Bad Service”
• “Bad Experience at Robin’s "
• “Good food, service needs improvement”
• “Good BBQ”
• “Good BBQ, Good Service, Nice Atmosphere”

Tips: On Tuesday and Sunday nights, items on the kids’ menu are 50-percent off for each child dining with a paying adult.

Robin’s Wood Fire BBQ & Grill or email Robin’s Wood Fire BBQ & Grill

Where low prices and highly satisfying Greek fare meet.

Reviews:

• “Excellent”
• “Best Food”
• “Best Greek Food!”
• “Best Greek food”
• “BEST GREEK FOOD”

Tips: Be like Nia: On Thursday nights, get the “My Big Fat Greek Family-Style Dinner” for $18.95 per person plus tax and tip. The cost includes valet parking, wine, a belly dancing show and more.

Papa Cristo’s Catering & Greek Taverna or email Papa Cristo’s Catering & Greek Taverna

A casual trattoria catering to discriminating foodies and their kids.

Reviews:

• “Great food, great for families, always a pleasant night”
• “Carb Lover’s Dream!”
• “spazzatura or rifiuti either way it means garbage”
• “Extremely Disappointing – from a discerning foodie”
• “Awesome Alfredo”

Tips: Every Thursday night is family-style night. For $35 per person (plus tip and alcohol), a family-style dinner is served to anyone who wants to join. Menu can be anything, from Italian to Turkish to Canadian; the chef plans by the week.

Angeli Caffe

Where fiesta flair and homemade tortillas make the meal.

Reviews:

• “Tortillas over rated”
• “my favorite!!!!! best mexican resturaunt in california”
• “You Will Be Asked To Leave!”
• “Good & Bad”
• “Best Mexican Food tried in LA so far”

Paco’s Tacos

Third Street shoppers take a break at this lively Chinese, Thai and Japanese restaurant with half-priced sushi at the bar.

Reviews:

• “Cheap sushi on the promenade”
• “Fresh fish served by attentive waiting staff”
• “OK sushi for people who don’t know any better”
• “This place has went downhill…”
• “Good for Promenade People Viewing – Can they charge for that?”

Tips: The menu is divided by the various regions of China such as SIshuan Province, Hubei Province and Jiansui Province.

Yangtze Restaurant or email Yangtze Restaurant

Slow-cooked and smoked meats with emphasis on Southern-style spice rubs, wet mops; salads, biscuits, peach cobbler; dine-in, takeout, buffet catering.

Reviews:

• “Best BBQ in Southern California”
• “yummy barbecue, cool place to eat”
• “Great food in an exciting atmosphere”
• “Food is ok, at least better than Claim Jumper’s on Crenshaw Blvd.”
• “Lucille’s in Torrance & Long Beach ROCKS the best BBQ!”

Tips: Select locations feature live blues on Friday and Saturday nights. Check out Lucille’s website for availability.

Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ or email Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ

Rustic neighborhood restaurant with low-lit atmosphere for dates or private parties serves homemade Italian, including design-your-own pizza, pasta or calzone.

Reviews:

• “it is no more "
• “Italian Food At Its Best”
• “Best calzone I’ve had in LA”
• “Relaxing, sophisticated, and romantic atmosphere, great food”
• “Some of the best pizza I’ve had in SoCal”

Lucia’s Italian Kitchen

Hard-to-miss Glendale mainstay serves Middle Eastern fare and plays weekend host to lively entertainment.

Reviews:

• “ALWAYS OUT OF FOOD ON MENU”
• “Horrible Experience”
• “great place, but now what it used to be”
• “One of the Best Birthday Dinners I Have Ever Had”
• “An excellent restaurant!!!!!!!!!!!”

Tips: Make reservations or arrive early on the weekend to guarantee a table inside—the live entertainment is a heavy draw for nocturnal revelers.

Carousel Restaurant

Sex, tacos and rock and roll bring an edgy, celeb-heavy cantina vibe to the new power center of Century City.

Reviews:

• “Happy Hour = Crappy Service”
• “simply great”
• “Tacissimo”
• “My new favorite place for drinks”
• “Patio is the perfect place for an outdoor party and the food is delicious too!”

Tips: Take advantage of the daily happy hour from 3pm to 7pm, with select drinks priced at two-for-one.

Pink Taco

Dedicated neighborhood crowd packs in for slices of the original California pizza.

Reviews:

• “Avoid for the service”
• “Our favorite local restaurant…”
• “Great at night for a dark, chill vibe”
• “Excellent customer service!! "
• “Caioti Pizza Cafe”

Tips: All specialty pizzas include mozzarella in addition to any other cheese listed—but they don’t all come with traditional sauce. Be sure to carefully read the description before ordering.

Caioti Pizza Cafe or email Caioti Pizza Cafe

Who says things don’t get better with age? Since 1954, slow-cooked, Missouri-style barbecue and famed garlic toast have been the hallmarks of this sawdust-floored family restaurant.

Reviews:

• “Great Place, Great Tradition”
• “mediocre food but bad service”
• “BEST BBQ IN LOS ANGELES”
• “WORTH A HEARTATTACK OVER”
• “BEST BBQ SANDWITCH ON EARTH”

Tips: Lunch specials and senior discounts are available.

Bear Pit Bar-B-Que Restaurant

The more casual Valley-based offshoot of L.A.’s famed flagship Patina Group eateries.

Reviews:

• “Overrated Restaurant”
• “Bad Waiter/ Luke Warm Food”
• “Speaks with forked tongue”
• “Service and Food SoSo – Stay away from the "Quail""
• “Expected MUCH more from a Patina group restaurant.”

Tips: Pinot Bistro is no misnomer; the wine list includes an impressive number of reasonably priced, thoughtfully selected vintages.

Pinot Bistro

Cozy Manhattan Beach bistro for family-style Italian fare.

Reviews:

• “Authentic”
• “Baked ZITI dish uses PENNE pasta instead of ZITI- !”
• “Great pasta and pizza”
• “A sad post for me….”
• “EXCELLENT SERVICE AND FOOD”

Tips: Mama D’s doesn’t take reservations, but it does ease the wait with magazines, newspapers and toys for little ones. Too hungry to read? Staff will give you bread, too.

Mama D’s Italian

Get lost weaving through the stands of one of the oldest farmer’s markets in Los Angeles.

Reviews:

• “One of the Great Things In Los Angeles”
• “Nothing special”
• “Great Eats”
• “Simply amazing”
• “Smoke…smoke…everywhere cigarette smoke!”

Tips: Weekends are extremely busy so if you want a quiet shopping/dining experience, head there on the weekdays.The market gets packed and even harder to navigate on weekends. If you’re in a hurry, become a weekday shopper.

The Original Farmers Market

An oasis of colorful Cal-Italian cuisine in a drab neck of the woods.

Reviews:

• “Average at Best”
• “Fantastic Food, Busy During Dinner”
• “Good Italian Food”
• “Delicious lunch specials!… well delicious all the time.”
• “Great Inexpensive Italian Food!”

Tips: All-you-can-eat calamari and salad is offered every weekend, and Italian-inspired omelettes are served on Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

Fritto Misto

Suburbanites and studio types nosh at Burbank’s only Southern Italian cafeteria.

Reviews:

• “Ignore The Rubes And Eat The Pasta”
• “Decent Food, horrible service”
• “Great Value, Casual Atmosphere”
• “Good cheap Italian”
• “Great place! Great food!”

Tips: Take advantage of the dine-in discount on sandwiches at lunch and dinner, which includes your choice of two complimentary salads.

Pinocchio Italian Restaurant

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