6 Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Chico

Locat­ed down­town, Burg­ers and Brew is the per­fect place for fam­i­lies to grab a bite to eat. Not only is the atmos­phere relaxed and a bit loud (so your chil­dren can be them­selves with­out dis­rupt­ing oth­er din­ers), but they also have a won­der­ful patio and a decent kid’s menu. Plus, the loca­tion is hard to beat. After din­ner, you can grab frozen yogurt right across the street at Jon & Bons Yogurt Shoppe, or mean­der right around the cor­ner and grab gela­to or can­dy from Sweet Chico Con­fec­tions. And if it is warm out, take those deli­cious desserts one block over to the City Plaza and let your chil­dren burn off the sug­ar rush (or pent-up din­ner ener­gy) in the Plaza’s water fountain.

Small but mighty, Café Coda is a fam­i­ly favorite. Kids can enjoy an array of food, includ­ing hap­py face or mon­ster face pan­cakes, and the relaxed atmos­phere allows chil­dren to be chil­dren. The menu also caters to some dietary restric­tions, with veg­an and gluten-free options. The new­ly built out­door patio din­ing area is also per­fect for fam­i­lies because out­door din­ing keeps par­ents from hav­ing to remind kids to use indoor voic­es. Plus, if your chil­dren enjoy skate­board­ing, less than a block away is the Hum­boldt Avenue Skate Park.

Does your fam­i­ly love fresh smooth­ies, amaz­ing sal­ads, and yum­my sand­wich­es? Fresh Twist­ed Café not only offers won­der­ful fresh food options that cater to a vari­ety of dietary restric­tions, but the over­all atmos­phere is very relaxed. There are sim­ple wall-hang­ing toys near the reg­is­ters, com­fy couch­es for loung­ing on, and an open din­ing area. Not to men­tion this restau­rant is very close to the pop­u­lar DeGar­mo Park. Grab­bing a smooth­ie or food to go on your way to some fam­i­ly play­ground fun couldn’t be easier.

If you are look­ing for a deli­cious sand­wich using some amaz­ing local­ly sourced bread, look no fur­ther than Red­wood Sand­wich Co. This is a small restau­rant with lim­it­ed indoor and out­door seat­ing, but the menu is per­fect for fam­i­lies. They offer a vari­ety of sand­wich­es and bread options, and their kid’s menu is sure to please even the pick­i­est of eaters. If there isn’t any open seat­ing, take your lunch to go and enjoy it at the near­by Wild­wood Park or Hook­er Oak Park. Both of these won­der­ful fam­i­ly-friend­ly parks offer play­grounds, pic­nic tables, and many blan­ket pic­nic loca­tion options.

Sier­ra Neva­da Brew­ing Co. is known for its good beer, but the restau­rant is actu­al­ly won­der­ful for fam­i­lies as well. Not only do they have a large indoor seat­ing area that is loud enough for kids to be them­selves with­out upset­ting near­by patrons, but they also have a won­der­ful out­door seat­ing area as well. Plus, their kid’s menu is usu­al­ly pret­ty diverse, offer­ing options that are like­ly to please your lit­tle ones. This pop­u­lar and icon­ic Chico restau­rant is per­fect for families.

Tea Bar & Fusion Café is a local favorite is full of deli­cious teas and fresh Asian-inspired cui­sine. While their kid’s menu is lack­ing, they do offer sim­ple sides that can eas­i­ly be turned into a meal for a small child and their menu accom­mo­dates a vari­ety of dietary restric­tions. This restau­rant makes the list because the out­door din­ing areas at both loca­tions are per­fect for fam­i­lies. At the down­town Val­lom­brosa loca­tion, there is even a water foun­tain and grassy area if you would rather take your food to go and eat on the park bench­es behind the build­ing. Even if you are not in the mood for food, the tea options (includ­ing ice cream-like teas) are worth a vis­it all on their own.