Greenwood’s upscale steakhouse, FlintCreek, isn’t the most obvious place to take children, but the excellent meat-focused restaurant actually has high chairs, juices, and a lovely kid-sized gnocchi dish — not to mention desserts like molten chocolate cake with peanut ice cream, sure to win over diners of all ages. The vegetable sides and apps have always been sleeper hits, too.

Chinook’s bills itself as casual and high-energy — sound like anyone in your dinner party? Part of the Anthony’s restaurant group, this waterfront restaurant at Fishermen’s Terminal has high chairs, a kids’ menu, coloring supplies, lots of space for gatherings, and enough boat activity to hold a child’s attention for ages. And if the weather’s nice, you can even take your fish and chips or tacos to go from Little Chinook’s and enjoy the sights outside.

This “fine fast food” restaurant in Upper Queen Anne — from chef Maximillian Petty, of fancy Eden Hill fame, whose own young kids feature heavily in the company’s social media presence — serves nostalgic burgers a cut above thanks to challah buns, smoked cheddar, house ketchup, and patties made of local beef and bacon ground on-site. The Little Sammy Slider shrinks the package with a 2-ounce patty manageable for smaller appetites. Big Max’s milkshakes, chicken sandwiches, and chicken nuggets are winners too.

Portage Bay’s four locations all have breakfast bars, where kids (and adults, naturally) can bury their pancakes, waffles, or French toast in a dazzling array of seasonal fruit, nuts, and whipped cream. The cafes also offer kids’ menus, gluten-free options, and lots of local ingredients. It’s going to be crowded on weekends in particular, so you might consider making reservations.

New owners Cindy Anne and Jeff Ramsey moved U District classic Cafe Racer to Capitol Hill in 2021, shifting the focus primarily to live music and minimizing the cafe angle — brunch and lunch are out. But the venue still welcomes all ages from 6 to 10 p.m. daily, during which you’ll find karaoke, affordable performances by brand-new indie artists, and a handful of sandwiches like a vegan option with hummus and roasted red peppers, pulled pork sliders, and a Seattle dog. Fans of wacky art can rest easy, as the famous Official Bad Art Museum of Art (OBAMA) made the move too.

The downtown Nordstrom has a few different restaurants, but the sleek top-floor bistro, Café Nordstrom, is specifically designed to accommodate shopping families, with super-fast counter service, coloring pages, high chairs, a kids’ menu, and lots of room for strollers. The salads, pizzas, and pastas are made to order and reliably beautiful, and the tomato soup and grilled cheese combo is an established kid fave.

A garden and chicken coop on-site not only supply some of the ingredients for Humble Pie — which offers covered and heated outdoor seating and draws renewable energy from solar panels — but also provide built-in entertainment for kids, who can split their attention between the plants and critters and the fantastic wood-fired pizzas, from simple margherita to mushroom egg arugula.

A boisterous waterfront destination to pair with a water taxi ride, a paddle in the sound, or a walk along Alki Beach, West Seattle’s Marination Ma Kai fuses Hawaiian and Korean cuisines for unforgettable dishes like kalua pork tacos, kimchi fried rice with tofu, and loco moco. Simpler options geared toward kids include a chicken and rice plate and a quesadilla, which go great with Hawaiian Sun drinks in flavors like strawberry lilikoi.