So you've just experienced an incredible portrait session, everyone is dressed up beautifully but the kids are going a little crazy and I now they are hungry! Going home and cooking dinner is the last thing you feel like doing... I get it!
If you have young children you would know taking them out to dinner can be somewhat challenging at times... especially if there are no other kids around! We have all been there and I'm here to help! So today I am sharing with you the BEST kid friendly restaurants to dine at after your session! These are places we have dined at multiple times over the past six years and are our family favourites! I hope you find this helpful. Enjoy!
Boulevard Pizza (Floreat)
We love this place so much and have been enjoying Boulevard Pizza for YEARS, even before we became parents! So much so that we used to even drive up from Secret Harbour just for pizza! There is ample parking and outdoor tables with seating undercover with heating even provided in the winter. A playground is also conveniently positioned across the road at a massive park so the kids can burn off all that energy before bedtime! You're welcome! A very relaxed casual dining experience that is definitely family friendly. An IGA with beautiful gourmet treats is also next door for afterwards plus a bottleshop because lets be real, Dad is probably going to want a beer after having the camera on him for an hour!
It is such a small world, here is a funny story... so we recently returned from our holiday up north in Exmouth on Friday. We stayed at our friends beautiful holiday house on the canals and our friendly neighbour up there invited us over for a swim in his pool and dinner! It was such a kind offer, I actually think he was over hearing the kids screaming at each other haha! Can you imagine our pleasant surprise when we discovered this kind gentleman is in fact the owner of Boulevard Pizza (our favourite pizza place for 8 years now) and he lives just a couple of streets over from us here in Wembley Downs! Tony was so kind and generous to make us his delicious pasta! He also offered us a pizza to take home but we were so full from his pasta we couldn't possibly! Getting to know the owner in Exmouth on this evening made us love the place even more!! A fantastic family business with three generations of pizza makers. I highly recommend and if you haven't already tried it make sure you do! Our favourite is "The Caleb" (all of the pizza's are named after Tony's grandchildren) - BBQ Sauce Base w/Roast Chicken, Fresh Mushroom, Onion and Mozzarella Cheese. Delicious!
http://www.boulevardpizzeria.com.au
Run Amuk (Fremantle)
We have been taking Leo to Run Amuk before he was even on solids lol! Yep, i've enjoyed that many hotdogs from this place and have watched their cool car wall expand 100x before my eyes! The staff are fantastic with kids too! Run Amuck is awesome, its such a cool little hang out! My tip... make sure you get "Knickerbokerglory" for dessert and SHARE it together - layers of vanilla ice cream, strawberry jelly, chocolate sauce, nuts, fresh cream, mini m&m’s, flake chocolate and topped with a cherry! The kids will LOVE you for it, I promise!
In the six years we have been enjoying Run Amuk I have only ever had the one order "The Jezebel" (it is SO good that I now recreate it at home too) - Premium bratwurst, sweet chili mayo, cheddar, crispy bacon, pineapple, coriander & red chili salsa topped with shredded coconut. I get mine without the coconut but they keep trying to convince me that you can't actually taste it! Give it a try and let me know what you think? I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!
Rouccos (Fremantle)
If you haven't dined at Rouccos in Fremantle and love Italian food you are missing out! The restaurant has been serving authentic Italian food for over 35 years. It does get busy in the evenings so best to make a booking ahead of time! The food is AMAZING! I love their arancini, sausage and grilled seafood! It is all I ever order from there oh and the garlic bread of course because who doesn't love garlic bread, right? Everything is beautiful here, the decor is nothing fancy its just a super casual and family friendly experience with excellent, well priced food!
I must say we have made many memories at Rouccos over the years as a family it is almost a tradition! I remember when Matt and I became parents we used to take Leo as a baby, rock him in the pram while enjoying a meal together. Then he grew and started teething and Matt would be outside trying to settle him while I enjoyed the rest of my meal and cocktail lol! We have never had a bad experience there, ever!
The most memorable meal we had there was back in 2015... we had eloped just the two of us in Denmark, when we returned we shared a beautiful dinner at Rouccos with family and a few close friends. Leo was two at the time and Matt had him sitting on his lap. He was telling my best friend Pauline to be careful that Leo doesnt grab her plate... guess what happened next? Just as Matt said that to her, Leo grabbed Matt's BIG bowl of spaghetti marinara and spilled the entire meal ALL OVER Matt! He didn't say word, I could see he was NOT impressed! Everyone was laughing and I immediately called the waiter for another pint of beer AND a glass of whiskey for him! Thankfully Matt handled it so well and Leo doesn't remember a thing! I admit it was pretty funny though! Give it a try, you may begin to make more memories together there like we have. Buon Appetito!
PLUS a few other ideas...
What is better than a family picnic at sunset! Our favourite place to shop for nibbles is The Herdsman, they have a range of beautiful gourmet foods that are easy to pack for a quick and easy picnic. Some of our favourite places to share a picnic dinner with the boys are City Beach with the playground and Kings Park overlooking the towers at night.
A few more ideas... Clancy's Fish Pub at City Beach, 3 Sheets on the Lake Woodlands + my old time fave Little Creatures for a weekend lunch! I would love to know where you love dining with your family, feel free to share your ideas with me too!
