Best Kid-Friendly Restaurants & Cafes

Explore the best best kid-friendly restaurants & cafes options for kids and families in Carlsbad

American Heroes & Brew

American Heroes & Brew

Chill eatery for local fare & draft beer. Easygoing restaurant whipping up breakfast classics, burgers & sandwiches, plus wine & draft beer.

Café Topes

Café Topes

Hip spot for daytime cafe meals & coffee. Vibrant, modern cafe featuring classic breakfast/lunch plates & espresso drinks, plus patio seating.

Shorehouse Kitchen Carlsbad

Shorehouse Kitchen Carlsbad

Visit this great place for kids and families!

PRK101

PRK101

Open-air tavern for BBQ, spirits & games. Bi-level, outdoor joint offering BBQ, burritos & cocktails, with games, picnic tables & a roof deck.

Campfire

Campfire

Lively, rustic spot for wood-fired eats. Buzzy indoor/outdoor locale serving wood-fired American fare & cocktails amid camping decor.

Rose Cafe

Rose Cafe

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Beach Break Cafe

Beach Break Cafe

American restaurant with classic fare. Colorful, diner-style eatery offers large portions of American fare & popular giant coffee cake.

The Plot

The Plot

Vegan specialties in a rustic-chic spot. Plant-based dinners & weekend brunches, plus beer & wine, presented in a wood-lined space.

Buccaneer Cafe

Buccaneer Cafe

Beachy walk-up for modern daytime grub. Outdoor counter offering California-style breakfast & lunch eats made from local ingredients.

Fat Joe’s O’side

Fat Joe’s O’side

Chill hangout with games & pub grub. Easygoing joint with arcade games dishing up traditional comfort food, beers & weekend breakfast.

Come On Over Cafe

Come On Over Cafe

Low-key space for paninis & coffee. Unfussy destination with a terrace offering paninis, bagels & pastries, plus coffee.

O'Side Strand Café

O'Side Strand Café

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Windmill Food Hall

Windmill Food Hall

Cool eateries, games & outdoor seating. Hip food hall featuring unique counter-serve spots & craft cocktails, plus a patio & games.

The LAB Collaborative

The LAB Collaborative

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Pier View Coffee Co

Pier View Coffee Co

Cafe for java, tea, sandwiches & more. Local coffee shop has java & tea, bagels, sandwiches, gelato & a basic space with sidewalk seats.

Teri Cafe - Oceanside II

Teri Cafe - Oceanside II

Japanese fare in Hawaiian-inspired space. Hearty portions of Japanese mainstays like teriyaki & noodles served in a festive setting.

Oceanside Harbor Village

Oceanside Harbor Village

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Stratford at the Harbor

Stratford at the Harbor

Daytime waterside cafe for American fare. This cheerful dockside eatery serves classic egg & pancake options, plus burgers & sandwiches.

2051 Cucina Italiana

2051 Cucina Italiana

Industrial spot for scratch-made pasta. Italian eatery in an industrial park offering housemade pasta, pizza, focaccia & salads.

Connie's

Connie's

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mom's Kitchen

Mom's Kitchen

Family-friendly American restaurant. Casual American restaurant serving breakfast & homemade pies in an easygoing space.

Le Papagayo

Le Papagayo

Vibrant Mediterranean & Latin eatery. Cozy, upscale restaurant serving Mediterranean & Latin fusion fare including paella & kalua pork.

Nectarine Grove

Nectarine Grove

Cafe serving health-conscious plates. Cozy cafe highlighting health-conscious eats, including paleo, gluten-free & vegan dishes.

Cat & Craft

Cat & Craft

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Beach wolf

Beach wolf

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Silverback Breakfast and Cafe

Silverback Breakfast and Cafe

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Encinitas Cafe

Encinitas Cafe

Classic diner fare in old-timey digs. Old-fashioned diner with sidewalk seats offering omelets, grilled sandwiches & down-home meals.

Amalfi Marina Bar (Dockside)

Amalfi Marina Bar (Dockside)

Visit this great place for kids and families!

The Crack Shack - Encinitas

The Crack Shack - Encinitas

Hip hangout for chicken & egg dishes. Fun spot for chicken & egg dishes with stylish outdoor seating, a full bar & bocce court.

Potato Shack Cafe

Potato Shack Cafe

Chill spot known for pancakes & potatoes. Low-key breakfast & lunch option for jumbo pancakes & baked potatoes in chill digs with a patio.

GOODONYA Organic Eatery

GOODONYA Organic Eatery

Trendy outpost for organic cafe dishes. Organic, non-GMO cafe eats are the specialty at this modern, sleek venue.

Union Kitchen and Tap Encinitas

Union Kitchen and Tap Encinitas

Gastropub with American small plates. A rotating menu of craft beers paired with New American small plates in a modern-yet-rustic setting.

Versailles Cafe & Pastries

Versailles Cafe & Pastries

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Mama Kat's Restaurant

Mama Kat's Restaurant

Cozy spot for comfort food & pie. Down-home American favorites like biscuits & gravy & cinnamon rolls served alongside fresh pies.

Pipes Cafe

Pipes Cafe

Breakfast & lunch spot with beachy style. Breakfast burritos, pancakes & burgers served in a surf-themed setting with an espresso bar.

TERI Common Grounds Café & Coffee Bar

TERI Common Grounds Café & Coffee Bar

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Z Cafe

Z Cafe

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Sunny Side Solana

Sunny Side Solana

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Achilles Coffee Solana Beach

Achilles Coffee Solana Beach

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Thyme In the Ranch

Thyme In the Ranch

Charming cafe with outdoor seating. Traditional cafe fare & baked goods served in a country-chic, flower-filled space with patio seats.

Home Sweet Home Cafe

Home Sweet Home Cafe

Cozy diner serving breakfast & lunch. Comfy daytime diner with a counter serving old-school American breakfast, burgers & sandwiches.

Poseidon Restaurant Del Mar

Poseidon Restaurant Del Mar

Relaxing spot for seafood & brews. Waterfront restaurant with a patio on the sand offers seafood-centric fare & a variety of beers.

Pacifica Del Mar

Pacifica Del Mar

Swanky spot for seafood, steak & pasta. Upscale spot serving seafood, steak & pasta with ocean views & a bar with more than 200 vodkas.

Bushfire Kitchen - Del Mar

Bushfire Kitchen - Del Mar

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Cafe California Poppy

Cafe California Poppy

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Chefs Cafe

Chefs Cafe

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Gravity Heights

Gravity Heights

Modern brewpub & beer garden. New American cuisine & brunch specializing in beer, in a contemporary setting with natural light.

Nutmeg Bakery & Cafe

Nutmeg Bakery & Cafe

Hip spot for organic cafe eats & treats. Modern counter serve featuring local, organic cafe meals & artisanal baked goods in a bright space.

Corkfire Kitchen

Corkfire Kitchen

Farm-fresh American eatery with a deck. Rustic-chic Temecula Creek Inn restaurant with deck seating, offering a farm-to-table American menu.

Fig Tree Cafe

Fig Tree Cafe

Homey eatery for Californian brunch fare. Quaint cafe serving up locavore breakfasts, including French toast, inside or on the shaded patio.

Toast Temecula

Toast Temecula

Low-key pick for breakfast & lunch fare. Easygoing strip-mall outpost offering hearty breakfast & lunch menus plus coffee, beer & cocktails.

Drift Cafe

Drift Cafe

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Konito's Cafe

Konito's Cafe

Comfy digs for breakfast & lunch. Hearty breakfast & lunch options in a relaxed diner with a surf-themed interior.

Kono's Cafe

Kono's Cafe

Comfy digs for breakfast & lunch. Hearty breakfast & lunch options in a relaxed diner with a surf-themed interior.

Red Pine Cafe

Red Pine Cafe

Visit this great place for kids and families!

1909 Temecula

1909 Temecula

Hip locale for craft cocktails & burgers. Craft cocktails, specialty burgers & other New American plates served in a rustic-chic interior.

The Goat & Vine

The Goat & Vine

Stylish eatery for gourmet pizza & more. Rustic-chic kitchen serving elevated comfort fare, such as thin-crust pizza, sandwiches & wraps.

Le Coffee Shop

Le Coffee Shop

Classic French bites & sidewalk seats. Snug, modern cafe with outdoor tables offering French staples from quiches to croque-monsieurs.

Havana Kitchen

Havana Kitchen

Cuban cuisine & house-roasted coffee. Casual, warm counter-serve hangout featuring house-roasted coffee & traditional Cuban dishes.

Penfold's Cafe & Bakery

Penfold's Cafe & Bakery

Down-home spot for burgers & breakfast. Casual daytime stalwart with a cheery vibe dishing up comfort grub, including burgers & breakfast.

The Mission - Mission Beach

The Mission - Mission Beach

Fusion eatery known for breakfast fare. Popular eatery serving Asian-Latin fusion fare with an international twist in a laid-back setting.

The Brunch House

The Brunch House

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Annie's Cafe Temecula

Annie's Cafe Temecula

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Maggie's Cafe

Maggie's Cafe

Casual place for Mexican & American fare. Convivial spot serving American & Mexican dishes, a breakfast menu, plus shakes, beers & cocktails.

Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar

Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar

Casual spot for global comfort eats. Relaxed, lodge-chic chain serving global comfort fare, including stir-fries, pot roast & pastas.

Bushfire Kitchen - Temecula

Bushfire Kitchen - Temecula

BBQ specialist known for grass-fed beef. Chain of barbecue specialists serving up organic, grass-fed renditions of classic BBQ favorites.

Toast Murrieta

Toast Murrieta

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Honeycutt Farms Cafe

Honeycutt Farms Cafe

Stop for comfort cuisine & sandwiches. Relaxed family restaurant & deli in a strip-mall specializing in spiral sliced honey glazed hams.

The Cliffs Cafe

The Cliffs Cafe

Breakfast & lunch in an understated spot. Comfy eatery for breakfast staples like pancakes & omelettes, plus Mexican fare, sandwiches & wraps.

Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar

Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar

Casual spot for global comfort eats. Relaxed, lodge-chic chain serving global comfort fare, including stir-fries, pot roast & pastas.

Kan Zaman Restaurant

Kan Zaman Restaurant

Polished venue for Middle Eastern fare. Arabic & Mediterranean specialties plated in a cozy, upmarket environment with earth-toned decor.

Trevor's at the Tracks

Trevor's at the Tracks

New American dining at an old depot. Indoor-outdoor restaurant at an 1894 railway depot offering upscale New American food & drinks.

Parkhouse Eatery

Parkhouse Eatery

Casual spot for American comfort fare. Cozy eatery serving modern American comfort cuisine inside a converted house with fireplace & patio.

Corvette Diner

Corvette Diner

1950s decor, burgers & singing waiters. Kitschy spot where 1950s-styled waitresses sport beehives & sing while serving burgers & shakes.

VIP’S Cafe

VIP’S Cafe

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Farmer's Bottega

Farmer's Bottega

Chic choice for farm-to-table fare. Country-chic bar & eatery preparing a new American farm-to-table menu for breakfast, lunch & dinner.

Antique Row Cafe

Antique Row Cafe

Comfort-food spot with kitschy decor. Antiques-laden spot for homestyle American food, known for its generously portioned breakfasts.

Finch Wildomar

Finch Wildomar

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Fig Tree Cafe

Fig Tree Cafe

Visit this great place for kids and families!

Del's Hideout

Del's Hideout

Airy eatery for BBQ, sides & craft beers. Texas-style BBQ, sides & burgers, plus craft beers & cocktails, in a roomy, industrial restaurant.

The Rabbit Hole

The Rabbit Hole

Hip pub with upscale fare & drinks. Upscale pub food & craft cocktails are served in a trendy setting with rabbit art & exposed beams.

Great Maple - Hillcrest

Great Maple - Hillcrest

Modern dining with seasonal produce. Contemporary restaurant serving elevated comfort food with seasonal ingredients in a casual setting.

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