A MOM MAPPED 800+ NYC RESTAURANTS YOU CAN TAKE A BABY TO

We’ve all been there. Your baby has a massive blowout mid-meal and you find out, in real time, that there’s no changing table in the building. Or you’re rushing into a restaurant with a stroller and realize there’s nowhere to put it, so you’re standing in the doorway holding up the whole line while people stare.

This is exactly why, when I found what Angelica built, I knew I had to bring her onto Zillion Trillion. She’s the founder of Let’s Go Baby, the app mapping 800+ NYC restaurants and cafes by the stuff parents actually need; high chairs, changing tables, stroller storage, kids’ menus. So I asked her for the list she’d text a friend

Angelica, take it away.

Hi! I’m Angelica. I started Let’s Go Baby because I refused to accept that having a baby meant only eating at home or at big chains that cater to kids. Here are 10 spots you can take your baby to eat in New York and still feel like yourself.

Forsythia is the type of place you walk in with your kid and immediately get a little hit of anxiety wondering if this is maybe too nice of a place to actually bring your kid – but that anxiety quickly subsides once greeted by the staff. We booked a 5pm resy and were among the first guests to arrive for dinner service. Upon checking in, the host immediately took our stroller to store away and pulled up a high chair. They offered to make a plain pasta with red sauce for our daughter. And while the bathroom didn’t have a changing table, it was roomy enough to bring the stroller in for a diaper change. Whatever you do, don’t sleep on the seasonal meatball if it’s on the menu when you go. Also, the owner & chef, Jacob, is a dad with young kids, so he totally gets it.

We went to Zou Zou’s for Christmas Eve dinner and did the Chef’s Table menu. Our toddler loved the Fattoush, Hot Kasseri Cheese, and, surprisingly to us, the Branzino! The most memorable part was when the staff made a mini mocktail for my daughter (I think it was just pineapple juice with pebble ice and a cherry). It was a small gesture but it allowed her to feel festive and fancy like the grown ups, too. Plus, they had high chairs, a changing table, room to store the stroller, and allowed menu modifications.

On the surface, Tolo isn’t the most kid-friendly from a purely amenities perspective. The space is small, they have 1 booster seat, and a microscopic bathroom – but they make this list because this is where we went for dinner the day we moved to NYC and they made us feel incredibly welcome. After flying across the country that day, getting settled into our AirBnb and trekking to Chinatown in pouring rain, we were exhausted. The staff took our soaking jackets and stuffed the stroller in a corner. They recommended the Salt and Pepper Tofu, Little Rice Noodles with XO Sauce, and Seaweed Shake Shake Fries for toddler-friendly options and each one was a hit. In the summer time, opt for outdoor seating: the street is blocked off so kids can frolic around. There’s also a playground across the intersection.

Thai Diner debunks the idea that small spaces “don’t have enough room” to accommodate kids. The patio is tight, the inside is not enormous, yet they have a cabinet to store strollers, high chairs and booster seats. Plus, the food is delicious – definitely get the Crispy Snapper Raad Prik and the Coconut Chicken Thailandese. For the kids, they have a fun menu that includes unexpected options like Roti Pizza, Coconut Buttered Noodles, Fried Rice, and more. Bonus points: they also have a changing table in a gender-neutral restroom.

No, this isn’t rage bait. The Corner Store actually is kid-friendly despite being one of the hardest and most coveted reservations in all of New York City. But to be clear: I did not actually bring my kid here. My husband and I hired a babysitter and came for our anniversary in June. We spotted not one, not two, not three, but FOUR kids across three different parties while we were there, and every one was met with a cheerful hello from the staff. The menu is also surprisingly kid-friendly. Pizza bites? Hand-cut fries with an assortment of dips to choose from?? Say less. In terms of logistics, they kindly request all littles be out the door by 7pm.

After living in LA nearly a decade, the struggle to find good tacos and breakfast burritos has been real – that is, until I tried Border Town. The food is 12/10 and the vibes are fun and family-friendly. My daughter is a big fan of the Frijoles y Queso tacos and the Passionfruit Cinnamon Roll from the pastry counter. Located only a couple blocks from McGorlick Park, it’s the perfect weekend brunch spot on the way to or from the playground.

Are we in Greenpoint or Paris?! Order a glass of wine and the steak frites on the front patio and you’ll start to wonder. What I love about The Snail is that they are undoubtedly kid-friendly – kids menu, high chairs, changing table, stroller storage, crayons – but in a lowkey kind of way. The bathrooms are dimly lit with candles and Aesop soap. The dining room often has hip hop bumping. It’s a vibe that also just so happens to be fit for families. We came here for New Years Eve with our daughter – a holiday most establishments cater to adults-only – and they welcomed her with a party hat and a mini steak frites.

Theodora is another “oops, is this actually a bit too nice for a toddler?” type of spot at first blush. The interior is warm and intimate, complete with an open fire behind the bar that spans most of the restaurant. But once you make your way toward the back, you find there are a few tables that work with little ones. If you plan to bring the family, make a note in your reservation and they’ll have a high chair or booster seat set up at your table upon arrival. Easy peasy! The night we took our daughter here was the night we discovered her love of hummus and she hasn’t looked back since.

Since my daughter was born we’ve tried to be the “she’ll eat what we eat” type of parents, but as time goes on it seems we have less and less control over that. Turns out, our toddler is not a fan of spicy food! The nice thing about Antidote is that they not only have high chairs for kids, they also whipped up some plain noodles for our daughter. The space is large and airy which made lugging in all of our toddler gear a breeze. It’s another great example of a place that offers the best of both worlds: interesting cuisine and beautiful interior for parents, with enough flexibility to realistically accommodate kids, too.

You read that right. Rhodora is a wine bar. To be very honest, I never would have thought to take my kid here. Until one night I was closing it down with a girlfriend and noticed a high chair tucked away in the corner near the bathroom. I spent the entire train ride home thinking, why on earth does a wine bar have a high chair? And then it hit me – whoever made the decision to order a high chair must feel the same way I do: having a kid shouldn’t stop you from enjoying a crisp glass of chilled red on the patio of a beautiful tree-lined street in Brooklyn. While not a full restaurant, they do have a small food menu with kid-friendly bites like bread & butter, cannellini beans, and chocolate pudding.

Angelica’s adding new restaurants to Let’s Go Baby daily — head to letsgobaby.co to explore the full map and filter by exactly what you need (high chairs, changing tables, stroller storage, kids menus). Follow along on Instagram @letsgobaby.co too.

Angelica Luchini Fische lived in LA for nearly a decade before moving to NYC with her husband and daughter. She started Let’s Go Baby after one too many restaurant outings with no changing table, no high chair, and no kids menu in sight; because she believes parents shouldn’t have to choose between having kids and having a life.

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