Family-Friendly Milwaukee Restaurants

Finding family-friendly restaurants should seem like a no-brainer, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes what seems like an appropriate family place to eat ends up being a quiet setting; perhaps the lights dim and candles are lit as soon as the clock strikes 6 pm, or perhaps there isn’t a kid’s menu. For my clan a family-friendly restaurant needs to meet a few prerequisites to be considered a successful experience: the kids need to blend in with the atmosphere and a kid’s menu or at least kid-friendly food should be offered. The restaurant scores extra points if there is some sort of entertainment such as coloring books or games. When we were visiting Milwaukee ‘s Historic 3rd Ward we visited some of the most family-friendly restaurant options we’ve even been to and I’m excited to share them with you today:

Chili Lili’s Chili Bar ranks high on our list for a couple of reasons. First, the food is fabulous and, second, it’s a delightful place for families. The variety (up to eight flavors) of chilies aren’t like your traditional Midwest-stew like chilies. Instead, they are inspired by Cincinnati-style chili: low in fat, high in protein, thick, flavorful and served over pasta or cornbread (my new favorite meal). As you can tell by the photo below, I sampled a couple of flavors but there are also flavors ideal for a child’s pickier palate.

We met the owner Jay, his wife and their two darling young children. The pair obviously know a thing or two about running a family-friendly business. Chili Lili’s (named for Jay’s mother) has toys to keep the kids entertained while they wait for their food. My two children had a blast with the Magic 8 Balls, Etch-a-Sketches and four pinball machines! There is also a pool table, Foosball, vintage Ms PacMan and Galaga machine. Another family-friendly feature was the wooden changing table in the bathroom…it really added to the “we welcome families” atmosphere.

As for food, the kid’s menu is impressively healthy while still being tempting to tots. Some kid menu items include chili, grilled cheese made with Verns aged cheddar and Breadsmith honey wheat, a kid’s all-beef hot dog from local Usingers and mac n cheese which is made fresh daily. My kids were thrilled with the selection of flavored milks: banana, chocolate and strawberry. As for dessert, the kids happily finished their meal with a warm cookie while Jeff and I indulged in the decadent flourless chocolate cake – don’t pass this up.

Next up is a unique place that was new to us. It’s called SPiN… this 16,500 square-foot space is a combined restaurant, bar and ping-pong club! Yes, you will find 13 ping pong courts including one with stadium sitting in the center reserved for when the pros are in town. You can eat, then rent a table for an hour. My family had a blast.

The food is top-notch. These sweet potato chips didn’t last long…

Good food with great fun – you can’t beat an evening like this. The kids were worn out after many, many games of ping pong.

Visiting the Milwaukee Public Market is another treat! A wide variety of local vendors offer fresh meals, seafood, adult beverages, baked goods, chocolates, cheeses and ethnic delights. You will have not problem finding something for everyone. The most difficult decision is trying to figure out where to order. After finally deciding on our lunch (I opted for Greek), we took our food upstairs to the seating area where we relaxed and people watched.

We also purchased a couple of reasonably priced bottles of wine for home.

I’m sure there are a number of other family-friendly restaurants in Milwaukee. If you know of some, please share. We’re always looking for new places to dine when we travel.

Thank you to these Milwaukee restaurants for hosting our meals. We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed every location. We’ll be back!