Lunch at the South Bank

[KatsuQueen]

Hello friendly EDF parents, just wondered if any of you had a recommendation for family-friendly lunch at the SOuth Bank.

Minikatsu has learnt to walk and is really difficult to restrain in a high chair for long periods. We can distract him with food for a bit but he likes to have a wander round before too long. WE are meeting an old friend (no kids) on Saturday and from memory, everywhere is really packed. It looks like we will end up somewhere like giraffe but if it's too child-friendly (we normally hang out with other screaming kids and rampaging toddlers) it might not be a very nice experience for our friend!

[nunheadmum]

Think the weather is meant to be nice this weekend - why not a takeaway and picnic outside (or inside RFH if weather lets you down). If you're not looking for a proper meal, there's an EAT in the courtyard behind the OXO tower which is nice and contained so the kids can run and it gets a bit of sun too.

I've heard the restaurant upstairs at the RFH is nice and child friendly too in a non-Giraffe kind of way. Or the cafe at the Tate Modern.

[ladywotlunches]

There are quite a few restaurants/cafes on Southwark street, which you can reach by going through the Tate Modern gardens, and are quieter than the south bank itself at the weekend. We went to Del Aziz a couple of weeks ago (daytime lunch as husband works in the area) with a 3 year old, and he loved the houmous and pitta options - lots of meditteranean/middle east type fare, and burgers too.

Also, The Table is good for cafe/bistro type food (and is listed in Time out).

[apenn]

There's Gabriel's Wharf where there are a few touristy overpriced places, but on the upside the area is like a courtyard so minikatsu can run around outside in your field of view.

Giraffe or Wagamama's are always good comprimises - though maybe not Wagamama's if you truely are a Katsu Queen!

-A

[KatsuQueen]

Thanks everyone, lots of suggestions to think about. Apenn, I love wagamamas, that;s WHY I'm a katsuqueen! (But it is quite cramped and busy in there, and I can just imagine the queues on a sunny Saturday ....)

[apenn]

Not sure about toddlers, but the Wagamama's in Covent Garden was brilliant with my baby who was 7 months at the time.

-A

[woofmarkthedog]

Wagamama's is best

W**F

[Sanne Panne]

If the food itself isn't too important (sandwich etc) you could try to claim one of the sofas in the Royal Festival Hall. The disadvantage there is that your kids can go FAR before you know it (lots of space) so you have to keep an eye on them... but nobody will be bothered by their noise and play and it's not a Giraffe style "toddler feast" venue at all.

[Belle]

TAte modern cafe - downstairs one - v child friendly but not in a giraffe way at all,a nd then you can give him a good run around in either the massive turbine hall or the grass between the TAte and the river - will be drier now. Let mine crawl around there the other day and he ended up with massive mud patches but had a great time! But cleaner for a walker :))

[nunheadmum]

Just remembered - the cafe inside the RFH at the front (river side) does a little selection of stuff for young kids - simple cheese or ham sandwiches, juice, carrot sticks, grapes, yoghurt, rice pud etc.....it's something like 5 for around 5quid but you can buy separately too. Much easier than trying to find somthing for fussy toddlers in EAT! And the adult stuff there is nice too!!

[KatsuQueen]

Hi, just wanted to give some feedback. We had a great day; bagged one of the sofas in RFH when we got there so that Minikatsu could have a run around (great suggestion, Sanne Panne). We had lunch in Strada where Minikatsu fell asleep in his buggy (all that running around!) and let us have our gossip/catch up in peace!

[Moos]

Inspired by this thread the Moos clan also spent Saturday morning at the Southbank, and we had a fantastic time - heard Big Ben chime much to the delight of Moosling (those of you that know me will understand why he's completely obsessed with it), rode on the carousel, got pleasurably scared by the human statues, scooted around like a maniac and the rest. Took nunheadmum's tip on the RFH caf?, which was excellent - little simple child-sized sandwiches for 90p, nice soup and bread, salt-free crisps and everyone happy eating on the sunny terrace.

[helena handbasket]

L-O-V-E the Southbank and RFH for little ones. Everything about it works well...... easy bus, easy food, lots of space and stairs to wear them out. There's also a playground behind the London eye; I may very well be the last mom in London who noticed it but in case I'm not there's one more reason to head down there.

[nunheadmum]

You're not the last to notice - I didn't know it existed either. We could probably write a good guide between us to the hidden gems along the Southbank!

Another gem - hubby tells me the poetry library in the RFH has a good kids section, if the kids need a bit of calming.