Babies & Kids in the City 2013 is available to buy now online! It's completely new with some fab ideas on what to do with children aged 0-11years.

Days out in Manchester - Babies & Kids in the city

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Albert's Restaurant and Bar, Didsbury

I’d been watching with great interest the stunning re-development of the old pub at the end of my road overseen by the same people who own Albert’s Shed and Dukes 92 in town. I couldn’t wait to be able to wander down during the summer and try a bit of alfresco dining right on my doorstep. Heading there for an early dinner with my mother-in-law and her sister plus the kids, we started off in one of the booths inside. However after my eldest embarrassingly loudly pointed out ex-Wigan footballer Titus Bramble (the wonder of Match Attacks) and my youngest started bellowing we qu...

Aumbry

I was rather excited to be going to Aumbry for Sunday lunch as we had heard that married chefs Laurence Tottingham and Mary-Ellen McTague trained under Heston Blumenthal and have received rave reviews, added to this the couple have a young family so I was hoping that they’d welcome mine with open arms. We visited with grandparents too, so we booked ahead, which is probably advisable if your group is larger than two. The restaurant , housed in two knocked through cottages, is tiny, so don’t arrive expecting to park a double buggy, although I’m sure that friendly and obliging ...

Barburrito

Previously listed in The Guardian’s Top 50 healthy fast-food places and garnering various accolades such as ‘best newcomer’ and ‘award-win- ning and cool’, Barburrito continues to be one of Babies in the City’s favourites, too. New for 2010 is the Bambino menu for kids of 12 years and under.     They can choose from Bambino bowls (rice, beans, meat and salsa) or burritos (chicken, beans, pork), both priced at just £2.50. You order your dish at the counter, the staff prepare it freshly in front of you (which the children enjoy watching), you...

Cafe Metro

If you fancy fish and chips then you will be hard pushed to find a better spot to dine than Café Metro, situated at Blackfriars between Bury and Whitefield. Offering fabulous adult and child-sized portions of meat puddings, fish, scampi and a host of non-chippy items, such as Whitby Crab starter, you will be spoilt for choice. Although it is more expensive than a takeaway (£3.45 for children’s cod and chips, £7.85 for adults), the restaurant is a charming place to eat.     It has been tastefully decorated and tiled in black and white throughout. It is also ...

Cafe Rouge

Café Rouge was a winning choice for me when I wanted to meet up with fellow mums and babies. We used to meet mid-morning, post one feed and pre-another, discussing the sleeping patterns of our newborns over a hot chocolate and a croissant.The thing I liked most about Café Rouge was at this time of day it was usually pleasantly quiet. So a collection of novice pram drivers with our precious cargo didn’t feel so intimidated!   I’ve since returned with my toddler and found the staff just as amenable and the children’s menu fairly priced with a good selection...

Carluccios

Going to Carluccio’s for lunch is always a treat – a perfect, delicious escape. The waiting staff fall over themselves to coo at any babies and always seem to have time to engage visiting children.     The kids menu at £6.25 is excellent value, with a good choice of dishes such as breadsticks and a soft drink to start, followed by pasta with different sauces, lasagne or ravioli.   It also offers smaller por- tions of items off the main menu if nothing else appeals. And then to finish is the gorgeous ice cream, which I have to confess is simply divine.  ...

Coriander Restaurant

We didn't start our night aiming for a curry with the children, but that’s where we ended up at an unusu- ally late hour of 7.30pm. We quickly ordered poppadoms and even got the boys trying the dips while we glanced through the menu.   It was only after a few minutes that we realised it was in fact the children’s menu. It is a very extensive list, priced around £7.90 for a main course, rice and chips including a drink or ice cream. We ordered one curry for them to share, which was plenty. There are no baby-changing facilities or crayons, but the staff are very friendly...

Croma

With friends up for the weekend and us all wanting a good lunch before they headed back down south, we opted for the ever-reliable Croma in Chorlton. The more I go to this locally-based chain, the more I enjoy it.     The pizzas are consistently good, the waiters always calm and it is excellent value for money. The children’s menu includes a drink, pizza or pasta dish, salad sticks, ice cream and a cromaccino (frothy milk), all for £4.95.     The staff don’t even bat an eyelid when most of the salad sticks and colouring pens provided end up on the floo...

Dimitris

For me, this great Greek restau- rant brings back memories of long leisurely evenings spent with friends – so I was a little apprehensive about allowing my two-and-a-half year old to blow a hole in those rose-tinted glasses. But I need not have worried. Things got off to a great start, with the houmus and pitta bread having the same effect on my daughter as the San Miguel had on me – soothing.     A main of pasta bolognese for her (okay so it’s not exactly Greek, but anything for an easy life) and fish kebabs for us got a serious thumbs up all around. The kids&rsq...

Dinnerstone, The

Situated in the village of Uppermill and adjacent to Saddleworth Moor, it’s a lovely drive out to The Dinnerstone. Parking is limited on the high street but the restaurant has a car park at the back. On the waiter’s recommendation, I opted for Ham Hock Tagliatelle, which was absolutely gorgeous though not the cheapest at £10 (it was the same price for most of the pasta dishes). Children’s portions were generous so little ones could probably share, a main course costs £5.50 and pizza £6.75.     The choice of children’s meals was good and inc...

Dukes 92

A favourite of ours pre-children, we decided to return to Dukes with our three-year-old in tow. For those who don’t know it, Dukes 92 is located in a fabulous spot in the Castle- field area of central Manchester at the meeting point of the Bridgewater and Rochdale canals – in fact it takes its name from the adjacent Duke’s Lock.     The pub-café interior is nice and spacious with a selection of booths or tables and chairs – it’s all on the flat, so easy to get in with a buggy and park up next to your table. The canal-side patio has plenty of sea...

El Rincon De Raf

This well-known Manchester institution was regularly frequented by the younger and more single me, so what would it be like to return with two children in tow? The 20 or so steep steps down to this hideaway basement restaurant are the first indicator that babies probably don’t visit that often.     Once I’d safely and extremely slowly navigated these (God bless the Bugaboo), I was asked by the waiting staff whether I’d booked – yep, despite it being 5pm on a Saturday, the restaurant was bustling. “Errr, no I haven’t!” Things were not lookin...

Giraffe, Manchester

It’s interesting when re-visiting restaurants, particularly national chains, seeing if standards have slipped as their expansion has accelerated or my main gripe, have the prices of children’s meals gone up now they’ve enticed the lucrative family market through the door….   I’m pleased to report back that our recent trip to Giraffe was a wholly happy experience! Giraffe is a restaurant that prides itself on being friendly and welcoming and the Spinningfields branch we visited could not have been more so. The staff were marvellous from start to end  -...

Gourmet Burger Kitchen

The menu has a whopping 28 burgers to choose from with some very tasty twists on the classic burger. Gourmet Burger Kitchen is certainly child-friendly, there’s a dedicated children’s menu where they can order a burger (vegetarian option available), fries and drink for £5.95.     Or there’s the option to have chicken pieces instead for the same price. Our little boy wasn’t perhaps quite at the age where he could get stuck into the food so it was a bit wasted on him. The food was delicious but there are no activity packs for little ones so take your own...

Gusto

Gusto is a modern Italian restaurant offering more than just pasta and pizza. We arrived for an early lunch and although the waitress was very friendly and helpful, service was a bit slow and with three children it needed to be quicker. They were all easily distracted with pretty comprehensive activity packs and this kept them going until their pizza bases arrived ready for them to create their masterpieces.     The cost was £5.95 for a pizza with a choice of various toppings. This also included dessert and a chef’s hat. There is an alternative three-course menu which i...

Jam Street Cafe

I’d only been to Jam Street Café in the evening for drinks and a spot of dinner, so thought it was worth a try in the name of research to come back during the day with the kids.     In the traditional sense they are not child-friendly. There are no baby-changing facilities, little room for pushchairs and no obvious children’s menu. But they do a great breakfast (available until 3pm) for £5.80, which is perfect to share with a little one, or they are happy to go off piste and cook some beans on toast or something similar.    A children’s fa...

Lead Station, The

An informal and popular café bar where you can have a leisurely breakfast, pop in for coffee and cake or dine on three courses. Housed in a former police station, it always seems to be teeming with children of all ages (particularly around the early dinner slot of 6-8pm). This really helps to provide its informal and friendly atmosphere.     We are regulars, in fact my four-year-old is so accustomed to the menu that he usually places his order as we are being shown to a table. The boys love it because the children’s menu is good and the staff always take time to have a...

Pizza Express

Pizza Express is a pleasant dining experience and delivers consistently good pizzas. They are very family-friendly and are more than used to the odd tantrum. You can watch pizzas being made in the open kitchen, but unfortunately you can’t make your own (although some branches now cater for children’s parties where you can do just that).The Piccolo children’s meal is three courses for £6.10.     This includes dough balls, pizza or pasta, salad and dessert, plus a Bambinoccino – frothy milk with chocolate sprinkles, that give parents an extra 10 minutes ...

Saffran

This weekend we headed down to the bright lights of the Trafford Centre to discover a family friendly and healthy place to eat.   You'd be forgiven for not knowing what or where Saffran is. Well the literal explanation is Icelandic for Saffron, the yellow marks from the Saffron Crocus and the most expensive of all the spices, but it is also the name of a fresh and healthy restaurant in the Trafford Centre which will go down well with kids.     We were invited to visit and taste, and so this Sunday, Felix and I headed along (with every body else) to the Trafford Centre. Hidde...

Strada

I think the pizzas at Strada are pretty much the best you can get. We tried out the city centre branch in the Spinningfields area with the children one Saturday lunchtime.     I was surprised at how quiet the restaurant was, but this meant there was no problem getting a table. There was no children’s menu (though according to the manager one is being tried out in Wilmslow) or activities, but a smaller version of any adult meal can be supplied. We stuck to pizzas (average price for an adult size £8.95) and when they arrived, our three-year-old’s wasn’t much s...

Tai Pan Restaurant

If you’re looking to introduce the kids to Chinese food, then the Tai Pan may well fit the bill. Located in purpose-built premises on Upper Brook Street, free on-site parking makes it very easy and the children will find the supermarket downstairs an interesting contrast to Sainsbury’s.     Upstairs (there is a lift for your pushchair) the restaurant is popular with Chinese families, bearing testament to the excellent food. The waiters aren’t the friendliest in the world, but the food is pretty quick and fairly reasonably priced.     There are plenty o...

Tai Wu

The Tai Wu on Oxford Road opposite the Palace Theatre has always been a favourite in our family. It’s a brilliantly popular restaurant, full of Chinese families. We either arrive a few minutes before it opens at 12, (though we are still never first in line!) or leave it until later when things have quietened down. You will probably still have to take a ticket and wait in the bar area for 15 minutes.     Tai Wu serves traditional dim sum from trolleys pushed around the restaurant. The benefit is food available immediately, but you can still order from the menu.. With all the v...

Tampopo, Manchester

After reading the rave review in last year’s Babies in the City, I couldn’t wait to try out Manchester’s very own noodle chain – Tampopo. It didn’t disappoint. We went on a Satur- day for lunch and though busy, we got a lovely welcome and thankfully a table too! Crayons, menus and children’s chopsticks were quickly doled out and our drinks order promptly taken.     The food options for the children were chicken satay or noodles, plus an ice cream or sorbet for £3.95 or a choice of a small version of anything off the main menu for £4.5...

TGI Fridays

TGI’s is a great place to take the kids and it is very child-friendly. There are highchairs aplenty and it’s always nice to be greeted with colouring sheets and crayons.   There is a children’s menu that not only offers staples such as pasta and burgers, but for the more adventurous, fajitas and quesadillas, although a word to the wise – the portions are enormous.   Mains for children start at £2.99 with desserts from 99p and drinks from £1.29. For the babies TGI’s offers free Hipp Organic food for 4-10 month olds if an adult is dining. &nb...

The Olive Press

Part of chef Paul Heathcote’s restaurant collection, the Olive Press chain is brilliantly child-friendly. The Little Olives menu selection is impressive and at £4.95 very good value.     The ‘make your own pizza’ option is hugely popular in our household – a small pizza base is brought to your table with various toppings – the children then make their own concoction and it’s whisked off to the oven. But if that doesn’t take their fancy you’ve got plenty of pasta or grill dishes to choose from. They also get a drink (fruit juice,...

The Orangery

We’d been recommended The Orangery in Heaton Moor by a mum who regularly meets there with her NCT group. So when we took our babies for a light lunch we weren’t surprised to find a group of mums already ensconced in a very cosy area in the middle of the café with a couple of sofas and some low-level tables, plus a TV that staff had kindly turned over to CBeebies!     The Orangery has an extensive menu and although we didn’t try them, the children’s meals included chicken nuggets with chips, grilled cheese ciabatta and macaroni cheese for £4.50 e...

Wagamama

“Hoshi” is the new star of Wagamama kids - a very cute addition to the ever-popular japanese inspired restaurant chain. He’s launching their latest children’s menu and so we went along to their Spinningfields branch to give it a whirl and were not disappointed!   First of all, the welcome was lovely - we were taken immediately to a spot near the floor to ceiling windows and the waiter swiftly armed Eleanor (3yrs) and Will (6yrs)  with their “Hoshi” noodle doodle activity sheets enabling us to browse the menu peacefully! For those with younger chi...

Zizzi

When this Italian restaurant chain moved into Dids- bury village, giving a previously miserable and derelict corner building a welcome makeover, us locals were clamouring to give it a try. We found a large, bright restaurant with a warm welcome.     I was most taken with the new interior. Taking its inspiration from Didsbury’s history as the founding place for the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), I think this informs the designto great success.   Anyway, less of the wallpaper. Our waitress was lovely, putting me, my friend and our five monkeys in a lar...

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