The best kid-friendly restaurants and cafés in Singapore

This casual East Coast Park diner’s beachside location allows the young ones to have heaps of fun playing in the sand while you sip on cocktails and unwind. If you prefer to have the kids in close proximity, there’s a 15m plunge pool that spans the front of the outlet. Parents can get it on the action too – a third of the pool is dedicated to children and the rest for adults. Adding to the experience is a kids menu, kid-friendly utensils, high chairs for babies and a changing table. Food offerings here include freshly baked bread from the in-house bakery, handmade pizzas like the margherita ($18), pepperoni ($19) and BBQ pulled pork ($19), as well as chargrilled meats and seafood cooked at the open kitchen.

Decked out in superhero posters and life-sized statues of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, this themed café is a dream come true for kids who are fans of DC superheroes. Order from its comic book-inspired menu – which also features a section for kids 12 and below – and the fam will be treated to dishes like The Dark Knight Burger ($30.90), Clark Kent’s Crevettes Carbonara ($28.90), and Mini Hero Chicken and Turkey Pasta ($18.90).

Featuring a pool with giant inflatables on one side and the beach on the other, plus water activities like banana boat that the whole fam can partake in, Ola Beach Club screams family-fun. Its Hawaiian-inspired menu comprises dishes like huli huli chicken ($20) and loco moco – 150g of wagyu patty with kombu rice, crispy egg, fries and salad ($25), as well as a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The menu also features a kids section with six dishes, including the kid's burger ($18) and tomato pork pasta ($15). Just remember to pack your bathers.

Set in the lush greenery around Seletar Airport, Wildseed is a café by day and a grill and bar by night. On the café menu are dishes like wildseed garden salad ($11), loaded mac and cheese ($12), and highland pancake ($9.50), as well as sweet treats and summer coolers like strawberry shortcake and chocolate shake which the kids are sure to find delightful. While its dinner menu features heavier fare like pizzas, burgers, grills and platters. The café’s quirky location also treats you to views of planes flying in and out of the airport, and it's close to a plane-themed playground for the kids to run wild.

Tucked away in the heart of Arab Street, this cosy and whimsical café is easy to fall in love with – for both parent and child. The interior is littered with vintage and nostalgic, with designated arts and craft corners. Parents can reminisce while their children make new memories. Providing a large array of crafting materials at its disposal, the café encourages children to let their creativity take over as their parents chow down on the weekday European-Asian lunch set ($10.90) in this homey ocean-hued café.

Kids will be kids, so why not go to a breakfast spot that actually encourages them to play and craft with their food? At Slappy Cakes, you won’t have to worry about how to display your child’s creation at home, just eat it! Each table is equipped with a griddle for your child (and you) to squeeze bottles of batter into, to indulge in pancakes of different shapes and sizes after. With a selection of five different batter flavours – chocolate, whole grain, peanut butter, pandan, and buttermilk – and a wide selection of toppings, playing with your food never tasted so delicious.

The 45,000-sqft grounds of The Summerhouse is home to Poppy Flora Studio; Nomad the Gallant, an on-site coffee roasting facility; Wildseed, a casual café and bar; and the Summerhouse Dining Room, the main restaurant perched on the second floor of the conserved colonial bungalow. It dishes out ‘farms’-to-table creations, serving food carefully and personally sourced from Singaporean and Malaysian producers, garnished with herbs freshly plucked from the garden within the premises. The sharing plates are easily accessible and plenty enjoyable for both the young and the young at heart.

Escape from the bustle of the mainland by popping into this seafront oasis at Keppel Bay. Bayswater Kitchen focuses on fresh seafood. Expect dishes such as Crispy Skin Salmon ($30), Grilled King Prawns ($26) and the Fisherman's Feast ($38 per person) – a platter of lobster, prawns, mussels and fish tossed with handmade linguine. While it's more of a restaurant for grown-ups, the little ones aren't forgotten with options like fish and chips on its kids' menu and a ping pong and foosball table for entertainment.

What’s a trip to the beach without lazing on a deckchair, Mai Tai in hand while the little ones roam free? At this sprawling seaside restaurant in Sentosa, you can do just that. Besides tropical cocktails, Coastes stocks a formidable array of draft and bottled beers ($14-$18), and the nosh is unfussy yet vibrant enough to live up to the restaurant’s beachy vibe. Go for the refreshing citrus crab salad ($18). The little ones are well taken care of too with four pizzas ($20-$26) and plenty of pasta options on the menu.

Getting messy with a saucy slab of barbecued pork ribs is best done outside, the sun in your face and grass under your feet. And you’ll have the whole hog at this out-of-the-way American BBQ joint along the Kallang River. We mean that literally: Camp Kilo Charcoal Club is famed for its whole roasted pig ($12/100g) and boneless lechon ($12/100g), as well as chipotle pork ribs ($15-$30) and roast chicken ($10-$18) that come fresh off the grill. The sides aren’t to be sniffed at, either. Corn sautéed in jalapeno butter and chipotle mayo, with a fistful of furikake crowning the dish ($11), makes for the perfect accompaniment to the heavier meats. While you're busy stuffing your face with grilled meats, the little ones are plenty occupied with activities planned during Camp Kido, a bi-monthly Sunday fun day for kiddos aged five to 10.

No lie, we once saw a party of little girls dressed up as unicorns at Super Loco Customs House having tea so you know that this restaurant goes all out to keep the kids happy. The contemporary Mexican Cocina Y Bar located in The Fullerton Heritage precinct has stunning views of Marina Bay Sands and the waterfront. Grab a seat outdoors under the fairy lights and order dishes such as aguachile de vieras ($22), a seafood snack consisting seared Canadian scallops, habanero, avocado, tomato, coriander oil and crispy plantain; and de chorizo y res ($10), a taco filled with spicy chorizo, braised beef brisket, red cabbage salad and chipotle salsa.

It’s the details that make a place stand out. And Little House of Dreams has those in spades: glittery fairy lights, a masak-masak play area, and a unisex toilet so that both dads and mums can accompany their kids. It even holds special activities on the first Sunday of every month, where children can get glitter tattoos, learn balloon sculpting and marvel at a magic show. 

When it comes to the food, the young ones can order their favourites, like fish and chips ($9.90) and spaghetti pomodoro ($9.90). The menu for adults is as extensive: light bites include a salmon quinoa bowl ($13.90), while medium-rare grilled lamb chops ($30.90) will tip your meal into heartier territory. 

PasarBella @ The Grandstand just got a lot more fun with the launch of KIDZLAND. The indoor children’s playground takes up 14,000 sq ft of space beside the food hall, so parents can enjoy a conversation over food while the kids tire themselves out climbing up the rainbow net or scooping sand at the indoor beach. 

For munching, PasarBella is home to a variety of traders including Winchester Pies, Keith Crackling Roast and Papito’s, the latter of which serves family-sized paella. Gather the brood and order from the many stalls – after all, sharing is caring. 

We confess: themed cafés are not known for whipping up the best food. But we’ll give it to Gudetama Café for its decor and downright cute plates. Every inch of the space, from the walls to the tables to the napkins, is decked out in something Gudetama related. The lazy egg’s pained expression also makes an appearance on dishes like Le Slider Set ($12.90), a teriyaki chicken slider served with mini cheese sausages and fries, as well as the Pumpkin Bambini Set ($12.90) of Brazilian rice  with sausages, pumpkin soup and greens. 

Ask any parent where’s the best place in town to shop for the kiddos, and it’s likely they’ll point you to Forum the Shopping Mall. Stores like Toys’R’Us and Mothercare make it easy to spend a day there, picking up new additions to the wardrobe and toy chest. 

And when it comes to refuelling, you’ll rarely do better than Jamie’s Italian, which serves classic Italian dishes like pork chop al mattone ($38.95) and tagliatelle bolognese (from $21.95). The kid’s menu is tailor-made to feed even the pickiest of eaters, plating up dishes like Happy Chicken Lollipops ($12) and Secret Seven Tomato Gnocci ($12 ), made with seven types of vegetables, both are served with a salad and drink of choice. 

You’d expect an establishment that’s selling buzzwords like ‘organic’, ‘low carbon footprint’ and ‘hand-picked herbs’ to be all judgmental, but Spa Esprit’s farm restaurant, Open Farm Community (OFC), is actually super friendly, unpretentious and totally kid-friendly. The menu and chirpy staff don’t bully you to eat your greens. Housemade pastas, as well as meat and seafood feature heavily, and course there are plenty of yummy desserts to end the meal with too.