Rodney’s is a popular spot for parents. Photo: Kitchen Garden Cafe at Rodney’s.
Wining and dining with kids can easily become whining and refusing to eat anything on the plate even though you said you were SO HUNGRY and we spent $20 on food that will now be thrown away …
I am not a parent, but I am a cool aunty with many friends who are parents. And as we know, parents need coffee more than the rest of us do, so I’ve gathered up a few kid-friendly cafes where mums and dads (and cool aunties) can enjoy a flat white without hearing “I’m booooored!”.
Kitchen Garden Cafe at Rodney’s, Pialligo
Book ahead to nab a table at this popular cafe attached to (equally popular) Rodney’s Garden Centre. Bribe the kids with a treat at the cafe once you’ve finished grabbing garden supplies. The kids menu has six tasty and affordable options including spag bol, fish and chips and pancakes. The outdoor play area has large wooden cubbyhouses, a slide and climbing wall, as well as bikes and other play items.
If it’s been ‘one of those weeks’ you can also pick up a take-home meal to make life easier, or there’s also a wine list if you really need some me-time.
Wildbark Cafe is adjacent to Mulligan’s Flat Woodland Sanctuary and has a popular nature play space. Photo: Wildbark.
Wildbark Cafe at Mulligan’s Flat, Throsby
One of my mum friends described Wildbark Cafe as “hands-down the best” place to bring kids. There’s a fully fenced nature play area, and regular kids activities: make your own binoculars and go bird watching, or do some creepy-crawly themed crafts! There are tanks with turtles and snakes, as well as colouring in supplies and toys.
Volunteers are often wandering around to point out animals and teach kids about the wildlife found at Mulligans Flat. And once everyone’s finished getting babycino all over their face, you can go for a guided walk in the sanctuary.
Local high school students have designed a range of colouring in sheets for kids at Little Luxton. Photo: Little Luxton Instagram.
Little Luxton, Gordon
Right next door to the Gordon community centre, Little Luxton is a social enterprise cafe that donates $1 from every coffee to community programs, and also runs a youth employment training program. They’ve become a firm favourite with locals who were gasping for a decent coffee in the deep south. Families are well catered for, with a cute little cubbyhouse and large sandpit area.
Teenagers from the local high school have designed colouring in pages for younger children, and the courtyard is shady and enclosed, perfect for sun-safe play.
3J House has a kids’ corner complete with super cute mini cafe! Photo: 3J House Instagram.
3J House, Bruce
This newcomer to Bruce is actually named for the owners’ three children: Jeremy, Jasper and Joslyn. So it’s no surprise that this cafe is super family friendly, with a dedicated play space for kids, including books, toys and drawing supplies. There’s even a super cute kid-sized cafe, complete with toy coffee machine and sink (gotta get those baristas trained up early).
They run extra food specials for kids during school holidays and make all their sweets and breads in-house.
The Pod Playground is great to burn off some energy after morning tea at Sprout Cafe at the National Arboretum. Photo: National Arboretum Instagram.
Sprout Cafe, National Arboretum
The arboretum’s Pod Playground is a great space for kids of a wide range of ages. Youngers can have a go on the swing or just play in the sand, while bigger kids can climb up rope nets and up to the acorn cubbies. There’s musical pathways, lots of space for running amok and shaded areas for supervising adults to relax. The Arboretum also runs regular workshops for kids, and the lawns are a fabulous spot for kite flying on windy days.
Inside at Sprout Cafe (in the blessed air-conditioning) there are dishes such as kids fish and chips on the menu. You can also grab a few house-made mini pies and sausage rolls from the display, or just a cup of cut fruit. Lots of high chairs are available among the ample seating space.
Wildflour in Fyshwick has an outdoor playground and kids menu. Photo: Supplied.
Wildflour Artisan Bakery and Cafe, Fyshwick
This Fyshwick bakery ticks off one important piece of kid-friendly criteria straight away with its fenced in playground. The menu also features kids meals that they’ll actually eat, such as chicken and chips, a kids pancake with ice cream and maple syrup, and child-size milkshakes, plus plenty of bakery items in the cabinet – enjoy watching your toddler absolutely destroy a croissant.
It would be great to see more cafes sign up to the Australian Breastfeeding Association map of ‘breastfeeding welcome here’ venues. Sweet Bones Scullin and Giles St Cafe in Kingston are listed on the map, along with Melita Coffee Lounge and Millhouse Cafe in Queanbeyan.
Which child-friendly cafes do you love in Canberra?
