WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: Acuario Restaurant specializes in Peruvian seafood - a heavenly combination. I crave their Ceviche often (get the mixed or fish only version, as the tender fish just soaks up the delicious lime based sauce so perfectly). The Garlic Shrimp at Acuario is a great follow up dish. Just be sure to save some bread to dip in the garlicky sauce. My husband is crazy about their spicy green sauce, and usually applies it liberally to his order of Pollo A La Brasa (roast chicken). And the whole family is crazy about Pollo Saltado - a chicken, vegetable and potato stir fry reminiscent of Chinese cuisine due to its umami-bursting soy based sauce. Usually the potato in this dish is french fries (yum), but my girls also love it with noodles.

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: The atmosphere at Acuario is fun and happening, but still friendly and casual enough to welcome children. Plus roast chicken and rice is as kid friendly as you can get.

WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: If you’re looking for super kid friendly eats in Stamford, you won’t do better than hitting up Bridge Street Wienery (aka The Wienery) on Bridge Street. Their beef hot dogs are perfectly grilled on a toasted, buttered bun. The Winery offers all kinds of toppings and concoctions for their hot dogs, but the husband and I love the rather classic Mo Dog, which comes with sauerkraut and spicy mustard. And if you aren’t a hot dog lover, no worries - The Wienery does all classic American food well.

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: Hot dogs! Our girls love their grilled cheese and fries. It’s a counter spot run.

WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: Cafe Dolce is an adorable cafe right off the Merritt Parkway in Norwalk. Order at the counter, grab a seat and an employee will bring your food and drinks to you. It is a great place to grab a quick coffee and delicious pastry on the go or to settle in and relax for awhile enjoying your items in house. During lunch hours, Cafe Dolce offers delicious panini sandwiches, crepes and salads. Its owners are from Albania and the spot exudes a really quaint European charm.

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: All kids love baked goods. Cafe Dolce make these swirly pastries in cinnamon and brown sugar that any kids and kids at heart will love.

WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: Colony Grill is a Connecticut institution (now also with a location just over the NY border in Port Chester) that started all the way back in 1935 as an Irish bar in Stamford that just happened to also serve pizza. Over time, that pizza, affectionately known as a “bar pie” due to its signature paper thin crust, became so popular that folks visited the Stamford bar just for the pizza. Today, there are also Colony locations in Fairfield, South Norwalk, and Milford CT as well as Port Chester, NY. And each of these newer locations is far less “bar” and far more “family friendly pizza joint” (that also has a liquor license).

The pies at Colony are delicious. Their Hot Oil pie, recognized by a single and quite spicy poblano pepper that sits in the middle of the pie (and copied by impostors all over the state), is very much Do Not Miss. Those poblanos soak in oil to give the pizza a wonderful, greasy kick. I almost always go for the Sausage Pie, and I get very close to eating the whole thing each time - they are VERY thin pies.

Probably my favorite thing about Colony is that, despite its expansion, it stays so true to its roots. Much to the chagrin of carb-phobic folks, Colony still ONLY serves pizza and nothing else - not even a salad. If you need those greens, just get ‘em on top of your pizza.

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: They eat mediocre pizza at every birthday party. Treat them to some good pizza.

WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: Match Burger Lobster is the 2017 casual follow up to Chef Matt Storch’s always packed but decidedly more “grown up” Match Restaurant in South Norwalk. A signature of Burger Lobster is Chef Storch’s delicious Match Burger (served with bacon, cheddar dip and caramelized onions) that originated in the SoNo Match location. And what’s better to pair with that burger than a lobster roll? At Match Burger, you can have your cake and eat it too by ordering the Mini Combo (a mini Match Burger with your choice of a mini lobster roll or fried oyster roll).

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: The entire menu at Match Burger Lobster features kid friendly favorites like hot dogs, matzoh ball soup and even that “Match Mini” burger. Plus the ambiance at Match Burger is super casual, featuring “roadside” vibes and a large heated year-round patio.

WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: Walking into Valencia Luncheria feels like going on a mini-vacation. The space is bright and cheery. Most every table has someone drinking a fruity and refreshing juice or alcoholic beverage. And the Venezuelan Arepas and Empanadas are perfect warm weather foods. Valencia offers so many varieties of both (as well as more Americanized foods like salads and chicken salad melts and even a Mexican burrito), that everyone leaves happy.

I often get the Carlo Arepa (a fennel arepa with chicken, avocado and queso). My kids love the Beef Picadillo Empanda. No matter what you order, DOUSE IT in Valencia’s insanely delicious green sauce.

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: Valencia offers a whole menu of fresh fruit juices. The ambiance is a cheery, upbeat, “vacation like” space appealing to kids. My older daughter loves their empanadas.

WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: This mama loves Mama Chow! When it first opened, I immediately noticed some strikingly similar menu items to another local Asian street food favorite, Mecha. It turns out that Mama Chow’s chef and owner, Kim Pak Chai, was the opening chef at Mecha when it first came to Fairfield and he co-created those familiar sounding dishes while at Mecha.

Much like Mecha, Mama Chow offers a menu of tasty pan-Asian small plates and noodle dishes served in casual, hip digs. But at Mama Chow, Chef Chai wants to focus more on his Malaysian roots. To that end, don’t miss out on trying one of his laksas, a Malaysian staple coconut curry noodle soup. We sampled the version with pork and chicken and it was a perfectly balanced bowl, alternating nicely between notes of cream from the coconut and spice from the curry.

In addition to the Malaysian laksa, Mama Chow offers several ramen, pho and “brothless” noodle dishes. Our waiter told us the most popular of the brothless noodles was the KLM (aka Kon Loh Mee) - BBQ roasted pork, pork wontons, baby bok choy, pickled Serrano chili and noodles. 

While at Mama Chow, I suggest not skipping the small plates, even if that means sharing a noodle bowl with the others in your party to make room. We really loved the Mala Beef with Szechuan peppers small plate - what could have ended up an overwhelmingly spicy dish was instead an intensely flavorful mix of fragrant cilantro, crunchy peanuts and delicious red chili oil. We also tried a few of the small plates that originated at Mecha, and were very happy with the Mama Chow versions.

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: This Asian street food restaurant is bright, cheery, casual and tasty. A great place to take the whole family. Noodles, dumplings and rice will satisfy even the pickiest of mini palettes.

WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: Post Corner Pizza has been a Darien staple for decades. Its unassuming location on a corner of the Post Road may not look like much from the road, but a meal here is comfort food perfection. The menu is large and diner like, but the item to get at Post Corner Pizza is PIZZA. Preferably, bring your family along and split a large pizza. It comes cut in adorable little square-like pieces perfect for sharing with your smaller ones. And it’s a delicious pizza with a buttery crust thinner than Sicilian but similar in taste and texture. Our go to topping at Post Corner is pepperoni, but you can’t go wrong with any topping. Speaking of our “go to” order, we always start with Post Corner’s delicious house salad topped with Gorgonzola cheese. It’s perfect and even my little one loves it.

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: The ambiance at Post Corner is similar to a diner, and the staff is super friendly and accommodating to children. There is also always a basket of lollipops to take from on the way out!

WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: Sorry to sound like a broken record but the food is undeniably good in Norwalk and Rincón Taqueria is a perfect example of that good food. They serve burritos larger than your head and a full menu of Mexican classics (including, my personal weakness, Mexican breakfast items like Chilaquiles and Huevos Rancheros). As for tacos, Rincón offers them in fish, chicken, beef, pork and bean varieties. Prices are extremely low for the quality and huge portion size.

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: The spot is waitress service but casual, airy and kid friendly.  

WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: I sadly don’t have much experience with either Ethiopian or Eritrean cuisines but I know that I like everything I’ve tried at Teff in Stamford. Teff’s dishes are flavor packed and gluten free. Even a meat and dairy lover like myself knows that at Teff, the vegan section of their menu should NOT be missed. It’s chock full of delicious dishes highlighting the lentils, vegetables, sauces and spices of East Africa.

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: Kids usually like beans and lentils and maybe they’ll even enjoy veggies here because they’re so flavorful. A few of my favorite of the vegan dishes at Teff come pureed - perfect for the littlest guests.

WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: A counter service pan pizza joint that is hip and hella tasty. Besides their creative pizzas, Crust Issues offers pastas, salads, some yummy appetizers like fried garlic knots and a whole chicken cutlet program.

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: Pizza and pasta. Enough said.

WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: Filipino food is not nearly as popular or ubiquitous as some other Asian cuisines but it’s at least as or perhaps even MORE tasty than the cuisines of its neighboring nations. From Sisig to Bichon to Halo Halo, Filipino food has something for everyone. And Norwalk newcomer Zul Cafe is doing Filipino food very, very well and very authentically.

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: Both my girls go crazy for Lumpiang Sanghai (Filipino style fried spring rolls) and most any kid can handle rice or BBQ chicken. Zul Cafe is set up as a "to go” spot so it works great for families with kids who can’t sit still.

WHY IT’S DELICIOUS: When our kids were preschool aged, taking them out for Hibachi, with its table-side fires and chef tricks, and me usually adding on a Mai Tai, was the closest we got to having an exciting night out. ⁣ And fellow parents, the best Hibachi around is at Sakura in Westport, CT. It’s been one of my hubs absolute favorite spots since childhood and he swears nothing about it has changed since.⁣

WHY YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE IT: Most Children and Children At Heart (my husband) love hibachi and Sakura makes some yummy hibachi meals. COME for the much better than average Hibachi meal. STAY for the drinks served with light up ice cubes and cocktail umbrellas. RETURN for the two resident parakeets 🦜 on site.