Dining out with children isn’t always an easy task, but if ever there was a city to cater to families with young children, it’s Kuala Lumpur!This year alone has seen some of the most amazing coffee shops open, all of which welcome children, and not only that, they have dedicated play areas for the minis! Some have gone to the extent of putting in playgrounds and soft play areas for the little ones to enjoy, making life so much easier for parents, and, on behalf of all the parents out there, I’d like to say ‘thank you’!
I’ve put together an album here of some of our favourite hangouts in the city. Some are brand new, some are good ole classics worth a revisit, but one thing is for sure, this list is definitely not complete but I shall enjoy adding to this as our discoveries continue! In the meantime, ‘bon appétit’! S x
Weaning Tots:
Located on the 2nd floor of MyTown Shopping Centre in Cheras.
This cafe is another ‘new kid on the block’ having opened earlier this year next to Ikea Cheras.
With healthy meals and specially designed items for those with smaller children, you can find everything from finger foods to ‘make-your-own’ pizzas for the kids to get involved in! Coffees, juices, and colourful smoothies are available but what makes this place so great as a hang out with kids is the play area. Large tubular slides, a ball pit and equipment to climb is always a winner, but they also have boxes of playdough, blackboards and other bits n pieces to keep little hands busy!
Keep up to day with play groups and other activities that they organize and pop by to try them when you’re in the area! They’re located right on the Cochrane MRT station so there’s no excuse not to go!
Blokke:
Located on the 1st Floor of Citta Mall in Petaling Jaya.
This is, without doubt, one of our favourite hangouts in KL! Perfect for families and play dates, this Lego-inspired cafe ticks all the right boxes. Great food and drinks at reasonable prices, an indoor soft play centre, Lego blocks of all sizes to play with, and they offer educational LEGO programmes in the school holidays,
Go along before 2pm on weekdays to take advantage of their special entry fee for the playground – spend RM30 in the cafe and get FREE access to the play area for 2 children! (Normal entry fee is RM20 per child on weekdays, RM25 on weekends and holidays)
Closed on Mondays, but open from 10am to 10pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (from 11am to 10pm on other days) and don’t forget your socks!
Noriter:
Located in 1 Mont ‘Kiara Mall on the 2nd Floor
This cafe isn’t a recent addition to the city, but it does remain a great child-friendly cafe with the perfect space for little ones under the age of 4.
While it may be in a mall, the space is airy and bright with natural sunlight that beams through the glass ceiling. Offering fresh juices, coffees, snacks and some Korean specialities such as noodles and bingsu, the main advantage here is the use of their lovely little enclosed play area. Catering from the youngest of visitors with bouncers, activity tables and ride-ons, to the more curious toddlers with trains and blocks, puzzles, and play kitchens, this indoor space is one of the best for young families or play dates. Spend RM2O or more to gain free access to the play area, or pay RM10 per entry. They are open from 10am to 9pm daily.
Ra.FtCafe/Bistro:
Located in KLCC at Binjai 8 (off Persiaran KLCC)
Nestled a short walk away from The Petronas Towers this is a nice new addition to the area.
With their designated space for children set up with a few cuddly toys, wooden blocks and a television, it means that parents can eat their meal while the children play or watch a movie.
The menu is Italian-inspired with pastas, salads, breakfast options, fresh juices and their very own home-roasted coffees and has both indoor and outdoor seating.
As an added bonus, as of September 27th, 2017, they’ll have a Ra.Ft. Loyalty Card so you can spend and earn – check out their FB page for further information!
RGB and The Bean Hive:
Located on Jalan Damai
Nestled away off Jalan Tun Razak (behind the DoubleTree by Hilton) is this quaint little coffee shop, which could go unnoticed if youn’t know what you’re looking for!
Set in a little bungalow with a garden, it’s not obvious that this place is a coffee shop but it’s certainly worth a visit with it’s quirky (and very British!) interior.
Healthy food with vegetarian and vegan options are a plenty with lovely freshly squeezed juices, coffees and a small menu of both hot and cold items plus a selection of sweet treats for dessert
The cute interior is eclectic in just the right places with colourful cushions, great artwork, and books galore. The central couch area doubles up as a play space for children with a low level table and toys dotted all around that they can take and play with.
They are open every day but opening hours do change slightly depending on the day. General hours of operation are from 8.30/9.00am to 5.30 pm (early closing at 4pm on Mondays) but please check their FB page for further details.
Upperhouse Kitchen and Dessert
Located in Bangsar on Jalan Telawi 3
One of my lovely mummy friends recently went to try out Upperhouse, and was very nicely surprised by the great children’s area they have set up for the little ones!
While I haven’t tried their food myself, they do have a great little children’s menu which offers classics like chicken nuggets, fish fingers, and carbonara, but also tuna & cucumber sandwiches, and a mushroom soup with croutons.
They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and have everything from soups and salads, to pasta dishes and burgers, with their colourful creative desserts looking extremely tempting! Also look out for their great value Set Lunches, afternoon teas, and even workshops for kids.
This venue is perfect for mummy meet-ups or family dining when you know little ones have lots to keep them busy; from books and puzzles, to a teepee and mini kitchen, it makes eating out with children so much easier! They are closed every Monday, but otherwise open daily from 11am until 10pm (until 11.30pm on Friday and Saturday).
Yellow Brick Road:
Located at Batai Village in Damansara Heights
Here you don’t only get one eatery, but two! While Yellow Brick Road is the ground floor coffee shop, you can also take a trip upstairs to the Wicked Pancake Parlour where they also have a great play space for children.
They serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and, needless to say, an impressive menu of pancakes that come with an array of toppings! They’ve got great coffee, healthy juice options, and have a a fair bit of space split over the two floors.
Open 9am and 10pm daily, but just take note that the kitchen takes a break between 4&6pm.
(The Wicked Pancake Parlour has slightly different opening hours so if you’re going specifically for the play area upstairs, they only open at 11am on weekdays, 10am on weekends)
The Workshop:
Located on Jalan Radin Bagus 7 in Sri Petaling.
This is one of the more recent cafes to hit the city and what a great addition! A big open space, a good offering of food and drink, and a fabulous soft play area for the little ones that includes a ball pit, slides, climbing area and a little trampoline.
It’s an ideal place to enjoy a meal as a family where you know you can eat your food and the children can play safely in the playground. They have a children’s menu and a wide selection of food and for every adult meal ordered, you get free access for one child to the play area. Of course if you just fancy dropping in for a drink, you can choose to pay the flat rate of RM12 for the play area and everyone still has a great time!
Closed on Tuesdays, but open every other day from 11am to 10pm daily with the possibility of privatizing space in advance for birthday celebrations and other functions!
You’ll need socks to be able to play, but this is definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.
Benbino:
Located at Publika (with a second location at The Gardens’ Mall)
This place caused quite the stir when it opened in the trendy life-style mall back in 2015 but with very good reason.
Part of The BIG Group, the food really doesn’t disappoint. Their menu is a true delight with fab twists on classics and some great dishes for the younger visitors. Children are given colouring sheets at the dining table, but the big pulling attraction is the play area complete with swing, climbing structure with slide and beanbags galore. There’s a little section up with miniature chairs and tables for the minis and a choice of indoor or outdoor seating for parents (although if you want to keep an eye on your little ones, you’ll have to stay close by)
Located in Mont Kiara on Jalan Solaris 4,
Connected Café opened earlier this year and can be spotted by its colourful little façade.
Their house blend café is quite the winner, but they also have a nice variety of hot, cold, savoury and sweet dishes on their European-style menu, to see you through breakfast, lunch and dinner. Making life a little bit easier for families, it’s a good option when dining with children thanks to their dedicated play zone where there are a number of toys, books, puzzles and other things to keep the little ones busy while you finish your meal!
Open daily from 8.30am until 8pm in the week (until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays)
Located in Desa Sri Hartamas (36 Jalan 27/70A)
Not only a cute name, but a cute little café too that welcomes children very whole-heartedly.
Friendly staff ensure you have everything you need; this is the only place we’ve ever been served up crepes personalized with our names – wow! With a nice selection of hot and cold meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner they also make a host of yummy cakes, scones and cookies on the premises, which we didn’t hesitate to try. In the middle of the café there is a nice little play section for the children, complete with Ikea-style kitchen and accessories, cuddly toys, cars, puppets, books and goodness knows what else but it was certainly enough to keep our two busy while we were waiting for our food.
The new addition of a large car park just opposite them makes stopping by for a quick bite to eat even easier so be sure to pop by and say hi!
Caffe Crema:
Located in Mont Kiara opposite 1 Mont Kiara
This little coffee shop is host to a wide range of speciality coffees, teas and juices with a small selection of sweet accompaniments for your beverages. Connected to a hair salon just next door, take a sit in the cosy couch area right opposite a little carpeted area for kids to enjoy toys, dolls, cars and a little bit of everything else! Decked out with cushions and books, the little ones can have a play or a read while you get to enjoy your drink!
Antipodean:
Located at Menara Tan & Tan in KLCC (with other locations around the city)
Antipodean is a fairly staple name in the Kuala Lumpur with large portions and a big array of food options from all day breakfasts to waffles, salads, some amazing fresh juices, and display cakes to make your mouth water!
At their KLCC branch they have a small, area dedicated to children which, if you’re looking for something to keep the little ones busy while you enjoy your meal, it should do the trick! With lots of toys and puzzles scattered everywhere, this will keep them occupied but it’s normally the moving playing on the TV that gets the attention! Either way it’s definitely an option when dining out with children.
Wondermilk:
Located at Publika (Solaris Dutamas) Lot G2-7/G2-8
Not the largest place in town, but cute just the same if you want to stop off somewhere during your time at Publika.
While they do serve a limited offering of lighter meals such as sandwiches with fries, it’s their sweet treats that pull the crowds! Coffees, juices, sodas, and then an impressive choice of cupcakes, which you can buy individually or by the box for special occasions, eat in, or take away. With it’s quaint interior, it’s nice to see that they’ve added a little play corner for the little ones that would certainly keep toddlers busy with a play kitchen and a few wooden puzzles to get to grips with.
Open daily from 10am to 10pm, check out one of their cafes around the city as they have multiple locations (including IOI City Mall, Damansara Uptown and Citta Mall)
Coffee Chat:
Located in Pavilion KL on the 6th Floor
I hesitated about putting this coffee shop in the album but…..it’s a cafe AND you have access to the cute little play area just opposite s it definitely deserves a mention!
It’s set right next to the toys and stationery at Parkson Department store and acts as a great haven for kids to kick back and burn a bit of energy in the middle of a hectic shopping spree It’s only aimed for younger tots with miniature steps and slides, but the big pebble ‘stepping stones’ get used quite a bit and are rather fun for relaxing too!
Kinderia:
Located at Plaza Arcadia Desa ParkCity
If you thought this was just a centre offering music lessons for children (like I did!) then you’d be mistaken!
Along with their educational centre, they also offer this cute little cafe with a play area for the little ones! They have a simple menu of snacks, sweet treats and beverages, but it’s definitely the space for children that works so well for families when in the area.
With the exception of Monday’s when they are closed, they are open daily from 9am til 6pm.
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