When you have young children it is easy to forget that Los Angeles is a diverse culinary mecca. It’s time to stop sacrificing your beloved Indian food and Korean BBQ for chicken strips and burgers. Here’s a guide to our favorite kid-friendly global cuisine from where to go and what to order—everyone will be delighted, including all those developing tastebuds.
The Best Indian Food in LA with Kids
Kids might not appreciate the robust flavors in Indian curries just yet, but that doesn’t mean Indian food is out of the question. There are some great kid-friendly dishes. You just need to know what to order.
What to order at an Indian Restaurant for Kids: It’s hard to go wrong with fluffy and buttery bread, so always order naan. If your kids like chicken tenders or fish sticks, order chicken or fish pakora. Pakora means battered and deep fried…yum! Anything cooked in a tandoor, a special Indian clay oven, is a good choice, too.
Our choice for Indian? Tandoor-A-India in Playa Del Rey. They consistently serve flavorful curries and the kids always devour their chicken tikka. A friend recommended this restaurant and was raving about it, so we had high expectations going in. We were blown away—every single dish we ordered was fantastic. Saag Paneer, vegetable samosas, daal, mushroom masala, chicken tikka masala, special veggie rice and naan. Some of the best Indian food we've ever had, if not the best
Tandoor-A-India
8406 Pershing Dr.
Playa Del Rey
Online: tandoor-a-india.com
RELATED: 11 of the Best Kid-Friendly Indian Dishes You Can Make at Home
The Best Korean BBQ in Los Angeles with Kids
If your family eats meat, it’s time to visit Park’s BBQ in K-Town. Park’s is often recognized as the best Korean BBQ in Los Angeles and there’s a reason why—the food is delicious, service is fast, and the experience is interactive – you can grill your own food or have your server do it.
What to Order at a Korean BBQ Restaurant for Kids: The rib-eye Bulgogi, a Korean classic dish of thinly sliced marinated beef, is a favorite among children. It is the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Park’s Galbi, a boneless prime beef short rib, is another showstopper that can be ordered with or without Park’s top-secret sauce. Korean barbeque is traditionally enjoyed wrapped in lettuce like a little taco, but kids may prefer it with rice. Japchae, a stir-fry of glass noodles and vegetables, is another one of our favorite kid-friendly dishes.
Park's BBQ
955 S. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles
Online: parksbbq.com
The Best Persian Restaurants in LA with Kids
If All Else Fails, Start with Dessert
Of course if your kids are a hard 'no' on trying something new not in their comfort zone, try to open their culinary world through the always acceptable dessert course. Our pick? Head to SomiSomi (they have locations in Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Santa Monica, Sawtelle, Glendale, Long Beach, Torrance, & Santa Clara so there's bound to a location near you) and order the "AH BOONG"—their signature goldfish-shaped waffle cone stuffed with choice of fillings (custard, taro, sweet red beans or Nutella) and soft serve–everything from traditional chocolate and cookies and cream to ube, sesame and matcha. Because delicious things (dessert or not) come in all shapes and sizes.
Online: somisomi.com
—Kurstin Christie
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