Eat & Run: 14 Playgrounds with Kid-Friendly Lunch Spots Nearby

With this handy guide, a visit to a new playground comes complete with a great bite to eat because after all of that running, swinging, sliding and climbing, your kid is sure to work up an appetite.

By Anna Knoebel August 27, 2014

New York City parents need playgrounds as much as they need air: to stave off the tedium of our apartments and give kids a chance to roam. But when your closest playground starts to feel like your backyard and your neighborhood starts to feel like your living room, its time to cross some borders. With this handy guide, a visit to a new playground comes complete with a great bite to eat because after all of that running, swinging, sliding and climbing, your kid is sure to work up an appetite.

Play at Rivington Playground, Eat at Freemans

This combo works perfectly for the (sometimes uncomfortable) job of playing tour guide to visiting friends. Rivington Playground, with its baby swings, two jungle gyms, and climbable camel, is pretty run of the mill with the exception of its proximity to Freemans, which opens at 11 a.m. on weekdays and at 10 a.m. on weekends. Hit the playground first and when Freemans opens (don’t be late, tables are first come first served) pile into the beloved hideaway. (Note: there’s no room for strollers inside, but they do have high chairs.)

Go: Rivington Playground, Rivington St. at Forsyth St.; Freemans, Freemans Alley near Rivington St. Lower East Side