RFK Rankings · Los Angeles
Best Restaurants for Family-Friendly in Los Angeles (2026)
Family dining · Los Angeles · 8 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published April 8, 2024 · Updated June 9, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo twirl spicy fusilli for a table of kids on Fairfax, and downtown Norm Langer hand-cuts pastrami the way his father did in 1947. Family dining in Los Angeles spans a deli counter, a pizzeria, a Oaxacan feast and a 1917 market hall. These eight, ranked, are where to take the whole table when the food still has to earn an adult's respect.
1.Jon & Vinny's
All-day pasta and pizza kids actually eat; take the family to Fairfax for the spicy fusilli, early.
Co-chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo run Jon & Vinny's at 412 North Fairfax Avenue in the Fairfax District. The spicy fusilli in vodka sauce, around $24, is the dish kids and adults both order, alongside pizzas and meatballs in the low $20s.
The room holds a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide for California. It is busiest at dinner, so a daytime or early-evening visit is the easiest with children. Take the family for an all-day Italian-American meal, order the fusilli for the table, and skip the late-night rush.
2.Pizzeria Mozza
Nancy Silverton's wood-fired pizzeria with shareable pies; bring the family to Melrose and split the crust.
Chef Nancy Silverton opened Pizzeria Mozza in 2006 at 641 North Highland Avenue near Melrose. The much-praised thin, blistered crust is the draw, with shareable wood-fired pizzas generally in the high teens to mid-twenties.
The pizzeria is listed in the Michelin Guide for California and opens at noon on weekends. The bustling room handles a family table without fuss, while the cooking stays serious enough for the adults. Bring the kids for an early-afternoon pizza, and keep it to the Pizzeria rather than the more formal Osteria next door.
3.Langer's Deli
A 1947 deli icon with big sandwiches and quick booths; take the family to MacArthur Park for the No. 19.
Norm Langer runs Langer's Deli, open since 1947 at 704 South Alvarado Street by MacArthur Park. The No. 19, hand-cut hot pastrami with coleslaw, Swiss and Russian dressing on double-baked rye, runs about $25.50 and is one of the most famous sandwiches in the country.
Langer's is a James Beard America's Classics honoree. The booths and fast service work for all ages, and the sandwiches are big enough to split with a small child. Bring the family at lunch, order the No. 19, and let a kid share the half they cannot finish.
4.Guelaguetza
A festive Oaxacan room built for big groups; bring the family to Koreatown for the mole negro.
The Lopez family runs Guelaguetza, open since 1994 at 3014 West Olympic Boulevard in Koreatown. The mole negro, one of six house moles, is the dish to order, with entrees roughly $20 to $30 and shareable platters across the menu.
Guelaguetza won a James Beard America's Classics award in 2015. The big, colorful dining room is built for large family groups and runs a celebratory weekend energy. Bring the whole table, order moles family-style, and let the kids work through the tlayudas and the agua frescas.
5.Howlin' Ray's
Pick a spice level for every age; bring the kids to Chinatown for The Sando and order them mild.
Chef Johnny Ray Zone and Amanda Chapman run Howlin' Ray's, a brick-and-mortar since 2015 at 727 North Broadway in Chinatown, with a second Pasadena location. The Sando, a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, runs about $14, and combos run about $22, with spice levels from mild to howlin' hot.
The room grew from a food truck into one of LA's most recognized hot-chicken spots. Kids can order mild while adults go hotter, so the table all eats the same dish. Lines can be long, so come off-peak, bring the family, and let everyone pick a heat level.
6.Grand Central Market
Everyone picks their own under one 1917 roof; bring the family downtown for Eggslut and Sarita's pupusas.
Grand Central Market has run since 1917 at 317 South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, with more than forty independent vendors including Eggslut and Sarita's Pupuseria. The Eggslut egg sandwich and Sarita's handmade pupusas with curtido are the standouts, with most stall items roughly $8 to $18.
Sarita's pupusas were featured in La La Land, and the market is a downtown landmark. Communal seating and dozens of cuisines mean every kid finds something they will eat. Bring the family, let everyone order from a different stall, and grab a shared table in the middle.
7.Versailles
Generous shareable Cuban plates for the whole table; bring the family to Venice Boulevard for the garlic chicken.
The family-run Versailles has poured Cuban food since 1980, with the Palms location at 10319 Venice Boulevard. The Famoso Pollo Versailles, the house garlic chicken with black beans and rice, is the order, with entrees roughly $20 to $30.
Versailles has been a Los Angeles gathering spot for more than four decades. The portions are generous and built for sharing, and the casual room welcomes a noisy table. Bring the family, order the garlic chicken and a side of sweet plantains, and split the platters across the group.
8.Philippe the Original
Cafeteria-style ordering and sawdust floors; bring the kids downtown for the original French dip sandwich.
Philippe the Original has operated since 1908 at 1001 North Alameda Street near Chinatown, where Philippe Mathieu is credited with inventing the French dip. The gravy-dipped sandwich, available with beef, pork, lamb, turkey, ham or pastrami, is the order, with sides around $3.65.
The room claims the French dip's invention and remains a true LA landmark. Cafeteria-style ordering, communal long tables and sawdust floors make it endlessly kid-friendly and cheap. Bring the family, line up at the carving station, and grab a long table for the group.
Not for the kids
Great rooms, wrong room for a family
Father's Office. Sang Yoon's Santa Monica and Culver City bars are strictly 21-and-over, with no minors of any age allowed, even on the patio. Children cannot come in, full stop.
Providence. Michael Cimarusti's three-Michelin-star seafood room on Melrose is a hushed tasting-menu evening, intimate and pacing-driven. Save it for an adults-only special occasion rather than a family meal.
Osteria Mozza. Nancy Silverton's more formal, dinner-focused Italian sibling next door to the Pizzeria is the wrong Mozza for kids. For families, stay with Pizzeria Mozza and its shareable pies.
How to dine out with kids in Los Angeles
Los Angeles spreads its family rooms across the map: Fairfax and Hancock Park for Italian, downtown and Chinatown for the institutions and the food hall, Koreatown for Oaxacan, and the Westside for Cuban. Distances are real, so pick a pocket and stay in it rather than crossing the city with restless kids in the car.
Most of these rooms run casual and counter-driven, so timing beats reservations. Jon & Vinny's and Guelaguetza take bookings and are easiest before the dinner rush, while Howlin' Ray's, Grand Central Market, Langer's and Philippe run on lines and walk-ups. Come off-peak, and let the food-hall and cafeteria formats give every kid a choice.
Frequently asked
What is the best family-friendly restaurant in Los Angeles?
Jon & Vinny's in the Fairfax District is the marquee family pick, an all-day Italian-American room with a spicy fusilli that kids and adults both order. For pizza, Nancy Silverton's Pizzeria Mozza near Melrose runs shareable wood-fired pies; for an everyone-picks-their-own meal, Grand Central Market downtown spreads more than forty vendors under one roof.
Where can families eat at a food hall in Los Angeles?
Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles, open since 1917, runs more than forty independent vendors including Eggslut and Sarita's Pupuseria, so every kid finds something for roughly $8 to $18. Communal seating in the middle lets a family spread out. The Original Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax is a second food-hall option with longtime family stalls.
Are kids allowed at Father's Office in Los Angeles?
No. Sang Yoon's Father's Office bars in Santa Monica and Culver City are strictly 21-and-over, and no minors of any age are allowed, including infants and including the patio. For a kid-welcoming burger-and-beer alternative, families are better off at Jon & Vinny's or a Grand Central Market stall.
What is a good cheap family meal in Los Angeles?
Philippe the Original near Chinatown, open since 1908, serves its namesake French dip sandwich with sides around $3.65, ordered cafeteria-style at communal long tables. Langer's Deli by MacArthur Park has sandwiches big enough to split with a small child. Both are cheap, fast and built to handle a family without a reservation.
Which Los Angeles restaurants should families avoid?
Skip the adults-only and tasting-menu rooms. Father's Office is strictly 21-and-over with no children allowed, Michael Cimarusti's three-star Providence on Melrose is a hushed seafood tasting evening, and Osteria Mozza is the more formal dinner sibling to the family-friendly Pizzeria Mozza. All three are strong, but none is built for a table with kids.
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