RFK Rankings · Philadelphia
Best Restaurants for Family-Friendly in Philadelphia (2026)
Family-friendly · Philadelphia · 6 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published November 5, 2023 · Updated June 9, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Sang Kee has carved Peking duck for families across three Chinatown floors since 1980, and Manong keeps a free Ninja Turtles arcade going in the corner. Philadelphia feeds children on real cooking with a built-in reason to behave. These six, ranked, are where to eat with kids in the city.
1.Sang Kee Peking Duck House
Family-style Peking duck and dumplings across three Chinatown floors; come with children for a shareable feast.
Sang Kee has carved Peking duck since 1980 at 238 North 9th Street, the Chinatown room that first brought the dish to Philadelphia and roasts its ducks fresh daily. The Peking duck, the wonton soup, the dumplings and the beef chow fun anchor a Hong Kong menu, and it made Eater's 38 Best and Philly Mag's 50 Best in 2026.
Mains run roughly $14 to $24 and a whole duck near $48, so a family meal lands near $25 a head. The three floors of family-style tables and the spread of noodles, dumplings and rice give every child something to eat, which makes it the city's family benchmark.
2.Manong
Chance Anies's Filipino-American comfort food with a free Ninja Turtles arcade in the corner; come with children to play.
Chance Anies, of the former Tabachoy, opened Manong in late 2025 at 1833 Fairmount Avenue, an all-day Filipino-American room with a free Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game in the corner. The dynamite lumpia, the pork belly and the shareable comfort plates carry the menu.
Plates run roughly $12 to $26, so a family meal lands near $28 a head. The free arcade, the branded sippy cups and the shareable format make it built for children, and the cooking is serious enough that parents are not just along for the ride.
3.Emmy Squared Pizza
Detroit-style square pizza, a kids' menu and an art wall for children's drawings; come with kids for the frico crust.
Emmy Squared brought its Detroit-style pizza to 632 South 5th Street in Queen Village in 2019, a fluffy focaccia-edged pie with a caramelized frico cheese crust. The square pizzas and the smashed burgers carry the menu, served seven days a week.
Pizzas run roughly $18 to $26, so a family meal lands near $24 a head. There is a kids' menu of pizza sticks, burgers and chicken bites with games at the table, plus the Emmy Kids Wall where children's drawings get displayed, which is the detail that wins them over.
4.Down Home Diner
All-day pancakes and chicken-and-waffles inside Reading Terminal Market; come with children for the booths and the bustle.
Down Home Diner has run since 1986 inside Reading Terminal Market at 51 North 12th Street, a kitschy retro room with vinyl booths and a counter. The chicken and waffles, the shrimp and grits and the stacked pancakes carry a Southern comfort menu, with breakfast served all day.
Mains run roughly $12 to $20, so a family meal lands near $18 a head. The all-day breakfast, the booths and the market buzz around it make it an easy stop with children, who can roam the stalls of the market while a table comes free.
5.Dalessandro's Steaks & Hoagies
A Michelin Bib Gourmand cheesesteak in a no-fuss Roxborough corner shop; come with children for the city's signature sandwich.
Dalessandro's has griddled cheesesteaks since 1960, at Henry Avenue and Wendover Street in Roxborough, and earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand in the 2026 Northeast Cities guide. The thinly chopped ribeye cheesesteak is the order, with hoagies and fries alongside in an old-school corner shop.
A cheesesteak runs about $13, so a family lunch lands near $16 a head. The counter-and-stool format is fast and unfussy, it is the easiest way to give children the real Philadelphia cheesesteak, and the Bib Gourmand says the food backs up the reputation.
6.Nifty Fifty's
A 1950s diner with a jukebox and over a hundred milkshakes; come with children for the shakes and the soda fountain.
Nifty Fifty's runs 1950s-themed diners across the region, including 2491 Grant Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia and 2700 South 10th Street in South Philly, founded in 1987. The burgers, the cheesesteaks and the over-one-hundred milkshake flavours carry the menu under neon and a jukebox.
Mains run roughly $10 to $18, so a family meal lands near $16 a head. The jukebox, the soda fountain and the butterscotch-krimpet milkshake are the whole appeal for children, and the retro room makes a simple burger dinner feel like an outing.
Not for everyone
Closed, or not for children
Thirsty Dice. The Fairmount board-game cafe was a genuine family draw, but it shows as closed as of 2026, so do not plan a meal around it. For a room where children have something to do while parents eat, Manong's free arcade or Emmy Squared's kids' wall and table games are the working alternatives.
Vetri Cucina and Friday Saturday Sunday. Philadelphia's tasting-menu rooms, including Marc Vetri's Italian flagship and the revived Friday Saturday Sunday, are long, refined adult evenings. They are superb without children, but a multi-course tasting menu is the opposite of a family meal; the rooms above are built for kids.
Pat's and Geno's at the curb. The famous South Philly cheesesteak windows are a counter-and-curb experience with no seating and a brisk line, which is hard with small children. For the same sandwich done better and with a place to sit, take the family to Dalessandro's in Roxborough instead.
How to eat with children in Philadelphia
["Philadelphia's family rooms cluster in Chinatown and Reading Terminal Market in Center City, where Sang Kee and Down Home Diner sit a few blocks apart, in Fairmount and Queen Village for Manong and Emmy Squared, and out in Roxborough and the Northeast for the cheesesteak and diner picks. Center City covers most of a weekend.", "The trick with children is built-in distraction: the arcade at Manong, the kids' wall at Emmy Squared, the market stalls around Down Home Diner. Sang Kee and the diners seat a family group without much of a wait, so save the reservations for a weekend dinner at the busier rooms."]Frequently asked
What are the best family restaurants in Philadelphia?
Sang Kee Peking Duck House in Chinatown is the family-style benchmark, carving Peking duck across three floors since 1980. Manong in Fairmount pairs Filipino-American comfort food with a free Ninja Turtles arcade, and Emmy Squared in Queen Village has a kids' menu and an art wall for children's drawings.
Which Philadelphia restaurant has games for kids?
Manong at 1833 Fairmount Avenue keeps a free Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game in the corner, and Emmy Squared Pizza in Queen Village puts games at the table plus the Emmy Kids Wall for children's art. The Fairmount board-game cafe Thirsty Dice has closed, so those two are the working picks.
Where can you take kids in Chinatown Philadelphia?
Sang Kee Peking Duck House at 238 North 9th Street, the Chinatown institution that has carved Peking duck since 1980 across three family-style floors. The spread of dumplings, noodles, rice and duck means every child finds something, and the shareable format is built for a family table.
What is the best cheesesteak for families in Philadelphia?
Dalessandro's in Roxborough, a 1960 corner shop that earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand in the 2026 guide for its chopped-ribeye cheesesteak. Unlike the curbside windows at Pat's and Geno's, it has counter seating, so it is the easier way to give children the real Philadelphia cheesesteak.
Where can you get milkshakes with kids in Philadelphia?
Nifty Fifty's, the 1950s-themed diner chain with rooms at 2491 Grant Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia and 2700 South 10th Street in South Philly. The jukebox, the soda fountain and the over-one-hundred milkshake flavours, including the butterscotch krimpet shake, make a simple burger dinner an outing for children.
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