Family Restaurants in Andover Kids Will Love

Dinner with kids in Andover usually starts with one question: does the family sit down together, or does the meal come home in a bag? Several restaurants in town handle both, and a few go further with a real kids menu, platters sized for a crowd or room for a birthday party.

Kids menus and pancakes all day

Acapulco Mexican Restaurant on Ibis St NW has a Menu de Niños for children 12 and under. Kids choose a taco or burrito plate, mac and cheese made with the restaurant's queso dip, a grilled cheese, chicken strips or a cheeseburger, each with a choice of side: hand-cut fries, rice and beans, fresh fruit or grilled veggies. The restaurant is family owned, with sister restaurants in nearby Ham Lake and Blaine.

Pappy's Cafe and Tavern on Round Lake Blvd NW has a kids menu and serves breakfast all day, which is good news for a child who wants pancakes at dinnertime. The buttermilk pancakes and Belgian waffles come in blueberry, strawberry or chocolate chip versions, and the French toast is drizzled with caramel. Adults can order a half-pound Black Angus burger or steak, and Pappy's runs an all-you-can-eat dinner Monday through Friday. It offers dine-in and carry-out, takes reservations and caters.

Pick your own, or order the favorites

Joy Kitchen on Hanson Blvd NW is an Asian bistro where you choose your own meats, seafood and vegetables, then watch the chef cook the dish in front of you. That lets a picky eater build a plate from only the things they like. Joy Kitchen is closed on Tuesdays.

88 Wok on Bunker Lake Blvd NW cooks classic Chinese dishes such as orange chicken and shrimp with broccoli, and it bills itself as a place to bring the whole family. Kids may care more about the drinks: handcrafted milk teas and fruity ice slushes in flavors like mango pineapple and taro. It is open every day, runs lunch specials and takes orders online for nights when dinner goes home.

Pizza night

Pizza Square on Crosstown Blvd NW is a pizza shop that takes orders online through its own website and is open seven days a week.

White Rabbit Kitchen on Bluebird St NW started with smoked meats and now serves Neapolitan pizza after 4 pm, including a build-your-own pizza, along with a smashburger and a smoked gouda truffle mac and cheese. Its posted menu has no separate kids section. On Sundays it adds breakfast specials.

Birthdays, parties and big takeout orders

Acapulco's family meals feed four to six people and come with chips, salsa and queso dip. Choose a taco party platter, an enchilada platter or a hacienda taco platter. For larger family events, the restaurant also offers full-service catering.

White Rabbit Kitchen hosts parties of up to 20 guests, birthdays included, and a food and beverage minimum may apply depending on the date and time. Its bulk menu sells smoked pulled pork, brisket, turkey, shredded chicken and chicken tenders by the pound, with a three-pound minimum, plus smoked wings by the dozen and sides such as that mac and cheese in sizes that serve eight to ten. Bulk orders need 72 hours' notice.

Margie's Kitchen and Cocktails, at the corner of Round Lake Blvd and Bunker Lake Blvd, takes reservations, handles large parties and events, and offers online ordering with contactless curbside pickup.

After dinner, Crooked Lake Creamery & Deli inside the Andover YMCA Community Center on Hanson Blvd NW scoops super premium hard ice cream from Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, and our family guide to Bunker Hills and Andover parks covers what else the building offers.