Diners' Choice: Kid-friendly restaurants in Essex

OpenTable

Updated April 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are kid friendly in Essex? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Lot Bar & Restaurant

4.8

4.8 (1427)

£26 to £40

Contemporary European

Brentwood

About the restaurant

Lot Bar and Restaurant is a family run business offering freshly prepared food from 8am until 10pm daily. Whether you are looking for an informal breakfast or light lunch with friends or a 3 course celebration dinner in the evening or simply a drink in the bar after work, we have the best to offer locally.
We at Lot Bar and Restaurant take pride the quality of our ingredients, the high standard of presentation and excellent service. A seasonally changing breakfast and lunch menu offers everything you could want from a kitchen and our evening A la carte menu includes restaurant favourites as well as daily changing specials. On Sunday afternoons we offer the best Roast available. Our wine list, available from 11am, is curated by us to include the faithful, the unusual and the interesting.

Top review

Lisa

Dined 1 day ago

I love Lot and the food was delicious as always. I visited with my elderly mother, but was unlucky enough to sit next to an extremely loud couple whose vocab consisted of every other word being ‘f’. Debated moving, but it would have just caused trouble.

Discover more

Popular dish

Paella

Black Rock Restaurant

4.8

4.8 (717)

£26 to £40

Steak

Clacton-On-Sea

About the restaurant

Embark on a culinary adventure at Black Rock, where we offer a unique dining experience that will tantalize your taste buds. Our menu is a global fusion of flavours, showcasing the best of international cuisine.

Our signature "Steak on the Stone" is a must-try, allowing you to customize your steak to your desired level of doneness. This innovative cooking method ensures a truly personalized and flavourful experience.

Beyond our exceptional steaks, our menu features a diverse range of dishes to satisfy every craving. From succulent seafood to hearty vegetarian options, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Our commitment to using only the freshest, locally sourced ingredients guarantees exceptional quality and taste in every bite.

Top review

Anthony

Dined 6 days ago

Excellent restaurant food is as always delicious and the staff are extremely polite and attentive

Carluccio's - Fenwick Colchester

4.8

4.8 (423)

£26 to £40

Italian

Colchester

About the restaurant

Here at Carluccio's, we’ve always been true to our Italian heritage and what food really means to us. The best ingredients, from the best regions, cooked with love.

Top review

MarjorieVIP

Dined on Apr 17, 2025

Lovely breakfast and good deal. Restaurant was quiet too. Very relaxing. Staff lovely as always. Will definitely be back for breakfast

Hasturk

4.8

4.8 (722)

£25 and under

Turkish

Braintree

About the restaurant

Here at Hasturk, we have over 20 years experience in the restaurant industry. We are well versed in good hospitality and serving fresh, handmade food.

We’ve used experiences from our own heritage and traditional food back home to create our menu for the much loved Turkish which is now widely known.

With an array of meat dishes to freshly caught seafood and wide selection of authentic appetisers, you can be assured everything at Hasturk is carefully sourced and deliciously prepared and meets our standards.

Hasturk is a family run, Turkish restaurant with a modern twist. We aim to serve our customers the very best of Turkish cuisine, welcoming everyone in with open arms. We’re ready to offer you a dining experience that you’ll remember!

Top review

Karren

Dined on Apr 14, 2025

Great family experience, friendly professional staff.Attended with 2 young children whose dinners were free . Food was lovely authentic turkish. Will definitely be back

Banquet Chinese

4.7

4.7 (1724)

£26 to £40

Cantonese

Colchester

About the restaurant

Start the the New Year with 25% off your total bill until 19th January.
Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sunday from 5pm.

Banquet Chinese is a restaurant and venue unlike any other found in Colchester or North Essex today.

This is Chinese food the way it is meant to be experienced! Our mouth-watering dishes are cooked to perfection by award-winning chefs using only the freshest and finest ingredients.
The interior has been carefully chosen and imported from China to create a genuine and sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere in which to enjoy your lunch or evening meal, perhaps together with a bottle of wine from the well rounded wine list supplied by Liberty Wines.

Top review

TERESA

Dined 5 days ago

Lovely authentic food, all freshly cooked. Great selection of Dim Sum

The Anchor Inn - Nayland

4.6

4.6 (1965)

£25 and under

British

Nayland

About the restaurant

A traditional country pub with a warm welcome, The Anchor Inn offers a fine selection of cask ales and fresh, home-cooked food. Set in the beautiful village of Nayland, open fires and a cosy atmosphere make the Anchor a wonderful winter bolthole, and the banks of the River Stour provide glorious al fresco dining throughout the summer months.

Top review

Nicola

Dined 2 days ago

Helpful, friendly staff. Good service, and excellent food.

Yaz Restaurant

4.5

4.5 (96)

£25 and under

Middle Eastern

Highams Park

About the restaurant

WELCOME TO YAZ Your Delicious Escape to the Mediterranean They say variety is the spice of life. Charming choices are at your feet, the moment you enter through our doors you will be met with a welcome only a independent family run business can provide. What will it be today - the Bistro for breakfast and brunch on our cosy Chesterfield sofas or perhaps you will take the winding staircase to our lush cocktail bar for something to sip on over supper? YAZ is all about laidback-luxury with a Mediterranean / Middle Eastern twist, so you can expect great vibes and gorgeous food throughout the day and late into the night. In the same way our venue offers two settings, with the ground floor for a more casual cosy Bistro experience and the first floor indulging you in an elegant evening rendezvous, where you can stroll on to our heated outdoor alfresco balcony to sip on a cocktail of your choice with the Mediterranean sun gleaming upon your face. YAZ there's no place like it.

Top review

Tim

Dined 2 days ago

We were staying in a hotel nearby, and Yaz looked interesting for dinner. The staff were very welcoming, and helpful. The food was just great - especially delicious kebabs. Hope it won't be too long before we see you again.

The Red Lion - Margaretting

4.5

4.5 (36)

£25 and under

Gastro Pub

Margaretting

About the restaurant

Indulge in a culinary journey as you step into our warm and inviting gastro pub. Here, we pride ourselves on offering an impressive steakhouse-style menu that is sure to tantalise your taste buds. We are dedicated to sourcing the very best produce we can find, with all of our prime steak and beef supplied by our locally sourced suppliers.
Under the skilled craftsmanship of our head chef, Lukasz Kot, every dish is a masterpiece waiting to be savoured. From perfectly grilled steaks to an array of tantalising fish and European-inspired creations, there's something to delight every palate.
But it's not just about the food at The Red Lion; it's about the experience. Relax in our cozy yet stylish surroundings, where the ambiance is as inviting as the menu. Whether you're enjoying a hearty meal with friends, sipping on a fine wine by the fireplace, or soaking up the sun in our charming outdoor seating area, you'll feel right at home.

Top review

Sue

Dined on Mar 23, 2025

Visited for the first time looking for a decent Sunday roast, and we most certainly did! Excellent food, very tasty .. we will be back

The Cricketers Mill Green

4.4

4.4 (132)

£26 to £40

British

Brentwood

About the restaurant

‘MORE THAN JUST A PUB! ‘
There's plenty on offer throughout the week at The Cricketers Mill Green near Ingatestone in Essex.

Set within a beautiful rural environment but easily accessible.

Now serving lunch & dinner 5 days per week including an extended Sunday Lunch service.
Please Note While Booking With Us, Dogs are allowed in the bar area however that are not allowed in the restaurant.

Food is served in our restaurant with our new A La Carte menu which is served Wednesday to Saturday 12-3pm then 6-9pm or our new Bar menu Which is served all day Wednesday to Saturday 12-9pm excluding sandwiches in the evening.
See our website for our menus.

We also have daily 'specials' so there is always something different.

We use locally sourced ingredients and all of our dishes are freshly prepared in our kitchen.

Top review

RebeccaVIP

Dined 7 days ago

We had the most delicious food - in particular, the fish and chips were amazing! A menu of traditional pub food but done very, very well. The service is always great here so I would always recommend The Cricketers for a great meal.

Angel

4.3

4.3 (182)

£25 and under

Pub

Braintree

About the restaurant

The Angel is a rejuvenated, historical pub nestled in the quaint village of Kelvedon, on the suburbs of Essex. With rustic country charm through the interiors, there are plenty of cosy or lively spots to sit back and enjoy alongside great company. Situated on the doorstep of the high street, The Angel is perfectly located for both locals and passing city goers. This Colchester treasure provides the neighbourhood with a hub of friendly faces and warm welcomes. With direct links to London's Liverpool Street Station, it's a beautiful escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Top review

David

Dined on Apr 13, 2025

Lovely food. Brilliant service. Very nice ambience

Explore Diners' Choice best of Essex

Explore more Diners' Choice lists