Context: We will be travelling to Tokyo and Sapporo in October with our little one (16 months old). She can generally sit still in a baby chair, but sometimes plays with her food and throws stuff she doesn’t like on the floor. We do have a baby chair that we can attach to any chair with a backing.
Questions: What are some tips you would give for eating out with an infant? Are we going to get kicked out if our baby starts throwing food on the floor? Are ramen places and other diners with high stools basically impossible for us?
13 comments
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We took our 15-month son this past March and stuck to family restaurants where possible. Lucky for us, grandma came with and was able to watch the baby when we wanted to dine at fancier/more traditional places.
Truth be told, I can’t imagine bringing a child to one of the smaller Japanese restaurants if they’re still playing with food/tossing it around, especially if they’re sitting on your lap and you’re sitting on a stool. Forget everyone else–that sounds like a terrible dining experience for you as a parent!
Aim for off peak hours!
My kid is older, but he’s picky about food. I bring a little bento for him to *family friendly* restaurants, but we only dine in when we can sit in a booth or otherwise take our time. He’ll eat a tiny bit of rice or noodles, then tuck into his applesauce & crackers. I don’t love it, but it’s manageable and he doesn’t make a mess.
A ramen shop during lunch (especially small shops with a dozen tall bar stools)? Absolutely not. Look on Google for photos of interiors!
Food courts in shopping centers, Fast food, and family restaurants will be your friends.
I wouldn’t recommend taking your child into a ramen joint. They’re often hot, small, and sitting on a stool like you mention. There’s not going to be much there for them to eat (ramen is usually boiling hot), smoking is often allowed, and the general clientele are old salary men.
For traditional restaurants (not as common in Tokyo but maybe in Sapporo) I wouldn’t recommend either if the child throws food on the floor as they can have tatami and probably don’t want to cause mass disturbances. You know your child so you should know that would not be an appropriate dining experience for your childs needs.
Food courts will have multiple options so you’ll probably find food for your child and yourself more easily if you all want different food experiences, they’re already kind of bustling noise wise so no worries there, easy to clean messes, and most centers have family friendly bathrooms and play centers.
Family restaurants next. A little more quiet but family friendly with child-friendly options that might suit a childs taste who is more accustomed to western food.
Fast food last. Western food, easy to clean any mess. No one expects fine dining in there.
I have to say most places in Tokyo are very kid friendly. Aside from Izakayas with indoor smoking and some busy ramen places. We traveled with a 4 year old and almost every place we went had kid plates and utensils. She would get up and wonder around or drop things and no one seemed to mind. I agree that probably won’t be the most enjoyable experience for parents but you definitely won’t be treated badly or thrown out. Also the department stores have incredible food and desserts that you can take home or take to a park for a picnic.
Food courts in shopping centers. If your child is throwing food, don’t be that tourist. Pick it up.
I’d stick with restaurants that have booth seating. We’re taking our 2.5 year old toddler to Tokyo and I’ve been bookmarking restaurants where they have booth seating. Anything with counter or bar seating is a no for us. Our toddler is pretty good when we eat out but we want to avoid anything that will be uncomfortable or hard for us.
A lot of places are family-friendly and will have children’s plastic dishes, small cutlery, kiddie seats, etc. You can portion off a bit of your own food for your child, there are kid’s menu options etc.
Like many people said, ramen might not work well but udon is a great option and you can order it cold as well as hot if you are concerned about it being too hot. They also usually have stuff like tempura and rice balls which little kids usually like.
As for the food throwing, as long as you clean up and/or try your best to make sure it’s not totally out of hand, I think people will understand.
Other than family restaurants and food courts, I also recommend restaurants on top of department stores. They are usually accommodating to kids and toddlers, have baby chair, a bit more spacious and usually better quality than food court.
Also an etiquette tip that I often see tourist miss: if your child is eating food not from the restaurant (ie baby snacks/banana) bring a plastic bag to take the garbage home. The restaurants won’t say anything usually if you just leave it but that’s the general etiquette here!
Baby friendly but also nice for parents restaurant in Tokyo.
They have Koagari which allow babies move around.
And foods are nice. Avoid peak hours or make reservations.
[ちゃのま chanoma at Akihabara](https://www.dd-holdings.jp/shops/chanoma/akihabara#/).
[Photes](https://s.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1310/A131001/13263449/dtlphotolst/)
[ちゃのま Chanoma at Shinjuku](https://www.dd-holdings.jp/shops/chanomama/shinjuku#/).
https://instagram.com/latte.chanomama?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Many babies are there.
They also have at Ikebukuro, Ueno.
I’d say most places with only counter seating wouldn’t be an option.
A few places in Tokyo that I are particularly kid friendly are [MamaPlus](https://maps.app.goo.gl/bH77vKXgqQfYodZ87?g_st=ic) near Kita-Shinagawa Station and [Cafe Rengetsu](https://maps.app.goo.gl/VVV5uLEEGXRaViZT6?g_st=ic) near Ikegami Temple. The second floor of the latter is a large tatami eating area that’s usually full of families with toddlers running around. They also have an outdoor eating area.
Do not go to a ramen restaurant unless one of you is holding your child. What are you going to do if she grabs a bowl of steaming hot soup?
Family restaurants, conveyor belt sushi shops (or regular if you can get a table or booth),
You have to realistically expect to have one of you eating while the other entertains and feeds the young’un, then switch off.
I would avoid hotpots, sukiyaki and shabushabu. Just today I saw a baby pull over a drink and splashed it everywhere on himself and mom. Imagine if that was a burning pot of hot liquid