Summer with small children can mean a lot of things.
It might mean weekday sleep-ins, fish and chips on the beach and quality family time. It might also mean childcare juggles, endless park trips and hearing the words “I’m bored” on a loop.
And for parents who value excellent food and coffee — and someone to make it for them, serve it to them and do the dishes afterwards — it means hunting for a child-friendly cafe.
Part of my job involves reviewing breakfast and brunch venues for The Sunday Times. Part of my life outside work involves having two young children.
As a result, I have strong views on what constitutes a good child-friendly cafe.
That includes a vibe that allows otherwise-well-behaved children to raise their voice above a whisper without risking a side-eye, some form of kid entertainment and food that is good enough for the child-free to eat there too. Some parents may be content to endure rubbery eggs and dry muffins, for the sake of a good playground and some quiet time, but I am not that parent.
Instead, as the summer holidays draw to a close, these are five places I visit to spend my own money with my own children.
1 Little French Nest, Fremantle
The only bad thing I can say about Little French Nest is that it’s not my local.
The food is excellent: think the wobbliest, most luscious pain perdu (French toast) you’ve ever had in your mouth, crispy croquettes and the delightfully retro crepe Suzette. It’s also got a a charming but discretely tucked away indoor kid’s play area, designed to keep kids who thrive on imaginative play entertained.
Owner and chef Andrea Ramirez said Little French Nest was “a reflection of ourselves, the sort of place we love to visit with our own kids”. “We are two chefs with young families and we have experienced the lack of places that are kid friendly but also serve quality food so you don’t end up sacrificing one for the other,” she said.
“From the start of our project, it was always important to create a safe space for kids within the cafe, for our own, that spend a lot of time in here, and our customers. “
Best for: amazing food in a beautiful venue.
2 Peninsula Farm, Maylands
The food would have to be pretty bad at Peninsula Farm to ruin a location like this: a gorgeous historic building in Tranby House, an expanse of green lawn and a view of the Swan.
Still, it’s a relief that the kitchen is very good, including velvety soft scrambled eggs and great coffee. The menu is also interesting enough to justify a return visit, without being painfully of-the-moment: there’s zuchinni, mint and pea fritters, scrambled eggs and asparagus with prosciutto crumbs and waffles topped with caramelised pineapple.
The kid’s menu is small but good (eggs, waffles) and there’s a lovely outdoor (but mostly shaded) play house with a box of toys and a tree swing. Book a table on the deck, throw your children in the general direction of the kid’s corner and enjoy your brunch.
Best for: catching some sun.
3 Little Laika, Karrinyup
Everyone knows shopping centre cafes are a bit rubbish but, please, don’t tell Little Laika.
The food and coffee at this Karrinyup Shopping Centre venue, sister restaurant to Laika Coffee in Lathlain, is reliably good.
With a menu heavy on eggs, smashed avo and all-day burgers, they’re not reinventing the wheel here but who needs to? The wheel is doing just fine, thanks very much.
Plus, there are a few surprises, like home-made crumpets and grilled chorizo hash and a kid’s menu offering food your child may actually eat, from cheesy jaffles to eggs on toast.
Better yet it’s right on the edge of the shopping centre’s excellent outdoor playground and water play space.
Best for: post-shopping refuel.
4 Local & Aesthetic, Mount Lawley
With a focus on WA bush foods, this Beaufort Street gem is all about the relaxed, community vibes (and has some nice local retailers out the back if you’ve time for a browse).
The kids area may be small — a picnic table and some toys and colouring supplies — but sometimes just having a kid-friendly nook makes the whole venue feel more welcoming.
Also the food, including the cutely-named Numbat Toast, is really good.
Best for: A top-notch group breakie.
5 Koorak, King’s Park
The cafe formerly known as Stickybeaks had a major face-lift in 2022 and is now much more than a kiosk attached to a great playground.
The plastic tables are wooden, the menu of pancakes and brekky burgers ever so slightly more refined than a hot chips and a can of Coke (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and did I mention it’s licensed? No judgement.
The only thing that hasn’t changed is the lovely Ivey Watson playground, much of which can be supervised from your cafe table.
Best for: having a wine while your child has a ball.
6 Folk and Merchant, Doubleview
The eclectic nature of Folk and Merchant’s garden/carpark is part of its charm.
The chairs and tables don’t match, much of the floor is solid bitumen and everything’s arranged just a little bit higgledy-piggledy. The effect is a bit like sitting in the half-renovated garden of an eccentric hippy.
Somehow it all works, egged on by a good, tight menu, that includes some very good pastries and smoothie bowls, and a lovely kid’s corner, which includes a play house and a slightly-random assortment of trucks and other toys.
Best for: relaxed catch-ups.
7 Blacksmith, Highgate
If you don’t like kids, you should probably just steer clear of the outside area at Blacksmith which is positively overrun with the little buggers during peak periods.
This has a (fenced-in) sandpit and a playroom, which could benefit from a few more toys, and it’s designed in such a way that there’s only one entry/exit point — a must-have for the parents of children with a tendency to bolt.
Over the years I’ve had some cracking meals at Blacksmith and a handful of very average ones. Still, choose wisely and you’ll get the best of both worlds.
Best for: Duping your kid into believing you’re just “going to the sandpit” while quietly putting away some creme brulee pancakes.
8 Little T’s, Balcatta
There are two options for diners at Little T’s: sit inside and have a perfectly nice, better-than-average cafe experience. Order the Turkish Eggs, if you like: they’re great.
The second option is to grab a table in the playground area out the back, which is the place to be if you have a child or children who need both distraction and supervision. Childfree patrons should absolutely not venture here unless they’re looking to confirm their commitment to their childfree status.
But it’s a lovely place to order the kids some crumpets, chuck them in the general direction of the play equipment and hope it doesn’t rain.
Best for: Kids who don’t want to sit still and parents who don’t want to make them.