The Best Family Friendly Restaurants in Los Angeles

A Westchester staple, Alejo’s Presto Trattoria has been serving Italian classics to the neighborhood since 1991. Pastas, pizzas and seafood dishes fill its menu, but the garlic dipping sauce that comes with bread before dinner is so good that you might fill up before the main course. Their Chopped Italian Salad is one of the best meal-sized salads in L.A. Alejo’s is an ideal stop if you and the family are making a trip to or from LAX. Note that you can also reserve a private portion of the restaurant for larger family gatherings.

It doesn’t matter what time of day you head to Brent’s Delicatessen & Restaurant. If the Northridge mainstay is open it will be bustling, and with good reason. Brent’s sandwiches, from the Black Pastrami Reuben to the Ortega Brisket Melt, are a meal-and-a-half; a hearty breakfast might fill you up for the whole day. Be on the lookout for daily specials. There is a kid’s menu with a breakfast combo, PB&J, grilled cheese, mini-cheeseburger and more. Plus, you can pick up deli and bakery specialties to take home on your way out.

With roots in a Beirut sandwich shop, Carousel opened in Hollywood in 1983, not long after first-generation owners Krikor and Vartouhi Tcholakian moved to the United States. The restaurant, which also has a location in Glendale, is still family-owned and is ideal for special occasions. Available for lunch or dinner, Family Style meals like the Hollywood Feast are the way to go for generous portions of a broad sampling of the restaurant’s menu. For families that follow a plant-based diet, check out the Vegan Carousel Party.

The most difficult task at Cosa Buona is deciding on a pizza. Should you go for the Meatlovers with pepperoni and housemade sausage, the Veggie Supreme, or the Sicilian-style pizza with housemade meatballs? Fortunately, this Echo Park restaurant with its ample booth seating and outdoor patio is comfortable enough that the fam can spend some time together before making their decision.

Manuel’s Special Burrito, a five-pounder stuffed with rice, beans and guacamole along with your choice of filling, is the best known menu item at El Tepeyac in Boyle Heights. It’s designed to feed two to four people, although some have actually finished it by themselves. The Family Special features Manuel’s Special Burrito plus four tacos or taquitos, chips and salsa.

Don’t overlook the rest of the menu - mouth-watering specialties like the Hollenbeck Burrito (available in "Mini") and classics like their chile relleno are served in generous portions at budget-friendly prices.

Golden Dragon serves a variety of family-style Chinese dishes inside its spacious, elegant dining room. The reasonable prices and large portions make this Chinatown restaurant an appealing option for four or five people. Bonus for the grown-ups: the bar specializes in tropical drinks - you’ll find some of the best deals in L.A. on Mai Tais, Singapore Slings and Scorpion Bowls.

For the family that can’t agree on what’s for dinner, Grand Central Market is an excellent option. The landmark food hall's permanent stalls offer great eats for a variety of tastes, from Sarita’s expansive menu of pupusas to sausages at Berlin Currywurst to Wexler’s Deli sandwiches. Those with a sweet tooth won’t be disappointed - grab dessert at The Donut Man or McCconnell’s Fine Ice Creams, or stop by La Huerta Candy to pick up some goodies to-go.

Opened in 1976, Kouraku is renowned as the first ramen restaurant in the U.S. The late Hiroshi Yamauchi, who took over the Little Tokyo eatery in 1986, attracted an afterhours crowd with Japanese comfort food like Tenshin Chahan Ankake - a shrimp omelette on pork fried rice with gravy. Kouraku's current hours aren't so much for the night owls, but the family can squeeze into a booth, admire the vintage Japanese posters, and order favorites like Kouraku Special Ramen and Katsudon from BellaBot!

With more than 36 years in business, Les Sisters is a West Valley institution. The restaurant is beloved for its cross-section of Southern dishes— everything from barbecue to gumbo— and now operates two locations in Chatsworth. Hours vary between locations, but both include a children’s menu for diners under the age of 12. Though it will be difficult, try to save room for a slice of pie.

The Echo Park location of Monty’s Good Burger looks like a cross between a 1950s diner and a punk club. Everything about it is charming, from the seating areas that feel like hidden rooms to the merch wall to the illustrations of Monty, the restaurant’s mascot. The food, though, is what draws vegan and veg-friendly diners to Monty’s Good Burger, which also has locations in Koreatown and Culver City. In addition to plant-based takes on burger stand classics, they offer their own organic, sugar cane soda in flavors like Cherry Bomb and Orange Faygo. Plus, their shakes, made with Oatly!, are thick, creamy and served with sprinkles, strawberries or other toppings.

An L.A. dining icon, Philippe the Original was founded in 1908 and has been at its current location since 1951. Their famed French Dip sandwiches, created a decade after the restaurant opened, lure daily lines of Angelenos and have made it a popular destination before and after games at nearby Dodger Stadium. Philippe’s spacious dining areas, which includes communal tables and upstairs seating, makes it ideal for families to share a casual meal. Plus, the extremely budget-friendly coffee, lemonade and iced tea help ease the bill.