Family Friendly Restaurants

Fireside Pies -- This is no '50s pizza parlor. In a funky, energetic atmosphere, parents and kids can enjoy pecan wood-fired pies made from a creative list of fixin's and cheeses.

Highland Park Pharmacy -- This old-time soda fountain and lunch counter serves the food a kid and nostalgic parent should love: grilled-cheese sandwiches and chicken salad, followed by a milkshake or root beer float.

La Calle Doce -- This cheery, brightly painted Mexican home is sure to delight the kids. The parents can sample affordable but well-prepared seafood dishes, while the kids pig out on enchiladas and other familiar Tex-Mex.

La Duni Latin Cafe -- Latin American tortas and more are offered at this eclectic spot. Save room for dessert -- their sweets are excellent.

Matt's Rancho Martinez -- Tex-Mex the way it was meant to be -- simple and relaxed. The kids can start with the chips and salsa while Mom and Dad sip a margarita on the patio.

Peggy Sue BBQ -- An inexpensive, down-home, 1950s-style barbecue joint in a stylish neighborhood, Park Cities (near SMU). It has a more varied menu than most barbecue places, with a terrific salad bar and veggies.

Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse -- Kids may wonder if they're really on vacation when they sit down to eat at a one-armed school desk at this atmospheric little shack, but the beef sandwich with barbecue sauce, a heckuva sloppy Joe, should keep them from squirming.

Taco Diner -- Though it's a hipster location for good, authentic Mexico City tacos, this is also a clean, family-friendly place to dabble in Mex rather than Tex-Mex, and the service is almost as fast as fast food.