25+ Child-Friendly Restaurants in Durban & Surrounds 2020
It can be quite a challenge finding a suitable restaurant for loud and busy family gatherings – especially one which offers something the whole family can enjoy (without disturbing fellow guests). Luckily, Durban has a large number of child-friendly and family-friendly restaurants to choose from.
Herewith our top 30 child-friendly restaurants in Durban and surrounds.
Also, for some more family-fun inspiration, read outdoor family friendly activities in Durban, or for rainy days: family friendly indoor activities in Durban and indoor play venues Durban.
For an extensive, complete family-friendly bucket list, be sure to read 52 things to do with kids in Durban.
For a guide on family-friendly activities and excursions in Ballito, read Mojitos in Ballito.
Things to do with Kids: Child-friendly Restaurants in Durban 2020
1. Spring Side Café (Child-friendly Cafe and Coffee Shop Hillcrest)
This café boasts a cosy fireplace for those cool, wintry mornings or late afternoons and a large garden (with jungle gym) perfect for cooling down in summer. It serves its own home blended coffee and freshly baked pastries.
Address: 20 Springside Rd, Hillcrest
Tel: 082 794 9045
2. Pallet Jacks (Child-friendly Restaurant and Party Venue Hillcrest)
Permanently closed
This popular kid-friendly restaurant and kids’ party venue boasts a large double volume indoor play area, as well as a kiddies’ menu and customisable party packages.
Address: 9 Old Main Rd, Hillcrest
Tel: 031 765 2954
3. Olive & Oil (Child-friendly Restaurant Hillcrest, Glenwood, Umhlanga & Pietermaritzburg)
Olive & Oil is a family-owned & managed Mediterranean restaurant serving comfort food well. It has its own play areas as well as childminders on duty.
Hillcrest Branch: Lillies Lifestyle Centre, 12/16 Old Main Rd, Hillcrest | Tel: 031 765 6214
Glenwood Branch: C/O Joseph & Bulwer Rd, Hillcrest | Tel: 031 201 6146
Umhlanga Branch: Chartwell Centre, 15 Chartwell Dr, Umhlanga | Tel: 031 561 2618
Pietermaritzburg Branch: Cascades Shopping Centre, 23 Mc Carthy Dr, Pietermaritzburg | Tel: 033 347 1131
4. Bonna Terra Café (Child-friendly Coffee Shop and Bakery Hillcrest)
The smell of freshly baked bread, pastries, and just-brewed organic coffee is enough to make you want to spend the whole day at this family-style cafe. Plus, they have an outdoor play area for the kids.
Address: 1 Bona Terra Rd, Assagay, Hillcrest
Tel: 062 602 2948
5. Lucky Bean (Child-friendly Coffee Shop and Party Venue Assagay)
Lucky Bean is a child- and family-focused coffee shop and party venue catering for family fun with an indoor play shed, an outdoor garden, a jungle gym & swings, a bike track, fantasy playhouses, as well as a baby only play area.
Address: 10 Cadmoor Rd, Assagay
Tel: 082 216 3892
6. Arts Café (Kid-friendly Coffee Shop Glenwood)
Stop in here for a dose of art and culture, a simple yet delicious menu (featuring burgers, pasta, pizzas, and salads) and an outdoor play area for the kids.
Address: 166 Bulwer Rd, Glenwood
7. Prep Room (Child-friendly Restaurant Glenwood)
The ambiance is great, the burgers are delicious and the play area (featuring a jungle gym, astroturf, fanbox and jungle gym) for kids is safe, yet fun. Overall a great family experience.
Address: Bath Rd, Glenwood
Tel: 083 794 5875
8. Chez Nous (Child-friendly Restaurant Westville)
Permanently closed
This upmarket and elegant restaurant features a large, supervised indoor kiddies’ area with game consoles, a TV, PlayStation, and a basketball hoop.
Address: Westville Junction, 31 Westville Rd, Westville
Tel: 031 266 7011
9. Blue Zoo (Child-friendly Restaurant Berea)
Established in 1914, Blue Zoo is one of Durban’s oldest restaurants and is located within the beautiful Mitchell Park. Surrounded by an outdoor paradise, the restaurant also offers a jungle gym, swings, a play house, a sand-art area as well as play tables for the kids. They do have childminders on duty.
Address: 6 Nimmo Rd, Morningside, Berea
Tel: 031 303 3568
10. Cargo Hold (Restaurant uShaka Marine World)
Temporarily closed
Although this is not technically a child-friendly restaurant (it is not marketed as such), they do welcome kids under 12 during their lunch-time service (between 12h00 - 15h00). The restaurant does, however, border the aquarium offering unmatched views of the magical ocean life as you dine and the kids will love this.
Address: uShaka Marine World, King Shaka Ave, Durban
Tel: 031 328 8065
11. People’s Park Café (Kid-friendly Cafe Moses Mabhida Stadium)
Take a family excursion to the stadium and partake in some of the wonderfully fun adventure activities on offer - it will definitely be a day to remember.
The People’s Park Café is situated close to the stadium’s kids’ play area and offers a café style breakfast and lunch menu as well as a separate kiddies’ menu. Kids are welcome to bring their bikes along.
Address: Masabalala Yengwa Ave, Durban
Tel: 031 303 5719
12. Circus Circus Beach Café (Child-friendly Restaurant Bay of Plenty)
Situated on the Durban beachfront, the restaurant offers magnificent views of the promenade and beach, giving this venue a wonderful holiday atmosphere. While here, take a quick ride in one of the iconic Durban rickshaws or put your feet in the sand and surf.
The restaurant does offer a jungle gym, an astroturf play area and the kids could play on the beach.
Other branches are located in Gateway, Musgrave and Galleria.
Address: Shop 1, Snell Parade, Bay of Plenty, Durban
Tel: 031 337 7700
13. O and O Cafe ~ Olive and Oil (Child-friendly Restaurant and Party Venue Westville)
Expect a lively bistro-style restaurant and party venue with indoor and outdoor seating as well as an indoor and outdoor play area (featuring a foosball table, TV, art, a jumping castle, and a jungle gym) for the kids.
Address: 112 Maryvale Rd, Westville, Durban
Contact: http://www.oandocafe.co.za/
14. Marula's Coffee Shop (Child-friendly Coffee Shop, Durban)
This family restaurant and kids' party venue has a large outdoor play area and serves a varied menu, including sushi.
Address: 57 O R Tambo Parade, South Beach, Durban
Contact: https://www.facebook.com/marulascoffee/
15. Nonna at Makaranga (Child-friendly Restaurant)
The Makaranga Garden Lodge, with its exotic botanical gardens, meandering stream, waterfall, and ponds, forms a beautiful backdrop for a family-friendly meal at Nonna Restaurant. Contemporary in its design, this restaurant and deli offer a variety of food as well as a separate kiddies' playroom. An outside play area is available as well.
Address: No 1A Igwababa Road, Kloof, 3610
Tel: 031 764 6616
Things to do with Kids: Child-Friendly Restaurants in Howick
16. Yellowwood Café (Child-friendly Restaurant Howick)
Situated on the Fairfell Farm in Howick, this restaurant offers a fantastic country-themed family outing. The animal farm allows the kids to go wild in the large garden area, bike track and on the jungle gym. The menu consists of breakfast, light lunches, salads, grilled meals and boasts an extensive kids’ menu.
Address: 1 Shafton Rd, Howick
Tel: 033 330 2461
Things to do with Kids: Child-friendly Restaurants in Umhlanga
17. Col’Cacchio (Kid-friendly Restaurant and Pizzeria Gateway)
Located in the popular Gateway Shopping Centre, this family restaurant offers unique and tasty pizzas, pasta and salads with loads of energy and a smile. Kids get to make their own pizza.
Address: Gateway Centre, 1 Palm Ave, Umhlanga
Tel: 031 584 6822
18. Olive & Oil (Child-friendly Restaurant Umhlanga)
Olive & Oil is a family-owned & managed Mediterranean restaurant serving comfortable food well. It has its own play areas as well as childminders on duty. The indoor playroom features a hockey table, a soccer table, and PlayStation.
Address: Chartwell Centre, 15 Chartwell Dr, Umhlanga
Tel: 031 561 2618
19. La Piazza (Child-friendly Restaurant Ballito)
This authentic Italian restaurant offers clean and contemporary dining for the adults and a pizza/doh play section, a PlayStation section and an outdoor play area for the kids. Although this is a child-friendly restaurant, expect a romantic ambiance.
The indoor and outdoor play areas include jungle gyms, arcade games, a big screen for movies, outdoor jungle gym, outdoor chess, and childminders.
Address: The Well, C/O Albertina Rd and Kirsty Way, Ballito
Tel: 032 586 3565
20. Mamma G’s (Kid-friendly Restaurant Ballito)
This vibey restaurant is popular for its gourmet pizzas and offers an outside play area for the kids. The kids can expect an astroturf courtyard, movies, kids' cars and jungle gyms, as well as colouring in books.
Kids eat free on a Thursday.
Address: Ballito Junction, Ballito Dr, Ballito
Tel: 032 946 2000
21. Mo-Zam-Bik (Child-friendly Restaurant Boulevard Centre)
Mo-Zam-Bik is, as the name suggests, a Mozambique-inspired restaurant offering freshly prepared, delicious food. The restaurant is divided into two sections: the upstairs section (often housing live music or comedians) and the child-friendly downstairs section with an indoor kids’ play area. The play area features a jungle gym colouring activities and a childminder.
Booking is essential during peak seasons.
Address: Boulevard Centre, Compensation Rd, Ballito
Tel: 032 946 0979
22. The Waterberry (Child-friendly Coffee Shop Ballito)
Contemporary, yet homely, the Waterberry is a Ballito must-visit. Offering freshly baked goods, wholesome food, as well as a deli section, this little piece of paradise is situated in the heart of an untouched and tranquil piece of Coastal Forest with an abundance of birdlife and frequent small duiker sightings. The delicious kids' menu was inspired by the owners' own grandchildren (and what they love to eat), there is a play area at the back and they have a child-friendly nature walk which the whole family can enjoy before or after their meal.
Address: Dolphin Crescent, Ballito
Tel: 032 946 2797
23. Burndale Café (Child-friendly Cafe and Coffee Shop Umhlali)
Burndale Farm offers everything a family could possibly need for a fun day outing: a fenced play area, sand art, an animal farm, pottery painting and cooking classes for the kids and a hair salon, beauty spa, make-up salon as well as a variety of shops for the adults (and kids alike). Round off your day with a wood-fired pizza or a delicious slice of gourmet cake at the Burndale Café.
Tel: 032 947 0133
Things to do with Kids: Child-friendly Restaurants in Salt Rock
24. Siggi’s German Restaurant (Child-friendly Restaurant Salt Rock)
The outdoor beer garden serves imported beers and has a kids’ play area. The German-inspired food is wholesome and delicious.
Address: 65 Basil Hulett Dr, Salt Rock
Tel: 032 525 7460
25. The Shed, The Litchi Orchard (Child-friendly Restaurant Salt Rock)
Situated in amongst the beautiful trees of the Litchi Orchard, this relaxed, funky and bustling restaurant has a large lawn area for the kids to play on. Enjoy craft beer and a varied pub and café style menu.
Address: The Litchi Orchard, 1 Seaforth Ave, Salt Rock
Tel: 084 795 0888
26. Sage Café & Deli (Kid-friendly Restaurant Salt Rock)
For healthy, wholesome food which the whole family can enjoy, pop into Sage for a heart-warming cup of coffee and a family-friendly bite to eat. This beautifully decorated café also offers a large outdoor play area for the kids and there is a toyshop near by.
Address: Old Fort Rd, Salt Rock
Tel: 032 525 8059
Images received from the various restaurants
