Kerbey Lane has long been a family favorite due to its comfort food-focused menu and casual atmosphere. The local chain also recently turned heads by hiring Joe Anguiano (formerly of Vox Table) as executive chef. The restaurant’s Round Rock location has an enclosed playground for running off that plate of pancakes, along with Kerbey’s usual menu and chipper service. Kids also eat free on Tuesdays with the purchase of an adult entree at all locations.

One would be hard-pressed to find a family that hasn’t taken a drive to the original The Salt Lick at some point — but those up north can dine on the same familiar favorites at picnic tables near a large playscape. The restaurant is also near the Dell Diamond minor league baseball stadium, making it an easy mark for summer pregame dining. Children under the age of 11 can order from a discounted “small plate” menu.

One of the fancier picks for family dining, Oasthouse is a gastropub with entrees ranging from Texas redfish to shrimp and grits, along with the standard burgers and steaks. There’s also a large appetizer list and six-dollar kid meals like grilled cheeseburgers or pasta shells with marinara sauce. Oasthouse’s patio overlooks a large playscape, which it shares with next-door Mexican restaurant Flores in the Four Points shopping center.

It’s the Rudy’s you know, only with a huge playground complete with rock walls and slides adjoining the restaurant’s patio. As with all Rudy’s, there are breakfast tacos in the mornings, and barbecue for lunch and dinner. This location is convenient for stops when heading to or from the lake.

This Domain Northside’s gastropub serves hearty fare like pork ribs, fried chicken, and fish and chips, and has a full cocktail bar and happy hour specials. The restaurant’s secret weapon is an outdoor lawn games area, complete with a ping-pong table, corn hole, and foosball.  The children’s menu includes the standard buttered noodles, cheeseburgers, and mac and cheese for $6 a piece.

With its excellent New York-style pizza, wide selection of sandwiches and salads, tasty desserts, and outdoor dining area, Little Deli serves as the heart of the Crestview neighborhood. On any given summer night, the restaurant teems with families who've walked or biked for an easy, affordable, tasty dinner. Plus, it’s BYOB.

The Lakeway Mangieri’s gets high marks from the neighborhood for its thin-crust pizzas, but parents head there to allow kids to roam around the enclosed playground. The $4.50 kids’ menu is better than most, with roasted chicken and broccoli and fettuccine alfredo offered in addition to pizza options. Adults will find a lengthy menu of pastas, calzones, and antipasti here.

Ski Shores has just about everything a kid could ask for: video games, boats, a playground, and baskets of fries, wings, and onion rings. The ultra-casual setting is a great post-lake happy hour stop, with beers from Uncle Billy’s, a range of margaritas, and a selection of cocktails. The menu is based on burgers and fried seafood, with a few salads and sides also available.

The North Loop restaurant’s children-friendly efforts include dedicated kids’ menus for dinner and brunch, with simple dishes like pancakes, buttered noodles, French toast, and ice cream. Plus there are crayons for coloring time.

The OG of Austin playground cafes, Central Market has been helping hungry shoppers take a break for over 20 years. The varied menu features standard fare, but there’s something for everyone: pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, and grilled proteins (try the falafel sliders or the salmon salad). On Tuesdays, children can eat for free from 5 to 8 p.m.

When the family's feeling a bit more upscale, check out the Bryker Woods Italian restaurant’s Sunday night family meal, featuring a rotating prix fixe three-course menu of antipasti, pasta, and an entree. Even better: kids under the age of 12 eat free.

Play washers while waiting for pigs in blankets, fries, and tempura green beans. Or visit with one of many friendly dogs in the yard. Mueller-area families love the block-party feel here, and the menu is approachable even to the pickiest eaters.

The large outdoor area is very kid-friendly, from the gravel ground to random yard toys to board games to misters. Pair that with Bryce Gilmore et al’s easy-going casual menu, and it’s a family winner.

Parents can enjoy a brew or two while kids run around in the lager garden. Plus, there’s kid-friendly food items like grilled cheese and a Cuban sandwich.

The spirit of old South Austin lives on at El Mercado. There’s standard Tex-Mex fare like beef enchiladas and crispy tacos, laid-back service, and a garden-style patio with party lights and a small playscape for the kids. Children can order from the special $6 kids’ menu, or simply grab a half-order of nachos.

There's usually a lot of waiting to be done at Home Slice, from waiting for a table to waiting for the piping hot pizza to arrive. But this place gets that waiting is the hardest part, and kids love playing ping-pong on the back patio, the coloring sheets and complimentary ball of pizza dough to play with while waiting for dinner, and the roll of Smarties that come with the check. Oh, and the pizza's pretty good, too. There’s an elaborate outdoor area at the North Loop location.

After an ownership change, this long-standing Oak Hill pizzeria draws big weeknight crowds to the playscape featuring mister fans and tree shade. There’s a reasonable craft beer selection and a small wine list here, along with a kid-friendly menu of pizzas, sandwiches, and salads.

A regular stop for families in southwest Austin, Graceland joined neighbor The Rusty Mule as a go-to happy hour destination when it added counter-service dining from Stubb’s Bar-B-Q a couple of years ago — the Stubb’s name has since been removed, replaced by Texas Post Oak Bar-B-Q. Service is rather casual, and waits for food can be significant during peak hours. Generally speaking, though, this is a good spot to catch up with friends while the kids roam the play area.

Presently, the food trailers Taco Brother and Q Up BBQ are stationed at this massive hangout spot along 290 in far Southwest Austin. The Rusty Mule allows kids until 9 p.m., along with on-leash pets, making it a good outdoor spot for large groups. Kids can roam among the picnic tables and party lights while the grownups catch up over dinner — it’s a simple and fun excursion.

The massive Arbor Trails branch of this casual Italian favorite has a large patio just around the corner from the Arbor Trails mall playground. While there’s not a direct line of sight, but it’s close enough to order food and drink, then watch the kids until dinner is served. A special menu including a scoop of gelato means makes this place a particular kid’s favorite, as does the small section of little children’s tables available. (The adults can grab a happy hour $5 wine or $4 draft before 6 p.m.)