About Us – Kid Friendly Restaurant Reviews in NYC
Mission Statement
Fork + Bib is a blog that was born out of my love of food, and obsession for dining at new and interesting restaurants….but now with a child. I’m in a constant search for great eateries that provide headache-free (or close to headache-free!) dining experiences for parents who love food and their kids. As most parents will attest, dining out with children of any age is not easy. While there are many wonderful food critics and websites, the goal of Fork + Bib is to provide a wide range of kid-friendly and kid-accessible dining options that still offer a great ambience, great food and great changing tables!
The Backstory
In my former life, sans baby, I was always trying out new places to eat – from the hottest chic bistros to locals-only hole-in-the-wall dives – I was there. However, in my new mommy life, 10pm reservations at an eatery in Soho, and mimosa-filled 4 hour brunches in Brooklyn were few and far between because they couldn’t include my new partner in crime – Sunny!
While I was thrilled to be a mom – I had zero experience. I was clueless and quite honestly, petrified. Between the feedings, changings, bathings and burpings the last thing on my mind was going out to eat. Yet, over time and through the encouragement of my mother, the old me came back…as did my dining-out bug.
Around the same time I joined the The Moms Group led by mom and life coach Renee Sullivan a weekly session where me and other bewildered first time mommies would get together and talk about all the good and bad that comes along with being an apartment-dwelling parent in New York City. One day, one of the ladies boldly suggested that we go out for lunch after the session. Horrified at what we thought was, well, insane, we agreed and proceeded to trudge into the December slush with our Bugaboos and bundled babies. As the “Stroller-Brigade” entered Almond on 22nd and Broadway, there were certainly a few eye rolls from worried/amused patrons…yet aside from a few cries here and there, everything ran smoothly. We gained confidence and started trying out other restaurants and cafes every week for the remainder of the sessions. Eventually our weekly class ended yet my desire to find baby-friendly restaurants with great food did not. Sunny and I would go out to restaurants every week and continue to do so documenting our adventures here.
This blog wouldn’t be possible without the inspiration of the original “Stroller-Brigade” – Amy, Lydia, Ellen, Shaun, Jill, Meghann and their beautiful babies Mia, Beatrice, Simon, Lucy, Sydney and Avery. And of course without my own parents, Carole (otherwise known as Moopy by Sunny) and David, who from practically day one, took me along on all of their dining adventures.
Fork + Bib…..sippy cup approved.
About Angela
Angi is a music industry executive in New York City but her most important job is being a mom. She lives in Gramercy with her daughter Sunny. She loves food – especially dim sum, crepes and Cadbury cream filled eggs.
About Our Ratings
Fork + Bib rates restaurants based on kid-friendly accessibility, service and amenities. A few explanations of our ratings categories below.
Ages:
- Infants: 0-12 months
- Toddlers: 13 months – 2.5 years
- Little Kids: 2.6 years and up
We assume that infants will either sit beside the table in their stroller or in a high chair (hopefully provided by the restaurant!). We assume Toddlers will either be in a highchair or sometimes in booster seat. We assume Little Kids will be in a booster seat or sitting on their on in the chair.
Table Activity:
A table activity is anything that the restaurant provides to keep our little ones occupied. The standard is crayons although nothing surprises me – I’ve seen kid-friendly restaurants go so far as branded coloring books and silly string (props to Blue Water Grill!)
Price Key:
This is based on one main course, one drink and tip – generally taken from the breakfast/brunch or lunch menu. Dinner is normally 25% more.
$ – 25 and under
$$ – 26 to 40
$$$ – 41 to 55
$$$$ – 55 and over
Changing Tables:
This category is pretty self-explanatory and something that many restaurants lack. There are very few that have changing tables in the men’s rooms which is a big problem for the daddy’s out there. Ashton Kutcher agrees – more on his Petition here.
Double Strollers:
For those with two, the double stroller adds a whole other element of drama. Some doorways just don’t fit a side by side double stroller. Whenever possible Fork & Bib includes whether or not a restaurant entry way can accommodate a double stroller.
While every stroller is different we base our ratings on the Britax B-Agile Double Stroller which is pretty wide at 30.5 inches.
Notes about reviews: Restaurant visits are unannounced and unpaid. Reviews are not related to advertising. To be considered for a review, send the restaurant name, address, phone number, website and a copy of the menu to theforkandbib@gmail.com
Types of Reviews:
Full Reviews:
Full reviews are restaurants that Sunny and I have visited and eaten at personally. They include lots of details and musings (hopefully entertaining) about our experiences there.
Quick Takes:
Quick takes just provide the basics – what the space can accommodate and what amenities the restaurant provides. These are restaurants that I have personally visited and checked out FIRST HAND however I haven’t necessarily taken Sunny to eat there yet.
Guest Reviews:
Guest reviews are written by trusted moms in my network. I personally follow up with each restaurant and confirm amenities.
Search:
All of the restaurants are sorted by neighborhood however if you are looking for a particular cuisine or amenity (changing table, stroller parking etc.) you can also plug it into the handy dandy search bar and your restaurants will appear.
