Florian – Chicken Parm and Strollers Living In Harmony

In the mood for some killer chicken parm and thin crust pizza? Hit the family friendly Florian!
Bring your stroller….or ten!

Basics:

Kid Friendliness:

*Stroller Parking: There is a coat check and a lot of stroller parking in the back of the restaurant by the bathrooms.

*Accessibility: The main entrance of the restaurant has a revolving door. Don’t worry! Ask the hostess at the front to open up the side door and enter the restaurant through the building next door.

The Verdict:

Good for Infants, Toddlers, Little Kids
Appropriate for Brunch, Lunch, Dinner

Sippy Cup Rating:

Sunny was in a post-concert haze having just listened to an hour of Gustafer Yellowgold Live at Lincoln Center. He sang the hits…from “Pancake Smackdown” to “I Jump On Cake” among other trippy food related tunes. Needless to say….we had food on our minds. So, dwe jumped on the subway and headed to Union Square’s Florian for some good ‘ol Italian food.

We got a warm and fuzzy vibe from the onset even after Sunny asked to test out every booth before ultimately choosing the one we were originally given. Florian has a family-style sharing option which makes it great for large parties. Although there wasn’t a kids menu the manager (who took our order) automatically anticipated her needs and brought Sunny a half order of penne. Side note, penne isn’t on the menu but again, the manager jumped into action after Sunny quizzed him on the types of noodles they had to offer (penne and rigatoni are available even though not listed). I ordered a cheese pizza (delectable thin crust btwd) which Sunny informed the manager we were going to share. Again, right away, he anticipated Sunny’s desires and asked if I’d like to “hold the green stuff” on the pizza (aka basil). Mr mind-reader over here!

A love affair with penne

Anyway, the food was great and the service was better. On the way out I spoke with the hostess about the revolving door stroller situation (we didn’t have one that day) and she personally walked us over to the side door and gave us instructions in case we bring it next time. The only thing that would make Florian better would be….wait for it…you guess it….CHANGING TABLES. Sigh…(the bathrooms are big though and in a pinch you could do a floor change).

Bonus Points:

• Lots of stroller parking in the back of the restaurant
• No kids menu but they have half orders of pasta, pizza and lots of sides

Insider Tips:

• If you need a table with stroller parking call in advance. It’s a big restaurant but not all tables can accommodate.
• No apple juice – bring your own and avoid a meltdown 🙂
• Around the corner from the Union Square Green Market which is lots of fun on the weekend and a Barnes & Noble with a great kids section

More from Gustafer Yellowgold….the animated character has shared the stage with Wilco so you can’t feel hip while rocking out to kids music.