Almond Restaurant – Flatiron

Featuring American and French cuisine, the Flatiron location of Almond has almost everything a chic NYC mom or dad could want…..including a changing table in the unisex bathroom! Liquid brunchers, families and couples with dogs in tow unite at this hot spot.

Basics:

Kid Friendliness:

The Verdict:

Great for all ages – babies, toddlers and little kids.
Reservation recommended on weekends during brunch hours

Sippy Cup Rating:

Nothing makes me happier than to be able to give Almond an almost perfect sippy cup review! Why? Well, Almond is the FIRST restaurant Sunny and I ever ate at and actually where the idea of Fork+Bib was born. Back in January 2012, 9 of us from my mommy group ventured out, strollers in tow. Determined to get over the fear of taking our babies to a public restaurant we boldly walked into Almond. They couldn’t have been nicer, sitting us at a huge table in the back of the restaurant and moving chairs around to accommodate our strollers. We became regulars and went back week after week until our maternity leaves ended.

This weekend, Sunny, now 3 and I went back and had an equally terrific experience. The staff was extremely nice and gushed over Sunny’s super girl/doc marten “brunch” outfit….a direct way to her heart!  When we arrived the hostess helped me maneuver the stroller behind the front desk where it was joined by three more (and lots of room to spare). Then she brought us to our table outside and immediately came back with a big smushy pillow for Sunny so that she could sit at the same height as me. We called it a princess pillow and she was thrilled.

Even though the restaurant was extremely crowded, the service was excellent. Our waiter immediately brought us some hot buns and brought Sunny some juice in a plastic kiddie cup. She wanted apple juice but unfortunately they didn’t have it (not to self for next time) so we ordered pineapple juice mixed with water instead.

They feature Tiger Lily’s Homemade Baby Food for $7 for wee ones which is cool but no kiddie menu. That said,  there are a lot of kid-friendly a la carte side dishes available, at least for brunch. Unfortunately Sunny was a little tough to please on this day. She was in a fussy mood, and I probably gave her too many snacks while we were doing some errands before, so by the time we sat down she wasn’t very hungry. My bad. Anyway, as I often do, I hedged my bets and ordered a few options – a fruit plate, a side of bacon, and mac + cheese. She picked around….I think if she was in a better mood she would have eaten more. Note on the mac + cheese – it is very rich and includes prosciutto and truffles. I asked for it without those additions for Sunny (although when I come solo I will be getting it fully dressed!).

Yes, that’s a glass of goldfish and artificial sweetener….our own “table activity”

I ordered the decadent Almond Hash which features duck confit mixed into potato/onion hash with poached eggs. I’m still thinking about it!

A Fork+Bib must-do, we bee-lined to the bathroom to check it out. When I asked for directions, I was led to the unisex bathroom in the back which had….wait for it….a changing table! Whoohoo! I never thought I’d be so grateful for a piece of plastic attached to the wall. Crisis 10,000 of the day averted.

As we made our way to the back of the restaurant I counted about 10 other kids of various ages….clearly the word has gotten out. Almond NYC Flatiron location has our stamp of approval!

Almond Hash

Mac + Cheese

Bonus Points:

• Located beside cute kids boutique/toy store Space Kiddets. A good place to stall at while you are waiting for your table.
• NY Kids Club is also located a few doors away and has some great drop-in classes
• Close to Madison Square Park and the huge Lego store
• Billiard table in the back room with comfy couches – Sunny enjoyed watching a group play

Insider Tips:

• All of the bathrooms are located in the front of the restaurant. If you need to change your child ask them to direct you to the single unisex bathroom at the back which has a changing table!
• They don’t have apple juice so bring your own if necessary
• It gets crowded on the weekends – make a reservation if you don’t want to wait