Seven restaurants guaranteed to please fussy eaters and discerning parents.
If your offspring have strong views on what they do and don't like, eating out can be a struggle. A simple way to swerve that? Take them to a restaurant that serves their favourite food, only with an elevated twist, like slow-proved pizzas by a former Noma chef or noodles at a hip New York hangout. We've picked seven restaurants that should please everyone – picky parents included.
For pizza connoisseurs: Baest, Copenhagen
@baestcph
Helmed by ex-Noma chef Christian Puglisi, this is no ordinary pizzeria. Here, the garlic bread comes topped with leek oil and whipped lardo, while the mozzarella is made in-house with milk from the chef's organic farm. Toppings on its wood-fired pizzas might run from local shrimp to slivers of home-cured coppa – though risk-averse kids can always stick to the creamy stracciatella and tomato.
Plan B: In Amsterdam, nNea is another cult pizza joint. On weekdays, if you haven't reserved, wait outside just before it opens: with any luck, you'll score a walk-in table.
nNea's award-winning, Neapolitan-style pizzas use slow-fermented doughs
For fishfinger fans: Contramar, Mexico City
@contramarmx
There's nothing hushed about this celebrated seafood address, so families fit in fine. If your kids are fussy, stick to sure-fire hits like the homemade breaded fish sticks or sopes (small rounds of corn masa bread, heaped with lettuce, cheese and refried beans). What's in it for the adults? Palomas, tiraditos, tuna tostados and the legendary signature dish: grilled fish, striped green and red with parsley salsa and a red adobo rub.
Plan B: In Lyme Regis in southern England, bay-facing Rockfish is a sublime spot for lunch. Feast on freshly landed lobster, with Brixham fish bites for the kids.
Views from Rockfish in Lyme Regis, which only buys seafood from fisheries committed to sustainable practices
For noodle fiends: Momofoku Noodle Bar, New York
@momofukunoodlebar
David Chang's East Village noodle bar is still a hangout for cool kids flirting over pork belly bao, but it's also great for actual kids, who know a good ramen when they slurp it. With younger ones, head to the Uptown outpost, with its off-menu children's options (chicken broth with noodles, chicken and rice, or butter-tossed barley ramen). For dessert, the soft-serve ice cream suits all ages.
Plan B: Even teens will concede that LA's Killer Noodle is cool – a buzzy, neon-edged space with terrific tan tan ramen. Smaller siblings can request less spice, or crunch on karaage (fried chicken).
Momofuku's 18-hour drying process gives its noodles a unique texture and bite
For burger geeks: Hundred, Madrid
@hundredburgers
When it comes to burgers, Hundred sets the bar high. Its hand-minced, dry-aged beef patties are served in baked-that-morning buns (a pillowy cross between a demi brioche and lighter pain au lait). Kids'-menu cheeseburgers meet the same exacting standards, while adult options include the gochujang-laced Loser or limited-edition Paul Finch, with smoked cheese and slow-matured ribeye.
Plan B: If you're in New York, squeeze into Hamburger America, George Motz's cult lunch counter, for old-school burgers with dill pickles and cheese, and sides of shoestring fries. 
Madrid's Hundred also serves veggie burgers made from quinoa
For Sunday lunch-lovers: Fallow, London
@fallowrestaurant
Sustainable fine dining in the well-heeled St James' district may not scream child-friendly, but Fallow is warmly welcoming, cheerfully proffering highchairs and sensibly priced menus to its 'mini-fallowers'. On Sundays, picky eaters can build their own roasts with a playful tick-box menu, with colouring and puzzles on the back. Adults can linger over larger-scale roasts and more daring signature dishes, including the sriracha-slathered smoked cod's head.
Plan B: If it's not a Sunday, head to Norbert's in London for first-rate rotisserie chicken and parental mini margaritas. It's tiny and they don't take reservations, so roll up early.
Fallow's mini-fallowers' menu dishes up corn ribs, grilled fish and veggie and meat burgers
For ice cream addicts: Birds of Paradise, Singapore
@bopgelato
A visit to this Singapore ice cream parlour is a sneaky way to broaden kids' palates, with botanically inspired gelato served in thyme-spiked waffle cones. Here, the small-batch flavours change with the seasons: think strawberry basil, vanilla fig or mint leaf with cacao nibs. Struggling to choose your scoop? Try the cold-pressed coconut sorbet, or signature white chrysanthemum.
Plan B: Introduce them to proper Italian gelato at Bologna's Il Gelatauro (chef Alice Waters is a fan). Prices are a steal, staff are generous with samples, and every flavour sings.
Birds of Paradise's ice creams take inspiratino from fruits, flowers, herbs and spices from around southeast Asia (Image: Irene Kredenets)
For hummus aficionados: Bait Maryam, Dubai
@uae.baitmaryam
Owned by Palestinian-born chef Salam Dakkak and named after her mother, this homely-but-accomplished Dubai eatery serves Levantine-leaning comfort food. Its velvet-smooth hummus should top your order, though there's plenty more that small fry will enjoy, from cream cheese and honey-topped manakeesh to plump, herby falafel. Grown-ups, try the sumac-laced signature chicken, and beetroot-scattered Maryam salad.
Plan B: In London, book ahead at Bubala. Kids are welcome, and its playful mezze plates suit sharing – though good luck getting any of the hummus, topped with a pool of burnt butter.
Bait Maryam serves generational dishes interwoven with modern influences
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