Top Restaurants - Check List

This site also includes my recommendations for romantic, yet family-oriented restaurants. With the potentially highest score of 110 (each item would receive a score from 0 to 5), I looked for the following characteristics in rating restaurants:

• Attitude towards babies in restaurant: Annoyance or willingness to accommodate?
  • Staff (waiters, waitresses, etc.) pushy and/or rushing?
    
    
• Seating:
  • Booth or chairs?
    
  • Family with baby is seated near a window or a wall.
    
  • Baby situated away from kitchen, front entry, traffic, crowds, and people carrying hot trays.
    
  • Family is seated at a table for four (as opposed to two) to accommodate stroller.
    
    
• Service:
  • Waiters available when you need them (i.e. for hot water for baby bottles, etc.)
    
    
• Food and wine:
  
  • Appearance and texture.
    
  • Inventiveness of menu and items.
    
  • Children's menu.
    
  • Openness to substitutions or special requests?
    
    
• Conveniences:
  • Changing table available in bathroom.
    
  • Parking or valet available near front entrance.
    
    
• Comfort:
  • Large table for spreading baby necessities.
    
  • Room enough at table to hold baby, if necessary.
    
  • Feeling of general spaciousness, both at table and throughout restaurant. Ability to push baby through the restaurant in stroller.
    
  • Unobstructed passageways.
    
  • Effort made to seat family with baby away from other people.
    
    
• Ambiance:
  • Quiet, peaceful environment for the baby, free from loud noises and/or yelling. Not a boisterous situation for the baby.
    
  • Appropriate, comfortable temperature in restaurant. Absence of drafts or overheating for baby.
    
  • Soft, relaxing music. Soothing sounds for baby.
    
  • Baby seems relaxed and comfortable-not a negative situation for the baby.