The London List: restaurants for a celebration

Milly Kenny-Ryder on London restaurants for a celebration

Our London List shares the good 'grown-up' restaurants that welcome young kids. These are tried-and-tested spots for success: places with people who have gone the extra mile, who have patiently helped us navigate the stressful moments, who genuinely haven't minded a little extra mess and noise, and whose creativity and delicious food put smiles on all our faces. Food writer, photographer and consultant Milly Kenny-Ryder tells us about three places she'd recommend for a special meal.

"We recently went to Dinner by Heston, and that was great. They had a kids' option, but it wasn't a kids' menu. That's the best of both worlds because it's designed for a child but in keeping with what the adults are eating. I think the kids' option was fish and chips. Dinner by Heston is known for its triple-cooked chips, so my boys got to try the triple-cooked chips but with a lovely piece of simply cooked white fish. The servers were great and asked us if we wanted the kids' food brought out early on rather than with the main course of our 5-course menu, so that the kids weren't waiting around for an hour before they ate. That's the level of service you get with those kinds of restaurants. They seem to have more headspace to think about details like that. 

Nobu was another one that is perfectly set up for kids. They had bento boxes for children with a compartment for plain white rice, another for salad (which I'm sure most kids leave) and a third with a choice of sliced marinated beef or their iconic black cod. We ordered one of each and it was so good! The bento box presentation was so exciting for the kids. A lot of kids actually prefer the different parts of a meal separate on a plate and not mixed together or touching, so the compartmentalisation of a bento is genius. Nobu has preconceptions of being very glam but actually we found it particularly family-friendly.

Impala is my curveball recommendation. It's been hyped in every review and everyone wants to go there right now. It's not an obvious choice for families: the menu itself is a little inaccessible for children, it's mostly bar stools, and it's quite dark. It feels very grown up. But we took the kids for a lunch seating because that was the only time I could go and they actually loved it, particularly because they have such an open, interactive kitchen. There's something for the children to watch and they can, to some degree, openly engage with the chefs. So I'd recommend giving it a go!"

For more of Milly's insider tips for eating out well in London with kids, read here.