Kids night out: Five family friendly restaurants in Kendall County

As long as there's the allure to make the mess elsewhere, the time-honored practice of family restaurant dining shall endure.

Does Dad want one dish while Junior craves another? No need to fret. Kindly pass a menu and let them decide.

Whatever your driving force to take a ride for a meal away from home, Kendall County offers five options for family-friendly dining this fall:

Tap House Grill

123 Washington Street

Oswego

Open 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday

11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday

11 a.m. 1 a.m. Sunday

(630) 383-2020

[ www.taphousegrills.com ]

Many consider Sunday to be tailor-made for dining out, whether a family or group wishes to celebrate a successful week passed, usher in a new week to come or both. Tap House Grill helps make that endeavor easier on the family pocketbook by offering a Kids Eat Free promotion from 4 to 9 p.m. on Sundays.

While the kitchen staff at Tap House prides itself on rotating burger selections to satisfy dining trends and palates, there still is plenty by way of classic fare should your little one favor the old stand-bys. The Tap House Brew Burger comes with a choice of six different cheeses and is served on a toasted brioche bun. The restaurant’s unique spin on mac ‘n cheese also is worth a try.

The special is for dine-in customers only, and other restrictions may apply.

Orchard Café

3402 Orchard Road

Oswego

Open 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily

(630) 636-7315

[ www.orchardcaferestaurant.com ]

“It’s never been so easy for everyone in the family to find something they absolutely love,” reads a line on the Orchard Café website. Naturally, restaurants are supposed to be bullish about their food and atmosphere, but this one backs up its online boast with a wide array of offerings for breakfast and lunch.

Getting an early start? Choose from 16 different omelette selections and 11 kinds of skillets among the extensive breakfast menu. Both choices offer a side of toast or pancakes. The lunch menu includes an assortment of burgers, sandwiches and wraps, each of which are served with a cup of soup and French fries. The soft drink selection has depth, as well, and includes Pepsi products. For the child with you or in you, there’s chocolate milk, to boot.

Southern Belles Pancake House

56 East Schoolhouse Road

Yorkville

Open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily

(630) 553-9977

[ www.southernbellespancakes.com ]

If an establishment located on Schoolhouse Road doesn’t cater to children and adults alike, what does? Southern Belles, which, like TapHouse Grill, offers locations around the suburbs, aspires to satisfy diners young and old with breakfast basics including pancakes, omelettes, waffles and French toast as well as delicious choices that veer off the beaten path, including breakfast tacos.

The ”Little Belle’s” kids menu for guests 12 and under offers nine choices of breakfast or lunch, all for $5.95 or under. Options include chocolate chip pancakes, Mickey Mouse pancakes, French toast, grilled cheese with fries and chicken fingers with fries. Served with a kid’s milk or orange juice.

For dessert, choose from nine kinds of smoothies, including a green and dairy-free option that doesn’t include frozen yogurt.

Rowdy’s Bar and Grill

210 S. Bridge St.

Yorkville

Open 11 a.m.. to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday

11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday

8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday

(630) 553-5054

[ www.rowdysbarandgrill.com ]

Check out the Kids Eat Free special for children 10 and under, available on Tuesdays. Adults who purchase one entrée receive two kid meals free. The offer is good for dine-in customers only.

If you’re looking to get out of the house on a weekend morning, Rowdy’s offers a special breakfast and brunch menu from 8 to 11 a.m. Sundays. A featured option, the breakfast horseshoe, channels a central Illinois delicacy and might just take a small team to finish: toasted sourdough bread is smothered with tater tots, country gravy, cheddar cheese, two sausage patties and two fried eggs.

Millhurst Ale House

2075 Marketview Drive

Yorkville

Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Sunday

11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

(630) 553-4585

[ www.millhurstalehouse.com ]

Could your week be off to a better start, or might those best-laid plans use a quick readjustment? No need to worry. Bring your brood over to Millhurst, which offers one free kid’s meal with the purchase of an adult entrée for dine-in customers from 4 to 9 p.m. Mondays.

Adults over age 21 figure to appreciate the variety of the beer menu, which includes 27 rotating selections and is updated regularly at www.beermenu.com.