Moms Talk: Top 5 Spots to Have Breakfast With the Kids

I love going out to breakfast with the kids. It feels like a treat and is such a fun way to start the day. Yet, dining out with kids can also be stressful if you’re not eating at a family-friendly spot.

The kids want to run around, they make a huge mess, they like to blow their straw wrappers at the folks in the adjacent booth. Okay, mine do that, anyway. Your kids, I am sure, have impeccable table manners at all times. In any case, no one wants to spend fifteen bucks on a stack of pancakes only to have your kids eat two bites, and then tell you they’re full. So here’s a list of Hollywood’s restaurants where you can eat delicious food, without breaking the bank.

 1) The Waffle: 6255 W Sunset Blvd. 323-465-6901

 Open: 7:30 am – 10pm Sunday thru Thursday 7:30 – 3am Friday - Saturday

At The Waffle, the atmosphere is hip and urban. The Waffle features waffles of all kinds, and also traditional diner fare. This is the best kids’ deal in town as the “wee waffle” plate for kids costs a mere $4.50, the perfect size and the perfect price.

2) 101 Diner 6145 Franklin Ave. 323-467-1175 Open daily from 7 a.m. – 3 a.m.

This is a trendy and chic Hollywood hot spot, but also a fun place to take the kids. Your waitress may have a bellybutton ring, and you may overhear a film production meeting at one of the larger tables, but that’s why we love Hollywood, right? The service is great, and the food is stellar. There’s no kids menu, per say, but the rush hour special is $5.95, which is pretty reasonable. Or, as the helpings are generous, we often have the kids split a plate of pancakes. Plus, when we are at the 101 Diner, we feel a little twitter of that pre-kid cool we once possessed.

3) Kitchen 24 1608 N. Cahuenga Blvd. 323-465-2424. Open 24/7

This is also a very cool hot spot, which at 3 a.m. is hopping with the post club scene. (Or so I am told…alas.) But the beauty of Kitchen 24 is that it is open 24 hours a day which means if you’re little one wakes up with there sunrise or some days even before that, as mine does, you can know that there is a place in town that’s open where someone else is and will pour you some hot coffee. Kitchen 24 features organic diner fare, and they offer a $7 flat rate kids’ menu.

 4) Mel’s Drive In1660 North Highland Ave. 323 465-3111. Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 6:30 a.m. - 3 a.m. and Friday and Saturday, 24 hours

Mel's Drive-In is a retro diner that you have probably driven by a million times, but maybe have never tried. It is also a chain, but don’t hold that against them. The kids love the retro décor, and the food is good. You are smack in the center of touristy Hollywood, but it is a perfect spot for a family meal. Mel's generous kids’ menu is a $6 bucks and includes a kids’ drink.

 5) Village Coffee Shop 2695 North Beachwood Dr. 323-467-5398. Hours: Mondays-Saturdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

If you are longing for a neighborhood feel, which I often am, The Village Coffee Shop, nestled in Beachwood Canyon, is not to be missed. This place is a blast from the past: Kitschy, old-fashioned Hollywood, and that is the beauty of it. The prices are very inexpensive, $5.85 for scrambled eggs, and the pancakes are delicious. Village Coffee Shop is cool precisely because it is not trying to be, and that, especially in Hollywood, is refreshing.

Lee Rose Emery is the author of a blog about being a mom in Los Angeles. Check it out:LACityMom.com