Family-friendly Jersey Shore restaurants your kids are sure to have a blast at
Yes, we know. Kids love fast food.
But sometimes they deserve more than just a burger or a chicken sandwich.
These Jersey Shore spots have good food, but they also offer more.
Like a carousel. Sports and games. Fun and fabulous desserts like The Cookie Monster sundae.
All of these spots turn dinner into an experience.
But be warned: Chances are, you'll have a great time, too.
Baseline Social in Fort Monmouth, Oceanport
This 17,300-square-foot entertainment venue has a 640-square-foot screen for sports viewing, and five personal golf bays, with 13 other sports you can play like football, bocce and zombie dodge ball.
Kids will enjoy bites like the jumbo pretzel, tater tots and pizzas. Desserts include funnel cake with powdered sugar, chocolate and caramel drizzle.
Go: 675 Oceanport Way, 732-430-2533, baselinesocialnj.com.
Brownstone Pancake Factory, multiple locations
If there is a real-life equivalent to Willy Wonka, it's Bobby Bournias and his Brownstone Pancake Factory restaurants.
In the recently opened Freehold location, you'll find loads of candy, baked goods, monkey statues swinging from the ceiling, balloon-shaped lamps, and a carousel. But every location has something special for kids to play with. The Brick location is known for it's life-sized Volkswagen van that kids love to sit in.
They're sure to like the fried Oreo cheesecake pancakes, as well as the milkshake bar. How about a strawberry unicorn cotton candy shake, served in a unicorn-frosted glass, topped with cotton candy, lollipops, candy and unicorn-horn shaped decoration?
Yes, please!
Go: Find information on locations across New Jersey at brownstonepancakefactory.com/gallery/locations.
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Elli's Backyard, Red Bank
Chalkboard-painted picnic tables, French fries in toy pails and fresh greens sprouting from the walls that you can pick yourself depict the childlike wonder to be found within the doors of Elli’s Backyard in Red Bank.
Opened by owner Patrick Jeffrey with his young daughter Elli in mind, everything in the restaurant reflects “a place where I’d take her to eat,” he said in a previous interview.
You can also see Elli "working" in the restaurant with her dad sometimes. She helped create a large portion of the restaurant's wall art, including a grass turf mural that reads “Elli’s Backyard” in large white marquee letters.
Apps included wings, loaded nachos and mozzarella sticks. Dinners include chicken parmesan, and cavatelli and broccoli in a sourdough garlic bread bowl. Try a tabletop S’mores Board for dessert (it comes with a little fire!).
Jeffrey also operates the Breakwater Beach Pavilion in Keansburg during the summer, which serves boardwalk bites steps away from the beach, boardwalk and a playground. It also offers bathrooms, and beach equipment rentals for a fun family day in the sun.
Go: 45 Broad St., Red Bank; 732-268-8902, ellisbackyard.com.
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KPot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot, Toms River
If your kids like to help cook, they're sure to be entertained by this one. At the recently opened KPot Korean BBQ & Hot Pot in Toms River, you chose your own ingredients, order them yourself via tablet, and then cook them at your table.
For hot pot, first choose your cooking liquid: Thai tom yum, Szechuan spicy, tomato, herb, Japanese miso, Korean seafood tofu, and mushroom. Then the meat, which includes pork belly, brisket, chicken and lamb, all sliced paper-thin for quick cooking.
The fun stuff is next: You can add quail eggs, dumplings, shumai, fish cakes, shrimp, squid or fried tofu, then choose vegetables — mushrooms, bok choy, taro, corn, cabbage, daikon, pumpkin — and noodles, including udon, ramen and mei fun.
For the barbecue, meat choices include beef, chicken and pork bulgogi, steak, short ribs, pork cheek and pork belly, among others. There's also seafood — octopus, garlic shrimp and calamari — and vegetables like sweet potatoes, onions and mushrooms.
A tableside grill guide tells you how long the meat needs to cook. It's also all you can eat so no worries if you have multiple children, they can all come with an appetite.
Go: 2 Route 37, Toms River; 973-753-8177, thekpot.com.
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The Loaded Spoon, Freehold Township
Complete with wild milkshakes like the Unicornation — a strawberry milkshake with sprinkles, donut holes, a Fruity Pebble crispy treat, sugar cone, whipped cream, rock candy and cotton candy — this menu is sure to not disappoint children.
And parents will be happy, too, considering kids can work off all that sugar at iPlay America and Top Swing Golf, both located on the property. Also enjoy the Lasertron, a 6,500-square-foot two-level laser tag arena.
Go: 108 Schanck Road, Freehold Township; 732-813-8700, https://loaded-spoon.com/
Sweet Jenny's, Barnegat
This cozy nook has an old fashioned ice cream counter, filled with colorful candies. They also have a menu full of comfort food that makes anyone's inner child drool.
They have kids' breakfast and lunch/dinner menus, including pancake short stacks and cheese quesadillas, but if your kids are anything like this reporter was, they will want to see the grown up menu.
Try full-sized bites like fish and chips, or penne vodka. But the real star of the show are the desserts. Order anything from regular ice cream cones with flavors like Moose Tracks, or a specialty sundae like The Cookie Monster: chocolate chip cookie with cookie dough ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry.
Go: 688 East Bay Ave., Barnegat; 609-698-2228, sweetjennysrestaurant.com.
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More spots to try
Burger 25 in Toms River: What kid doesn't like a good cheeseburger? And paired with a massive milkshake, it's a match made in heaven. This location also has arcade games for kids to play with. Go: 199 Route 37 East; 732-270-0025, burger25.com.
The Chicken or The Egg in Beach Haven: This spot is known for its massive wing selection, sweet breakfasts and giant milkshakes. It's also steps away from the beach, and Fantasy Island arcade, which is open on weekends during the off season. Go: 207 North Bay Ave.; 609-492-3695, letschegg.com.
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Sarah Griesemer contributed to this story.
Gabriela L. Laracca joined the USA Today Network New Jersey in 2021 and eagerly brings her passion for cuisine and culture to our readers. Send restaurant tips to glaracca@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Kid-friendly restaurants at the Jersey Shore
