A short bus trip, a new sticker book and some crazy dancing later, we arrived at Frankie and Benny's, looking for a table for two, a glass of purple juice and something yummy to eat.
From the moment we waked through the door, we felt welcome and the host acknowledged Dylan and offered him a colouring pack. Our table could accommodate four which meant we could cuddle up on the sofa side and get stuck in with our rocket stickers. A drink order was taken early on, and the waiter didn't question a request for 'whichever of the child's drink options was most purple'. A couple of minutes later, and our order was taken.
The kids pack isn't really suitable for a two year old, the activity book is busy and doesn't have space for free drawing or much white for them to see their marks. There was a puzzle in the pack though, which was a huge hit with my puzzle mad toddler and we completed that together, as well as doing stickers before our main meal arrived.
I ordered Dylan a pizza from the kid's menu which comes as cheese and tomato without the option to add anything extra, which would have been nice. He loves it though and it is very generously sized, so two toddlers could share it easily. You do get a free healthy side, but I forgot to ask and we were never offered. I had a bolognese gnocchi bake from the specials menu which was delicious, and a great size for a greedy lunch. We both thoroughly enjoyed our main courses and ordered desert as soon as they were finished.
I went for the salted caramel cheesecake which was as divine as the name suggests. Dylan chose a strawberry ice cream sundae, which came with a mini pack of chocolate buttons on the side. I was really happy with this as I chose not to give them to him just yet, and as they were in a bag it was easy to take them away for later. I wanted it to be a treat day, but ice cream, sauce and a wafer is plenty for a two year old and we were both full by the end of the meal.
We are in the midst of potty training and had no problems leaving our table to use the toilet, with the disabled/baby changing room also being perfectly positioned and laid out for us.
As we left, we were offered a balloon and a free apple. As part of their children's menu, everyone can have a free apple which I love. There is no fruit option for desert and both my boys love healthy food, so it was perfect to pop in the bag for the inevitable hunger a bit later, or to give to a child that is still hungry. I love when a restaurant is toddler friendly and offers them a healthy alternative so this makes a real difference to where we choose to eat.
I really like Frankie and Benny's as a child friendly restaurant - everything from the menu to the layout is suitable for toddlers and they don't mind a little noise!
