15+ Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Pinellas

ByElizabeth Updated on

YOUR GUIDE TO KID-FRIENDLY PLACE TO EAT IN CLEARWATER-ST. PETE

This list is born out of my own personal need to find restaurants where we can actually relax while out with two toddlers.

If you found yourself on this article, I’m sure you know what I mean. Sometimes you just need a place where you can eat and not worry about kid chaos.

We’re two local moms and we’ve compiled a list of our favorite go-to kid-friendly restaurants in Pinellas to help parents find spots that work for the whole family.

Below you’ll find Pinellas restaurants with playgrounds, restaurants directly on the beach (our personal favorites because my kid loves to dig), and some unique options like a restaurant with a pool!

Let’s find your next dinner stop!

1. The Getaway

Two toddlers playing on the shore in the background with a Getaway restaurant table in the foreground
View from our Getaway table as our toddlers played
  • LOCATION: 13090 Gandy Blvd N, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
  • PARKING: Two free parking lots, the must bigger lot is on the Gandy bridge side of the restaurant
  • WEBSITE: https://www.thegetawaytampabay.com/

Why it’s a great restaurant for kids:

  • Tables located on the sand for kids to dig and play
  • Kids can play in the water on an old boat ramp, with there are tables right on the edge of it so you can supervise from your seat.
  • They have appetizers on happy hour special

I’ll be real, the food is pretty average and it’s expensive if you go outside of happy hour. But, the beach + water play for kids is so good that it’s still one of our favorite places to go.

2. Nona Slice House

A plate of garlic rolls with a side of red sauce at Nona's Slice House in Florida
Delicious garlic rolls at Nona Slide House
Little kid hands playing with dough at Nona's Pizza in Safety Harbor
Plate of dough given to kids to play with at Nona’s

Why it’s great:

  • Kids are given dough to play with — my kids are SO delighted by this
  • The pizza is awesome and is an easy kid-friendly food
  • Live music for little kids to dance to that isn’t too loud (I’m especially sensitive to loud spaces)

3. Joe’s Crab Shack

The front of Joe's Crab Shack restaurant in Clearwater FL showing their fenced in playgorund
Playground area at Joe’s Crab Shack

Why it’s a great kid-friendly restaurant:

  • There is a fenced in playground

The fenced in playground on the otherwise busy strip of 60 is Joe’s Crab Shack’s big sell. I was specifically searching for restaurants and breweries with playgrounds to take my kids to and this was the one I could find.

4. Spa Beach Bistro

Pizza and sweet potato fries from above on a picnic table at St Pete Pier
Food at the St. Pete Pier between the playground and splash pad
  • LOCATION: St. Pete Pier, 501 2nd Ave NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
  • PARKING: Two St. Pete pier lots ($2-2.50/hour for the first 4 hours), street parking a few blocks away
  • WEBSITE: https://stpetepier.org/

Spa Beach Bistro is an outdoor cafe located on St. Pete Pier between the awesome Glazer playground and the splash pad (featured on our list of 10 great splash pads in St. Pete-Clearwater!).

Why it’s great:

  • Great location between an amazing playground AND a splash pad
  • Food was surprisingly decent and not crazy expensive given the location
  • More playgrounds need a bar right next to them

Join Our Newsletter

The best things to do in Pinellas this weekend, delivered right to your inbox!

5. Ozona Blue

Ozona Blue is unique because it has a pool AND hot tub open to restaurant guests until 6pm!

Why it’s great:

  • For real, how many restaurants have a pool for kids to swim in?
  • Pretty water front location + boat watching

6. Whiskey Joe’s

front entrance of the beach bar at Whiskey Joe's in Tampa Florida
Entrance to the beach part of Whiskey Joe’s

We’re sneaking this Tampa restaurant in because it is just over the line on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Plus, it’s on-the-beach eating makes it amazing for kids

Why it’s great:

  • Eat directly on the beach so kids can dig or swim
  • You can walk directly to the beach part and order from the beach bar so no juggling kids inside
  • Happy hour food specials

Admittedly, they were having an off night with service during our visit but the location was so nice for the kids that we’ll definitely be back. Go straight to the beach parking a little down to avoid the hassle of trying to park at the restaurant.

7. Frenchy’s Rockaway

A Frenchy's grouper sandwich cut in half on a plate
Frenchy’s famous grouper sandwich
  • LOCATION: 7 Rockaway St, Clearwater, FL 33767
  • PARKING: Pay-to-park at Clearwater beach, there are multiple lots & garages but parking can still be tough at peak times.
  • WEBSITE: https://frenchysonline.com/

Frenchy’s has many locations but the Rockway location has tables right on the beach (with shade canopies too!). You can even check the tables & beach condition on their Frenchy’s webcam.

Why it’s great:

  • Kids can dig in the sand at your table
  • Their grouper sandwich is famous for a reason (+ lots of picky kid-friendly options)
  • Beach views

8. Gigglewaters

The front of Gigglewaters restaurant and movie theater in Safety Harbor FL
Gigglewaters

Gigglewaters is unique because it is both a restaurant and a small movie theater. You can eat dinner while watching a movie, including kid-friendly picks.

Why it’s great:

  • Eat dinner while watching a movie in their theater
  • Lots of kid-friendly foods and comfort foods

9. JR’s Sports Pub

three bounce houses set up in the backyard of JR's sport pub in Clearwater

I can’t say enough good things about our experience at JR’s Sports Pub. Not only do they have bounce houses and mini-golf for kids, they’re also focused on accessibility. There’s a sensory-friendly room and accessible bar seating. Plus, they were so so nice.

  • Bounce houses!
  • Mini-golf!
  • Huge astro-turf backyard that’s fully fenced in
  • Sensory-friendly room
  • Accessiblility-focus

10. Cici’s Pizza

front of cici's pizza in clearwater
  • LOCATION: Clearwater & St. Pete locations: 1560 McMullen Booth Rd, Clearwater, FL 33759; 4743 66th St N Ste 1, St. Petersburg, FL 33709
  • PARKING: Big free parking lot (Clearwater location)
  • WEBSITE: https://www.cicis.com/

I grew up going to Cici’s Pizza. The Clearwater location has since moved but still has a very family-friendly vibe. The Clearwater location has a big arcade room and bowling lanes. We went recently and I was impressed by how affordable the arcade felt. Our whole family played on one $20 arcade card all night (granted our kids are small). I also appreciated how you could pay money for prices at a really cheap price – 1 penny for 1 ticket.

Why it’s kid-friendly (Clearwater location):

  • Pizza buffet
  • Big arcade room
  • Bowling alley lanes

11. Infinity Pizza

pizza box that says infinity pizza and a slice of pizza on it from Infinity Pizza in clearwater FL

Infinity Pizza is a total hit with kids old enough to play pinball and arcade games. We’ve also enjoyed their pizza as take-out too.

Why it’s great:

  • Cheap pinball and arcade games for kids to play
  • Old school video game consoles like Sega & Mario Kart
  • Delicious pizza

12. Caddy’s Treasure Island

Caddy’s has multiple locations but the Treasure Island location you can eat at tables on the sand — perfect for kids to play while you eat.

Why it’s great:

  • Tables in the sand for kids to play

NOTE: Their Bradenton location also offers tables in the sand but it’s not featured here because it is not in the St. Pete-Clearwater area.

13. RumFish Grill

  • LOCATION: 6000 Gulf Blvd, St Pete Beach, FL 33706
  • PARKING: Valet available, self-park can be hit or miss depending on time
  • WEBSITE: https://rumfishgrill.com/

RumFish Grill is a fancier restaurant but makes the list for its huge aquarium. If your kids love aquariums as much as mine, eating dinner next to a massive aquarium will be a hit.

Why it’s great:

  • Huge dining room-sized aquarium where you can eat watching the fish

14. Paisano’s Pizza

Paisano’s is on our list to try next time we are in St. Pete because it has a lot of kid-friendly offerings that you can find on their specials page.

Why its kid-friendly:

  • Kids are given pizza dough to play with!
  • On Saturdays kids can make their own pizza
  • Free kids meal on Wednesdays

15. Chick-fil-a

Listen, I don’t love putting Chick-fil-a on this list but you can’t argue with on-site indoor playgrounds in Florida. Plus, they’ve streamlined online ordering making it easy with kids.

Why it is good for kids:

  • Playgrounds!
  • You can filter the location search on their website by playground
  • Easy ordering online so you don’t have to juggle kids while ordering

Tampa Kid-Friendly Restaurants

Nearby Tampa has a host of kid-friendly restaurants too. We want to highlight a few great places, especially those near family-friendly attractions like the aquarium and zoo.

Sparkman’s Wharf

Lawn turf and tables at Sparkman's Wharf with a cruiseship in the background
Sparkman’s Wharf’s lawn area with crusieship in the background

Why it’s great:

  • Big open turf grass space for kids to play
  • Oversized checkers and games
  • Lots of food options so you likely can find something for picky kids
  • Walking distance from the aquarium & on the free trolley line

Armature Works

  • LOCATION: 1910 N Ola Ave, Tampa, FL 33602
  • PARKING: Free before 4pm on weekdays, pay to park on evenings and weekends
  • WEBSITE: https://armatureworks.com/

Why it’s great:

  • Great lawn area space for kids
  • Nearby WaterWorks splash pad and playground
  • Lots of food options
  • On the water taxi route

Taco Bus

The front of a Taco Bus restaurant, it is the front of a school bus inside a building that says Taco Bus
An actual bus at Taco Bus

Taco Bus has been a Tampa Bay staple for over 20 years. Kids will love the actual bus on site and there is a location around the corner from ZooTampa

Why it’s great:

  • On-site bus is a crowd-pleaser for little kids
  • Kids eat free on Sundays
  • The food is awesome

Read More:

If you’re looking for more fun places to go, here’s our list of kid-friendly breweries in the area.

Elizabeth Jon is a Ph.D. researcher whose work focuses on pregnancy and education. A Pinellas native & mom to a toddler and baby, she founded Suncoast Family Fun to be the ultimate guide to kid-friendly activities in the Clearwater-St. Pete area.

Similar Posts