good brunch place to take a baby on Sunday?

rebeccaariel

Friends are coming to brunch on Sunday with their 11 month old baby, and I have no idea where to take them!

Can anyone suggest a baby-friendly brunch place, ideally in center slope?

booklaw

Babies and kids of all ages are welcome at Two Boots, on 2nd Street just above 7th Avenue (there's another thread which debates whether that is center slope).

new2hood

personally, I think 2 boots is awful. A few suggestions, ranging from fancy to not so much:
Park Slope Ale House on 5th St... chock full of kids during lunchtime
Barrio
(a little further south):
12th St. Ale House (the bar part)
Bar Toto (yum!!)

doldrums

the moroccan place Baboosh is very accomodating to babies

8thandprez

I can't believe we've made it through 3 replies w/o the stroller-haters coming out of the woodwork.

Perch on 5th Ave is also good, if you arrive early early. Like 8:00. I guess that's not really brunch.

peanuts

Perch is perfect...very kid friendly

tajmb

8thandPrez wrote: I can't believe we've made it through 3 replies w/o the stroller-haters coming out of the woodwork.

Perch on 5th Ave is also good, if you arrive early early. Like 8:00. I guess that's not really brunch.

You can take a baby anywhere in park slope. I can't think of a brunch restaurant where I haven't seen them. It's not like going some place fancy at night where a crying child will wreck the romantic mood at the next table with the obvious possible consequences of the acts intended for later in the evening.

However, Perch is exactly where there is no room for a stroller. I've been there at brunch to witness the fact that strollers do not fit along side a table there, but instead jut out into everyone's way. I've seen the look of shock and frustration on the waitress's face when parents just leave it like that.

The courteous thing to do if you see space is tight for patrons and waitstaff is to put the kid in a highchair and fold the stroller. Those things do fold. I never understand why parents don't just do that. Nobody hates babies or strollers. They only hate how parents behave with them.

modsquad

8thandPrez wrote: I can't believe we've made it through 3 replies w/o the stroller-haters coming out of the woodwork.

I suggest you take them to Bide A Wee for brunch.

southslopesuit

Dizzy's is almost as baby-friendly as Two Boots (Two Boobs in an unforgettable previous thread) - absolutely no self-conscious worrying about junior letting out a squeal.

Applewood is another de facto baby-friendly place - the owner used to make the rounds in there with her baby on her hip, so you don't need to be bashful about bringing a baby in there.

Everywhere else, my goal - as with dinner - is always to arrive early, so we can get in and out of there before the place gets crowded and the cranky adults show up.

In that vein, 12th Street Bar and Grill is surprisingly kid-friendly for a fairly fancy place. I go there at opening, but I have to say I usually see a bunch of kids in there later too.

Bogota has always been good to us too - they bring out little kid trinkets when you bring a kid, so you sort of know they're not discouraging kids.

And that N'orleans place on 7th and 7th (name escapes me) has also worked out well for us - and junior loves those artery-clogging grits as much as I do.

Never had a bad experience, but then again I try to be very careful about where I bring junior - unless you're a psychopath, it's no fun being where you're not wanted.

jamzer

I vote for Perch too. The back area is perfect if you have very young children. The idea that there is no room for a stroller is just not accurate. There is plenty of room.

ringrunner

If it is not cold Olive Vine is nice

8thandprez

tajmb wrote: [quote=8thandPrez]I can't believe we've made it through 3 replies w/o the stroller-haters coming out of the woodwork.

Perch on 5th Ave is also good, if you arrive early early. Like 8:00. I guess that's not really brunch.

You can take a baby anywhere in park slope. I can't think of a brunch restaurant where I haven't seen them. It's not like going some place fancy at night where a crying child will wreck the romantic mood at the next table with the obvious possible consequences of the acts intended for later in the evening.

However, Perch is exactly where there is no room for a stroller. I've been there at brunch to witness the fact that strollers do not fit along side a table there, but instead jut out into everyone's way. I've seen the look of shock and frustration on the waitress's face when parents just leave it like that.

The courteous thing to do if you see space is tight for patrons and waitstaff is to put the kid in a highchair and fold the stroller. Those things do fold. I never understand why parents don't just do that. Nobody hates babies or strollers. They only hate how parents behave with them.

Perch has plenty of room for strollers if, as I said in my post, you arrive early. We go at opening with our >gasp< double stroller and fit just fine. The waitstaff have been nothing but friendly and courteous.

The simple fact is, I've got twins, it's not particularly easy to fold up a stroller while holding two babies (assuming the babies are even old enough to sit unsupported in a high chair), I need to spend SOME time outside of the apartment, and I'm not putting my entire life on hold. So, if you have to step around my stroller, deal; it's not the end of the world.

rebeccaariel

Thanks for all the suggestions...we took my friends and baby to Two Boots and it was perfect!

comfortably smug

Planned Parenthood

caseopele

8thandPrez wrote: The simple fact is, I've got twins, it's not particularly easy to fold up a stroller while holding two babies (assuming the babies are even old enough to sit unsupported in a high chair), I need to spend SOME time outside of the apartment, and I'm not putting my entire life on hold. So, if you have to step around my stroller, deal; it's not the end of the world.

I'm sorry but that's pretty hilarious. Way to reinforce the PS stroller mafia stereotype.

hamilton

Take the twins to Dram Shop and use the valet stroller parking at the YMCA .

8thandprez

caseopele wrote: [quote=8thandPrez]The simple fact is, I've got twins, it's not particularly easy to fold up a stroller while holding two babies (assuming the babies are even old enough to sit unsupported in a high chair), I need to spend SOME time outside of the apartment, and I'm not putting my entire life on hold. So, if you have to step around my stroller, deal; it's not the end of the world.

I'm sorry but that's pretty hilarious. Way to reinforce the PS stroller mafia stereotype.

The Park Slope stroller mafia is a double stroller barreling down the sidewalk or taking up an entire aisle at key food w/o the parent having a care in the world.

I mean, seriously, I am supposed to be a shut-in just because I have kids? I can't go out to eat until I can get my kids into a petit-footprint seat? I'm not an asshole when we take the kids out... I ask the server if it's ok, I go early early (before most of the posters on here have recovered from their previous night's bender, I'm sure), and I move the damn stroller if it's in someone's way. It's like some people are totally unable to accept that they share the neighborhood with parents and kids.

I seriously cannot believe i'm writing this, being only 9 months into parenthood myself, but it really does piss me off.

Signed,
your local South Slope mafioso

belzjm

miriam or barrio....

caseopele

8thandPrez, it was the whole "deal" attitude I found interesting. The way I took it was you were saying you didn't give a crap if your stroller was in someone's way. But you explained further in your next post so I see that's not what you meant. I don't begrudge parents the right to go out at all. I go out so rarely that it's not really an issue for me.

Childless/childfree people have to accept that they share a neighborhood with parents and kids but it goes both ways. I'm considered a child hater at work because I prefer when children don't run laps around the store, rearrange our window display, or ride their scooters. (Things I think are perfectly reasonable considering our store is filled with glass bottles.) I got beef from a coworker the other day for covering my ears when a small child was shrieking. Said coworker knows I have a brain condition that affects my eyes and hearing, high pitched noises really hurt my ears and can trigger headaches. I understand children scream but I'm less understanding when it causes me pain and I can't move away. Especially when a parent does absolutely nothing to quiet the child down.