Want to know the local restaurants where you can take the family for a great meal while the kids can let off steam in a nearby play area? We’re a big fan of restaurants, cafes and pubs with playgrounds on the North Shore that have been designed with families in mind! There’s lots of options, so start your dining adventures today!
Eating out with children isn’t relaxing for parents when the kids are restless and bored… so it makes sense to look for child-friendly restaurants, cafes, and pubs with a kids play area – like an indoor or outdoor playground.
It doesn’t matter if they’re babies, toddlers, preschoolers or school-aged, a family-friendly dining spot makes dining out so much easier. When the kids are running off and having fun, parents cam actually relax and enjoy a pre (or post!) dinner drink without noisy kids complaining of boredom. And if a meltdown happens, it isn’t really a big deal, as your no doubt surrounded by other families!
Here’s a selection of family-friendly restaurants. cafes & pubs around Sydney’s North Shore, Northern Beaches and Northern suburbs that offer a kids play area. Use the quicklinks below to skip through the restaurants, cafes and pubs playgrounds on the North Shore near you.
Bars & Pubs with play areas
- Depot Brewery, Artarmon
- Magpies, Waitara
- Asquith Bowling Club, Asquith
- Hotel Pennant Hills, Pennant Hills
- Forest Hotel, Frenchs Forest
- Belrose Hotel, Belrose
- Terrey Hills Tavern, Terrey Hills
- Harbord Diggers, Freshwater
- The Mona, Mona Vale
- The Collaroy, Collaroy
- Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale
- The Newport, Newport
- North Ryde RSL
- The Ranch, North Ryde
- Glenorie RSL, Glenorie
- Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill
- The Marsden Brewhouse, Marsden Park
Bars & Pubs with green space
- The Diddy, Lane Cove
- The Greens, North Sydney
- Verandah, Beecroft
Restaurants & cafes with play areas
- Frankie’s Food Factory, Terrey Hills
- The Tasting Deck, Terrey Hills
BEST CAFES FOR MOTHER’S GROUPS
North Shore Pubs with Playgrounds
Depot Brewery
Depot Brewery
This a fantastic new spot for families looking to enjoy a relaxed meal while keeping the kids entertained. With a welcoming atmosphere, this brewery and eatery offers a spacious outdoor garden featuring a small play area—perfect for little ones to burn off energy while you unwind.
The menu caters to all tastes, with delicious woodfired pizzas, burgers, steaks, and other pub classics. Plus, there is a separate kids’ menu with all their favourites.
It’s a great place to catch up with friends and family for a long lunch or early dinner and enjoy the laid-back vibe.
- Address: Ground Floor, Western Side, HomeHQ, 1 Frederick St, Artarmon
- Depot Brewery website
Magpies Waitara
Magpies Waitara
Magpies Waitara features a great indoor play area, ideal for toddlers and preschoolers. There’s a huge selection of meals, as well as great coffee. You can even enjoy a great crazy shake! It’s located right opposite Waitara station, so very handy for those wanting to travel by public transport.
- Address: 11 – 37 Alexandria Parade, Waitara
- Magpies website
Asquith Bowling Club
Asquith Bowling Club playground
Asquith Bowling & Recreation Club is a casual, family-friendly dining option, ideal if you have children who love to pay! The club features a large fenced outdoor playground by the bowling greens. Book a table outside, and you can enjoy a relaxed meal while keeping an eye on your kids in the playground.
The menu features pub classics like burgers, schnitzels and tacos, plus dishes like Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder, Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken Breast, Lemongrass Chicken Curry, and Chilli-Lemon Scallop and prawn Linguine.
The kids’ menu is $14 (for visitors) and includes a Cheeseburger with Chips, Fish and chips, napoli linguine with Cheese, and a Kids’ Schnitzel with chips.
- Address: 1 Lodge Street, Hornsby
- Asquith Bowling Club website
Hotel Pennant Hills
Hotel Pennant Hills play area
This is one of the best restaurants with playgrounds on Sydney’s Upper North Shore. The fabulous Hotel Pennant Hills features an indoor playground with a mini trampoline, four slides, soft play climbing, tunnels, and play mats. It’s suitable for kids up to 10 years old. On weekends, they often have a bouncy castle and other kids’ entertainment! A gelato bar, baby high chairs, and kids’ party packages will also be found.
- Address: 352 Pennant Hills Road, Pennant Hills
- Hotel Pennant Hills website
Northern Beaches Pubs with Playgrounds
Forest Hotel
Forest Hotel
At Forest Hotel, the highlight for parents is the amazing outdoor play area, which is bound to keep the little ones entertained for hours! The food is top-notch, too. The Forest Hotel offers an array of options, from light and healthy meals to pub classics with a modern twist. Using only the best-sourced ingredients and house-made elements, their philosophy is all about creating delicious food at an affordable price.
- Address: 5 Frenchs Forest Road East, Frenchs Forest
- Forest Hotel website
Belrose Hotel
Belrose Hotel
The Belrose Hotel has the largest indoor soft-play playground of any pub in Australia… and it’s located right here, on Sydney’s North Shore! The Belrose Hotel caters to kids of all ages. There’s a dedicated spare for toddlers (under 4 years old) with a small climbing structure and soft play area. Plus, for the older kids (4-10 years), there’s a huge indoor playground with slides, bridges and climbing challenges. It’s a great venue to meet with other mums during the week (lots of room for prams), and always bustling at the weekend. Be sure to book a table! They even do activities during the school holidays, so it pays to check their website.
- Address: 5 Hews Parade, Belrose
- Belrose Forest Hotel website
Terrey Hills Tavern
Terrey Hills Tavern play area
Terrey Hills Tavern was beautifully renovated several years ago to become a fabulous pub with playground. They also upgraded the kid’s play area to include an indoor climbing frame, cars, soft play and TV screens – all safe (and quiet) behind a large glass wall. Parents can sit on one side and watch the kids. You can’t hear the screams through the glass, which has its plusses and minuses!
- Address: 2 Aumuna Road, Terrey Hills
- Terrey Hills Tavern website
Harbord Diggers, Freshwater
Major Fun boasts a gigantic and fun-filled play space, with designated age-specific play areas for babies, toddlers, and bigger kids. The Playcentre provides fun, educational, and engaging play-based activities across the soft play zones, their high-level obstacle courses, projector slides, and interactive elements like our projection wall, games mat, and Max & Mala screens.
Want to enjoy a meal without the kids at all? Then why not Drop & Dine? Drop & Dine allows parents to enjoy Harbord Diggers’ other facilities while kids enjoy a supervised session at Major Fun. Session entry includes a meal, fun activities, and unlimited play throughout the Major Fun facilities. Children must be over 3 years old and fully toilet trained.
- Address: 88 Evans Street, Freshwater
- Harbord Diggers website | Major Fun website
The Mona
With a brand new state-of-the-art playground (opened in October 2024), The Mona invites kids to play, slide, swing, and explore. There’s something for everyone! Shade sails protect the little ones from the sun. The playground features Moduplay custom-made equipment, including a 4-metre slippery dip, three swings, and fun climbing structures.
Inside the hotel, a new kids’ corner is equipped with five Nintendo Switches, a giant chalkboard wall, and various toys to keep kids of all ages entertained.
Have a feed post-play and treat the kids to their kid’s menu. For just $14, kids can choose from Batty Fish and chips, Chicken Nuggets and chips, a Kids Slider and chips, or a Ham and cheese Pizza. The menu includes a drink and ice cream, too!
- Address: 2 Park Street, Mona Vale NSW 2103
- Website: themona.com.au
-
- The Mona Playground – 4-metre slide
-
- The Mona Playground
-
- Ben’s Bakery
The Collaroy
The Collaroy has a range of entertainment for kids, like a Reptile Show!
The Collaroy is seaside dining destination on Sydney’s beautiful northern beaches. Pop in for a coffee and a healthy green bowl downstairs while the kids explore the play area. Or enjoy an afternoon drink on the outdoor terrace, where you can take in sweeping northerly views across the peninsula. There is plenty to choose from when it comes to food – whether it’s a slice from Vinnie’s Pizza, local seafood, vibrant salads and meats or a selection of delicious snacks to enjoy with wine in hand.
Read Laura’s review of The Collaroy.
- Address: 1064 Pittwater Road, Collaroy
- The Collaroy website
Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale
The indoor playground at Pittwater RSL
Potter’s Cafe is situated on their indoor terrace, bright and airy, the perfect place to relax with great coffee and family-friendly food. See the cabinet for snacks and cakes of the day. Green, lush and full of natural light, Potter’s is a great place to relax with a burger and leave the kids to play in the indoor playground. Their kid’s playground area is completely supervised, so you can enjoy a snack or drink at the Potters Café, while the kids can enjoy the playcentre!
- Address: 82 Mona Vale Road, Mona Vale
- Pittwater RSL website
The Newport
The Newport’s waterfront location and stunning Pittwater views have made it a Northern Beaches go-to for decades. With an alfresco marketplace feel, you can choose your own adventure within a variety of food outlets and experiential areas, each with its own style and personality.
Their large Gymnasium provides the perfect entertainment for the kids, with giant-sized games such as Jenga and Connect Four, ping-pong, magnetic scrabble, a bowling alley, and more. Make sure to drop in on the weekends for activities ranging from face painting to live reptile demonstrations. It’s one of the best pubs on the Northern Beaches with an indoor play area.
- Address: 2 Kalinya Street, Newport
- The Newport website
-
- The Newport
-
- The Newport
-
- The Newport
BEST CAFES FOR MOTHER’S GROUPS
Northern Suburbs Pubs with Playgrounds
North Ryde RSL
North Ryde RSL
Welcome to the Tribal Zone! Kids will just love this place, it’s one of the best pubs with playgrounds in the northern suburbs of Sydney. With a huge jungle gym, arcade machines and mini bowling, everyone will have a blast. The Tribal Zone is now free for unsupervised play, so try and get a table nice and close so you can relax back while the kids have plenty of fun.
- Address: Corner Pittwater and Magdala Roads, North Ryde
- North Ryde website
The Ranch, North Ryde
The Ranch
The family-friendly Ranch Hotel features a fabulous outdoor kids’ play area, as well as an indoor arcade room. Kids will be entertained for hours, leaving you in peace to enjoy a meal! They also offer weekly activities and entertainment such as reptile shows and petting zoos, plus Family Fun Days and School Holiday programs.
- Address: Corner Epping & Herring Roads, North Ryde
- The Ranch website
Hills District Pubs with Playgrounds
Glenorie RSL
The huge outdoor playground at Glenorie RSL
Drive through stunning countryside on your way to Glenorie RSL. Yes, it’s a little bit beyond the North Shore, but it’s one of our favourite pubs with play areas. It not only features a huge outdoor playground, plus there’s also a huge lawn for kids to run around on. Meanwhile, parents can enjoy some alfresco dining in the shaded outdoor area and listen to live music at the weekends.
- Address: 3 Post Office Road, Glenorie
- Glenorie RSL website
Castle Hill RSL
Castle Hill RSL outdoor playground
The play area at the Castle Hill RSL is definitely worth the drive! It’s the perfect restaurant with playground. There’s a huge children’s play area in the outdoor courtyard, which is sure to keep the kids entertained. There’s one for the toddlers and one for the big kids. It’s honestly huge, so make sure your child is feeling confident before they go climbing, as it wouldn’t be a fun place to have to go in after them! There’s so much space inside as well, making this the perfect location for a Mothers’ Group catch up.
- Address: 77 Castle Street, Castle Hill
- Castle Hill RSL website
Western Sydney Pubs with Playgrounds
The Marsden Brewhouse
The huge outdoor playground at The Marsden Brewhouse
The Marsden Brewhouse is a premium Western Sydney family-friendly pub serving great craft beers perfectly paired with delicious food and lively entertainment. It opened in 2019 and features a state-of-the-art playground guaranteed to excite kids (and their parents)! The outdoor playground features slides, swings, tunnels, and climbing frames, all under a protective shade sail. They also run fun kids activities every Saturday & Sunday from 12pm.
- Address: Corner of Hawthorne Avenue and Richmond Road, Marsden Park
- The Marsden Brewhouse website
BEST CAFES FOR MOTHER’S GROUPS
North Shore Dining with Green Space…
The Greens, North Sydney
The Greens is no ordinary bowls club! The Greens is the ideal destination for your next family-friendly meal, from the cracking live music to the crackling fire pits. Although there’s no playground, there’s lots of grass for kids to run around and hills behind the fence to roll down! It’s also close to the recently upgraded St Leonards Park Playground for a pre or post-play!
- Address: 50 Ridge Street, North Sydney
- The Greens website
The Diddy, Lane Cove
The Longueville Sporting Club, more commonly known as ‘The Diddy” was established in 1938 and is a thriving destination in the heart of Lane Cove. Popular for it’s wide open, kid-friendly greens and function areas, The Diddy is perfect for your next family gathering where you need to accommodate active kids!
- Address: 243 Longueville Road, Longueville
- The Diddy website
The Verandah, Beecroft
Family Bowls at The Verandah
From Norths Collective, who bring you The Greens in North Sydney, they launched The Verandah in 2021 – which is an excellent option for Upper North Shore families! Book a game of Family Bowls after your meal for a bit of fun…
- Address: 128 Copeland Rd, Beecroft
- The Verandah website
Northern Beaches Cafes & Restaurants with playgrounds
Frankies Food Factory, Terrey Hills
Playground outside Frankies Food Factory, Terrey Hills
Frankies Food Factory at Flower Power nursery offers fresh and tasty breakfast and lunch options plus a range of light bites, kids meals, sweet treats and delicious beverages, you’ll find something for every tummy grumble while the kids enjoy the adjacent playground. Lots of beautiful homewares to browse through in the shop after too! Read our review of Frankies.
- Address: Flower Power, 277 Mona Vale Road, Terrey Hills
- Frankies website
The Tasting Deck, Terrey Hills
The Tasting Deck
The Tasting Deck at Forestway Fresh is a child-friendly cafe where you can taste fresh food from the premium store. You can follow up a delicious meal with a fresh fruit and veg stock up, turning your cafe trip into a grocery shop all in one—the promise of a playground and milkshakes post-shopping works a treat for the kids!
- Address: Forestway Fresh, 2 Myoora Road, Terrey Hills
- Tasting Deck website
Want more Eating Out ideas around Sydney’s North Shore?
- Best Bottomless Brunches around the North Shore
- Spots for a decadent high tea on Sydney’s North Shore
- Top 10 child-friendly cafes on the North Shore
- Best family-friendly pizza restaurants on the North Shore
- Things to do in Sydney this weekend
