This story is part of our ongoing series, Ask INDY, in which INDY staffers put their expertise (and impeccable taste) to use answering your questions about navigating life in the Triangle.
I have a core memory of eating the brussels sprouts pizza at Durham’s Pizzeria Toro as a kid. I trusted pizza, so when it showed up covered in scary vegetables, I gave it a shot. That meal not only made me hip to brussels sprouts, it induced the realization that I’d been propagandized by the lamestream children’s media to think some foods were objectively icky. Going forward I was more open to foods that kids are taught to hate.
This week’s Ask INDY question came from a reader looking for a similarly instructive experience:
Q: I’m looking for places to eat with my young kids—we aren’t trying to take them to breweries, but are looking for spaces where they can learn how to behave in a restaurant and try new foods without necessarily ruining other people’s meal if they don’t get it right the first time.
For building restaurant skills in a low-stakes environment, look for spots that are already a little noisy on the inside, like Toro, or have a small array of outdoor seating—that way, you can’t hide out and make a huge mess, but there’s enough of a cushion that you aren’t disrupting date nights in the event of a meltdown.
More praise on Toro: the place stays busy enough that nobody’s tracking your family’s noise level and the wood-fired oven is visible from the dining room, which makes for good entertainment.
Places with open kitchens or interactive elements can also work wonders for behavior. When kids are able to watch their noodles being pulled or choose what goes into their bubbling hot pot, they’re engaged enough to forget about staging chaos.
And for success in expanding palates, find restaurants where customizing dishes is the norm, or that serve unfamiliar flavors in familiar formats.
Also in Durham, Rose’s Noodles, Dumplings, and Sweets hits all the marks with refined-yet-approachable food in a bustling space with an open kitchen and cozy outdoor seating. The katsu sando starts with something kids like—fried chicken—then soft-launches new flavors like tonkatsu sauce. The steamed buns are basically savory Uncrustables.
Interactive dining is easy to find in Cary, which has a strong Korean BBQ and hot pot scene. At places like Seol Grille and So Hot Hotpot, kids can keep their hands busy and make their food as plain or spiced up as they want. You might find that the control makes them more willing to experiment.
Many cultures recognize that hands are perfectly good utensils. Kids intuitively get this. Indian spots like Lime & Lemon, which has locations in both Chapel Hill and Durham, serve entrées alongside naan that can function as edible silverware. Yagg Sii Tenn, a pan-African restaurant in Apex, has a corner with floor cushions where customers are invited to eat traditionally with their hands.
A final note: learning how to behave in restaurants extends beyond sitting still and using napkins. I think a lot of kids grow up seeing their parents lose it on waitstaff. Be polite and patient. Tip well. Don’t ask the server to smile more. Your kids are watching how you treat people who are serving you, and that lesson will last long after they grow out of the food-throwing phase.
Check out past Ask INDY columns at indyweek.com/ask-indy.
Follow Staff Writer Lena Geller on Bluesky or email [email protected]. Comment on this story at [email protected]