A cicerone’s guide to Bend Ale Trail must-try beers
November 7, 2025
10 minute readThe best spots to dine with kids when you’re visiting Bend
Parents, we see you. There you sit in the family car, sticky and sweaty from a day of hiking, skiing, or kayaking in Bend. Gripping your phone, you ask the most vital question a parent can pose on vacation: Where can I eat with my kids in Bend?
Rest easy, gentle parental warrior. Bend offers countless kid-friendly dining picks, whether you’re seeking a family restaurant, cafe, brewery, or food truck with tasty eats for kids and grownups and everyone with dietary restrictions. Here’s where to go if you’d rather see smiles than scowly looks when the kids get hungry.
Quick meals kids will love
Bend Ale Trail dining spots
Great lunch spots for families
Kid-friendly food cart lots and dining halls
Breakfast for kids
Vegan, vegetarian, and other healthy options
Desserts
Breakfast with the kiddos
Start your day right when you treat the tots to Sparrow Bakery’s famous Ocean Rolls. Parents will appreciate the tasty array of breakfast sandwiches and fresh coffee at their NW Crossing location, and most meals pack up nicely for on-the-go eating. Don’t forget to grab a few extra treats as bonus fuel for your day’s adventures.
Speaking of handheld eats, the breakfast burritos at Los Jalapeños make a hearty, hefty meal you can grip in a fist. Offerings range from vegetarian to machaca burritos brimming with melt-in-your-mouth shredded beef, bell pepper, eggs, hashbrowns, and cheese. It’s a tasty way to fill your belly before heading out for a day of play.
If you’re seeking more of a traditional sit-down breakfast with picks like waffles, pancakes, bacon, eggs, and other kid-approved fare, you can’t beat the Original Pancake House. Bonus: It’s close to both the starting point for floating the river and the road to Mt. Bachelor so you can start your day’s adventure with a belly full of yum.
Families with specialized dietary needs (or maybe just a craving for fresh, locally-sourced dining) will appreciate the variety at Chow. They’ve got gobs of gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian entrees for breakfast and lunch, plus plenty of picks for those seeking tasty biscuits and gravy or a unique spin on eggs benedict.
Great lunch spots for families with kids
Time for lunch with the kids in Bend? Try Hardy’s Hot Wings, Burgers, and Ice Cream for exactly what the name suggests, plus handy indoor/outdoor dining and a crowd-free space stressed parents can appreciate. Their milkshakes are some of the best in town, and their shrimp basket or halibut fish and chips offer options for pescatarians.
Dandy’s Drive-In makes another unique burger stop, with servers zipping to your car on roller skates to ring up and deliver your order right to your vehicle.
Olde Towne Pizza downtown has a roomy dining room, great lunch specials, and a salad bar to go with your pizza. This is a popular spot for youth sports teams, too! Cibelli’s with two locations, serves slices big enough to water ski behind. Little Pizza Paradise goes big on high-quality ingredients and uses an authentic stone-deck oven for yummy crusts.
Food carts and dining halls for kids
Bend’s food cart scene makes another great choice for kid-friendly dining. Popular food truck pods include River’s Place, On Tap, Podski, MidTown Yacht Club, The Lot, and plenty of others. Each food cart pod boasts a handful of specialty dining carts ranging from burgers to Mexican to vegan to sushi to Thai and tons of other choices. Let each family member pick their favorite fare, then stake your claim on an outdoor table or one tucked in a heated, covered dining space. There’s plenty of room for kids to stretch their legs, and everyone leaves satisfied. Winning!
If the fam can’t agree on what sort of food to order, don’t panic! Just get thee to The Grove, an indoor/outdoor market hall with dining spots offering seafood, pub fare, Thai, Italian, and Israeli cuisine, along with smoothies and ice cream. Let everyone get what they want and convene the central space for family togetherness.
Where to go for vegan, vegetarian, and healthy kid-friendly fare
Still on the hunt for vegan, vegetarian, or healthy kid-friendly fare? Active Culture offers bowls, wraps, smoothies, and even nachos with a health-conscious spin. Go fully raw at Salud Live Kitchen with wraps and smoothies that are vegan and nutrient-rich, plus tons of tasty plant-based desserts. Laughing Planet is another stop with great gluten-free family dining and an abundance of bowls, salads, and burritos.
There’s no shame in picking up fast food when you’re on a budget and traveling with family. But if you still need a splash of healthy, hit Life and Time for their nutritious spin on free-range fast food. Their all-natural beef is non-GMO and sourced locally with no antibiotics and growth hormones. From wraps to bowls to healthy salad to french fries, shakes, and even breakfast, they’re your one-stop shop for kid-friendly food with a healthy spin.
Quick meals kids will love
Grab-and-go meals are a family favorite when you’re on vacation, so check out Parilla Grill. Their mouthwatering wraps are easy to pack for picnics and car rides, and their kids’ menu has options for even the pickiest eater. Grab kombucha for all, or maybe a margarita if you’re sticking around to dine. Don’t forget a batch of their legendary fish tacos!
The Bodega downtown also has great wraps and salads ready to go. Places like Valentine’s, Planker Sandwiches, and Beach Hut Deli all make awesome sandwiches, too.Time for taco night? Herd the kids to El Sancho and watch their eyes go wide at the staggering selection of choices. Add a batch of their candied yams and some fried plantains, with fresh limeade to go around.
Kid-friendly sit-down restaurants
If you’re seeking some novelty, Pine Tavern is not only one of Bend’s oldest restaurants, but has the distinction of boasting two large Ponderosa pine trees—one living, one not—jutting up from the dining room through the ceiling. Snap a few pics, then feast on river views and an order of their legendary sourdough scones with honey butter.
Want the comfort of a familiar, family-friendly franchise? Red Robin has a monstrous kids’ menu featuring kid-friendly items like grilled cheese, corn dogs, burgers, mac and cheese, and chicken fingers. The cherry on top? It’s Red Robin’s scenic riverfront location in the Old Mill District.
Beer for you. Burgers for them.
If you had your heart set on hitting the Bend Ale Trail, don’t give up the dream just because you’ve got kiddos along. Deschutes Brewery, 10 Barrel (with two locations 10 Barrel East and 10 Barrel West), and Cascade Lakes Brewing are all very kid friendly with robust menus. Crux Fermentation Project serves up some of the best beers in town with a huge grassy lawn where kids can frolic. Bend Brewing Company has a fabulous kids’ menu and a beer sampler tray to please parental palates. Bond with other parents on the sunny patio at Worthy Brewing Company as you watch the sunset and toast the success of another fun-filled family vacation. Bevel Brewing also has food trucks as well as a free disc-golf putting course—you don’t even need to bring your own discs.
Sweet treats
If good behavior has earned you—er, your kids—a sweet treat, visit Goody’s old fashioned soda fountain at one of several Bend locations. Choose from hand-dipped chocolates, ice cream sundaes, or even safe-to-eat dough cones filled with real cookie dough. Bend also has several fro-yo shops where kiddos can relish choosing their own toppings for frozen yogurt.
When nothing but candy will do, try kid-approved Sweet Tooth Candy Shoppe in the Old Mill District or Cravin’s Candy Emporium in downtown Bend.When you’re strolling downtown, stop at Bonta for locally made gelato in a wide range of tasty flavors. Craving cupcakes? Head to Ida’s Cupcakes to dazzle the kids with dozens of flavor combos and different sized gourmet treats for all types of sweet tooth. Little Slice of Hell Cheesecakes at the Podski food cart lot is 100 percent heaven with dozens and dozens of flavors to choose from.
