Over the past years, more and more new and exciting eateries have opened in Preston, offering greater choices for all diets. Gone are the days when the forlorn vegetarian of the group had to choose between spinach tortellini or a wet mushroom stroganoff, the vegans got two ounces of Trill with some wild rice, and people with allergies or intolerance got lonely or ill.
However, there is still one group of highly influential diners whose options are often limited and for whom the restaurant scene has stagnated: children.
Many of these small-spending, non-tipping, brutal critics who never get a round in will be dining out over the half-term holidays, but is there anything interesting and healthy on offer for our micro-foodies, or are they still stuck solely with deep fried chicken nuggets, sausages, and chips?
Here are a few of the best kids’ menus from Preston’s restaurants that offer something a bit different.
Cosmo World Buffet
As far as the joy of multiple options are concerned, Cosmo World Buffet at Animate is a no-brainer as it offers all the fried stuff as well as Chinese-style king prawns, Indian-spiced chicken drumsticks and curries, sushi, pizzas, pasta and chilli. The quality of the chicken nuggets and pizza isn’t the best, so if that’s what your children will be eating there are cheaper places serving superior and less spongy versions of those foods, but if they enjoy trying new things, and they have good appetites, Cosmo is the place.
It’s on the pricier side at £11.99 per child under 155cm but not bad at £2.99 for under fives, although that does include a good array of desserts and a chocolate fountain. I don’t know how it will go down when a 154cm tall five year old walks in, which is definitely going to happen at some point because kids nowadays are gigantic, but rest assured that Blog Preston will report it. I hope the cat robot that serves drinks gets involved.
Review: We ate around the world in 80 minutes at this new all you can eat buffet
Mowgli
Popular Indian street food chain Mowgli in Miller Arcade has an interesting children’s menu with options such as the house chicken curry and rice for £5.80 or temple dahl and rice for £3.90. They also offer “fancy fizztails” such as The Sherbert for £5.95, which constitutes fresh raspberry, lemon and ginger puree cut with fresh apple juice, plus desserts like a chocolate brownie for £3 or various ice cream cones for £4.80.
Wagamama
Recently opened at Animate, Wagamama offers a kids’ menu with an appealing selection of much-loved pan-Asian mains for a good range of prices, such as tofu, veg and white rice in a sweet ama sauce for £4 or a Build Your Own Bento for £7.50. Children can choose their main protein from breaded chicken, fish bites, grilled chicken or tofu and then build their meals with a choice of rice or noodles, sauce and veggies, plus add a dessert or drink for an extra £1.50.
Review: Preston finally has a Wagamama but is it worth the hype?
Nando’s
The brightly lit, chicken-heavy restaurant chain beloved of cheeky young scallywags nationwide has a great value menu for children. Options at the Nando’s in Cheapside include a Little Pitta (chicken breast with lettuce, lemon and herb mayo) or Mac and Cheese at £6.25 each, with two sides from chips, corn on the cob, cucumber sticks and spicy rice, along with a choice of cloudy apple or lemon juice. Some TikTok posters recommend ordering two children’s meals at Nando’s instead of a regular adult meal, but I’d be too scared that I’d get rumbled and then panic and try to convince them I’ve got some kind of Benjamin Button affliction instead of just skulking off.
Pizza Express
Pizza Express in Winckley Street has a Piccolo Menu for £8.50, offering “three courses of delicious grown up food: dough balls, pizza or pasta, dessert and Bambinoccino, with gluten-free options available.” They have a good array of mains, including chicken goujons, Margherita or pepperoni pizza, bolognaise with macaroni, and creamy pesto pasta.
Desserts are chocolate brownies, vanilla gelato sundaes or ice lollies, and a Bambaccino to finish off the meal, so parents who’ve only had a main course can enjoy sitting there for an extra five hours whilst their child leisurely mucks about with their milky drink that they don’t want because they’re too stuffed full of carbs and brownie, but won’t leave because they’re feeling all Italian and fancy.
Puccini
Last but by no means least is Puccini in Cop Lane, Penwortham, who, instead of offering a few generic kids meals, have the magical words, “just tell us what they want and we’ll make it smaller,” on their website.
When I called the restaurant to clarify what that meant, I was told that, for every adult buying a main meal, a child under 12 can choose a small portion of any pizza or pasta for free (except lasagne because that’s baked in large individual adult sized portions). That gives children a spectacular array of interesting pizza options on top of the regular Margherita and pepperoni – including steak and blue cheese, or prosciutto and fig – and intriguing Italian pasta dishes such as Black Sea Penne, which features mussels, calamari, prawns, onion, cream, parmesan.
Even more appealing is the fact that it is a small, independent restaurant that’s prepared to take the financial hit that comes with providing home-made, unprocessed free food to children. Definitely a place that deserves praise and support for going up against the giants!
Do you know of any other restaurants that offer healthy or interesting food for children in Preston? Tell us about them in the comments.
Read more: All of Karen’s reviews
Subscribe: Get the latest headlines direct from Blog Preston – join our WhatsApp channel and sign up for our twice-a-week email newsletter.
Support local culture: Become a member for just £6 a month, or £60 a year, to help us champion Preston’s arts, culture, and events – and enjoy an ad-free experience while you’re at it.
Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines
