One of the city's first "theme" restaurant's, Ed Debevic's, 640 N. Wells St. at Ontario St. (tel. 312/664-1707), is a temple to America's hometown lunch-counter culture. The burgers-and-milkshakes menu is kid-friendly, but it's the staff schtick that makes this place memorable. The waitresses play the parts of gum-chewing toughies who make wisecracks, toss out good-natured insults, and even sit right down at your table. It's all a performance -- but it works.
Down the street is the kiddie fave Rainforest Cafe, 605 N. Clark St. at Ohio St. (tel. 312/787-1501), the Chicago outpost of a Minnesota-based chain that bills itself as "a wild place to shop and eat." The restaurant strives to create the feel of a rainforest with the sounds of waterfalls, thunder and lightning, and wild animals echoing throughout the place. The menu features salads, sandwiches, and a range of entrees that will please a family of picky eaters.
One of the best all-around options, and a homegrown place as well, the Southern-style restaurant Wishbone has much to recommend it. Children can be kept busy looking at the large and surrealistic farm-life paintings on the walls or reading a picture book, Floop the Fly, loaned to diners (written and illustrated by the parents of the owners). The food is diverse enough that both adults and kids can find something to their liking, but there's also a menu geared just toward children. Another all-American choice in the Loop is South Water Kitchen, which offers a kids' menu and coloring books.
A fun breakfast and lunch spot in Lincoln Park, Toast, 746 W. Webster St. at Halsted St. (tel. 773/935-5600), serves up all-American favorites (pancakes, eggs, sandwiches) and employs an age-old restaurateur's device for keeping idle hands and minds occupied: Tables at this neighborhoody spot are covered with blank canvases of butcher-block paper on which kids of all ages can doodle away with crayons.
Of course, the same goes at Gino's East, the famous Chicago pizzeria, except patrons are invited to scrawl all over the graffiti-strewn walls and furniture. Another good pizza spot for older kids, who will find its loft-like space cool, is Piece in Wicker Park. For fun and games of the coin-operated and basement rec-room variety, seek out Dave & Buster's, 1024 N. Clark St. (tel. 312/943-5151), the Chicago location of the Dallas-based mega entertainment/dining chain. Another spot for sports-minded families is ESPN Zone.
With its heaping plates of pasta served up family style, Maggiano's, 516 N. Clark St. (tel. 312/644-7700), in River North is a good choice for a budget-conscious family. Even better is Buca di Beppo, 521 N. Rush St., right off Michigan Ave. (tel. 312/396-0001). This Italian-American restaurant (part of a national chain) serves humongous family-style dishes in a catacomblike setting of cozy rooms. Each room is plastered from floor to ceiling with mementos and memorabilia gathered from basements, garages, and attics by the owners on periodic trips to Italy. Request the Pope Room, which features pontiff memorabilia and one special thronelike chair at its round table for your own VIP.
