Denver's Best Family Restaurants

March 9, 2:32 PMDenver Family Travel ExaminerCarolyn Sutton

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Denver's top family-friendly restaurants are big on themes, from fifties diner to Old Mexico.

From two-story slides, to cliff divers, to dining in a trolley car, Denver’s family friendly restaurants know how to entertain kids as much as feed them. While the mile-high city has thousands of places to eat, these five stand out as Denver’s best restaurants for kids.

Whether your family has out-of-town guests, is looking for a place to throw a birthday party, or just wants a treat, Denver’s top family restaurants make taking the kids out to dinner fun.

1.    Casa Bonita
This pink castle in a strip mall is like an Old Mexico theme park. The food is not so special, but he architecture, special effects, and atmosphere are. Dining areas include an old silver mine and a waterfall, where cliff divers splash into a pool regularly. Don’t miss Black Bart’s cave or the sopapillas.

2.    White Fence Farm
Originally an 80-acre hay and cattle farm, the White Fence Farm’s owners have transformed it into an Americana theme park as much as a restaurant. Kids can feed and pet animals at the OK corral and their moms can shop at three different gift shops while the family waits for a table. Squeeky clean and exceptionally cheery servers bring chicken dinner and all the fixings. After dinner, kids have fun playing on the playground or taking a carriage ride around the property.

3.    Old Spaghetti Factory
Housed in Denver’s old tramway building, the Old Spaghetti restaurant occupies a trolley repair shop. One of over 35 Old Spaghetti Factory restaurants around the country, this Denver branch opened in 1974. Antiques fill the elderly building, and families can sit in booths made from the fancy headboards and footboards of old beds. On the other hand, some kids find it more fun to sit in the old trolley car, where they can have a wider view of the restaurant. As the name implies, the restaurant specializes in the Italian pasta, with a variety of sauces to choose from and spumoni ice cream for dessert. 

4.    Trail Dust Steak House
Wear a tie to the trail dust and a herd of cowboys will wrangle you into a chair and cut it right off. Then they’ll escort you to tables that are set up in long lines to make it feel like you are in the mess hall at an Old West cattle ranch. And beef is big on the menu, here. From a 10-inch sirloin to slow cooked ribs, it's a carnivore’s delight. The kids, however, delight in the two-story slide, which they glide down in their stocking feet, over and over, while parents get a chance to talk or dance to the country-western band.

5.    Gunther Toody’s
With neon, Formica, and gum-smacking waitresses in bobby socks who sit down in the booth with you, Gunther Toody’s goes overboard to create a 50’s diner experience. The food is heavy on the meat and potatoes, but the burgers are good. If you can save room, their malts are thick, creamy, and mixed right at the soda fountain while you watch.  My son’s comment during a visit to Gunther Toody’s: “I’m glad we don’t live in the 50’s. This place is enough!”