Taking kids out for dinner is a toss-up. One night everyone eats, laughs and gets home happy; the next night someone turns down the whole menu and you end up with a takeaway box and a headache. Indian food gets a bad rep for being too hot for kids, but in my experience it’s actually one of the easier cuisines to split between the table, as long as you know what to order.
Start with the “safe” dishes
Most kids who try Indian food for the first time end up liking the same handful of plates. Butter chicken is mild, creamy and a touch sweet. A plain or cheese naan goes down like pizza bread. Chicken tikka from the tandoor is, essentially, grilled chicken pieces. Rice is rice. Between those four, nearly every child finds something they’ll eat.
Ask for mild, and mean it
When you order, make it clear that one or two of the dishes are for the kids and have to come mild. A good kitchen will adjust. Save the hotter plates for the adults and put them at the far end of the table. Keep a small bowl of raita (yoghurt with cucumber) on the table as a fallback in case something turns out spicier than you’d hoped.
Check for a kids’ menu
Some Indian restaurants now have a separate kids’ menu with smaller portions and familiar flavours. It saves money and stops you ordering a full curry that only gets three bites. Indian Zaika’s kids’ menu is a good example of this.
Let them try one new thing
Kids are surprisingly open to new food when nobody’s pushing. Put a plate of steamed momos or a couple of mango lassis on the table and let them choose. More often than not, the dish they’d refuse at home becomes a favourite once they watch the rest of the table enjoying it.
Pick the right time
- Aim for an early seat, around 5:30 or 6 pm, before the place fills up and before the kids wind down.
- Get a booking for Friday and Saturday nights, particularly if you’re a bigger group.
- If the little ones are already running on empty, takeaway at home is just as good.
A local option
For families in Papakura, Takanini, Drury and around, Indian Zaika is an Indian restaurant in Papakura on Broadway that does dine-in, takeaway and delivery, with North and South Indian food, tandoori, biryani, Indo-Chinese and momos on the same menu. That range covers most tables where everyone wants something different.
Toss a gulab jamun or two at the end and you’ll likely find the kids asking when you’re going back.
