Family Friendly Restaurants in Bellevue & Redmond


I feel like I cook the same meals every week. Tacos, maple glazed salmon, spaghetti and meatballs and stir fried chicken. These meals are easy, comforting and recipes I can memorize by heart...but every parent needs a break from cooking and cleaning sometimes. Yes there are kid favorites (I like them too!) like Chick Fil-A, Red Robin and Cheesecake Factory but in the Bellevue, Redmond and Seattle area, we have so many other great options as well! Here are a few family friendly restaurants we love.

Seared salmon roll at a sushi restaurant in Bellevue.

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar in Bellevue


When the Sushiland in Redmond closed, we were aching to find a new conveyor belt sushi spot. A foodie friend recommended Kura Revolving Sushi Bar in Bellevue and after going once, we were sold! Kura uses robots to bring your drinks over and has two different conveyor belts. One is a slow moving belt with ready made sushi. If you don't see the sushi you want or don't want to wait, you tap the screen above head to order. Within minutes, the sushi zips over on the fast moving conveyor belt. My girls have a blast every time we visit this family friendly restaurant in Bellevue because it's interactive, entertaining and tasty. A few tips to know are:


  • Download the Kura phone app to hold your place in line. Kura doesn't do reservations but does have a waitlist. The waitlist on the app allows you to wait in the comfort of your home! Wait times, especially during the week-end dinner rush can get long! We use the app to put our name down around 5pm in anticipation of eating around 6:30pm. Once there's 15-30 minutes of waiting left, we drive over (it takes us ~15 minutes to get there). The app also gives you rewards after you spend a certain amount!
  • Each plate is the same price. Our favorites are the real crab California hand rolls, spider hand rolls, seared salmon with Japanese mayo, spicy tuna roll and crispy squid.
  • After every 5 plates are eaten, a short and entertaining video will play on the screen. After every 15 plates, a small toy will be dispensed.


My daughters rave about this place. "Mom can you make this at home? The seared salmon is so fresh, I can eat 10 plates."

Conveyor belt with sushi plates at Kura Revolving Sushi Bar in Bellevue.
Robot bringing hot water and iced water at Kura Revolving Sushi Bar in Bellevue.
Child using touch screen to select sushi rolls at Kura Revolving Sushi Bar in Bellevue.
Children picking up sushi plates at Kura in Bellevue.
Close up detailed photo of real crab California roll at a sushi restaurant in Bellevue.
Child using chopsticks to eat a piece of sushi in Bellevue.

Mediterranean Kitchen in Bellevue


When I was a teenager, I worked as a barista in a local downtown Bellevue coffee shop. My bosses were so kind, treating me to this restaurant and more importantly, this type of cuisine! I had grown up eating mostly Asian and American flavors so when my taste buds ate this garlicky, tangy, rich Mediterranean cuisine, there was no turning back. I introduced my friends, my husband and finally my kids to Mediterranean Kitchen. We are loyal to our plates of chicken schwarma and shish tawook and get this consistently every time. Each plate comes with pita bread, dipping sauce and soup. My kids enjoy the hummus, tahini sauce, pita bread, rice and bite sized chicken pieces. Some things to note are:


  • They have two locations. Their Bellevue location requires some patience in finding parking but has a nicer ambiance, so if you're celebrating something, go to this spot. Prices are slightly higher here. Their Kirkland location has ample parking and the decor is simpler. Sometimes I grab take-out from Kirkland and head straight to Juanita Beach Park for a picnic!
  • Portions are generous! One lunch plate feeds 1 adult and 1 hungry kid. One dinner plate feeds 2 adults, with possible leftovers the next day.


One of the perks about living in this area is the cultural diversity! It's so fun to see my daughters try new cuisines. "The yellow rice is so yummy. I looooove the white sauce too."

Photo of the dining room at Mediterranean Kitchen in Bellevue.
Photo of the chicken schwarma plate at Mediterranean Kitchen in Bellevue.
Shish tawook plate at a restaurant in Bellevue.

Gyu Kaku in Bellevue


It's such a unique experience to use the built in table grill to cook your own food. Gyu Kaku is a Japanese grill and they offer a week-day lunch special which includes salad, miso soup, 2-3 meats and rice. This is an awesome option when the kids have a no-school day or are on summer break! They usually have a long wait during the dinner rush, but for lunch, we can get seated pretty quickly. In my opinion, they do their beef better than the other types of meats. Our favorites are the umakara ribeye and yaki-shabu beef. The servers will educate you on how long to cook your meats and within seconds or minutes, you'll get slightly charred, flavorful meats, ready to be enjoyed. It might seem a little risky to have a grill at your table but I have found that unless you're cooking a really fatty piece of meat (like toro beef), the flame will stay below the grill. I tell my kids ahead of time to not touch any part of the grill with their bare hands (just like they wouldn't touch the grill at home with their bare hands). It's slightly scary for them at first (with all the sizzling noises) but when they see us do it, they are eager to as well. Some things to know are:


  • The Gyu Kaku app allows you to make reservations and earn reward points. I'd recommend reservations if you're doing dinner.
  • Portions are not big. You won't leave this restaurant feeling stuffed or with any leftovers. But you will leave with an experience to talk about!


The novelty of cooking your own food might wear off for your kids if you go too frequently but this interactive spot is good once in awhile. "It's cool to cook the food!"

Photo of the Gyu Kaku Salad in Bellevue.
Photo of the raw beef meat at Gyu Kaku in Bellevue.
Photo of person using tongs to cook the meat at Gyu Kaku in Bellevue.

Spark Pizza in Redmond


I am a chewy, thin crust, slightly charred, kind of pizza lover. It makes me really happy to see my girls and their taste buds appreciate this type of pizza too! The happy hour at Spark Pizza in Redmond is such a kid friendly option! Pack some paper and crayons, and you will have a quiet activity to do while you wait for this delicious, wood fired pizza. They have seating in their covered and heated patio. We usually share the Madame Marge, Feelin' Peppi (with spicy honey on the side), Happy-Gal and kale caesar salad. It's our go to spot for a quick bite to eat before my girls have an evening activity put on by the teens at Old Fire House Teen Center or go to a Redmond little league game. A few tips to know about this family friendly restaurant are:


  • The parking lot is a bit tricky to find for first timers. It's here and we usually enter via Chase bank.
  • Happy Hour is 3pm-5pm Tuesday through Sunday. To be on the safe side, we usually show up for their happy hour around 4pm. Tables can fill up by 4:30pm on Fridays and week-ends!


My daughters eyes light up when I say we're going to Spark Pizza. "I love eating all the pepperonis off my pizza, then dipping the crust into the spicy honey. The honey tastes super spicy to me!"

Outdoor patio photo at Spark Pizza in Redmond.
Children's hands grabbing cheese pizza slices at Spark Pizza.
Close up photo of all the pepperonis at Spark Pizza.

Pomegranate Bistro in Redmond


Pomegranate Bistro is the restaurant you go to for special occasions, promotions, dates, girls nights or any other time you want to treat yourself to something really nice. We went here for my birthday dinner and when my kids saw TV dinners on the menu, they were pumped! I couldn't even get a photo of their pristine TV dinner because they were that excited to eat it! With three different ones to choose from, each including fruit, veggies and a sweet, it was such a fun presentation. TV dinners bring me back to my own childhood, when over summer break, I'd pull a Kids Cuisine from the freezer, and microwave it between bouts of reading and playing with my cousin. The TV dinner from Pomegranate Bistro is nostalgic...but in an elevated way! The stand out entree for us parents was the bourbon braised short ribs; the beef was so tender that I begrudgingly shared it with my kids...they liked it that much. A few things to note are:


  • They have two seating areas, separated by a bakery and small shop. The bar (21+) is hoppin' even on week-nights so if you want some lively atmosphere, go there. The bistro on week-nights is pretty quiet.
  • There's plenty of parking. The restaurant is in a commercial building so it's a bit odd from the outside, but it does look like a restaurant on the inside.


"I loooooooove the TV dinners! You get mini things like a little soup and sandwich. The bread on the grilled cheese is soooooo crispy."

Bourbon braised short ribs at Pomegranate Bistro in Redmond.
Kids eating burger and fries at Pomegranate Bistro in Redmond.
Kids TV dinner at Pomegranate Bistro in Redmond.

Which family friendly restaurant in Bellevue or Redmond will you try out? I'm always looking for new spots to try with my kids so if you have one, please email me at linglingzhengphotography@gmail.com or send me a direct message! Thanks so much for reading!