Small bites: The best places to dine with kids in and around LA

Los Angeles has no shortage of buzzy restaurants, but when you’re dining out with kids, what gets a Mommy-Michelin star is a whole other ballgame.

Ahead, the best restaurants for young epicures in and around LA.

Pirates Dinner Adventure

This interactive dinner theater in Buena Park takes place aboard an 18th-century Spanish galleon floating inside a 250,000-gallon indoor lagoon. Yes, we repeat, you can take your little mate aboard a floating ship.

The 90-minute show is part acrobatic spectacle, part pyrotechnics and a whole lot of participation. Little ones can nosh on chicken nuggets and mac and cheese (vegan and gluten-free available).

From $69; children 3 to 10 from $42.

Tea Rose Garden

Elegant Angelenos have been sipping fine Earl Greys and Oolongs at this Old Town Pasadena staple since 1994.

Slink into an ethereal setting — floral wallpapers, gilded mirrors, fresh flowers — as you indulge in a traditional English afternoon tea.

Expect to spend about $35 to $55 a person.

Little Kitchen Academy

Here in Hollywood, kids ages 3 to 16 are in charge of whipping up culinary delights in a professional-grade kitchen. (Cooking classes with parent participation are also on offer.)

Donned in adorable tiny chef coats, expect your mini gourmet to make everything from pizza to cookies with bespoke toppings.

Single classes typically run $50 to $75 per child.

The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen

Retro-futuristic nirvana awaits here on CityWalk just outside Universal Studios Hollywood.

Kids will go straight for chicken fingers with fries ($11) or a mini burger with fries ($11) washed down with a specialty milkshake (from $17).

The vegan pineapple upside-down cake goes down really easily. You’re going to need it when your youngster starts running towards the oversized chocolate sculptures or gargantuan sundaes.

FiRE + iCE

The Anaheim outpost of this interactive bar and grill will delight the whole family thanks to the build-your-own meal format.

Pint-size crews will delight in watching food being cooked before them (the mac and cheese burger is a perennial hit), while grown-ups love the mai tais, margaritas, or frozen pina coladas.

Beetle House LA

Tim Burton–meets–Edgar Allan Poe gothic fantasia at this year-round Halloween dinner theater, which has Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, plus magicians and singers.

The prix-fixe dinner has signature items like the Monster Burger, served on a purple bun (gluten-free and vegan options are available), and costs $25 per child, $65 for 13 plus.

Kids are encouraged to wear costumes, but book an early seating — the restaurant becomes 21 and over after 9:30 p.m.

Goofy’s Kitchen

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza? Yes, please. Add table visits from Goofy, Minnie, Pluto and more, since here in Anaheim, families can get the full Disney character dining experience with no theme park admission required. Instead, budget about $55 to $64 per adult for breakfast or dinner and $33 to $37 per child for an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Be sure to download the Disneyland app too, as a complimentary PhotoPass photo with Goofy is included with your visit.

Brent’s Deli

There’s nothing like a good deli, and without outposts in Northridge and Westlake Village, Brent’s doles out winners from its dedicated kids’ menu like grilled cheese, mini burgers, and PB&J with the classics mom and dad crave, from noodle kugel and latkes to stuffed cabbage and kasha varnishkes.

The Proud Bird Food Hall

This massive aviation-themed food hall is situated smack under the LAX flight path. Budding aviators will gawk at the planes roaring overhead, while the outdoor grounds even have vintage aircraft for kids to check out, as well as a playground. Nab a picnic table and order from the wide variety of vendors.