Feed the whole family for less at these 16 North Carolina restaurants where kids eat free.
Dining out with the family can add up quickly. Fortunately, plenty of restaurants across North Carolina offer deals where kids can eat free, making family meals more affordable without sacrificing convenience or fun.
From casual chains to family-run barbecue joints, these spots pair kid-friendly menus with budget-friendly promotions. Whether you’re planning an easy after-school meal or looking for ways to stretch your dining budget, the following North Carolina restaurants make eating out with kids a little easier.
1. Amedeo’s Italian Restaurant
At Amedeo’s Italian Restaurant, kids 10 years and younger eat free on Mondays with the purchase of an adult entree.
Pasta is the star of the menu at Amedeo’s, with options such as creamy chicken pesto, baked manicotti, parmigiana, and seafood lasagna. If you don’t feel like pasta, the menu also features several sub sandwiches, pizzas, and calzones.
Address: 3905 Western Blvd., Raleigh
2. Barberitos
At Barberitos, the fast casual restaurant chain that serves better-for-you southwestern food like burritos, nachos, and tacos, the kids-eat-free deal isn’t limited to just one day. You can get one free kids’ meal (for those 12 years and younger) for every adult meal purchased on Tuesdays after 4 p.m. and all day on Sundays.
Kids can choose from a burrito, taco, or quesadilla with up to four toppings. Protein options include chicken, spicy chicken, steak, ground beef or turkey, and tofu. Each meal comes with chips and salsa, a cookie, and a drink.
Address: 301 Pisgah Church Rd., Ste. B102, Greensboro
3. Bull City Burger and Brewery
Start your week off right with something tasty for the whole family at Bull City Burger and Brewery. The locally owned burger joint and craft brewery lets kids eat free all Monday long when an adult diner purchases an entree.
There are currently seven pre-designed beef burgers on the menu, but you can also build your own with more than 30 toppings to choose from.
Bull City also offers several hot dog options, as well as a few vegetarian and vegan-friendly burgers.
Address: 107 E. Parrish St., #105, Durham
4. Ciana Ristorante Italiano
Ciana Ristorante Italiano offers one of the most flexible and generous kids-eat-free promotions in this roundup. The Italian restaurant feeds children eight years and younger for free from 4 to 9 p.m. daily. You must purchase an adult entree to be eligible, but the deal allows for two kids per adult instead of one.
House specialties range from marsala and milanese to piccata and scallopini. The dinner menu also includes several seafood dishes, classics like lasagna and baked penne, flatbreads, and the option to build your own pasta.
Address: 4724 New Centre Dr., Ste. 3, Wilmington
5. C-Street Mexican Grill
Celebrate Taco Tuesday with the entire family at C-Street Mexican Grill. Every Tuesday, kids can eat for free after 4 p.m. when an adult entree is purchased.
Kids can choose from a taco, burrito, or cheese quesadilla. The adult menu also includes nachos and salads.
Address: 4110 Shipyard Blvd., Wilmington
6. Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
Before you send the kids off to school on Monday morning, treat them to a barbecue dinner at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. Every Sunday, you can get a free kids’ meal with any adult purchase of $15 or more.
Dickey’s has barbecue sandwiches, pit-smoked meats, wings, and plenty of sides for adults. The kids meal plate includes your choice of eight different meats, a side, a drink, and a sauce.
Addresses: 720 North Carolina 24, Albemarle; 10564 U.S. 501, Southern Pines
7. Empire Pizza Bar
The only thing better than pizza is free pizza, which is exactly what kids get on Mondays at Empire Pizza. The menu features almost 15 specialty pizzas—Philly cheesesteak, chicken bruschetta, and hot honey pepperoni, to name a few—as well as a large selection of calzones, wings, quesadillas, subs, burgers, wraps, and pastas.
The kids’ menu consists of a cheese or pepperoni pizza, grilled cheese, cheeseburger, quesadilla, pasta, and chicken tenders.
Addresses: 7024 Brighton Park Dr., Mint Hill; 8500 Pineville Matthews Rd., Pineville
8. Hibachi Bistro
Sunday Funday—but make it kid friendly—at Hibachi Bistro. On Sundays from noon to 9:30 p.m., kids 12 years and younger can eat for free when an adult purchases an entree at this family run, fast casual restaurant.
There are almost 15 entrees for adults to choose from, plus the option to build your own. A few selections include teriyaki fried chicken, hibachi steak, and jumbo shrimp.
Kids can order one of the following (each comes with a drink): teriyaki chicken, hibachi chicken, or hibachi shrimp.
Address: 341-14 S. College Rd., Wilmington
9. Kornerstone Bistro
If your children love Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, take them to Kornerstone Bistro, where they can eat for free on Mondays when you purchase an entree.
Children 12 years and younger can choose from the following menu items: spaghetti marinara, cheese pizza, macaroni and cheese, penne alfredo, or chicken tenders.
The adult menu is very pasta and pizza-forward, with about 10 pasta dishes and nine specialty pizzas. Other dishes range from filet mignon and ribeye to chicken marsala and Ligurian salmon.
Address: 8262 Market St., Wilmington
10. Midtown Tavern
At Midtown Tavern, children eat for free from a dedicated kids’ menu on Tuesdays. Options include a cheese pizza, a grilled cheese and fries, pasta with marinara, and chicken nuggets with fries.
Adult entrees include a fish and chips platter, chicken alfredo or parmesan, Korean glazed salmon, and fish, beef, or buffalo chicken tacos. There are also several sandwiches, burgers, and pizzas to choose from.
Address: 1500 E. 3rd St., Charlotte
11. Nantucket Grill
For a taste of the Northeast and free food for kids, head to Nantucket Grill. Kids 10 years and younger eat for free at the New England-style restaurant on Sundays when an adult orders an entree costing at least $18.
Entrees range from burgers and sandwiches to steaks and seafood specialties. Some standout menu items include the fresh Maine lobster roll, herb-roasted prime rib, crab cakes, and spicy Nantucket seafood pasta.
Address: Nantucket Grill has three full-service restaurant locations and one bakery in North Carolina. Find the one nearest you here.
12. Parker’s Barbecue
Parker’s Barbecue has been serving authentic Eastern North Carolina barbecue for more than 50 years, and on Thursdays, kids can sample the fare for free (with the purchase of an adult plate).
The barbeque dinner plate features slow-roasted whole hog infused with a signature barbecue sauce and served with coleslaw, corn sticks, hushpuppies, and your choice of two vegetables. The menu also includes multiple chicken and seafood dinners, boneless wings, and sandwiches.
Instead of offering a separate kids’ menu, Parker’s makes all its menu items available in kid-friendly portions.
Address: 3109 S. Memorial Dr., Greenville
13. Sassool
Tuesday night is kids’ night at Sassool. From 4 p.m. until close, kids get a free entree with the purchase of a combo (an entree and two sides) at this Lebanese-Mediterranean restaurant.
There are about 25 combo options, including multiple pizzettes (pita pizzas), burgers, and sandwiches. Side options are plentiful too, ranging from a chickpea salad and fatoush to tabouli and stuffed grape leaves.
The kids menu includes a turkey pita, cheese pizzette, and a beef, kafta, or chicken kabob.
Addresses: 9650 Strickland Rd., Ste. 149, Raleigh; 1347 Kildaire Farm Rd., Cary
14. The Big Easy
Take the family to New Orleans without leaving the Tar Heel State when you dine at The Big Easy. On Mondays, kids 12 years and younger eat free with the purchase of an adult entree. The children’s menu includes fried shrimp, chicken tenders, pasta with alfredo sauce, grilled cheese, and macaroni and cheese (all served with fries except for the macaroni and cheese).
Adults can indulge in cajun-inspired southern favorites like jambalaya, salmon lafayette, and muffuletta.
Address: 222 Fayetteville St., Raleigh
15. The Lodge
Don’t miss the big game because you haven’t prepared dinner. Instead, head to The Lodge, a family friendly sports bar with more than 10 TVs for fans and chalkboard walls and coloring menus for kids.
On Mondays from 4 to 8 p.m., kids 12 years and younger eat for free with the purchase of an adult meal costing $13.99 or more.
Food choices for adults are plentiful, ranging from sandwiches and burgers to wraps and salads. Kids’ menu options include sliders, a hot dog, grilled cheese, chicken fingers, a corn dog, quesadilla, and pasta in butter sauce.
Address: 7725 Colony Rd., Charlotte
16. Tidewater Oyster Bar
If your family loves seafood, a trip to Tidewater Oyster Bar is a must. On Wednesdays, you get one free kids’ meal per adult entree for children 12 years and younger.
The kids’ menu features four baskets—chicken tender, fried shrimp, corn dog, and fried catfish—each served with fries, broccoli, and a soft drink or tea.
The adult menu is much more expansive, with main dishes like cajun pasta, po’ boys, and steamed platters complemented by roasted oysters, a raw bar, chowder, and gumbo.
Address: 8211 Market St., Unit DD, Wilmington
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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