Eating out with children is a different exercise to eating out, and the best family friendly restaurants in Palmerston North are the ones that plan for it rather than tolerate it. These five all run a proper kids menu, and between them cover pizza, pub classics, wood-fired sharing plates and a garden bar with room to move. Pompeii and Hilltop are two of the names parents come back to.
1Pompeii Pizza
Pompeii has been making gourmet pizza on The Square since 1988, with dough made fresh daily and every pizza built to order from raw ingredients rather than premade bases. The kids meal bundles a pizza with fries, a drink and an ice cream, and can be made dairy free. It works equally well as a sit-down family dinner or a takeaway on the way home.
Services
- Dine-in restaurant, open six nights from 5pm
- Takeaway and delivery to most residential addresses within the city limits
- Dedicated kids meal
- Separate vegan menu
- BYO on bottled wine, with corkage per bottle
Highlights
- Trading since 1988
- Kids meal at $15.90 includes pizza, small fries, a small drink and vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips, and can be made dairy free
- One of the owners has coeliac disease and personally set up the cross-contamination procedures, with the single deep fryer used only for gluten free fries
- Dairy free cheese substituted on any pizza at no extra cost
- Dessert pizza of chocolate and mixed berries on a caramel base, described on the menu as enough to share
Location & Contact
Name: Pompeii Pizza
Address: 163 The Square, Palmerston North
Phone: 06 952 5575
Website: pompeii.co.nz
2Hilltop
Hilltop is a bar and restaurant at Fitzherbert serving pub classics, steaks and family favourites in a relaxed contemporary room. It states plainly that family dining is made easy with a kids menu and a range of desserts, which is about as clear a signal as you will get. Open from 11am until late seven days, it also runs a gin bar and a private dining room for larger family occasions.
Services
- Lunch and dinner main menu
- Kids menu and dessert range
- Antler Room private dining for 15 to 22 guests
- Coffee and cabinet food seven days, dine in or takeaway
Highlights
- Everyday meal specials advertised from $19.50
- Over 100 gins on the list, paired with Fever-Tree mixers
- Antler Room private function space sized for 15 to 22 guests
- Live sport on big screens
- Open 11am until late, Monday to Sunday
Location & Contact
Name: Hilltop
Address: 194-200 Ruapehu Drive, Fitzherbert, Palmerston North 4410
Phone: 06 354 0621
Website: thehilltop.nz
3Brew Union Brewing Co.
Brew Union is a microbrewery, bar and restaurant on Broadway Avenue, started in 2017 and brewing on site in 1,200 litre batches. The kitchen runs wood-fired pizzas, burgers and sharing plates, and the kids menu is called Half-pints, aimed at twelve year olds and under. Birthday cakes are welcome with notice, which makes it a practical choice for a child’s celebration.
Services
- Dinner daily, lunch Friday to Sunday
- Wood-fired pizzas, burgers, small and large sharing plates
- Half-pints kids menu
- Set menus, casual functions and offsite catering
- Growler and howler fills from 21 taps
Highlights
- Founded in 2017, brewing on site in 1,200 litre batches
- Half-pints kids menu specifically for twelve year olds and under
- Cold-fermented, hand-stretched dough cooked in a wood-fired oven
- Birthday cakes welcome with notice, at a small cakeage fee per person
Location & Contact
Name: Brew Union Brewing Co.
Address: 39-41 Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North
Phone: 06 280 3146
Website: brewunion.co.nz
4Aqaba Bar & Kitchen
Aqaba has been on Broadway Avenue since 1995, in a heritage building put up in 1932 as a Freemasons’ lodge. The kitchen is led by executive chef Mark Harman and there is a standalone kids menu alongside the brunch and dinner offerings. Two private rooms make it a sensible option for a larger family gathering rather than just a table for four.
Services
- Brunch menu
- Dinner menu
- Dedicated kids menu
- Craft cocktails and full beverage list
- Private event hosting, with degustation to 30 and set or buffet menus to 60
Highlights
- Established in 1995, in a 1932 former Freemasons’ lodge
- Executive chef Mark Harman has cooked for members of the British royal family
- Beverage programme run with Streff Drysdale of Redline Coffee
- Two private rooms, the Melville seating up to 12 and the Dejeuner up to 16, both with audio visual and video conferencing
Location & Contact
Name: Aqaba Bar & Kitchen
Address: 186 Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North
Phone: 06 357 8922
Website: aqaba.co.nz
5Neighbourhood
Neighbourhood is on Church Street and is built around what it calls the largest garden bar in Palmerston North, which is the useful part when children need somewhere to be other than at the table. The menu covers burgers, steaks, ribs, salads and sharing platters, with a separate kids menu and daily specials at $19. It shifts to live music and DJ sets later in the evening, so earlier sittings suit families best.
Services
- Lunch and dinner main menu
- Daily $19 lunch and dinner specials
- Sharing platters
- Kids menu
- Group bookings for birthdays and celebrations
Highlights
- The largest garden bar in Palmerston North, with a fireplace for winter
- $19 specials available every day at both lunch and dinner
- Cocktail trees for sharing
- Open seven days from 11.30am until late
Location & Contact
Name: Neighbourhood
Address: 324 Church Street, Palmerston North 4410
Phone: 06 358 8888
Website: neighbourhood.nz
Family Friendly Restaurants in Palmerston North at a Glance
| Business | Based in | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Pompeii Pizza | Palmerston North | Trading since 1988 |
| Hilltop | Fitzherbert | Everyday meal specials advertised from $19.50 |
| Brew Union Brewing Co. | Palmerston North | Founded in 2017, brewing on site in 1,200 litre batches |
| Aqaba Bar & Kitchen | Palmerston North | Established in 1995, in a 1932 former Freemasons' lodge |
| Neighbourhood | Palmerston North | The largest garden bar in Palmerston North, with a fireplace for winter |
How to Choose the Right Family Restaurant in Palmerston North
- Check what the kids menu actually contains, because a bundled meal with a drink and dessert is very different value from a single plate of chips.
- Think about where children can move, since a garden bar or a larger room matters more than the menu on a long evening.
- Book an earlier sitting at venues that turn into bars later, as the atmosphere after eight can change considerably.
- Raise dietary needs when you book rather than on arrival, particularly for coeliac or dairy free, since kitchens vary enormously in how they handle cross-contamination.
- Ask about cakes and candles if it is a birthday, because some venues welcome them with notice and charge a small fee per person.
Frequently Asked Questions About Palmerston North Family Restaurants
Do these restaurants have high chairs?
Most family oriented venues keep a few, but numbers are limited and they are not always mentioned online. Ring ahead if you need one, especially for a weekend evening or a larger group, since a table booked without a high chair can be an awkward start.
What does a kids menu usually cost?
Locally you are generally looking at somewhere in the mid to high teens for a bundled kids meal, with one restaurant on The Square pricing its pizza, fries, drink and ice cream package at $15.90. Standalone kids mains sit lower. Several venues also run daily specials around $19 that work for adults.
Can they cater for allergies and coeliac disease?
Several can, and one venue’s owner has coeliac disease and set up the kitchen’s cross-contamination procedures personally, including a dedicated fryer for gluten free chips. Dairy free options are widely available. Always declare an allergy when booking rather than at the table, and general guidance on allergen labelling is published by New Zealand Food Safety.
Are children allowed in venues that are also bars?
Yes, in the dining areas. Licensed premises can admit children when accompanied by a parent or guardian, though supervised and undesignated areas differ and some spaces become restricted later in the evening. If in doubt, ask when booking, and the licensing rules sit with the health authorities under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act.
Which is best for a child’s birthday?
Look for somewhere that takes cakes with notice and has a private or semi-private space. One brewery on Broadway welcomes birthday cakes for a small cakeage fee, and two venues here have private rooms seating between 12 and 22, which suits a party without hiring a hall.
Do any have outdoor space?
Yes. One Church Street venue is built around the largest garden bar in the city and keeps a fireplace going in winter, which is the most practical outdoor option locally when children need room to move.
Can we get takeaway instead?
Several offer it. One pizza restaurant delivers to most residential addresses within the city limits, and another venue runs coffee and cabinet food for takeaway seven days. Worth knowing on the evenings when taking everyone out is not realistic.
How far ahead should we book?
For a weekday dinner, same day is usually fine. Friday and Saturday evenings, and anything involving a group or a private room, should be booked well ahead. Mention the number of children when you book so the table is set up properly.
How We Chose the Best Family Friendly Restaurants in Palmerston North
Every business in this guide was found by searching for family friendly restaurants in Palmerston North, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Palmerston North, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.