Coal Vines Pizza and Wine Bar - Southlake

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Not sure, but kid friendly and kids can share pizza with family
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Shirley Temple: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Pepperoni Pizza, Margherita Pizza
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  This place was completely packed on the night we chose to go. They have different specials on different nights of the week. We chose to stay because they served drinks to people while waiting for their seats. Who doesn't like a Shirley Temple before dinner?! Now they just need to work on perfecting those Shirley Temples by adding cherries. 

Our server was very friendly and our parents got to sample a sparkling wine as did the rest of the diners that night. And that wasn't even the special that night. It was get a free pizza when you buy a bottle of wine. We all loved the pizza and agreed it's our favorite pizza place we have found so far. It's so good you can even eat the crust. Somehow the crust is thin and soft at the same time. I don't know how they do that. -The Blackwell Boys
 

Buca di Beppo - Southlake, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Calamari, Chicken Parmasean, Caprese Salad
Taste: ☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎

Comments:  Buca di Beppo is a great place for a family to go if they like to share and can agree to eat the same things. It is a family style restaurant which means you order one meal for the entire family to share. They do have a kids menu for those picky eaters who refuse to eat what everyone else is eating. They also have appetizers and salads for everyone to share as well. We loved the Caprese Salad. The Calamari was good, but we all fought over the rings. At least my little brother was happy; I can't believe he actually eats the tentacles! The chicken parmesan was okay. The sauce is on the plain side. The restaurant gives you so much food, you have leftovers for a few days.

The restaurant is neat on the inside. We got to walk through the kitchen. There was so much going on. Our server forgot about us a few times. He was more interested (as were many of the boy servers) in a group of girls celebrating a birthday. -The Blackwell Boys
 

Tacos and Avocados - Roanoke, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:  Original Brisket Taco, Shrimp Taco, Fresh Catch Taco, Fried Chicken Taco, Pepper Crusted Ribeye Taco 
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  I love the rice and beans.  My brother loves the chips and queso. All the tacos are awesome!  I always get the combo and then choose two different types of tacos to try. So far, the fish taco is my favorite. My mom likes the brisket taco and my brother likes the shrimp.  

This is a good lunch place.  You order before you sit down. There is a kids' menu, but we always order off the regular menu. We order the combos and the a la cart items. The people are friendly and your food comes out quick. I love that the tacos are filled with lots of stuff especially meat. Two tacos are all you need to fill you up. -The Blackwell Boys

Northwest Independent School District - Texas

Overall Score:  ⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: What you would expect from a school lunch room
Food:
Ordered:  Turkey Dinner
Taste: ☺︎
Temp: ☺︎
Looks: ☺︎

Comments:  Kids had a choice of Turkey Dinner or Corn Dog to celebrate the Thanksgiving season with their parents at school. Both my brother and I chose Turkey Dinner. I was so surprised to see so many parents bring their kids Chick-fil-A. That just didn't happen at my old school. Everyone loved our school's Turkey Dinner Celebration.

You can see my brother's lunch pictured above. It doesn't look very good and yes, that is turkey. It also came with spicy green beans and mashed potatoes - two items my brother chose not to get. My mom was surprised and a little disappointed that he was not forced to get any vegetables.  

My lunch was the last one of the day and the lines were extremely long as they always are at the end of the day. Some kids had to wait 25 minutes of their 30 minute lunch to get their food. Luckily there was a separate line for parents, so my mom was able to get me a "grown-up" meal. It was basically the same except that it had sweet potatoes instead of mashed and it came without the wait. And as it turned out, if I had waited in the kids' line with my classmates, I would have ended up with a tray half-filled with food since the cafeteria ran out of food on the kids' side. I'm not sure why it did not occur to them to give any of the kids the extra food from the parents' line even though we were the last class of the entire school. -The Blackwell Boys

TruFire Kitchen and Bar

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Shirley Temple: ⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Pita and Hummus, Meatballs, Kid's Butter Noodles, Cheeseburger with Fig Salad, Chocolate Cake
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  Here is another example of a restaurant that is not exactly geared for kids, but you can still make it work. They do have a kids' menu; you just have to ask for it. Then, the server will tell you what you can eat - things like pizza and pasta and mac and cheese. I suggest you order a side of meatballs if you order the kids' pasta. You might be hungry otherwise.  

The regular menu has a lot more to offer - sandwiches, salads, pastas, pizzas, seafood...  I'd be happy going here again and getting what I got, but I'd rather order a grown-up meal. My mom's burger was extra good and way better than my pasta. I won't eat hummus, but the pittas were soft and warm. (By the way, my mom gave a thumbs up to the hummus.) The Shirley Temples were kind of a let down. They tasted alright, but they were missing the number one ingredient - cherries! -The Blackwell Boys

 

INZO - a Bad Night!

INZO lost a star or two based on my last visit.  Things started out bad right from the start.  My brother was given a girl coloring sheet.  Our host noticed his mistake but pretended nothing was wrong.  We had to get another sheet because my brother wouldn't color on it and neither would I!

As for the food... our Shirley Temples were lacking cherries.  The Caprese Salad looked sad.  The mozzarella and tomatoes were not fresh and it looked like I helped cut them back in the kitchen.  My mom was not a big fan of her Eggplant Parmigiana (I can't imagine anyone who would actually want to eat eggplant!  Yuck!  But she does.)  She said it was soggy and greasy.  She took a few bites and then just ate the pasta that came with it.  My brother's Alfredo was also on the greasy side.  My pizza was okay and my dad said he liked the special they were having that day.

Kind of a let down cause we really liked everything about INZO last time.  We've only been twice now, so we will have to try again, but not anytime soon. -The Blackwell Boys

Modmarket - Southlake, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu:  Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Lunch:  Kids split regular-sized Pepperoni Pizza, Summer Special Sausage Pizza, Three Cheese Pizza, Canes Soda. Breakfast:  (so good we just had to come back!) Waffle, Mimosa, Eggs, Bacon, Toast
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  We love this place!!  We would eat here just about everyday if it were closer to our house.  All the food is fresh and tastes so good.  It seems like all meals are $10 or less, so you can take your family out to eat and it won't cost a fortune and it'll be a lot healthier and tastier than some other fast food options.  And if you haven't had Canes soda yet, you should stop what you are doing and go to Modmarket now and get some.  Canes soda is the best soda you will ever taste. -The Blackwell Boys

Jo's Sno-Cones - Roanoke, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: N/A
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: N/A
Food:  
Ordered:   Tutti Frutti, Peach, Mango
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  Very flavorful snowcones.  They use lots of syrup.  My parents, as usual, ordered us the smallest size possible, but to our surprise, it was pretty big.  My dad was extremely suprised/happy about the low price of our tasty treats.  I'm glad; now we can come back again and again and again. -The Blackwell Boys

INZO - Roanoke, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Shirley Temple: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Cheese Pizza, Pepperoni Pizza, Gorgonzola Gnocchi, Shirley Temple
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  If you are looking for an Italian restaurant that's yum, go to Inzo's.  Their pizza is good and their servers are super nice.  And if you're crazy like my mom, they have food other than pizza you can eat... things like pasta, subs, salads, and all sorts of stuff.  This place is definitely several steps up from your average pizza chain.  And when you are done eating you are just a short stroll away from a pie/dessert store or a ice cream/candy store.  Sounds like pretty good dinner plans to me! -The Blackwell Boys

 

The Original Pancake House - Grapevine, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎(laughable)

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Kid's Pancakes with Bacon; Pancakes with Bacon; Eggs, Sausage and 3 Pancakes
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  Be prepared to be amused if you order off the kid's menu here.  I highly suggest forgetting it exists.  If you choose not to follow my warning, your parents will have to give you some of their food just as they did for my brother and me.  Jacob and I both ordered the Kid's Pancakes with Bacon (3 teeny, tiny pancakes each just slightly larger than a quarter - we all laughed when they came out - the one piece of bacon looked HUGE next to them!).  My mom gave us each one of her pancakes leaving her only one.  Although the pancakes are very good, we all went home hungry and wanting more. -The Blackwell Boys

Hey Sugar - Roanoke, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: No (But I think the whole store is pretty much just for kids!)
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: N/A
Food:  
Ordered:   Candy!
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  Yes, I would say this is one of the best places in the world.  Candy is everywhere.  They have everything.  They even have ice cream.  They have candy I have never even heard of.  My mom and dad laugh over candy they grew up eating.  They have giant Gummy Bears.  They have lolly pops almost bigger than my head.  They have candy with bugs in them!  (I'm not sure if they were real bugs or not cause there was no way I was going to find out for sure, but they looked pretty real to me.)  The next time I come, I'm bringing my wallet (this way I can get what I want!). -The Blackwell Boys
 

Oak St. Pie Co. - Roanoke, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: No
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ ⭐︎

Noise Level: N/A
Food:  
Ordered:  Maple Walnut Fudge, Cowboy Cookies, Cowgirl Cookies, Peanut Patties
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  Ok, I'm going to have to go back and take another look at the floor.  I don't remember it looking the way it does in the picture and I'm pretty sure I wasn't standing in the middle of a gigantic ice cream spill.  I could have been; there were lots of tasty treats to check out.  My mom thinks their fudge is the best she has ever had.  To this day she has only tried the Maple Walnut cause it's her favorite and she has to get it every time.  The cookies are good, and my dad always gets the peanut patties and the cowboy cookies and he has his eyes on the pies. -The Blackwell Boys
 

Freebirds World Burrito - Alliance, Ft Worth, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ (huge!)

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Burritos of course!
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  I love burritos and these are some of the best.  They are definitely the biggest I have ever had!  I usually get the steak with mine, my brother and dad go for the chicken, and my mom gets the grilled veggies.  My parents like this place because of all the fresh/never frozen ingredients.  My brother and I like this place cause it tastes good and a kids' meal actually fills me up and I don't have to pick off my brother's plate.  Kid meals come with a choice of chips or rice and beans.  Vitamin Water is one of the choices for the soda fountain.  That's always a plus.  If we're lucky, dad buys us one of their brownies.  They are soooo good!  They have a gooey sweetness in the middle of them.  Mmmm.  I want one right now! -The Blackwell Boys
 

Winewood Grill - Grapevine, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: No
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Shirley Temple: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Salmon, Special Order: Sauteed Shrimp and Mac and Cheese
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  Just because a restaurant doesn't have a kids' menu doesn't mean you can't go.  I may only be 8, but my parents know I can eat an ENTIRE grownup meal.  That is why every once in a while we get to go somewhere really nice with our parents.  This place was awesome!  We got to drink out of actual glasses and not plastic cups (even my 5 year old brother Jacob!).  My salmon was very good and I really liked my brother's shrimp (he let me have a couple).  Typically my parents would just give my little brother some of all of our food instead of ordering him a meal, but this time Winewood made a special shrimp order (kid size) just for him.  We will definitely be back! -The Blackwell Boys
 

Campania pizza and more - Southlake Town Square, Southlake, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Not sure (we just split a pizza)
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Quiet as a mouse (but we went at an off time, so not many people were there)
Food:  
Ordered:   Pepperoni Pizza
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  This is a great place to get your parents to take you after they have forced you to go shopping with them at Southlake Town Square.  The pizza was pretty good.  It was the thin crust kind.  It was kind of on the cheesy side, but the cheese tasted alright.  Our server recommended that we only get one pizza, so we did not end up with any leftovers.  I think we need to order two pizzas for our family of four in the future.  Two kids may make up half of our family, but one of those kids (me!) likes to eat a lot! -The Blackwell Boys

 

Kincaids - Alliance, Ft Worth, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Corn Dog and fries, Bacon Cheeseburger with onion rings
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  This place is really neat inside; I felt like I traveled back in time.  There are a ton of old pictures, signs, and old articles hanging on the walls.  And...there's these cool giant blow up plastic things (a banana, a ketchup bottle, a chili pepper) hanging from the ceiling. -The Blackwell Boys


You order from the counter and then they bring the food to you.  My burger was about the same size as my dad's!  Of course I ate the whole thing.  I'd recommend the kid's cheeseburger over the corn dog and the french fries over the onion rings.  The crinkle fries are nice and salty.  The onion rings were a little too spicy and crunchy for me.  This place will definitely be added in our regular rotation. -The Blackwell Boys
 

Milwaukee Joes - Grmt Ice Cream - Southlake, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Kind-of; they have mini sizes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level:  N/A (We got our ice creams to-go and then took a walk to Southlake Town Square's fountain)
Food:  
Ordered:   Dr. Pepper Ice Cream, Oreo Ice Cream
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  We love ice cream!  And this place has some great flavors.  Dr. Pepper actually tastes like the Dr. Pepper you drink!  My parents liked that it came in mini sizes, but I'm sure we could have eaten even the largest of sizes.  We will definitely be back! -The Blackwell Boys
 

Snuffer's - Southlake, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:  Kids' Corn dog and Fries
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎

Comments:  There were lots of TVs here for my dad and I to watch sports.  The bar area was walled off from the rest of the restaurant.  We sat on the restaurant side.  It kind of looked like a diner with TVs.  Our food was alright and our server was nice. -The Blackwell Boys
 

The Rock, Wood Fired Kitchen - Alliance, Ft Worth, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes, but the family just shared a pizza
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Ear plugs please!
Food:  
Ordered:   Half Cheese/Half Pepperoni Pizza (Our family of four was going to order two pizzas but our server seemed to think one would be enough; he was wrong.)
Taste: ☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  This place had a lot of cool things going on and seemed very busy.  A lot of grownups were drinking out of big buckets or bowls of colorful drinks.  The pizza was ok.  The one cool thing for families who can never agree on toppings is that they let you order one speciality pizza on one side of the pizza and another speciality pizza on the other half.  We just went with half cheese and half pepperoni.  My brother really seemed to like the pepperoni.  If we go back, I'll be trying something else. -The Blackwell Boys
 

Bar Louie Park Lane - Dallas, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: No
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Shirley Temple: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   Variety of appetizers:  Calamari, Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders, Blackened Salmon Sliders, Trio of Hummus with veggies and tortillas, Bavarian Pretzel Sticks with dipping sauces
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  Ok, so this may not be a restaurant that is normally geared towards kids...  Try going at lunch time or at that odd time between lunch and dinner.  The food there is too good to pass up.  Ordering without a kids' menu can be tricky especially if you have a picky little brother like mine.  My parents never want to buy him a grownup meal cause they know he probably won't eat it.  To get around this we like to order appetizers.  We all offer up our suggestions and majority or (parents rule).  Not fair.  

The Pretzels were my favorite.  They were everyone's favorite!  The cinnamon butter that came with them made them so amazing!  I cannot wait to go back just for the pretzels.  The Shirley Temples were also amazing, probably the best I've ever had.  It helped that there were two cherries in each drink.

The only reason I couldn't give this place a full 5 stars is because it was such a mess!  Lots of tables were covered in dirty dishes and never got cleaned the entire time we were there.  Our server was nice and took good care of us, but I think she was the only server in the entire place.  There was a big Help Wanted sign hanging on the front door.  I hope they get the help they need soon. -The Blackwell Boys

McAlister's Deli - Heritage Trace, Ft Worth, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

 Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Noise Level: Just right
Food:  
Ordered:   One delicious salad, a cup of soup, and a $0.99 kids' pizza
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  Not bad!  Any place that provides nourishment other than greasy fries and some sad looking burger hidden under two stale buns for $0.99 is clearly the winner. My $0.99 pizza was pretty good and I'm sure my parents would have bought me another one if I were still hungry, but I wasn't. My mom liked the salad she had and my brother liked whatever soup he had.  We will definitely be back to try more of their $0.99 Kids' Meals. -The Blackwell Boys
 

Mi Cocina - Alliance, Ft Worth, TX

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
 Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Noise Level: On the loud side.  (Mom's Note: Don't come late unless on a date with dad or out on the town for girls' night out; the crowd gets lively.)
Food:  
Ordered:   Kids' Steak Fajitas, Kids' Taquitos
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  The food was pretty good.  I'd recommend the raspberry lemonade.  It was delicious!  The kids' meals came with rice and beans, but our server substituted the beans for an extra helping of rice since my little brother doesn't like them. The restaurant was very busy but we were well taken care of. -The Blackwell Boys

Atlanta Fish Market - Buckhead

Overall Score:  ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎
Kids' Menu: Yes
Proportions: Ok.  Like most restaurants, they give you a crazy amount of fries!
Shirley Temple: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Noise Level: Just Right.  We could talk and joke around and we weren't shushed by mom and dad.
Food:  
Ordered:   Kid's Fried Shrimp, Kid's Shrimp Cocktail, Kid's Salmon, Lobster
Taste: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Temp: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Looks: ☺︎☺︎☺︎

Comments:  The giant fish statue outside the restaurant is very cool.  I like looking at the fish in the aquarium and there always seems to be a lot going on with the servers zipping by.  The ShirleyTemples were awesome and each one came with at least two cherries!  The more cherries the better!  And who doesn't like cherries?  My fish was very good as was the kid's shrimp cocktail I ordered.  I, of course, was still hungry because I didn't want to eat an entire plate full of fries, so my brother gave me some of his fried shrimp (pretty good) and my mom gave me one of her lobster claws (amazing!).  Next time I know what I'm ordering! -The Blackwell Boys