How to Enjoy Dining Out With Your Family on Your Dubai Getaway

Dealing with picky eaters at home can be challenging. Getting them to eat while you are on holiday can even be more troublesome and doubly stressful.

Since children thrive on familiarity, encouraging them to eat unfamiliar food can be difficult. If you are dining out, you may end up spending more time at the restaurant waiting for them to finish their meal.

As a result, your plans for the day may be affected and you will have to cancel or postpone your other activities.

However, you don’t have to dread eating out with your little ones during your holiday in Dubai. You don’t have to cook meals in your hotel and pack them to ensure your children eat something when exploring the city. After all, part of going on a vacation is taking a break from your usual household chores. 

When you look for the best family fine dining restaurants and plan sufficiently, you can enjoy eating out with your family during your holiday in Dubai.

Tips for Eating Out With Your Family During Your Holiday in Dubai

Below are some tips for having a great dining out experience with your family throughout your Dubai getaway:

1. Study your dining options beforehand.

If you want to avoid any drama when eating out, the best thing you can do is find and choose restaurants that your little ones will love in advance.

Before going on your vacation or stepping out of your hotel, go online and look for family-friendly restaurants. These establishments usually have a more diverse menu, which means they have more dishes that appeal to both adults and children.

While looking up different restaurants, try to get some information about their setting and ambiance. You will do well to choose establishments with child-friendly facilities and services.

Some restaurants in Dubai, for instance, allow their young diners to unleash their creativity on their plates by using fresh fruit, edible paint, and other ingredients.

Additionally, try to limit your options to restaurants with alfresco dining areas. When you eat in such places, your children will be preoccupied with all the things they see outside, and thus, won’t get easily bored and whine a lot. The sights they see may even boost their appetite.

2. Book a table in advance.

Once you have chosen the restaurants you want to try with your family, reserve a table beforehand. Make sure you do this if you are in Dubai during the peak season.

Doing so ensures you will be accommodated at the time you want to have a meal there.

Reserving a table in advance also allows you to choose the best place where you and your family can be seated.

If the restaurant has an alfresco dining area, ask for a table there. As mentioned, it is the best spot for you and your family since your little ones are more likely to be distracted and entertained by the sights they see outdoors.

If the restaurant does not have an outdoor area, ask for a corner table or one at the least conspicuous or crowded spots in the dining room.

These areas are the best spots for families with little children since they are a bit far from the other diners. This means that the other customers won’t get distracted by your little ones’ noise and other activities.

When you manage to book a table beforehand, make sure you arrive early at the restaurant. If you don’t, the waitstaff won’t honor your reservation, and you and your family may be seated in an area that you and your little ones won’t like.

3. Talk with your children about how you expect them to behave in the restaurant.

Before leaving the hotel or entering the restaurant, speak with your children about the kind of behavior you want them to show inside the establishment.

Explain to them that you expect them to keep the noise down, sit up at the table, and use the right utensils to eat.

For younger kids, show them what your expected behaviors are. Roleplay with the other family members so that they have a better idea of how they should act while inside the restaurant.

Make sure that they understand you will not tolerate shouting, running around, crying, and throwing food inside the restaurant.

You can also consider offering rewards to your children so that you can motivate them to behave properly. Bring star or smiley stickers and give them out whenever they demonstrate good behavior.

You can also tell them they can get something from the dessert menu if they heed all your instructions.

4. Avoid eating at restaurants during their busiest times.

If you are dining out, it is always best to eat earlier. This means heading to the restaurant an hour or so before lunch or dinner.

By eating earlier than usual, you ensure that your little ones are still in a good mood and not irritated because they are hungry.

Additionally, dining early at night also allows everyone to stick to their routines and have some extra time to engage in other activities.

Finally, by avoiding the busiest times of the restaurants, there will be fewer diners inside the establishment. And this means your children will have fewer people to disturb.

5. Bring items that will keep your children busy.

Distractions are your best friends when eating out with little children.

Even if your little ones say they understand your instructions, you can’t expect them to sit still and do nothing for several minutes as you wait for the dishes to be served. During this time, you can keep them occupied by giving them some quiet toys to play with or books to read.

As such, make sure you always bring your kids’ favorite quiet toys and books as you explore Dubai.

Another option is to let your children play with your iPad or tablet. However, make sure the volume is low. Let them play with puzzles and other educational games or apps so that they can still learn something new and give their brains some mental exercise.

Also, limit the time they spend glued on your device. Don’t let them use electronic devices throughout the meal.

Dining out is one of the more pleasurable experiences you can look forward to when you go on a vacation. Follow these tips so that everyone can enjoy a great meal and reduce the stress that comes with eating at restaurants with young children.

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Written by

I’ve been travelling ever since a was a child but my first large trip was at the age of 13 when I was sent to live for a couple months to London. This trip has changed me and ever since I just want to see more and more of our beautiful world. Every trip gives me new emotions, charge and strength to keep going further.

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