Greenville Restaurants Where Kids Can Eat and Play

Are you looking for kid-friendly restaurants? Greenville, SC has several with play areas so your kids can burn off some steam while mom and dad might even be able to enjoy the food on their plates! We are sharing our list of family restaurants in Greenville, SC, and the surrounding area, including ones where your kids can make art while you eat, watch planes take off and land, or even get into a game of bowling.

Tight budget? Check out our list of Greenville Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free

The play areas at these locations range from professionally installed play structures to an empty piece of land to run around on. Please consider this when releasing your child to explore the play areas. 

Let Them Play! Kid Friendly Restaurants: Greenville, SC

Runway Cafe

21 Airport Road Ext, Greenville
First off the popular Runway Park juts up to the patio of the Runway Cafe at the Greenville Downtown Airport. It’s easy to see why it’s one of the best family restaurants in Greenville, SC! The park is big so you can’t see it all from the patio but as it is fenced in, it’s easier to keep tabs on children and the main structure is fairly visible from the cafe.

While their menu is simple, it is rather tasty and features such things as organic salad greens. Most of the items are named after famous pilots like Charles Lindbergh or Amelia Earhart so you can toss in a little history lesson with lunch if you’re so inclined. The Runway Cafe is open every day for lunch and Wednesday through Saturday for dinner.

TReehouse Cafe

27 South Main Street, Travelers Rest
Kids can literally eat and play at the same time at the TReehouse Cafe in Travelers Rest. Owned by an artist and chef, this place is both a cafe and an art studio. They don’t skimp on either part of this masterpiece. The food is delicious and plentiful, with paninis, sandwiches, and salads, and the art is freeing, with options for coloring, painting, or playing with a Mr. Potato Head toy. 

Visit the TReehouse Cafe Facebook page for event announcements and other fun things.

• Learn more about why TReehouse Cafe is one of the most kid friendly restaurants Greenville, SC has!

Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery

205 Cedar Lane, Greenville
Half of this place is outside – mainly their pizza oven, patio, and kid’s play area – which makes it ideal for eating and playing. I’m a big fan of grabbing coffee and breakfast and letting my kids play in the enclosed area while I enjoy the delicious offerings. Or you can take a break with the kids, eat an amazing sandwich, soup, or salad, and play afterward.

Either way, the Swamp Rabbit Cafe is probably close to the top when it comes to kid friendly restaurants Greenville, SC offers (it’s owned by two women who are moms of little kids themselves, they should know) and has amazing food so it’s definitely a must-do on your Greenville restaurant list!

Papi’s Tacos

This one may not be as much of a surprise to regular readers, but Papi’s Tacos, which is the Table 301 owned “food truck without wheels”, is also right on the Reedy River so you’ll also have a lovely view and maybe even a few ducks to fascinate the kids.

There’s not only a patio but benches perfect for eating while minding children. For an authentic, gourmet, yet very affordable Mexican dinner, you can’t beat Papi’s. Also, the train track paintings and waterfall fountain tends to ignite young imaginations all year long. On Tuesday tacos go on special for $2!

Our list of 10 Free Things to Do in Downtown Greenville offers up more free fun!

Birds Fly South & White Duck Taco

1320 Hampton Ave Ext, Greenville
With a big lawn space and outdoor patio, Birds Fly South & White Duck Taco located in the Hampton Station part of Greenville is perfect to eat and play.

Gather GVL

126 Augusta Street, Greenville
Gather GVL offers plenty of play space for kids, plus an almost infinite list of menu options! Picky eaters will find almost whatever they want in this unique co-op setup of food vendors. Burgers, tacos, pasta, sushi, donuts, and more can be found on the menus at Gather GVL.

• For more details on this unique dining option, head to our Guide to Gather GVL

Warehouse at Vaughns

109 West Trade Street, Simpsonville
With several food options, outdoor picnic tables, live music, and a huge sandpit for your kids to play in, the Warehouse at Vaughns is a super family-friendly restaurant in Greenville, SC. There is a brewery, vintage arcade, pizza shop, taco shop, ice cream shop, and more places that kids love!

Monkey Wrench Smokehouse

21 North Main St, Travelers Rest
Owned by the same people who own Sidewall Pizza, Monkey Wrench Smokehouse is situated in Travelers Rest, and kids can often play while eating.  They’ve got a little area outside with picnic tables, cornhole, and other games – perfect for kids!

Spare Time

822 Congaree Road, Greenville
More than a bowling alley, Spare Time Greenville also has laser tag, an arcade, and a restaurant. You can order food while bowling or head to the restaurant and let the kids play in the arcade while you enjoy a few moments of peace. Its easy to see why Spare Time is one of the best family restaurants in Greenville, SC. There is so much to do!

D’Allesandros Pizza

17 Mohawk Drive, Greenville
Tucked off to the side down near Community Tap, D’Allesandros Pizza was recommended by several readers. There’s an outdoor seating area with an adjacent area for kids to play.

The Southern Growl

155 N Buncombe Road, Greer
Several parents I have talked to love going out to dinner with their kids at The Southern Growl. There is a large lawn area for your kids to run around on, so they won’t feel tied down while you wait for your food.

The Mason Jar

202 Trade Street, Greer
After hunting down all the “Toads on Trade”, your family can hop into The Mason Jar restaurant to enjoy a burger and fries. Named for the owner’s Grandchild, this restaurant makes a point to welcome kids.

Wild Wing Cafe

1025 Woodruff Rd, Greenville
Wild Wing Cafe is located right next to the Hollywood 20 cinemas, and in the courtyard between them is a huge play area. It’s a perfect spot to take kids to play while you wait for the food to be prepared!

J.R. Cash’s Grill & Bar

320 Big Water Road, Starr
J.R. Cash’s is located on the shores of Lake Hartwell in Anderson, SC and while the food and view are excellent, it’s the pirate ship playground that really takes the cake here. The playground is right next to the restaurant and has slides, rings, a tire swing, and a hammock. Check hours before going as the restaurant is seasonal.

Big Air

We know trampoline parks are great places to have fun for a couple of hours or throw a birthday party. But Big Air in Greenville has a hot kitchen inside the facility where you can get pizza, pretzels, drinks, and hot dogs. They also offer a Family Fun package on Thursdays and Sundays where you get four one-hour jump passes, a large pizza, and a pitcher of soda for $75.

Big Air of Spartanburg
660 Spartan Boulevard, Spartanburg

Big Air of Greenville
36 Park Woodruff Drive, Greenville

Green Laundry Lounge

10 Moorlyn Lane Suite G, Greer
If you want a quick bite to eat or coffee to sip on while you watch your kids play, then Green Laundry Lounge is a great choice. They have a small enclosed play area, with several seating areas to enjoy, while your kids play in the mulched area with their toys. You can even wash your clothes while letting them play. Sounds like a plan to us!

Restaurants with Play Areas Near Spartanburg, SC

Dray: Bar + Grill

1800 Drayton Road, Suite 301, Drayton
DRAY: Bar + Grill has everything you could want in a place to dine with kids. It has an outdoor seating area with a fire pit for colder weather, a delicious menu for both adults, and kids, and a large area where kids can run around and no one will care! For even more fun, you can attend one of the Movies at the Mill events where they set up a huge movie screen on the lawn.

Fr8Yard

125 East Main Street, Spartanburg
Fr8 Yard in Downtown Spartanburg is a kid-friendly restaurant and outdoor Biergarten with plenty of space to run around. And since it’s outdoors, you don’t have to worry about your kid making too much noise.

There are even ping-pong tables and cornhole games available to play free of charge. In addition to great adult beverages, Fr8 Yard also has a huge television screen showing major sporting events, plus live music on some evenings. Offering a selection of yard dogs, grilled cheese, fries, and more, your whole family will find something they want to try.

Not only that but it’s also located right next to Sparkle City Mini Putt. A free mini-golf course, that several downtown businesses will provide putters on loan for use.

Fuddrucker’s

1509 John B White Sr Boulevard, Spartanburg
The Fuddrucker’s on John B White Sr. Boulevard has a small arcade inside the premises. So, while you wait for your delicious hamburgers to be ready or after you finish your meal, your kids can spend their time playing old-fashioned arcade games.

Plus, Fuddrucker’s has a great children’s menu that also gives kids a free cookie from their scrumptious bakery with each meal. While the arcade is indoors, the way the seating is arranged does give your kids some freedom to check out the arcade while you keep tabs on them from a nearby table. If the weather is nice, they do have a great outdoor seating area, as well.

Restaurants with Play Areas: Chick-Fil-A, McDonald’s, and Chuck E Cheese

A good fallback for dining and eating with kids are the fast-food restaurants in the area that have indoor play structures. It also works as a great bribe tactic to get them to eat. Visit Kidding Around’s list of Restaurants with Play Areas.

Know of any kid-friendly restaurants Greenville, SC has that we missed? Let us know!