Ochre Restaurant
Elegant National Gallery restaurant with buggy access, highchairs and kind, unhurried service.
Café · Covent Garden
Perched above the National Portrait Gallery with sweeping views over Trafalgar Square, The Portrait Restaurant by Richard Corrigan serves a set lunch menu that several visitors have called genuinely good value for central London — three proper courses at a price that won't leave you wincing. The kitchen can cater for vegan diets, and gluten-free options are likely available, so it's worth flagging any requirements when you book (a reservation is pretty much essential). Highchairs are on hand and the restaurant is easily navigable with a buggy, though there's no dedicated children's menu, so it suits families with older or more adventurous eaters best.

The secret to a calmer meal out? Something to do that isn't a phone. Each pack is full of screen-free bits and bobs to keep little hands busy at the table and buy you a proper sit-down. Three printable packs, one for each age (toddler, preschool, primary) — free, straight to your inbox.
Elegant National Gallery restaurant with buggy access, highchairs and kind, unhurried service.
Brunch spot in Covent Garden.
Light meals, coffee & cakes offered in a casual self-service restaurant inside the National Gallery.