Family restaurants in Salem, NH

The best family restaurants in Salem NH share a few things: a real kids’ menu, room for a high chair and prices that don’t sting. Salem has plenty of them, most along Route 28 (Broadway) and at Tuscan Village, both off I-93 Exit 1. Here are our picks, with the kid deals and hours to know before you load up the car.

Family restaurants in Salem NH with kids’ menus

T-BONES Great American Eatery

A New Hampshire family standby on South Broadway. T-BONES says it makes its sauces, soups, dressings and desserts from scratch and hand-peels potatoes for its mashed potatoes and Yukon Gold potato chips. Kids’ meals are for children under 12. This fall the restaurant is advertising $5 kids’ meals through October, with one adult entrée required for every two kids’ meals and dine-in only. Open 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. Sunday–Wednesday and until midnight Thursday–Saturday. 311 S. Broadway, (603) 893-3444.

Ralphie’s Cafe Italiano

Big plates of red-sauce Italian, open since 1978. The kids’ menu runs $8.95–10.95 and includes a small soft drink: spaghetti or ziti, pasta with a meatball, chicken tenders with fries and a small cheese flatbread pizza. Grown-ups can share the Combo Appetizer Platter or order the house meatballs. There are no reservations, so arrive early on weekends. 91 S. Broadway, (603) 893-3777.

Margaritas

The Mexican restaurant at the Holiday Inn runs weekday deals, including Kids Eat Free on Wednesdays. Juan’s Combos, a full meal built your way, start at $10.99. Doors open at 3 p.m. every day, and the restaurant offers private dining for parties. 1 Keewaydin Dr., off I-93 Exit 2, (603) 893-0110.

99 Restaurant & Bar and Chili’s

Two familiar chains sit on South Broadway. The 99 Restaurant (149 S. Broadway, (603) 893-5596) serves pub food from 11 a.m. daily, until 9:30 p.m. Monday–Wednesday, 10 p.m. Thursday–Saturday and 9 p.m. Sunday. It offers curbside pickup, and its rewards program includes a free birthday dessert. Chili’s (297 S. Broadway, (603) 890-1777) is a few blocks south.

Tavern in the Square

The two-floor tavern at Tuscan Village has a kids’ menu with grilled cheese ($8), mac and cheese ($6) and a cheese quesadilla ($10), and plant-based cheese swaps for $1. Weekend brunch runs 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. 16 Via Toscana, (603) 685-3135.

Dinner and a show: hibachi

At TOMO Japanese Steakhouse, the chef cooks at your table, which keeps kids busy. Hibachi dinners come with salad, soup, fried rice and vegetables. The kids’ hibachi menu, for children under 12, runs from $14 for vegetables to $18 for steak or scallops. Weekday hibachi lunch specials start at $12 (11 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Friday, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturday). Hours: 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Monday–Thursday, 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon–9:30 p.m. Sunday. 368 S. Broadway, (603) 893-8880.

Older kids and teens may prefer Par28 (23 S. Broadway), which bills itself as a fun place to bring friends and family. It has TrackMan golf simulators, axe-throwing lanes and Rae’s coal-fired pizza. Ask about age rules for axe throwing when you book.

Breakfast with kids

• MaryAnn’s Diner, 3 Veterans Memorial Pkwy., (603) 893-9877: a 1950s-style diner that opens at 6 a.m. daily. Join the online waitlist before you go on weekends.
• Maddie’s, 240 N. Broadway, (603) 894-0094: a family-owned breakfast spot with pancakes from $9.49 and breakfast all day on weekends.
• IHOP, 528 S. Broadway: pancakes from 7 a.m. daily.
• Copper Door, 41 S. Broadway: Sunday brunch, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., with a kids’ menu for 12 and under, including a strawberry waffle and scrambled eggs ($11 each).

More morning options are in our guide to breakfast in Salem NH.

Quick, casual and outdoors at Tuscan Village

For a fast meal before a movie or after shopping, Tuscan Village has Shake Shack (11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily), Chick-fil-A (closed Sunday), Chipotle, Sweetgreen and Bennett’s Sandwich Shop, which has made sandwiches since 1982. OakCraft Pizza lets kids watch their pizza built behind the glass. For dessert, Salt & Straw scoops ice cream until 11 p.m. daily, and Crumbl rotates six cookie flavors each week.

On a nice afternoon, the Sun Cruiser Social Club is a family-friendly, open-air bar with lawn games for all ages, live music, light bites and firepits. Posted hours are 3–9 p.m. Monday–Thursday and from noon on weekends, but it is outdoors, so check as the weather turns. Parking at the village is free. See every option in our Tuscan Village restaurants guide.

Pizza night and big-group platters

• Balducci’s Wood Fired Pizza, 419 S. Broadway, (603) 890-3344: an Italian family restaurant with outdoor seating, no reservations needed. Closed Mondays.
• Romano’s Pizzeria, 154 Main St., (603) 898-0788: a 45-seat dining room that hosts parties, with 12 kinds of slices every day.
• Sayde’s Bar & Grill, 136 Cluff Crossing Rd., (603) 890-1032: family-owned since 1994, with Lebanese and American food. The Family Grill Platter ($100) brings skewers, dips, fries, pita and baklava for a group.

Our full guide to pizza in Salem NH has more.

Tips for eating out with kids in Salem

• Use the weekday deals. Kids eat free at Margaritas on Wednesdays, and T-BONES is running $5 kids’ meals through October. Confirm before you go.
• Eat early. Walk-in places like Ralphie’s and Balducci’s are easiest before 6 p.m.
• Plan for the meals tax. New Hampshire’s 8.5% meals and rooms tax is added to restaurant checks.
• Make a day of it. Pair a meal with the park, the rail trail or a rainy-day activity from our guide to Salem NH with kids.

For the rest of town, browse the full Salem dining guide. Kids’ deals change often, so call ahead.