I learnt something about eating in Kingston with a toddler. By day, there are endless opportunities and places to visit, with many dishes on offer for small appetites as well as big. But the one big hurdle, we had it when we visited Kingston a couple of weeks ago, was where we could eat with a toddler as soon as the evening came.
I’ve been to Kingston for many years, to work, to socialise, to attend amazing gigs, to party, to visit friends and much more. The weekend that we visited Kingston, mainly due to accommodation reasons, we hit a problem on more than one occasion, in regards to choice for dinner in the evening with Emily. No knew that would be the biggest hurdle?
We arrived Friday afternoon, had a quick freshen up in the hotel room, chucked the bags in the room and made our way out for something to eat. The Sun was shining, all we wanted was a nice restaurant or pub to tuck into some grub, feed Emily and have a glass of wine/pint of beer. Unfortunately, unbeknown to me, you can’t eat in most pubs in Kingston with a toddler after 7 pm. This was something that we found out after ordering our drinks at O’Neills. On Friday evenings, all the pubs and drinking areas in Kingston, swap glass for plastic and get ready for the many many students and adults who grace Kingston for a night of drinking and partying. It wasn’t the end of the world, but it did restrict where we could eat as a family.
Luckily we found The Cornerstone a few minutes walk from Kingston Rail Station. A Hungry Horse restaurant which offers a range of hot and cold drinks, food and a children’s menu at affordable prices. Emily wasn’t keen on her dinner, but I blamed that to her willingness to want to run like a psycho around the restaurant after the 3 hour train travelling earlier in the day. Sam and I decided to try the Friday offer of “Buy One Burger and Get One Free,” which was yum all the way!
Sam tucked into the Double Daddy – 2 beef burgers, cheese, smoked streaky bacon and BBQ pulled pork rib meat. Served in a toasted brioche bun with burger sauce, iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato and red onion. Finished with a crown of onion rings and served with fries, crispy sliced jalapeños and corn on the cob.
Whilst the burger was amazing, there were a few things that bothered him. Like the corn on the cob came out like a brick, was cooked from frozen but not very well, it was solid and lacked flavour of a corn on the cob! The burger was a little greasy, so there was no resting of the patty before serving, but aside from that, he really enjoyed it.
I had the Bacon & Cheese burger, which was delicious. Admittedly, the burger by itself would have been fine without the fries. Emily ate a few of my fries but I couldn’t, I was too stuffed! The burger without a doubt was one of the best burgers I’ve eaten in a long while, id highly recommend if you’re in Kingston someday.
Two burgers and a child’s meal with a pint of beer and a large glass of wine, came to just under £20 which is a great price. The service was good, quick and the staff polite.
If we return to Kingston again and need a quick bite to eat, I’ll definitely keep these guys in mind.
If you’re planning on visiting Kingston, and you’re not sure of the area, don’t rely fully on online forums or websites, speak to friends, look into TripAdvisor and cool around. A lot of the information I found online, wasn’t present or up-to-date. The best thing to do is speak to people, and get a real feel for what Kingston is like with a young child.
Missy, Me & Him 