Queensland’s top 10 kid-friendly restaurants

Trying to find a nice restaurant you can take your children to that's not a pub or sports club can be tricky. But in our reviewers' search for the annual delicious. 100 - now revealed on couriermail.com.au - they found these family-friendly gems where your children won't feel out of place.

RICE BOY, MOOLOOLABA

Flavour is everything at this pumping, graffiti-clad, casual pan-Asian eatery.

Whether it's a pimped up Japanese version of fries smothered in finger-licking katsu curry sauce and dashi spices or the char sui pork - sweet, sticky and just pink in the centre served with Thai chilli jam, a snow pea salad, pickled cucumber, fried garlic shallots and duck fat pancakes to wrap it all - the complexity and nuance to each dish is that of a fine diner.

The Wharf Mooloolaba, 123 Parkyn Pde, Mooloolaba

07 5444 1297

riceboi.com.au

PIER 33, MOOLOOLABA

Pier 33 is firmly entrenched as a good weather go-to for afternoon cocktails and shared morsels. Grab a coveted picnic bench overlooking the Mooloolaba Marina and let the kids stretch their legs on the grass while you sink a few cold ones, before retreating into the light-filled dining room for more substantial nosh. The menu is tweaked with the seasons but the Mediterranean bent is a mainstay, as is the fresh local seafood.

33-45 Parkyn Parade, Mooloolaba

(07) 5294 5675

pier33.com.au

GLENELG PUBLIC HOUSE, MERMAID BEACH

Set up like an old-school saloon of sorts - with its leather chesterfield, walnut-hued bentwood chairs tucked into timber tables, large wooden beams and concrete floors - Glenelg Public House is a decidedly masculine space but equally cosy, comforting and family friendly. The type of fare at the Gold Coast steakhouse is easy and approachable, with an emphasis on quality produce treated with care, understanding and respect.

2460 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach

07 5575 2284

theglenelgpublichouse.com.au

SHUNSAI, EAST BRISBANE

Tucked away on the ground floor of an apartment tower, this pocket-rocket restaurant is every bit the hidden gem. Shunsai delivers high-quality, authentic Japanese food, beautifully presented in lacquered bento boxes, filled with an appetiser, sashimi, a deep-fried dish and a simmered dish.

t5/45 Wellington Rd, East Brisbane

(07) 3391 1449

shunsai.com.au

MISS SONG'S, TOWNSVILLE

This contemporary Chinese restaurant offers sophisticated Asian fare in a relaxed but smart setting. Miss Song's has a delicious all-encompassing menu, which transitions from Aussie favourites like sweet and sour pork to more authentic offerings such as crispy eggplant, sliced into battens, battered and deep-fried in an unctuous seafood sauce.

The Ville, Sir Leslie Theiss Drive, Townsville

(07) 4722 2333

the-ville.com.au/dine/miss-songs

THE GOLDEN PIG, NEWSTEAD

This casually comfortable restaurant is well suited to everything from intimate date nights to loud outings with friends. Hidden in the industrial backstreets of Newstead, the contemporary pan-Asian eatery plays up to its surrounds with au naturel-style.

38 Ross St, Newstead

07 3666 0884

goldenpig.com.au

SUM YUNG GUYS, SUNSHINE BEACH

The food at Sum Yung Guys is designed to hit 10 on the flavour scale with every dish. Southern Thai prawn curry with turmeric and lemongrass, and beef rendang offer similarly compelling reasons to get to this pumping Sunshine Beach enterprise run by MasterChef alumnus Matt Sinclair and three mates.

8/46 Duke St, Sunshine Beach

(07) 5324 1391

sumyungguys.com.au

NU NU, PALM COVE

Staring out across the Pacific from the umbrella-topped deck, the ocean breeze keeping the air cool against the North Queensland sun, there's a magic to Nu Nu.

At the helm is acclaimed, pioneering chef and owner Nick Holloway, bringing his passion for exotic far north produce to the menu in a wave of innovative and thoughtful ways.

1 Veivers Road, Palm Cove

07 4059 1880

nunu.com.au

BISTRO C, NOOSA

Planted right on the beach at Noosa's Laguna Bay, Bistro C presents a panoramic vista of golden sand, azure sea and the national park headland beyond. Open from breakfast to dinner daily, a seat on the patio during daylight allows you to appreciate the view, but sunset is truly the golden hour to set the mood for a drink and share plate.

49 Hastings Street, Noosa

(07) 5447 2855

bistroc.com.au

TARTUFO, FORTITUDE VALLEY

The nine-year-old restaurant is a reliable inner-city go-to for everything from simply a pizza with an Italian beer to the full degustation experience. Tartufo's smart fit-out, complete with a statement bar and booth seating, to the menu that works its way through a repertoire of Naples-inspired classics makes this a restaurant that caters well to all comers.

1000 Ann St, Fortitude Valley

3852 1500 tartufo.com.au