Restaurant for Mother's Day

Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Nice Mother's Day Brunch with kids?

March 2006

I'd love to take my partner for a nice mother's day brunch, and would like to take our two kids (two year old and 3 month old!) along. I'd like to go to a somewhat ''dress up'' kind of place, but want the kids to be welcome there too...san francisco, napa, sonoma, or? Does it sound crazy to take two kids to a dress up restaurant? I know it's always chaotic to take the 2- year old out to eat, but is it socially acceptable to do so at a schmancy place? Should we just leave the kids with a sitter? Any recommendations for restaurants that fit the bill would be greatly appreciated!
Schmancy Wanna-Be

Have you tried the Panama Hotel in San Rafael? It's kind of hip/funky with a very nice patio and accomodating staff. We've had many family events there over the years. anon

This may not entirely fit the bill, but I thought I'd mention it because it was so fun for us. We took my mom to Ardenwood (in the east bay regional parks) for Mother's Day. Ardenwood is a historical farm in Fremont, and a fun place to go in any case. They have a Mother's Day tea that is fabulous, done in fine 19th century style, and with the docents dressed in period costume. You could certainly get dressed up, and after, there's plenty for kids to do and explore. I can't recommend it enough, but get your tickets early (they aren't available yet, but probably will be soon). My mom and even my dad enjoyed it so much they still talk about it. Merrilee

Mothers Day Brunch in SF

April 2004

I'd like some restaurant recommendations for a Mother's Day brunch (preferably a buffet, but a la carte is ok) in San Francisco, South San Francisco or surrounding area. We will be 6 adults and a very active 2 year-old. A child-friendly environment is a big plus, but even more important is to be close to a child-appropriate outdoor place for after brunch (a park or a beach, for instance, where we could play afterwards or even escape during brunch if our toddler gets fed up of sitting down). I've read all the recommendations in the archives, but they focus on lunch/dinner and the restaurants are ''too'' child oriented in terms of the food and atmosphere (pizzas, sandwiches, pasta, etcetera). There are a couple of places that seem to fit the bill (such as Skates), but they are located in the East Bay. We would love something similar on the other side of the Bay. We are looking for something that is not outrageously expensive either. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Maria

This is a little different than what you asked for. But the meal delivery service I am using called A Chef's Eye is doing a Mother's day brunch that they deliver to your house that morning. So you get the day off and you don't have to go to a restaurant. You can email them at orders AT achefseye.com and have them send you the menu. It looks really good. Happy mother's day

Mother's Day Brunch in Oakland or Berkeley

May 2003

I am hoping to get some recommendations on places to go for a Mother's Day brunch. This is my first celebration of mother's day as a mom and I wanted it to be special. I like all types of food and would prefer it to be in either the Oakland/Berkeley area. Any ideas are welcome, especially not-too-traditional- places! Thanks

Pricey but almost great is Mother's Day brunch at the Campton Place Hotel in SF (on Union Square). I am sorry to send you across the bay, but my experience (much like NY's eve) is that a lot of places jack up their prices, get way behind, and end up serving up harrassed service and compromised food on Mother's Day. Even the Claremont is extremely mediocre for Mother's day. Campton Place Hotel, however, always measures up. Two other suggestions are: Lafayette's Park Place Hotel--they have a 4 Diamond designation for their food, and it is, consistently, excellent. The hotel is considered a boutique hotel, and it is very nice. A third recommendation, again in SF, sorry, is Dim Sum at Yank Sing at the Rincon Center--the dim sum is very, very good. More expensive (but cleaner, too) than your traditional Chinatown restaurant. Congrats on your first Mo Takes her food seriously

Dim Sum is always fun... Have you tried Jade Villa in Oakland's Chinatown? It's busy, very authentic and good. Anon

The Berkeley Radisson has a really good Sunday brunch, which I think, would be fabulous for Mother's Day. It's a buffet, so the service would be less harassed than it would be at a sit-down restaurant on Sunday. They have a nice variety of food, including to-die for cheese blintzes. Here's a link to the menu: http://www.radisson.com/rad/images/hotels/CABERKEL/SundayBrunch.pdf Anon.

Depends on whether you want a fancy, formal brunch or a delicous, Berkeley type breakfast/Brunch. I am very fond of two places for breakfast... Mama's Royal Cafe on Telegraph, and Full House Cafe on MacArthur. They both have great food in a very informal environment. There's always a wait at both, but it's worth it. Another good place we've been lately is Rudy's Can't Fail on Hollis in Emeryville. Happy Mother's Day.