Noodles & Company

After a super rough, whiny day (well, week really), I just didn't have it in me to make dinner. So, I checked out which restaurants kids ate for free that night and decided on Noodles & Company. You can get one kids meal free with one adult purchase of a regular sized entree. We used to go to Noodles & Company a ton back when we lived in Colorado, but kind of forget about it now. There are two locations in Lexington. One is on Nicholasville Road and the other on South Limestone.

There are a lot of things I love about this restaurant in general. First, they do not use artificial preservatives, flavors, colors or sweeteners. So, I feel like as far as eating out, it is a pretty good choice. They have a pretty large menu, which includes appetizers and salads. Another thing I really like about them is their kids meals. They have four main dishes, grilled chicken, spaghetti with meatballs, buttered noodles, and mac and cheese. And, you can then choose two different sides from Broccoli, Apple Slices, Carrots, Applesauce or Kids Crispy and choose from Organic Lowfat Milk, Organic Juice or Kids Fountain Drink to drink. They come in a tray with everything separated, which I know is super nice for those kids that are a bit picky about food touching. So, I think they have pretty great kids meal offerings. And, they are around $5 for a decent portion. My only real complaint is that the kid's meals do come in a plastic plate with dividers. I love the dividers, but wish the plate wasn't plastic. I know a lot of parents are trying not to use disposable plastics with their kids.

The restaurant is very kid friendly and has high chairs, booster seats, and crayons for coloring. They also gave out balloons on kids eat free night. Being a restaurant where you order and then sit down and they bring you your food, it is really quick so you won't be waiting forever to actually get your food. And, if you need your caffeine fix, they have the soda machines with 200 combinations, so that should help you get to bedtime. And, if your kids don't eat all of their dinner, they have take home containers near the drinks that are microwavable for leftovers and the kid's meal containers also have lids if you ask.

But, my absolute favorite part of the Noodles & Company on Nicholasville Road is the glassed in porch. It is awesome for kids that like watching traffic, which is most it seems. And, since they are currently doing construction next to the restaurant, you have the added bonus of being able to watch construction vehicles too. My son was on a food strike but did enjoy watching the ambulances, trucks and fire engines that zoomed by. And, when he got bored of that, he watched the crane lift and lower some workers painting the building next door. Awesome free entertainment if you ask me. The porch is completely glassed in other than the door to the building and a small gate next to the parking lot. We put a chair in front of that door to make sure we didn't have anyone wandering into the parking lot. But, I did also see a bungee cord sitting right near there, so that may be there to completely lock that door. Pretty darn convenient.

So, if you find yourself not wanting to cook dinner (or lunch), give Noodles and Company a try. It is very kid-friendly, fast and healthy for eating out. And, you can always keep them busy with the free entertainment on the porch. Enjoy!