Hi Danielle! One of the reasons that my husband and I travel to Disney World again and again is that even the fanciest restaurants welcome children. (The only exception is Victoria & Albert's, which requires diners to be at least 10.) At Disney the upscale restaurants will
provide your children with crayons and a menu of kid-friendly foods. You should peruse the menus of the signature restaurants on the Disney website and feel free to bring your kids to any restaurant with cuisine that appeals to you. You will see other children in all of the Signatures, especially if you are dining early.
One of my favorites is the California Grill. This
award-winning restaurant perched atop the Contemporary has delicious food and is
one of the best spots for viewing the Magic Kingdom fireworks outside of the
park. In addition to a kids' menu, the California Grill also serves wood-fired
pizzas, which makes my children happy. (In fact my son loved the flatbreads here so much that he's requested to dine at the California Grill again on our upcoming trip.) Service can be leisurely, so if
you're like me and don't want an hours-long meal when dining with kids, be sure
to tell your server up front that you'd like to dine at a quicker pace.
Another great option is Le Cellier in Epcot.
This restaurant in the Canada pavilion features great steaks and a delicious cheese soup. Because it's inside Epcot, plenty of children will
be dining there. If your kids are like mine, the pretzel bread the server
brings to your table will keep them quiet and happy so you can enjoy a nice
meal! Reservations here can be hard to come by, so book as soon as you
can.
While I have seen children dining at Jiko and Citricos, those restaurants have a quieter atmosphere and fairly leisurely service, so they may not be the best choices.
Hope your first trip is magical!