Play dates are more fun when there's a huge yard, wholesome food and no clean-up. Chicken Scratch is a place where the whole neighborhood can chill out, eat and play. A simple menu features skillet-fried or wood-fired chicken, fresh sides and salads, and Mexican-inspired fruit popsicles. Next-door neighbor The Foundry stocks more craft beers than your fridge could ever hold and hosts live music on weekends.

Former fine-dining chef Tom Fleming gives families a gourmet start to their day at his ever-popular Crossroads Diner, which is open only for breakfast and lunch. Morning pancakes are fluffy and light, as are frittatas made with farm-fresh eggs tossed with ingredients such as local goat cheese and Texas chorizo. There’s freshly squeezed OJ for the kids and Italian Illy coffee for moms and dads. Don’t forget to share a signature sticky bun.

Because Dough is just a few doors down from The Little Gym and Emler Swim School at Preston Road and Forest Lane, hungry munchkins can enjoy authentic Neapolitan-style pizza after a swim-and-gym day. Certified by Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN), this North Dallas pizzeria adheres to strict, pizza-making guidelines. Premium ingredients such as San Marzano tomatoes and fior de latte top hand-kneaded dough, and the pie is fired in a 900-degree oven for just 90 seconds. The family has a delizioso pizza in a flash.

At this fast slow-food restaurant with a drive-thru, busy families can pick up scratch-made breakfast sandwiches, such as organic egg and applewood-smoked bacon on a toasted wheat English muffin, or lunches like Mediterranean quinoa salad. The kids menu features breaded and baked or grilled chicken bites or a healthy snack pack with apples and carrots with peanut butter or sweet cream cheese dip.

No Chinese required at this bustling Richardson restaurant famed for dim sum, which traditionally is served during breakfast or brunch and eaten family-style. The best part is the ordering. Servers wheel around carts filled with dumplings and other delectables in little steamer baskets and small plates. Diners never know what each cart holds; you just pick your dishes at your leisure and savor the culinary surprise. We suggest reading Grace Lin’s Dim Sum for Everyone with your kids before the trip.

Your mama always said to use a fork. But those rules don't apply at Lockhart Smokehouse. A spin-off of Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas, this baby smokehouse follows the tradition of no forks and no sauce. Order your barbecue ribs, brisket or pork chops by the pound, and have a carnivourous good time eating with your fingers.