I am travelling with kids to London. My kids 10 and 9yo are big fans of Gordon Ramsay based on various reality and cooking shows. They want to visit his marquee London restaurant "Ramsay". And I think that would be a really memorable experience for them.

Do you think its appropriate and a good idea in general? My kids are well behaved and have been to fancy restaurants but not of a caliber of Ramsey.

I've been in two and three Michelline star restaurants on a few occasions and never noticed patrons with kids there.

What do you think?

Perfectly fine IMO.

They know how to behave, end of decision. That they will enjoy the food and create memories for both you and them, all the better.

Can't say I recall ever seeing kids in M* restaurants, but go for it if they know how to behave.

Given the restaurant, I'm quite certain your kids will be treated very well. However, keep in mind that you will very likely not see Gordon Ramsay as he no longer cooks there and I have absolutely no idea how often he visits.

You might want to write to his parent company and ask when he will next be in London and whether it would be possible for your kids to meet him at one of his restaurants. Unlikely, but you never know.

I'm impressed your kids like him - my young daughter watches Hell's Kitchen and let's just say, she's not a fan. However, it is fun watching her set the dinner table and saying, "Walking with spaghetti!"

Never seen any kids either...never wondered why though. But now I do. If they know how to behave...I say go for it! ^

Couple of thoughts: I always go for Lunch at 2 & 3*-restaurants if available. The atmosphere tends to be less ceremonial, and I am not much of a gala person anyway. Plus, I tend to get tired when it's all dark out and I'm sitting for a couple of hours, feasting. Might work out a bit better for the kids, too.

If you decide against the "Restaurant Gordon Ramsay", a few of his places have kids eat free deals. Obviously not as fancy, but still GR @:-)

https://www.gordonramsayrestaurants....kids-eat-free/

I saw one at a 3 star who sat there and played on his ipad for about 3 hours while dad had the full tasting menu.

I would like to take my kids when I go, but what's on offer - foie gras, beet roots, scallops, etc. has no appeal to them whatsoever. It would be more torture than anything

By all means do take your children. Our son, now four years old, has been to Michelin starred restaurants since the age of six months (basically when he started weaning). I can still remember the stares when he was a baby, but we took the view that he should get used to all sorts of environments and he was always well behaved.

H

When my daughter was 3 years old we went to the Ritz Carlton for Sunday brunch. My daughter, who had been there before, went to the buffet by herself to get her food. She came back with lamb and smoked salmon and caviar and octopus and a few other items. Nothing unusual to my tastes. A few minutes later the executive chef appeared at our table, wearing his toque. He noted that my daughter was happily eating her selections. He said "Sir, my staff of professional chefs wanted me to tell you that they were favorably impressed with your daughter's selections because, while they each enjoy certain items, none of them would eat every one of the items she selected."

Another time, when she was 8, and my son was 4, we went to a restaurant with a tssting menu of odd itrms. I asked if the kids could share one order. They checked with the chef who said that the first 3 courses were too small to share, but he was so happy to have kids try his food that he would give each of them the first 3 items (actually the most unusual) and them split the last 5. At the end of the meal I realized that the kids had received full portions for every couse. Fearing that my order had been unclear I asked the waiter about it. He said "after the first 3 courses the chef asked me if the children actually ate the food. I told him that they ate everything. The chef told me 'Most adults won't eat every course. I will make them a full dinner as my guests.'"

So, if your kids really want it, of course you should take them.

i would imagine children are common in michelin restaurants in france/europe?

some children behave and eat better than some adults

even when theres age requirement, exceptions are made, sometimes exceptions dont care about poor behavior
(kind of similar to places making exceptions or even never enforcing other published rules like dress codes)

i recall reading someone sent a video of their very young child dining to venice simplon orient express, then getting permission to bring child

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...bashi-jiro-kid

^ My parents felt the same. Of course where I grew up, there weren't Michelin starred restaurants, but we did go to the nicest restaurants in town and to nicer restaurants when traveling.

If you are never exposed to it, then you don't know how to act when you are in that situation alone. I see this a lot with teenagers and young college students going to sit down restaurants for the first time without their parents. They don't know how to order, that you pay at the table not go up to a counter, etc. And this is at basic chain restaurants.

Now maybe your child won't grow up wanting to eat at fancy restaurants, but at least they've experienced them, know how to behave in them or any lesser situation, and they know what appeals to their tastes. My brother is an extremely picky eater, but the need has occasionally arisen for him to go to places for work that he would not normally choose. Because my parents took us to nicer places when growing up, he knows how to behave politely and how to find a way to eat in such a place without offending others and while still pleasing himself.

To the OP, take your children. Give them the experiences. If it will give them and you joy now, then it's absolutely worth it. If you want to justify it (and you shouldn't have to), then think of it as giving them skills they'll need in the future. But go and enjoy.

I know a couple (since divorced) that got 'asked to leave' a fancy Batali/Bastianich restaurant in NYC because they were having a fight.

This is essentially the same issue that comes up in multiple threads about kids being allowed in hotel/airline lounges or sitting in F. I don't want to sit a table over from a loud bratty child, but I'd much rather have a well-behaved child in my vicinity than a have a loud, bratty adult at the next table.

My daughter is 25.

But I recall a dinner in Alpenzel switzerland, at a nice restaurant. She was 17 months old. We arrive somewhat early for seating, and there are some diners in the room. As we are to be seated, I look over to the empty side of the room and ask "perhaps we can be seated to the side?" The fellow looks at me, and with surgical precision asks "Oh, are you antisocial?...". I explain 'Well, with the baby, we dont want to bother the other diners".

He pauses, looks at her, and says "Shes a baby. Babies cry".

It was the perfect thing to say, it was a perfect meal. And ...she was the perfect child.

IMO the kind of parent that is worried about 'will my child disturb others' is never the kind of parent/child that causes a problem.

+1k

In my experiences, the better the restaurant the more likely you'll find children treated like Kings and Queens. One memorable meal included Daughter Milepig being presented with a salad course all laid out on a plate in the shape of a bunny. A very delicious-looking bunny. I wanted one! This was toward the end of a long trip and for the main course she really just wanted chicken. The brought out the most wonderful plate of plain chicken I've ever seen.

I think that the real issue is more the length of the meal, which is obviously going to be protracted at a place like Ramsay, and can test childrens' patience. Also, if they are jet-lagged, it can really drag. Even I struggle after around 10pm shortly after a long haul flight.

But, if the children simply want the GR brand, then there are plenty of options at all sorts of different levels of grandeur.