Options for baby’s day out!
By Jasnam Sachathep
With an abundance of cafés popping up in Bangkok, there are many hidden gems that serve as the perfect place for a day out with kids. From nature havens to fun play spaces, these kid-friendly cafés go beyond dining, and offer unique experiences that add fun and bonding to the outing. After all, as my husband and I can attest, nothing is better than taking your kids out and keepingthem entertained, whilst also being able to sit back and relax. The following list is a combination of indoor and outdoor cafés, some paid for and others free, that are definitely worth the trip!
DER DUCK FAMILY CAFE AND LEARNING PLAYGROUND (pictured above)
This café is exactly what its name says – a learning playground and family café. Its two zones are divided into a café dining zone and the playground zone, and the latter is divided into three sections: the baby and toddler zone, the kids zone, and the outdoors zone; all appropriate for kids aged 0-7 years. With a variety of play areas, kids can fully enjoy their two-hour time slots here, booked in advance. Unique to Der Duck are the workshops that they offer daily, for a small cost. Every day they host a different activity scheduled multiple times a day, with options spanning cooking classes, ceramic classes, canvas painting classes, and model painting classes. Apart from these, the café hosts occasional pop up playgroups and workshops, so keep an eye out for those! A limited range of food and drinks are also available here, enough to satisfy young stomachs and have a nice day out. A reminder that socks are required in the play zones.
Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 7.30pm
Cost of entry (2 hours of play): THB 100 for the first adult, THB 50 for the second adult, THB 350 for kids
Instagram: @der_ducks
WILD DUCK CAFE
Located in Minburi, this beautiful, recently-opened café is great for people who love nature! Lush and green with trees and waterfalls, this spacious cafe is home to ducks, geese and fish. With food available for feeding, kids can enjoy admiring and interacting with these animals in a safe and friendly space. The café offers a variety of food and drinks, with tables for dining in both the indoor and outdoor areas.
Open daily from 10am to 6pm (closed Tuesdays)
Instagram: @wildduckcafe
LITTLE FOREST & A BIG RIVER
A rare find and worth the drive, this café is located outside of Bangkok on the way to Ayuthaya. It is by the Chao Phraya River and it offers a ‘nature playground’ that allows kids to play in different ways. Completely al fresco, the café has mud play, tray slides, a zip line, sliders, climbing ropes, and a play kitchen just to name a few, although the food and drinks variety is limited, with more of a focus on the playground and ambience. The natural roller coaster is a huge hit, with kids coming back for more rounds. They even have (seasonal) mulberry picking as an activity for kids to enjoy, that you can then take home and eat!
Open on Thursdays to Tuesdays from 11am to 7pm, and on weekends from 10am to 7pm
Cost of Entry: free for kids under 75cm tall; THB 150 for kids 75-100cm tall, THB 200 for kids over 100cm tall; THB 100 for adults
Instagram: @littleforest_abigriver
SWEET POPPY
Well known as a lifestyle space, this restaurant is a café with lush grounds, perfect for an escape. Although totally outdoors, this oasis is well shaded and comfortable for a visit on even a warm day. Located in Nonthaburi, it has a playground for children to enjoy running around in, while parents can sit back and catch up with friends or family, or just relax. The menu offers a variety of international choices of both food and drinks. Sweet Poppy is also well known as a place to host a celebration or kid’s birthday!
Open on Mondays to Thursdays from 10am to 8.30pm, Fridays from 10am to 10pm, and on weekends from 9am to 10pm
Instagram: @sweetpoppythailand
SAFARI GARDEN PLAYGROUND & CAFE
Another kid-friendly fun playground a little further down Sukhumvit in On Nut, Safari Garden has two zones: a playground zone and a water park zone. Kids can enjoy the playground zone that offers a spacious area with a climbing wall, sandpit, climbing ropes, a play kitchen, tunnels, and tree walkways, to name a few! Popular amongst the kids is the big wooden train in the middle of the playground, that even features a bell and horn for added excitement. There are also a few animals to feed, including rabbits, chicken, and sheep. The café area is indoors and separated from the play zones with a large glass window that allows for parents to watch their kids while getting a drink or eating some Italian or Thai food.
Open daily from 10am to 10pm
Cost of Entry: On weekdays, THB 200 for kids, THB 50 for adults, THB 200 for water play; on weekends and public holidays, THB 250 for kids, THB 50 for adults, THB 250 for water play
Instagram: @safarigardencafe
UPON A TALE
This café also offers a playground for kids. With large, open grounds, it is nestled in the heart of Yenakart, serving as the perfect place to get a breath of fresh air and enjoy some food and drinks while kids can run and play. Totally outdoors, this café hosts a zipline, sandpit, air hockey table, slide, and more, all of which are popular amongst kids of all ages. The dining area is shaded and cosy, and allows for parents to watch their kids play from afar, whie the vast menu offers a variety of food with some unique drink choices.
Open on Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 7pm, and on weekends from 9am to 7pm
Instagram: @upon_a_tale
LILLIPUT THAILAND
This premium kids’ café from Korea is one of its kind. Inspired by the Korean culture of mothers socialising while their kids enjoy themselves in the same space, this café boasts unique play opportunities for kids. They have a merry-go-round, a ball pit linked to an interactive TV screen, a climbing area, a costume area, a cooking area, and more. With food and drinks for kids as well as adults, it’s the perfect café in which to spend an afternoon or evening. A favourite for the kids are the plates shaped like airplanes, making the experience of dining more fun! Lilliput is in the heart of the city, inBambini Villa, and is also a popular choice for private events. A friendly reminder that socks are required to enter here, for both adults and kids, but adults enter free.
Open daily, from 10am to 6.30pm
Cost of Entry: On Mondays to Fridays, THB 100/hour for kids 12-18 months old, THB 200/hour for kids 19 months to 12 years old; on weekends and public holidays, THB 150/hour for kids 12-18 months old, THB 300/hour for kids 19 months to 12 years old
Instagram: @Lilliput_thailand
FAIRY FOX KIDS CAFE
This cosy café in the middle of Sukhumvit is ideal for the younger years. A space shared between play and dining, parents and kids can enjoy their time together. With no entry fee, Fairy Fox has a variety of toys for kids to enjoy, including sensory and costume play. With a small outdoor area, kids are able to enjoy jumping on the trampoline or making music on pots and pans. This creative play space has also started hosting themed playgroups at a cost, which offer a variety of fun activities for kids to enjoy. Homemade food and drinks suitable for both kids and adults add to the ambience of fun and relaxation.
Open on Tuesdays to Fridays from 8am to 4pm, and on weekends from 10am to 6pm
Instagram: @Fairyfox.cafe
LITTLE SHEEP KIDS CAFE
Little Sheep Kids Cafe is a fun and inviting place for families, full of bright colours and playful spaces that kids will love. Along with sliders and ball pits, Little Sheep has many different sections for a variety of play. Popular amongst kids are the roleplay rooms for restaurant and grocery shopping, as well as ‘pretend’ cooking, perfect to enhance the imagination of young minds. Unique to this café is an entire library section with books available for kids to sit down and read. Little Sheep requires advanced booking for three-hour increments every 10am, 1.30pm, and 5pm, giving kids plenty of time to enjoy the great space. It is also another popular choice for private event bookings.
Open daily from 10am to 8pm
Cost of Entry (3 hours of play): THB 120 for adults, THB 480 for kids
Instagram: @littlesheepkidscafe
HONEY BEAR BISTRO
Owned and run by the owner himself, David Sarich, a Canadian expat living in Thailand, Honey Bear Bistro is popular amongst both expats and locals. David’s love for food and people has made this café a place that brings families and friends together. With a small play zone on one side and dining options both indoors and outdoors, this café offers fresh, healthy, homemade food friendly to both kids and adults. It is located in Sukhumvit Soi 36 and nestled in a verdant shaded area with trees overhead, making sitting outdoors quite pleasant. As a popular choice for celebrations and parties, Honey Bear has a private room for use as well!
Open daily from 8am to 9pm
Instagram: @honeybearbistro
