Child-Friendly Dining in Marin: A Journey to Asia

It’s always an educational experience to expose your children to new cultures, traditions, and experiences. Short of hopping a plane to Bangkok or Bangalore, a great way to do this on the cheap is to visit one of the great ethnic restaurants in the Bay Area. In Marin, two of our favorites are Mill Valley’s India Palace and Lanna Thai in Mill Valley. In both cases, don’t let the locations fool you: many people, us included, consider them hidden gems.

India Palace is, not surprisingly, a north Indian restaurant in Mill Valley. You’ve probably seen it as you whizzed by on 101; it’s in the Travelodge on the frontage road there, near Goodman’s lumber and the Arco station. The interior is much nicer than the exterior. Of the two dining rooms, the one on the left (the “back” room) seems more open and family-friendly, but it’s not always open, especially if it’s a slow evening. The other room is not without its benefits, with a big window that opens to the kitchen where the kids can watch the cooks take skewers of chicken and fish, as well as crisp naan bread, out of the roaring tandoor oven. The staff here is super friendly and helpful, and there have always been nice touches, such as when the waiter, on two separate occasions, brought our son his own little bowl of rice, which he loved. Sure, much Indian food is spicy, but our children always like the rice, naan, and tandoori chicken.

Lanna Thai is located in what looks like an old Pizza Hut on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, near Red Hill Shopping Center. The interior, again, is much nicer, with beautiful arrangements of fresh roses from the bushes growing around the building, and more roses floating in decorative bowls of water. Lanna Thai is family run, and the friendly owners always make sure we’re taken care of, doing little extra things like bringing the children fresh fruit and paying attention to the babies as if they were their own grandkids. The food, too, in my opinion is a cut above most Thai fare in Marin. Again, Thai food is noted for being spicy, but there’s plenty here for even the pickiest kids, including rice, noodle dishes, and satay