Best Family Friendly Restaurant

1. Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar

Multiple locations; www.lazydogrestaurants.com

Lazy Dog is a fun eatery for humans and their fourlegged friends, offering a large, eclectic menu of American food and a menu for hungry doggies too. Lazy Dog Restaurants in Orange County are located in Brea, Huntington Beach, Irvine and Orange.

Lazy Dog is well-known for its cozy atmosphere and dog-friendly outdoor seating. Fido and Fluffy can enjoy a fresh bowl of water and a meal off the dog menu of a grilled hamburger patty or a grilled chicken breast, served with brown rice and veggies.

Lazy Dog Chief Executive Officer and Founder Chris Simms, a Southern California native, says on the company website that he wanted to create a casual restaurant that reminded him of the good times he spent in the Rocky Mountains with his family, enjoying warm, rustic hospitality. Simms has been involved in the restaurant business all of his life, previously working with P.F. Chang’s and Mimi’s Café, which was founded by his grandfather, Arthur J. Simms, and his father, Tom Simms. Chris and his dad opened the first Lazy Dog in Huntington Beach in 2003 and the corporate offices are in Costa Mesa.

“We’re very excited to be voted one of the best familyfriendly restaurants in Orange County,” Chris Simms said. “Lazy Dog has a long-standing tradition of providing great hospitality to our guests, and we’re grateful for the recognition. We work hard to make this a special place where family and friends can create memories.”

COURTESY PHOTO Street corn fries is one of the newest additions to the menu at Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar, which offers family meals that serve four to five people.

– Amy Bentley

2. Keno’s Restaurant

5750 East La Palma Ave., Anaheim Hills; 714-777-9511 www.kenosrestaurant.com

Open now for nearly 40 years, Keno’s keeps evolving to stay up with the times while still offering its popular pancakes, fried chicken and other family favorites at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The oldest restaurant in Anaheim Hills, Keno’s has live entertainment and weekend concerts, and now offers its outdoor entertainment venue space for private events. The lounge area has been converted into Geno’s Steakhouse, an upscale dining option named after owner Steve Cooper’s late father, Gene, who worked at Keno’s for 25 years.

At least one popular feature hasn’t changed, however: Tuesday nights are still Chicken Night, a Keno’s tradition since it first opened in 1983.

“We are family-owned and community-focused. We’re a classic independent American restaurant that will hopefully be here to serve many generations. We thank our loyal patrons who voted for Keno’s Restaurant, as well as the Orange County Register for sharing our love of food with the rest of the community,” said Steve Cooper, whose family took ownership of Keno’s in 1993.

In 1965, John Haretakis, an immigrant from Greece, founded Spires Restaurants with the first location in Anaheim. At the time, a New York steak dinner cost $2.55.

Spires is known for its oldschool, traditional American fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and comfort food like bacon, avocado and cheese omelets; a fried chicken dinner; and chocolate fudge cake.

Senior citizens enjoy senior special and half-sandwich offerings, and customers appreciate the nostalgia in the décor from decades past.

At one time, there were more than 30 Spires locations in Southern California, with others in Texas. Now there are just seven in SoCal — Carson, Lawndale, Long Beach, Ontario, two locations in Torrance and the one in Orange County.

Customer Christine from Tustin wrote the following review on Yelp about the Tustin Spires Restaurant: “One of the rare Spires locations that is still in business today, please don’t change this!! Such nostalgic vibes when my family and I frequented other locations growing up. The food is still as delicious as ever!”

3. Spires Restaurant

13451 Newport Ave., Tustin; 714-544-0631 spiresrestaurants.com