My husband took our little family to this restaurant on Mother’s Day this year. It was a lovely (but cold) day, and was a perfect setting for a Mother’s Day brunch. Inn the Park is, as the name implies, in the middle of the lovely St. James’s Park, overlooking ‘duck lake’.

A couple weeks ago, with the warm summertime weather we were having, we went back for dinner on their terrace, and I was reminded of how much I love this restaurant. The tear-drop shape of the building was designed to fit into the ‘gently undulating landscape’ of London’s oldest royal park. You can’t see it from the road, and so it feels like a little treasure once you’re there. And surprisingly, this sleek restaurant is also extremely kid-friendly.

Inn the Park is a contemporary British restaurant serving both traditional and modern British recipes. In summertime the terrace transforms to a champagne and cocktail bar. It’s stylish and sexy in the evenings. Hard to believe that during the day (or early evenings) it caters toward families and children, with a great kid’s menu, loads of high chairs, friendly staff, etc. You can also save your extra bread for the ducks after your meal. My kids LOVE the promise of a walk along the lake if they behave and eat their food! 🙂

It makes for a perfect lunch break if you’re site-seeing in the area: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Trafalgar Square are all close by. The taxi drop-off point is by the ICA on The Mall, and there’s pay-and-display parking on Waterloo Place (across The Mall and up the steps).

-Courtney