Park Slope families don’t need a fancy dining room. They need a place where a three-year-old, a sauce-suspicious seven-year-old, a teenager who eats like a linebacker, a plant-based cousin and two tired parents can all walk out happy. If you’re searching for a family friendly restaurant Park Slope parents actually return to, here’s our honest pitch: the neighborhood pizza shop. Two Boots at 284 5th Ave, Brooklyn, bakes Cajun-Italian pies on a crisp cornmeal crust, with enough range on one menu that nobody at the table has to compromise.
A family friendly restaurant isn’t defined by a theme or a gimmick. It’s defined by whether the food works for every age, whether ordering is simple when everyone is hungry at once, and whether it fits into a real Saturday of errands, playgrounds and brownstone stoop time. Pizza checks all three.
Below: a parent-to-parent checklist, a table for ordering across ages, tips for picky eaters and plant-based kids, a Park Slope family-day planner, and how to order for parties.
Key Takeaways
- Two Boots Park Slope (284 5th Ave) works as a family restaurant because one menu covers toddlers, picky eaters, teens, vegans and adventurous adults.
- Pizza Face is our kid-friendly face pie, offered in a small size only, and white pies like The Meg suit kids who skip red sauce.
- The vegan lineup uses Daiya non-dairy cheese, so a plant-based sibling gets a real pie instead of a side salad.
- For birthdays, team parties and school events, the Park Slope catering page covers drop-off orders with 24 to 48 hours’ notice.
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The Parent’s Checklist: What a Family Restaurant Has to Get Right
Ask any Park Slope parent what “family friendly” means and you won’t hear about decor. You’ll hear a list of practical problems.
1. Food that bridges ages. Pizza is the rare dish that a toddler, a grandparent and a food-curious twelve-year-old will all eat, just with different toppings.
2. A safe pick for the skeptic. Every family has one: the kid who picks off the sauce or “only eats cheese.” A good family spot has an obvious answer for that kid.
3. Real choices for dietary differences. A plant-based family member shouldn’t be stuck with a side. For allergies or ingredient concerns, ask the staff about ingredients before you order.
4. Shareable food. Kids graze, and parents finish what kids abandon. Slices, knots and sliders make a mixed table far easier.
5. Flexibility. Some nights you sit down, some nights you carry pies home up the slope.
6. Simple group ordering. When the soccer team shows up, there should be a plan for larger orders.
Family Friendly Restaurant Park Slope Test: How Two Boots Measures Up
Two Boots started in 1987 on Avenue A in Manhattan’s East Village, founded by Phil Hartman. The name comes from the two boot-shaped places on the map, Italy and Louisiana, and the menu keeps a foot in each. That mix is quietly great for families: a classic Italian side for cautious eaters and a Cajun side for the parent who wants something with personality.
- Bridging ages: Whole pies come in 10″, 14″ and 18″ sizes on the menu, so you can split one big pie or mix smaller ones.
- The skeptic’s pick: Create Your Pizza starts from a cheese pizza, and Pizza Face is the kid-friendly face pie (small only).
- Dietary differences: The vegan lineup is long, and the menu marks vegan items with a V.
- Shareable food: Garlic Knots come three to an order, and sliders on house-made garlic knots are made for passing around.
- Flexibility: Eat in, take out, or use the Order Online button on our location page.
- Groups: Our catering program handles drop-off orders for parties and events.
The pies are named after pop-culture icons, a small bonus at a family table. Kids love ordering “The Dude” or “Mr. Pink,” and parents get to explain who those names belong to. Our Park Slope casual restaurant guide covers the everyday side of eating here; this post zooms in on the family table.
One Table, Five Appetites: Ordering for Every Age
The trick to a mixed-age order is to stop hunting for one pie that pleases everybody. Give each type of eater a lane instead.
| Who’s at the table | Pie to try | Add-on |
|---|---|---|
| Toddler or preschooler | Pizza Face (small only) | A few Garlic Knots with marinara |
| Picky eater who “only eats cheese” | Create Your Pizza, starting from a cheese pizza | Chocolate chip cookie for after |
| Kid who won’t eat red sauce | The Meg (provolone, parmigiano, ricotta, mozzarella, roasted garlic, oregano) | Basil Pesto dipper |
| Hungry teenager | The Dude (ground beef and andouille, tasso ham, cheddar, mozzarella) | Meatball Parm sliders |
| Plant-based sibling | Vegan Larry Tate or V for Vegan | House Salad (vegan) |
| Adventurous parent | The Bayou Beast (spiced shrimp, crawfish, andouille, jalapeños) | Cajun Ranch dipper |
| Parent who wants vegetables | Larry Tate (spinach, plum tomatoes, fresh garlic, white pie) | Caesar Salad |
Watch the spicy flags. The Bayou Beast, The Bird, Night Tripper, The Divine, Meat the Mets, Hot Knots and the Jalapeño Pesto dipper are marked spicy on the menu, so maybe not for the little ones. Keep them on the adult side of the table.
Sliders are the secret weapon. Chicken Parm (breaded chicken), Meatball Parm (andouille meatballs) and Eggplant Parm (breaded eggplant) sliders come on house-made garlic knots with marinara and fresh mozzarella. Right size for a kid who wants “a sandwich,” right shape for a parent who wants a bite of everything.
Knots buy you time. Garlic Knots arrive tossed in butter, parsley, garlic and Parmigiano with a side of marinara, which keeps small hands busy while the pies come out.
For the Sauce Skeptic and the Picky Eater
Park Slope has its share of discerning diners under four feet tall. If yours has opinions about red sauce, white pies are your friend: no tomato base, just cheese, garlic and toppings.
The Meg is the purest white pie on our menu, with four cheeses, roasted garlic and oregano. For a cheese-loving kid, it’s basically the dream.
Larry Tate is the gateway green pie: organic spinach, plum tomatoes and fresh garlic on a white base. The spinach is there but doesn’t take over, which is how plenty of kids end up eating spinach without filing a complaint.
The Buckminster is for families that can’t agree. It’s a top-sauce pie, with marinara over organic spinach, roasted garlic, parmigiano, provolone and mozzarella, so red-sauce fans and white-pie fans meet in the middle.
The simplest route of all is Create Your Pizza, which starts from a cheese pizza and lets you add only what your kid will tolerate. If the answer is “nothing,” plain cheese is a completely respectable order.
For the youngest diners, Pizza Face is our kid-friendly face pie. It comes in a small size only, just right for little appetites, and it’s a pie a kid can call their own.
One honest note: there’s no separate kids’ menu listed. Pizza Face is the kid pick, and the rest of the menu does the heavy lifting.
Plant-Based Kids Get the Full Pizza Experience
Brownstone Brooklyn has plenty of mixed households where one sibling is vegan and the other wants pepperoni. At Two Boots, the vegan eater gets a real pie, mostly made with Daiya non-dairy cheese.
- V for Vegan: artichokes, red onions and wild mushrooms with sweet red pepper pesto and basil pesto, plus Daiya.
- Vegan Larry Tate: spinach, plum tomatoes and fresh garlic with vegan ricotta and Daiya. Order it next to a regular Larry Tate and the siblings get matching pies.
- Earth Mother: marinara, spinach, roasted garlic, roasted peppers, wild mushrooms and red onion, with no cheese at all.
- Vegan Cleo, Vegan Mr. Pink, Vegan Tony Clifton, Super Vegan and The VCBGB fill out the lineup.
The Vegan Calzone comes with marinara, and the House Salad is vegan. For dessert there’s a house-baked chocolate chip cookie and a Gluten-Free Brownie, which is the only gluten-free item on our menu; there’s no gluten-free crust.
A Park Slope Family Day, Then Pizza on 5th Ave
Park Slope family life happens on foot: errands down 5th Ave, a walk up the slope past the brownstones toward Prospect Park, a long afternoon outside, then the inevitable “I’m starving.” Our shop at 284 5th Ave sits right in that routine.
Prospect Park is the neighborhood’s backyard. Families spread out on the Long Meadow, kids burn energy at the playgrounds, and the Prospect Park Zoo is a classic outing, with sea lion training sessions and seasonal family programs on its calendar. After that, walking back downhill to 5th Ave for pizza is the easiest decision of the day.
5th Ave itself is the errand corridor. A slice break in the middle can save the whole trip.
Barclays Center sits north of us where Flatbush meets Atlantic, and its event calendar brings Brooklyn Nets home games and family concerts through the season. For an afternoon event, pizza before or after on 5th Ave means nobody walks into the arena already hungry.
| Park Slope family outing | What to order | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| A morning at the Prospect Park Zoo | Pizza Face plus a 14″ The Meg to share | Little ones get their own pie, everyone else splits the cheesy one |
| Long Meadow afternoon with friends | An 18″ Grandma Bess and Garlic Knots | Square Sicilian slices are easy to pass around |
| 5th Ave errand day | A slice each and an order of knots | Quick refuel without derailing the to-do list |
| Before a family show at Barclays Center | Chicken Parm and Eggplant Parm sliders | Filling and easy for kids to handle |
| Brownstone stoop dinner | Larry Tate, Vegan Larry Tate and a House Salad | Covers the vegetable-lovers and the vegan sibling |
| Grandparents in town | The Buckminster and Grandma Bess | Familiar Italian flavors with a little twist |
| ## Birthday Crowds, Team Parties and School Events |
At some point, every Park Slope parent ends up feeding twenty kids: the class party, the end-of-season soccer gathering, the birthday at home.
Our Park Slope catering page is the starting point. Catering is drop-off delivery, needs 24 to 48 hours’ notice, and comes in packages built around group size, with vegetarian and vegan options. The catering FAQ mentions regular Two Boots pizza parties for offices and events for 500 or more, so a class of 25 is well within range.
A simple formula for a kids’ party order:
- Start with cheese. At least one plain cheese pie is non-negotiable for a kids’ crowd.
- Add a white pie. The Meg covers the sauce skeptics.
- Add toppings for the bolder kids. Cleopatra Jones (sweet Italian sausage, roasted peppers, red onions) or The CBGB (chicken, broccoli, garlic, basil pesto).
- Add a vegan pie. V for Vegan or Vegan Cleo, so no guest goes without.
- Round out with sides. Garlic Knots, sliders, a House Salad for the parents, and chocolate chip cookies.
Conclusion
A family restaurant in Park Slope has to handle a toddler, a skeptic, a teenager, a vegan and a parent who wants something interesting, all at once. Two Boots does it with one menu: Pizza Face for the little ones, white pies for the sauce-averse, Daiya vegan pies for plant-based kids, sliders and knots for sharing, and Cajun pies for the adults. Add Prospect Park, 5th Ave errands and Barclays Center outings, and the pizza shop becomes the easy end to a full family day.
Find us at 284 5th Ave, Brooklyn, and start your order with the Order Online button on our Park Slope location page.
FAQs
Is Two Boots Park Slope good for kids?
Yes. Pizza Face is our kid-friendly face pie in a small size, Create Your Pizza starts from a cheese pizza, and white pies like The Meg and Larry Tate work for kids who skip red sauce. Garlic Knots and sliders are easy to share.
What should I order for a toddler or a picky eater?
For a toddler, try Pizza Face, which comes in a small size only. For a picky eater, build a plain cheese pie with Create Your Pizza or order The Meg. Garlic Knots with marinara on the side are a safe bet for most kids.
Is there a kids menu at Two Boots Park Slope?
No separate kids’ menu is listed. Pizza Face is the kid pick, and many families pair it with a cheese pie, a white pie or a few sliders.
Are there vegan options for kids?
Yes. The vegan lineup, mostly made with Daiya non-dairy cheese, includes V for Vegan, Vegan Larry Tate, Vegan Cleo, Vegan Mr. Pink and Earth Mother, which has no cheese at all. There’s also a Vegan Calzone and a vegan House Salad.
Is there anything gluten-free?
The only gluten-free item on our menu is the Gluten-Free Brownie. There’s no gluten-free crust. If anyone has an allergy or ingredient concern, ask the staff about ingredients before you order.
Can we order for a kids’ party or school event in Park Slope?
Yes. Our Park Slope catering page covers drop-off delivery orders with packages sized by group, plus vegetarian and vegan options. Allow 24 to 48 hours’ notice.
