Tokyo jumps into the “kids’ meal for adults” game with this mouth-watering nostalgia trip

Baby King Kitchen is a restaurant that wants to make adults feel like kids again. Is it just a happy meal pipe dream, or a trip down memory lane?

Sometimes when you look at a restaurant menu, the “adult” options are so varied and complex that when you flip to the kids menu, the simple, direct choices call out to you. Unfortunately, you have to quell those comforting feelings and order like the grown-up person you are…or do you? Recently there have been a number of restaurants popping up in Japan where the main feature appears to be kid’s meals for adults.

At RocketNews24, we are always prepared to put our stomach where our mouth is, so we’ve been checking out a few of these restaurants to see if they are worth your time. Today we’re looking at Baby King Kitchen, located just minutes from JR Koenji Station in the Suginami ward of Tokyo.

Right when you step into the restaurant, you can see the theme of childhood in the decor and relaxing atmosphere of couches, picture books, and stuffed animals. The lavish menu is filled with “comfort food” options like pasta, pizza, rice plates, and meat-based dishes, but the only item we were interested in was the o-kosama lunch, or “children’s lunch”.

This 1,200 yen (US$10.25) variety plate is perfect for the kid in you that just can’t decide what to eat. There is no need to choose because you get a little bit of everything, from a perfect-sized hamburger steak to a nostalgic helping of chicken rice. There’s also a golden fried shrimp, a smiling potato, octopus hot dog, fried egg, and, perhaps best of all, handmade pudding for dessert.

▼ A fried egg is a great addition to any meal.

▼ The rosy cheeks are adorable.

▼ Careful, there is a seed inside the cherry.

It wouldn’t really be a children’s lunch if it didn’t also come with all the bells and whistles you expect in a kid’s meal. Baby King Kitchen proudly decorates the lunch with a toothpick flag and the meal includes a free badge to take home with you, a perfect memento to commemorate the return to your childhood!

These meals aren’t going to appeal to every customer out there, but Baby King Kitchen is hoping to fill a “childhood-shaped” hole in the restaurant market.

Restaurant information
Baby King Kitchen / ベイビーキングキッチン
Address: Tokyo-to, Suginami-ku, Koenjikita 3-2-15, Chinrai Building 2nd floor
東京都杉並区高円寺北3-2-15珍来ビル2F
Open 11:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
Closed during Obon, New Year’s
Website

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