Last week, the Globe launched Project Takeout, a campaign urging readers to order takeout (or delivery!) whenever possible. This simple act, if you can afford it, helps to support local restaurants, which are really struggling right now.
In that spirit, here are 11 terrific restaurants around town that also offer thoughtful kids’ menus. Imagine: a night without heating up chicken nuggets. Give them a call — and leave them a tip.
Alcove
In ordinary times, this waterfront restaurant near the West End caters to a post-basketball crowd. Now, it has a to-go kids’ menu that serves two hungry eaters: Get chicken fingers, cucumbers, mac and cheese, arancini, and two brownies for $25. Pick up some wine for yourself at their new market. 50 Lovejoy Wharf, Boston, 617-248-0050, www.alcoveboston.com
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Bianca
Here’s a chance to taste James Beard award-winning cooking at a discount: Owners Tim and Nancy Cushman run downtown hot spot O Ya. In the suburbs, they oversee a multiethnic menu that ranges from pizza to sushi to chicken wings. Their kids’ menu includes spaghetti and meatballs ($9), Japanese fried chicken ($9), and a wagyu cheeseburger ($12). Curbside pickup is quick and efficient. The Street Chestnut Hill, 47 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, 857-576-8300, www.biancachestnuthill.com
Café Landwer
These Boston cafes offer Israeli specialties with American twists for kids: sliders, mac and cheese, pizza, and chicken tenders, all under $9. They also sell family meal kits if you’re prowling for a new activity: Take home ingredients to make pizza, shakshuka, or rozalach. And if you’re in a junk-food rut, try their plant-based family meals ($80) with stir-fry, fresh veggies, hummus, and more, which feed four. 900 Beacon St. and 383 Chestnut Hill Ave., Boston, www.landwercafe.com
Heritage of Sherborn
Josh and Jen Ziskin (Brookline’s La Morra) run this bucolic spot in Sherborn, which offers heated outdoor dining and even an ice-skating rink. There are also meals geared to families: a kids’ menu with dishes under $10 (pepperoni pizza, burgers); a s’mores kit; and nightly themed family meals (tacos, fried chicken, Italian) — be sure to order those 24 hours in advance. 33 North Main St., Sherborn, 508-655-9521, www.heritageofsherborn.com
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Lucy’s American Tavern
Kids 12 and under can dig into fish and chips, a junior cheeseburger, macaroni, and more at this friendly neighborhood hangout in Dorchester, where each plate comes complete with a Hoodsie cup. (Grown-ups should inspect their to-go cocktail menu, which serves two frazzled adults.) 13 Granite Ave., Dorchester, 617-326-6677, www.lucysamericantavern.com
Masala Square
This Indian restaurant in Somerville’s Union Square is the perfect choice for finicky kids, and they even have a sense of humor. Dishes ($7) include “I Don’t Want That” (chicken tikka masala and rice) and “I’m Not Hungry” (a kids’ naan-cheese pizza). Or go for the “I Don’t Know” — chicken tenders with fries. Adults might consider updating their pandemic wardrobe with a cheeky “Keep Calm and Curry On” T-shirt. 23 Union Square, Somerville, 617-666-9770, www.masalasquaresomerville.com
Mida
Not a kids’ menu per se, but this South End Italian spot offers a fantastic “Mangia Monday” deal for mini carb-fiends (and their hungry, tired parents). Go beyond mac and cheese, and choose five pastas — eggplant parm, lasagna, carbonara, et cetera — plus salad and bread for $70. 782 Tremont St., Boston, 617-936-3490, www.midaboston.com
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Northern Spy
This Canton restaurant at Paul Revere’s former homestead honors Boston dining with classic dishes for grown-ups like Parker House rolls and Boston baked beans (plus a sublime, buttery creamed kale). Kids can get miniature sizes of beans, kale, and apple crumble — plus fish fingers, a cheddar burger, and brioche grilled cheese. It’s from the team behind Loyal Nine in Cambridge. 4 Rolling Mill Way, Canton, 781-989-1850, www.northernspycanton.com
Summer Shack
This Cambridge staple for lobster rolls and fried seafood caters to kids, too, with two-piece fried chicken, hot dogs, and shells and cheese. Each $12 kids’ meal comes with a brownie for dessert. 149 Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge, 617-520-9500, www.summershackrestaurant.com
Viet Citron
This Vietnamese restaurant in Burlington specializes in flavorful banh mi and rice bowls for grown-ups, but they have choices for kids, too: rice bowls with chicken and veggies and a toasted “banh mi” with peanut butter and jelly. (Of course, more adventuresome kids can always slurp up their oxtail pho.) 47 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, 781-739-3655, www.vietcitron.com
Woods Hill Table
In Concord, Woods Hill Table offers a $12 kids’ menu with a burger and fries, organic spaghetti, and sourdough grilled cheese. Their Mexican sister restaurant down the block, Adelita, also has a kids’ menu with chicken tacos, mini cheese nachos, and half-size quesadillas. (While you’re in the neighborhood, pop into Reasons to Be Cheerful, a classic small-town ice cream parlor now offering takeout.) 24 Commonwealth Ave., Concord, 978-254-1435, www.woodshilltable.com
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Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @kcbaskin.