Tarka Indian Kitchen Sunset Valley

Healthy and fast Indian food options, kids menu, and vegan options!

5207 Brodie Ln, Austin, TX 78745



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Review

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Family-Friendly Features


Our overall family-friendliness score:

BABY-FRIENDLY
TODDLER-FRIENDLY
OLDER KID-FRIENDLY
OVERALL FAMILY-FRIENDLY FEATURES
UNIQUE ASPECTS
Average

: Not for kids

: There are better options 

: Not bad, kids had fun

: Worth the trip

: Amazing, a must-do with kids

BABY-FRIENDLY: Baby can do more than just sit in a stroller or be carried around

TODDLER-FRIENDLY: Things are toddler level; designed for toddlers

OLDER KID-FRIENDLY: Things are meant for older kids 

AMENITIES: General family-friendly features

UNIQUE ASPECTS: Wow factor

Map

The food

We found Tarka Sunset Valley to be a solid option when we’re feeling like eating Indian food (obviously!), eating vegetarian or vegan, and wanting something fast but still relatively healthy with good ingredients. It should be noted that Tarka offers many dishes with meat like Indian food staple tikka masala (we love it with chicken) but our family happens to be shifting toward more of a vegan diet.

Our favorite vegan dishes at Tarka are the coconut curry with vegetables and the Tarka daal. Both are flavorful and filling with rice or naan.

Kids’ Menu

The kids’ menu is small at Tarka, with only four dishes offered along with the choice of apple juice, mango lemonade, or a fountain drink. We found the chicken pakoras to be similar to chicken tenders and our kiddo liked them, but we noted a particular saltiness. Overall, there are many better restaurant options if kid-friendly dishes are your main priority, but we like that other options on the menu could be decent for kiddos as well, such as kabobs.

Bottom Line: Is Tarka Indian Kitchen Sunset Valley a Good Place to Take the Kids?

Tarka Indian Kitchen probably isn’t going to be a great fit for all families but our two and a half-year-old enjoyed rice, naan, chicken pakoras, and mango lemonade. We think that if you’re looking for healthy Indian food options and/or vegetarian and vegan options, Tarka is a good and fast restaurant to try. Their Tarka Rewards program, similar to rewards programs at many other restaurants, is also helpful.

Mandola’s Italian Market – William Cannon

Kid-friendly Italian food, free kid’s gelato, playscape, and more!

4301 West William Cannon Drive, Dr E-1, Austin, TX 78749



Photos

Features

our-review

Review

Directions

Website

Photos

mandolas-william-cannon-interior
mandolas-william-cannon-has-a-playground

Features

Family-Friendly Features


Playground Features


Our overall family-friendliness score:

BABY-FRIENDLY
TODDLER-FRIENDLY
OLDER KID-FRIENDLY
OVERALL FAMILY-FRIENDLY FEATURES
UNIQUE ASPECTS
Average

: Not for kids

: There are better options 

: Not bad, kids had fun

: Worth the trip

: Amazing, a must-do with kids

BABY-FRIENDLY: Baby can do more than just sit in a stroller or be carried around

TODDLER-FRIENDLY: Things are toddler level; designed for toddlers

OLDER KID-FRIENDLY: Things are meant for older kids 

AMENITIES: General family-friendly features

UNIQUE ASPECTS: Wow factor

Map

The Food

The menu was fairly large and included options for various diet restrictions, including gluten-free noodles and options for the kiddos including spaghetti (including an option with butter instead of sauce), fettuccine alfredo, pizza, and even chicken fingers. There are also family style dishes and desserts which can serve large groups.

Our oldest kiddo has always been happy about ending his meal with a free scoop of gelato that comes with his children’s plate. We’ve been three times and each time have sampled different flavors and chosen different scoops – all were finished by the little guy. The setup for the gelato is like a little gelato stand with quite a few options.

There is also a nice assortment of desserts to eat there or take home.

The Playground 

Another great feature of dining at this particular location is access to a nice playground. Access to this playground appears to be shared by several restaurants and businesses in the area but at the time we visited (early lunch), it was not crowded and all five of the kids in our group had a blast running around and playing. Overall, the playset was relatively simple, with a couple of slides and tunnels and a kid’s sized picnic table.

Restrooms at Mandola’s Italian William Canon

Restrooms at restaurants aren’t typically noteworthy but we have to give a little love to Mandola’s for their baby changing station. We got a little chuckle out of the Italian themed artwork paired with the comfortable changing table, diaper genie, and a supply of diapers and wipes(!). It had everything to make changing a diaper a little less…poopy.

Extras 

We brought our baby into the restaurant in a car seat since she was asleep and we were happy when an employee brought an infant carseat carrier out so we could set the carseat on a sturdy holder rather than turning a high chair over and risking instability.

Bottom Line: Is Mandola’s Italian at William Cannon a Good Place to Take the Kids?

We had a great time and would emphatically say, “yes!” The restaurant accommodated our large family and friends, comments about the food were positive, the kids ate their food and loved the gelato (kid’s plates come with a free scoop!), and we had a great time at the playground. We appreciated the family-friendly atmosphere and will definitely visit again in the future.