Monday mornings usually start with me standing at the fridge, thinking “where did all the [insert one of the following here: milk, blueberries, half and half, gogurts, eggs] go that I bought on Thursday? I cannot believe I’m going to have to go back to the store today!” I try my best to avoid multiple grocery runs a week, especially if I’m towing kids along with me, because (1) I’m not a person that loves grocery shopping, (2) I still can’t figure out where they moved things during last year’s H-E-B remodel (sigh …), and (3) the more time I’m in a grocery store, the more money I spend.
But, wait, why don’t I drive an extra 15 minutes to Central Market and check off breakfast or lunch, playground time, and groceries all in one stop? Perfect!
| Cafe Hours | Sunday through Thursday: 7 am - 9 pm Friday and Saturday: 7 am - 10 pm |
| Type of Food | American, Deli |
| Play Area Description | Huge playscape near plenty of patio seating |
| Kids Menu Options | Chicken tenders, burgers, mac and cheese, PB & J, spaghetti and meatballs, grilled cheese |
| Price Range | ~ $5 - $13 |
| Reservations | No (walk up and order) |
| Live Music | Sometimes - check website |
| Parking | Central Market shares a large parking lot with the rest of the shopping center. Parking can be a pain during peak hours, but there are always cars coming in and out so you can usually wait it out and find a spot after a few minutes |
| Seating Options Near Play Area | There are a few tables right next to the playscape, but there are at least 50 other tables on the patio area reasonably close to the playscape |
| Restroom Details | The bathroom is on the far side of the cafe, so make a trip before you order to avoid a very LONG run from the playground to the bathroom |
The closest Central Market to me is the North Lamar location. The Austin North Lamar Central Market Café’s menu offers pretty much anything you can want. Plus, the food is good! Some of the items we’ve tried include the salmon, tortilla soup, several salads, the turkey & bacon panini, and the kids mac and cheese. Plus, you can get gelato right around the corner from the café inside the store or you can pick out cookies or other treats from their bakery.
The playscape area is in good shape and provides quite the variety of activities. Not only do you have the typical slides, bridges, tubes, and climbing structures, but there is also a really cute “playhouse” where the kids love to play pretend.
I do want to emphasize, though, that the playground area is not contained and if you have toddlers you might want to sit at one of the tables right next to the playground (instead of the ones up the stairs on the actual patio). The way the playground is designed actually creates several blind spots and I continuously jump out of my seat (wherever I’m sitting) to make sure my kids don’t run off. Plus, there is a lot of foot traffic from the nearby shops and Heart Hospital that add to the uneasiness.
(And, yes, Foster was into posing for the camera this day which cracks me up. Usually I have to pull teeth to get him to smile for the camera!)
If you choose to stop by in the evenings, you can often enjoy some live music on the patio right next to the playground.
My last recommendation for you is to stop by the bathroom on the way into the café, before ordering. The nearest bathroom is located by the entrance into the café from the rest of the store. With all of the ramps and stairs up from the playground and weaving in and out of foot traffic through the café, it could easily take a few minutes to get there. The good news, though, is that if your child has an accident, Gap Kids is just a short walk across the shopping center and you can proceed with your fun trip to Central Market after a $25 side trip. And I can speak of this from experience … yeah, that was a fun morning.
Chime in with your comments below – am I the only one that considers Central Market somewhat of a therapeutic experience?
