New kid-friendly places to explore in Beaverton and Hillsboro

When I hear about new family-oriented places here in Portland, I get so excited. There already are so many places that are geared toward keeping kids and parents happy. People are opening more places. Just for us! Near where we live!

Two new westside places I hope to try soon are Me Too! cafe and Out of This World Pizza and Play, and if you've already been to either of these places, please tell us what you think.

Me Too! is a Beaverton establishment where grownups can have a leisurely meal while the kids play in a "fun, interactive play area." Parents can enjoy a meal or coffee with other adults while watching (through windows) their kids play. Salads, paninis and wraps are some of the menu offerings. Meanwhile, kids can jump around to their hearts' delight in the supervised play space. And, of course, there's a kids' menu.

There's a special event room called "Mom's Boardroom" for meetings, baby showers and parties. Me Too!'s calendar currently lists a crock pot recipe swap, a baby sign language class and mommy massages. Kids play, mommy gets a massage. Sounds perfect.

There is a play fee at Me Too! The first child in a family is $5, the 2nd is $4, the 3rd is $3, the 4th is $2, and 5 + kids are $1 each. (We've written in the past about Grandma Leeth's, another parent dine/child play restaurant.)

Over in Hillsboro, Out of This World has been attracting a lot of moms and kids looking for indoor play options and new birthday party venues. Here are some highlights:

• Astronaut Training play structure with a capacity to hold 200 kids.
• Separate inflatable obstacle courses for small and large astronauts.
• Eight-foot high Crater Crawl rock-climbing wall.

The owners are parents of three kids who wanted to create a "fun, safe and secure environment for our children." Like Me Too!, you have to pay to play at Out of This World - $5 to $7 per kid. Pizza, salads and ice cream are on the menu.

I haven't visited either of these places yet, but I'm thinking Me Too! might be more suitable for infants and toddlers, while Out of This World would be fun for toddler and older kids.

Comments

[E]

Out of This World is very fun and well conceived. Kids can go for hours there. The pizza, however, is really awful and expensive.

[chris]

We've been to out of this world. Really like it. Have not tried the pizza but, my neighbor said it was good. we were "wishing" the would do by the slice of some other "kid friendly" options if you did not want to buy a whole pizza.

They do have an area for infants and toddlers and a smaller climbing structure off to one side.

[kathy]

We love Out of This World! It's such a great environment---you can see the whole play area from the table seating, it's clean, pizza is actually pretty good, fair price. But most importantly, it feels very SAFE. Families are stamped with numbers and nobody goes out unless you all match, and there are no other exits/hallways that kids can escape to. It's literally the first place that I have taken my boys where I feel like I can truly let them have the run of the place and not feel that I have to watch their every-single-move! That's worth the $5.00 alone! Also, I think that they do sell the pizza by the slice now.

[KarenP]

I went to Me Too! this week with another mom and our kids (6, 6, and 3). Overall, a great spot. Well-conceived and fun for both moms and kids. The kids' play area is in a separate, locked room with windows so you can peek in. It's stocked with well-chosen toys of high quality. My daughter loved the dress-up stuff especially. At one point, I saw the caregiver reading a book with the kids. They stayed calm and happy the whole time.

The menu has lots of very tempting-looking choices. I had a hard time deciding. Unfortunately, I wasn't thrilled with the panini I ordered. It was on ordinary slices of sourdough bread, grilled until it was rock hard and greasy. I'll probably try a salad next time. I'm usually a water person, but was tempted by the homemade lemonade with raspberries. Again, not what I expected. It tasted like artificial syrup to me, again, a disappointment for the price. The kids' menu was pretty good and my kids seemed happy with their food.

The service was pleasant and helpful, and my friend and I were able to enjoy uninterrupted conversation. It wasn't crowded and I'd definitely go back, despite my disappointment with the food I chose.

The biggest concern that will limit my visits, however, was the cost. By the time I paid for two kids to play and lunch for the three of us, I was out about $30. Maybe the best choice is to go for coffee or something simple since there isn't any minimum food order.

[DP]

My 7 month old son really enjoyed his time at Me Too! The caretakers were fantastic with him. It wasn't very busy, so he had lots of one-on-one attention. It was great to have an hour of interrupted lunch time with a gal pal! My only complaint was I didn't think the food was all that great- not worth the spendy prices. But, having adult time with your child near by and well taken care of makes it worth going back.

[Tiffany Smith]

I had the best salad at Me Too & thought it was great! Kid's food came out fast & first, then I sat for two hours with a friend. Will be back with mom group next week. Thought it was very resonably priced.

[Lou]

I visited Me Too! last week and loved the place. Not only was the food great, but you get a break from you children all at the same time!! As a mom we all know how far and few between those chances are! There menu has many great choices: panini's, salads, sandwiches, and wraps. There kids meals are awesome too! Its not greasy food; but healthy for our little ones, which is very nice. I even noticed that they had lattes. Which i will be back for!
The wait staff there is great and very friendly. The woman in the child play area was great. My little girl didnt want to go in a first, but the woman in the play area brings over this puppet to her and started playing with her. They really made an effort to engage with my child, it was awesome!!
Another thing I noticed while I was there is that they have free Wi-Fi which is great!
For the month of June they even have free!!! YES fREE!! Date nights....so you and your husband can actually have a conversation...since we all know how rare that is! It is also nice that they can get your childrens food out very quickly! Which again, is very nice when you have a cranky child who wants lunch!!
the prices seemed pretty average when compared with other places simliar and I will be back again.
I hope they dont mind seeing me there often, especially since i dont have to worry about my kids and i can get some work done!

[Jennifer Boyd]

My girlfriend and I had a wonderful experience at MeToo! 5$ for unlimited supervised play care was an excellent chance for us to get our homework done. We both had a wrap and salad combo for less then a value meal of fast food garbage. Healthy, fast, value. A winning business idea.

[Samantha]

I LOVE Me Too! Everyone is so nice and friendly and they don't mind sticky fingers! It is a great place where the whole family can hang out. The little ones have a great place to play while the adults can hopefully get some rest, alone time or get some work done. The fact that there is free wi-fi is a definite draw and I will be back to take advantage of that. Their menu is AWESOME!! There is a wide variety of options and everything is healthy and in the right portion. They also have a whole list of kid meals that are in the right size and lots of drinks!
The play room has lots of hands-on toys for the kids to play with and my kids really enjoyed it. I asked and everything is sanitized every night and during lulls to keep everyone from getting sick. The play attendants are wonderful and try hard to interact with the kids, not just watch them.
I will definately be back, especially for date night this month(Friday and Saturday nights), when kids play free and I can be an adult. I can't remember the last time my husband and I had dinner and we actually got to talk!

[CuriousGeorgette]

Just curious (or cynical?)
Does Samantha work for Me Too? I'd much prefer an honest chat, even a post from an owner is welcome.

[KYouell]

I've been to both places. I have a 14mo and a 3yo, but it's been awhile since we went so they were more like 10mo and 2.5yo when we were there. My youngest wasn't walking yet. Also, in case someone reading this is parent of a special needs child, my oldest has Down syndrome.

I agree with the comments about the employees and the food at Me Too. My husband and I went on a "field trip" and took the MAX down there. We all ate and then my son and I went and looked around the play area. I was very pleased with my son's meal and with all the menu options, but when I got my food I thought it was not the exciting thing that the pretty prose on the menu had me expecting. I think now that I know what to expect I won't be disappointed. I remember thinking that the prices were a real bargain until I saw the food. I thought it was very nice that the play attendant came over and asked my son if he wanted to come play with her -- didn't occur to me until later that would be a good way to drum up business and is kind of like having candy that your kids will beg for at a checkout. Since no other kids were in there she let me come in and look around with him and we chatted for a bit. I am very interested in going back for a date night or just stopping in for a break and getting some coffee, but I'm worried that my son won't be able to handle the crowds that they say they have on those free nights. For a typical toddler it's probably no big deal, but it's something that I have to consider. We'll probably go back on a Mon which they say is more quiet a few times before I'll be comfortable taking him on a busy Fri or Sat night. I'm also thinking that I'll take him around the time of their signing class so that there will be other kid signers there too (I'm an interpreter so we aren't actually going to take the class).

Out of This World was really nice. I too liked that they stamped us all and made sure we all matched before letting us out. I do think that all the free-for-all running around is more suited to kids older than mine because I had to really stay with the crawler. I couldn't have done it if my husband hadn't have come too so he could make sure that our son was doing ok. They don't have the attendants actually playing wit the kids like at Me Too. We didn't try the food, so I can't comment there.

I think that Me Too will grow into it's menu and is the better choice if I'm by myself. Out of This World will only work for us as a family trip until my kids are playing in the same areas. Oh, and you can't take the MAX to Out of This World -- but it doesn't have that annoying exclamation mark in its name.

Also, thanks for the links to the Grandma Leeth's post and for covering this area. So many things we read about are so far away from us here in Hillsboro.

[Phyllis]

We recently had dinner at Hopworks, SE 29th and Powell, and was pleasantly surprised. the food was of high quality and they had a kids play area with chalkboards etc. Basic but very good food. The in-season fresh strawberry shortcake fed all four of us and was delicious!

[AJ]

Out of This World was a great experience for us - I went in to book a birthday party, and they let my kids in to play while I took care of the details for free! They sell pizza by the slice now, which really helps if you just need enough to get by and don't want a whole one. I felt very safe there, even on a busy no school day. My kids had a great time, even my developmentally disabled one enjoyed himself, and he usually has a hard time with huge crowds. Employees were very friendly and helpful - I highly recommend it!