Kid-Friendly Paris: Chez He
Imagine America’s Chucky Cheese with a mix of Royal Kids, the French suburban bouncy house, and you get Chez He—a kid-friendly restaurant in the center of Paris! And instead of pizza and random sugary snacks you get damn good Chinese food and wifi and booze. What more can a parent ask for?
Patrick He opened Chez He early 2014 after realizing, at the time, Paris was seriously lacking in kid-friendly establishments such as gyms, spas, and restaurants. (Still is!) And thank the stars he did, because we parents want to enjoy a nice meal and a drink, without asking bored kids to sit still at the table forever, and dealing with the meltdowns and messes. Patrick saw a problem that needed to be solved and with a vast family-owned space (such a rarity) in the 11th arrondissement, he open an indoor playground and a Chinese restaurant.
Once your kids dump their shoes at the bottom of the stairs, they’re free to go completely bananas in a massive enfant paradise. There is a disco room, padded obstacle courses, slides in a ball pool, a bouncy castle, walls to draw on, and a gigantic ship where the kids can shoot sqooshy balls at each other and at any adult who enters their lair. There is even a bathroom with kid-size toilets and sinks.
To avoid being attacked by juvenile pirates, grownups can stay upstairs monitoring their children on the screens throughout the restaurant. The playground is equipped with various surveillance cameras that cover almost every square inch of the lower level. However mamma and papa might lose interest in the screens when they are throwing back a cocktail or two and enjoying delicious Southeast Chinese food like guozai and shaguo, which are cooked at the tables. You’ll also find other Asian favs such as spring rolls, gyoza, fried rice, bu boun, and sauteed bok choy. During the week the entrée, plat, dessert lunch prix fixe is 10-12.50€ and the children’s menu is 19€, which includes entry to the playground. The menu enfant has a variety of options such as chicken or fish nuggets and fries, spaghetti bolognaise, gyoza and sauteed riz, or hamburger and fries. All the stuff kids love.
When the kitchen closes from 3-7pm on the weekend, the bar remains open and the playground is 6€ per hour or 14,90€ for 2 hours or more when adults can have a drink (coffee or booze), read a book, or connect to wifi while the kids play.
Chez He is not a fancy joint so don’t expect white tablecloths or chic furniture and walls dripping with art. It is super casual and not fussy at all. They should’ve named it Chez Happy because all over there are happy shoeless kids running wild and happy well-fed parents carelessly chilling.
Chez He
4 Cité de l’Ameublement
75011 Paris
01 53 27 33 61
website: Chezhe.fr
Open Tuesday- Friday, noon -2:30pm & 7pm-10:30pm
Saturday and Sunday 12-10:30pm
Closed Mondays
Metro: line 8,9 Faidherbe- Chaligny
Good To Know:
There are highchairs, changing tables, and the space is stroller friendly.
