When we visit London, it helps to know where to take the kids for meals. My kids aren't into mushy peas, tuna and corn sandwiches or shepherd's pie. Unfortunately, their palettes are not as adventurous as I'd like them to be, although my son does love Indian food which is very, very good in the UK. After many trips to England's capital over the years, we have our standard list of where they like, so I thought I'd share these restaurant recommendations with you. Many are chains and are found all over the city, and all are reasonably priced and have children's meals.

The first restaurant that we recommend is called Giraffe. They have a really good kid's menu with a special rate during the week. For £4.75, your child gets a mini-main (lots of options including chicken strips, a hamburger, fish & chips, pasta pomodoro, sausages, beans and mash, cottage pie and broccoli, BBQ chicken wraps or Italian pizza bites & fries and a drink. $8 may not sound cheap, but it actually is. The adult menu is really good, too, and if you're there on a Tuesday night, all the hamburgers are £5.50 each, and beers are half-price before 7pm every night. We had an exceptionally good waitress who was really nice to my son, who was having a hard time deciding what to order. She actually sat with us and waited patiently until he made up his mind and we chatted about our recent trip to Paris with her.

Pizza Express has locations all over London. It's not my cup of tea ordering pizza in a foreign country, but you can't always get what you want as a parent and there are many times while we're traveling, pizza has been mandatory for my picky son. For £6.25 (closer to $10), you get their famous pizza balls, a side salad, create-your-own pizza or pasta, dessert and a bambinoccino (cappuccino without the coffee). They also have large size pizzas you can order for everyone to share which can be much cheaper. But kids do love the meals. Dessert is a mini chocolate fudge cake or dough balls with nutella. Aren't you hungry just thinking about it?!

The Gourmet Burger Kitchen has a kid's meal for the same price, £6.25. They get a junior beef, lentil or chicken burger or cajun chicken pieces, chunky fries, fresh juice or a junior milkshake and an ice lolly. The hamburgers are really delicious and they have all kinds of yummy sauces and dips to compliment them. the restaurant is also very child-friendly with spacious seating and it's not too noisy.

Lastly, I have to mention the restaurant in our hotel, the Premiere Inn in Belsize Park, Brasserie Gerard. It's a French restaurant with very nice food, ambiance and French music that plays all the time. Breakfast is free for children with paying adults. It's not cheap at £7.99, but breakfast is free if one parent eats. Since we were staying in the hotel, we got it included for all of us everyday. Breakfast is a lovely buffet with hot and cold food, coffee, fruit, cereal and toast and croissants. The hostess is French and she's been there the last two summers we've stayed in the hotel. She always inquires about our plans for the day and makes us feel right at home. Lunch is more pricy but the food is lovely and plentiful. Kids' meals cost about 6 pounds but are delicious, healthy and convenient.

For me, food is a major issue in my family. My kids have to eat at particular times and it's good to know that we're going to be able to order something they'll like. We actually did make it to an Indian restaurant on this trip, and my son was in heaven. But it you're looking for Indian food in London, you don't need a recommendation. Indian restaurants are everywhere and they're all delicious. Brick Lane and Bayswater have an abundance of them, but they really are everywhere and are a cheap way to eat in London most of the time.

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