The most common question we’ve received since starting our Kids and Family column eight months ago has finally been answered. Time and again parents want to know, “Where can I take my kids so they can have a good time and we can all enjoy a great meal?” The answer: Punch Bowl Social. The South Broadway gastro diner, bowling alley, and entertainment venue’s revamped kids menu goes well beyond chicken tenders and mini pizzas. Plus, with a wealth of kid-friendly activities, your little ones won’t be begging to leave as soon as you sit down.

Owner Robert Thompson designed the kids’ menu with the same thought that he put into the main menu. “I want to feed our customers’ kids what I would feed my own kid,” he says. The new options range from brunch items like fresh fruit skewers and decadent chocolate chip malted waffles with peanut butter (both pictured above) to dinner picks like whole-wheat linguini with turkey meatballs and tempeh tacos. For more adventurous eaters, Thompson recommends ordering the quinoa-stuffed chile rellenos from the main menu. There’s no doubt parents may try to sneak a bite when the kids beeline for the bowling lanes.

(Check out more Kids & Family coverage from 5280)

Denver adults are likely well aware of the grownup play place that Punch Bowl Social becomes with the after-dinner crowd, but all the fun activities are available starting at 8 a.m. on the weekend. Let your brunch linger as your well-behaved kids roll a few games of bowling ($5 per hour with shoes starting at size seven) and play skee-ball, shuffleboard, and arcade games. Thompson says he’s never had to remind a family that this isn’t Chuck E. Cheese and invites families with children of all ages to enjoy the experience. “It’s a big enough place and it’s especially loud during brunch,” he says. “If you have a little one who has an incident, it’s not a big deal.”

Before the kids get back to the table, order them a creamsicle punch bowl made with Fanta soda and ice cream. It’s a treat they won’t soon forget.

Follow assistant editor Lindsey R. McKissick on Twitter at @LindseyRMcK.