Places to order at the counter with kids in San Jose

Three floors of Italian everything: fresh pasta counters, gelato, pizza, and kids' cooking classes - a food-hall format where everyone picks their own dinner and nobody compromises.

Local sandwich chain with a proper kids' menu (12 and under, comes with chips) and quick counter service. The reliable 'everyone finds something' lunch between activities.

Fast-casual sandwiches built for picky and adventurous eaters alike, on Santana Row where kids can run the plaza after - kids eat free on Tuesdays.

Proper low-and-slow BBQ with burnt ends and brisket that families line up for - kidsbayarea's San Jose BBQ pick, with the portions to feed a table of bottomless teenagers.

A San Jose icon since 1966: order at the window, eat at picnic tables under a giant San Jose mural. The banana shakes get even falafel skeptics through the meal.

Counter-service Mexican famous for the orange sauce - order kids a plain quesadilla and watch it disappear. Fast, cheap, and loud enough that nobody notices yours.

Surf-themed local pizza chain (a dozen South Bay locations) with big slices, a spinning table at the Cambrian store, and a kid-pleasing gimmick: a slice and a T-shirt deal. Kid-dining guides list a kids-eat-free Tuesday night - call your location to confirm.

Hand-crafted frozen yogurt and ice cream from a converted photo drive-through on Lincoln Ave, open since 2002. The after-playground ritual for the Willow Glen crowd.