Taqueria Talavera

Build-your-own Korean rice bowls on Solano that hand out kid chopsticks, kid bowls, and little smoothies.

Neighborhood Chinese restaurant where Renee herself greets regulars of all ages.

Kids of any age boulder here alongside a grown-up, and older ones can join camps, a climbing club or youth teams.

Albany's community living room: a fenced tot lot with sandpit, a big-kid playground with a corkscrew slide and ADA swing, redwood shade, summer concerts, and Solano Avenue takeout two blocks away for an outdoor dinner.

The school district's aquatic center, with open rec swim hours alongside swim lessons.

American grill meets British pub, with fish and chips, bangers and mash and shepherd's pie, and a chalkboard and toys marking off a kid zone.