It is always a special treat for kids when they get to take a trip through the drive-thru. They love the food, it's the perfect size for them, and sometimes it even comes with a fun toy. We ranked the best fast-food kids meals to see which ones pass the kid test, but parents will also feel good about purchasing.
8 Best Fast-Food Kids Meals, Ranked
Published on Nov. 15, 2024
In our search for the best fast-food kids meals, we considered several key factors. Taste is most important, followed closely by value. We also looked at the various options available and took into consideration healthy choices that parents could make while ordering. Of course, if a toy or prize was involved, that was also an important aspect of the overall experience.
For comparison purposes, we ordered the most quintessential option at each restaurant. In addition, we always chose the fruit option as a side rather than fries. Finally, for the beverage, we opted for milk whenever available.
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8. Wendy’s
Coming in at the bottom of our list for the best fast-food kids meals was Wendy’s. This chain has several options to choose from when building the meal. There are 4-piece nuggets (classic or spicy) as well as a hamburger or cheeseburger. We opted for the cheeseburger, and it was delivered with ketchup already on the top bun. To round out the order, we selected the apple bites instead of fries and milk instead of bottled water.
The meal arrived with a Frosty-themed Halloween toy, which was certainly on-brand. These toys also come in different collectible colors, which might make kids beg to come back for more throughout the promotion. Overall, the price was a good value at $4.69 for the meal.
The main complaint we had with this kids meal was the fact that the cheese was hardly melted at all on top of the burger. This seems to be an ongoing issue since it was the same beef (pardon the pun!) we had when ranking the best fast-food burger. That being said, the apples were fresh and arrived in a convenient container.
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7. Burger King
Burger King offers a variety of kids meal options. They can choose from a burger, cheeseburger, 4-piece chicken nuggets or 6-piece chicken nuggets. Then there is an option of fries or applesauce as well as plain milk or chocolate milk. We ordered the hamburger meal with applesauce and plain milk for $4.99. The value was comparable to other fast-food restaurants.
The burger was adequate in terms of flavor, and it arrived with ketchup, mustard and pickles already on top. The drive-thru attendant didn’t ask how we wanted the burger, so if you have a picky eater it might be important to specify how you want your burger topped. The applesauce cup felt like an afterthought compared to the fresh-cut fruit available at other chains.
However, the toy options were fun at Burger King, and that might skew your kid’s opinion of their favorite meal. Our order came with a light-up Addams Family toy. In addition, the bag itself was a puzzle kids could play with later. Finally, there was a big stack of the iconic Burger King crowns peeking through the drive-thru window, so we asked to take one of those as well and it was a hit!
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6. McDonald’s
A kids meal ranking wouldn’t be complete without the iconic Happy Meal. The entree choices include a hamburger, 4-piece Chicken McNuggets or 6-piece Chicken McNuggets. We opted for the McNuggets and white milk. The other beverage choices included organic apple juice or bottled water. Each Happy Meal comes with a tiny kids fries and apple slices as well. The total was $4.99, making the value on par with other restaurants.
Since this ranking was done near Halloween, the Happy Meal arrived in a special Boo Bucket. This was definitely the best kids meal delivery method of all the fast-food joints! In addition, there was a sheet of stickers to personalize the bucket. It’s hard to find a kid who can resist stickers.
Even though the Happy Meal ranked tops when it came to fun aspects, the chicken nuggets were the least impressive of the chicken options we tasted. This wasn’t a surprise since the McNuggets were not highly ranked on our best fast-food chicken nuggets list.
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5. Subway
Subway offers a special menu called the “Fresh Fit for Kids Meal.” This includes a mini sub, applesauce and a choice of either juice or white milk. For the mini sub, there are three options: Veggie Delite, Oven-Roasted Turkey or Black Forest Ham. There’s also an option for the sandwich to come on either white or whole wheat bread. We chose the Veggie Delite sub on whole wheat bread with applesauce and milk. The total was a great value at only $4.00.
While the Subway kids menu doesn’t come with a toy, we really appreciated the fresh and healthy choices that could be made at this chain. It is also nice that every sandwich can be personalized as it’s being assembled. The veggie-packed sandwich came piled high with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, peppers and red onion. There was a slice of cheese and some mayo as well. The applesauce came in a squeeze packet, which is convenient and easy for kids to handle in the backseat of the car. However, we still prefer the fresh-cut fruit options at other restaurants.
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4. Culver’s
Culver’s offers a robust kids meal menu for those 12 and under with a wide variety of choices. Options include the original ButterBurger (with or without cheese), chicken tenders in either original or Buffalo, a grilled cheese and even a corn dog. Sides include applesauce, crinkle cut fries or steamed broccoli (for an additional charge). Drinks include white milk or apple juice. There’s even an optional add-on to include a scoop of frozen custard.
At $6.49, this was close to the top price of all the kids meals we ordered. While it was more expensive, the friendly service and quality hamburger were worth the extra cash.
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3. Popeyes
Though we didn’t see it posted on the digital menu at the drive-thru, Popeyes does offer kids meal options. After speaking with the attendant, she told us we could choose from a 1-piece tender meal, a 1-piece leg meal, a mac and cheese meal or a 4-piece boneless chicken meal. We chose the 1-piece tender meal and had the option of either classic or spicy. This meal automatically came with applesauce and apple juice, as well as your choice of dipping sauce and a toy, all for $5.49.
The chicken was perfectly crisp, tender and juicy. Exactly what we expect from Popeyes! If you swoon for its top-notch and top-ranked chicken sandwich, your kids will likely beg for the Popeyes tender kids meal. The meal came with a sheet of stickers as well as a series of puzzles printed on the bag. Cut fruit and a milk option would have been nice choices here and could have bumped up Popeyes even higher in the ranking.
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2. Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A sells three different kids meal options, all featuring their namesake chicken in kid-friendly ways. There is a 5-piece chicken nuggets meal, a 2-piece chicken strips meal and a 5-piece grilled nuggets meal for those who want to skip the deep-fried fare. Each meal includes a small side, a small drink and a prize. Side options include waffle fries, a fruit cup or cinnamon applesauce. Mac and cheese was also available for an additional $0.70 charge. Beverage options include milk, chocolate milk or organic apple juice.
We ordered the 5-piece chicken nuggets meal with a fruit cup and milk. We noticed on the menu it was posted that they even offer special prizes upon request for kids ages 3 and under. Since we have a 2-year-old at home, this was a wonderful option. Instead of a toy with small parts we received a delightful board book that will certainly become part of our bedtime reading routine. Besides the lovely toy, Chick-fil-A had the most impressive fruit option by far. The cup was not skimpy in size and was filled with a colorful variety of fresh cut fruit. The only downside was the fact that this was the most expensive kids meal at $6.85. However, the high quality was worth the extra splurge.
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1. Chipotle
Our highest-ranking kids meal came as a bit of a surprise, especially since it doesn’t arrive with any sort of toy, stickers or bright colors. Chipotle sells a “build your own” kids meal for an incredible value at $5.60. For the price, you receive a robust amount of fresh, high-quality food, all in an incredibly convenient container, as well as a sturdy bag to carry it all home in. (No spills in the car!) All of the choices are the same as the sides, toppings and fillings that are used in the other Chipotle burritos, tacos and bowls.
Start by deciding if you want crispy corn or soft flour tortillas for tacos or if you would prefer a small cheese quesadilla. From there, kids choose brown or white rice, black or pinto beans and meat, as well as guacamole or queso. Each choice is scooped and placed in a well in the convenient container as you walk down the line. At the end, the cashier offers a small bag of tortilla chips and your choice of organic juice or milk.
We appreciated the volume of fresh food, variety of choices and convenient container. It could even be used to reheat leftovers for lunch the next day if your little one didn’t finish it all the night before. The price could have easily been a dollar or more higher, and we still would have found it to be a good deal.
Originally Published on The Family Handyman
