Emeryville’s Bay Street is under construction, but the upstairs dining area is now open with beautiful seating and an exciting view. While some of our old favorites are just a memory, you’ll want to check out some of the really new cool offerings for families of young children.
Kid-Friendly Food at Bay Street Emeryville
The “food court” at Bay Street is on the second level close to the movie theater. The outdoor seating, restaurants, and fire pits are collectively called the Bay Break Terrace.
Arthur Mac’s Little Snack
With a slightly bigger menu than the Arthur Mac’s we love in Oakland, expect delicious pizza, sweet potato tots, ample coffee choices, hot wings, and beer for the parents. We spotted changing tables in the family bathroom and video game consoles. There’s an eat-in area if your whole family agrees or lots of seating on the patio.

Shake Shack, Emeryville
This nationwide chain has a kid-friendly menu of burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, and milkshakes.
Humphry Slocombe, Emeryville
Find fancy and tasty ice cream with unusual flavors at this Bay Area chain. Flavors may differ by store and season.
Entertainment for Kids & Families at Bay Street
From June 5 through September 1, 2023, catch Habitot’s space pop-up at Bay Street >>

AMC Theatres
The AMC Movie Theatre is a 16-screen multiplex showing all the new release films. Buy movie tickets in advance with the Fandango app or AMC Movie Club app. It is easily one of my family’s favorite spots to see Marvel movies with options like IMAX or 3-D to debate every time we go.
Big Diggers = Big Fun
Bring your construction-loving kids to the seating in the Bay Break Dining Terrace to have a birdseye view of the earth movers and building trucks hard at work.
Bookstore with Storytime
Barnes and Noble Emeryville has a lovely selection of books and toys as well as a history of storytime (Bring it back, please!).

Mini Mini Golf
Tipsy Putt at the north side of Bay Street (closest) to Hyatt Place has a nine-hole miniature golf course available to families before 5 pm. The bar/restaurant is spacious and new with good drinks and a big (mostly Mexican food) menu. For a more kid-centric mini golf experience, see our breakdown of East Bay putt-putt places >
More Games at Bay Street Emeryville
Chess, checkers, shuffleboard, and Connect 4 are available to play.
Plan your visit to Bay Street Emeryville
Bay Street is an open-plan shopping center with residential units and a big hotel (with a massive grocery store on the way) right off the highway. It is also immediately adjacent to Ikea.
Parking: There is ample parking in the multi-tiered garage, but it is kinda complicated to pay for it. Either remember your parking stall number and use the pay station machine before you shop -OR- use the proprietary payment app on your smartphone.
Location: 5616 Bay Street, Emeryville
[All photos by 510families; all rights reserved]
3 thoughts on “Bay Street Emeryville: A Family-Friendly Destination”
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I sort of resent having to ‘pay to park’ at a shopping mall. Feels like a bit of a money grab.
I don’t disagree. There used to be a gated ticket/validation system in place before this.