Where to Eat in Cortina With Kids
Which Cortina kitchens actually welcome children without a sigh, from an easy pizza night to a rifugio terrace with room for them to run around.
Reviewed by the Cortina Compass desk
Last verified on foot: January 2026 How we research
Cortina eats late, seriously, and with strong local loyalties. This is not a ranked list; it is what I have learned about where to eat in cortina with kids after several seasons of long lunches, near-misses without reservations, and quiet dinners that outshone the famous rooms across the street.
If you only read one part, make it the section on timing. In the Dolomites that single choice outweighs almost everything else.
What the place is
Cortina's finer dining rooms are not built for children, but a good number of its trattorie and pizzerias genuinely are, and knowing which is which saves everyone a stressful dinner.
Family-easy tables
Pizzeria Il Ponte
Fast, casual, and forgiving of noise — go right at opening to avoid the later crowd of couples wanting a quieter room.
El Camineto
A bit smarter but still relaxed with kids, with a wide enough menu that fussy eaters usually find something.
Al Camin
Good hearty canederli and a warm, unhurried room, though service can slow on busy nights with a full house.
Rifugio Scoiattoli
A fun lunch stop after the Cinque Torri chairlift, but no fencing on the terrace, so watch younger kids closely.
Ristorante 5 Torri
Family-friendly with easier road access than the higher rifugi, useful if a chairlift with small kids feels like too much.
What I would order
One regional primo, one seasonal secondo, one dessert shared badly. Casunziei — beetroot ravioli with poppy seeds and browned butter — is the plate I always start with, and canederli or a barley soup if the weather has turned. The internationalised pasta list is competent and forgettable.
Food and the menu
Pizzerias and the more rustic trattorie (Il Ponte, El Camineto, Al Camin) run relaxed, multi-generational rooms where a restless child barely registers, while Tivoli and SanBrite's small, quiet dining rooms are genuinely not the right setting for young kids.
Price and value
Atmosphere
Small rooms, timber, low light, and a service style that treats dinner as two hours rather than a covers target. Smart-casual is right; nobody here is fussy, but nobody turns up in hiking trousers either.
Location and access
In-town tables are an easy walk from Corso Italia and worth doing on foot — parking in the centre after seven is a slow game. Anything up the valley or at a rifugio needs a car, a taxi booked in advance, or a lift with an evening service you have checked twice.
When to go
The kitchen starts around 19:30 and the first sitting is the good one; the second often arrives after the room has lost its edge. Lunch is the underrated slot — same cooking, shorter waits, better light. Book two to three weeks out for the celebrated rooms in high season, a few days out for everywhere else.
What surprised me
Don't bring young children to a rifugio expecting a playground vibe — the terraces are lovely, but there's often a real drop nearby and no fencing, so keep a close eye rather than letting them run.
Small detail
Ask before photographing staff or other diners, especially in small family rooms.
My experience at the table
My best meal here was a half-empty Tuesday in shoulder season, when an off-menu venison ragù appeared because a local hunter had come by that morning. That is the version of Cortina dining worth planning for — regional, personal, and slightly unrepeatable.
My tip
Book an early table, around 19:30 right at opening, at any of the family-friendly spots — you get faster service before the room fills, and kids get fed before the tired-and-hungry meltdown window.
Who it is best for
Book the first dinner sitting and ask about half portions.
Local alternatives
Lunch menus and rifugio plates often offer better value than central evening dining.
Timing dinner around kids in Cortina
Italian dinner service starting at 19:30 already works reasonably well for families compared with some countries' later norms, but booking the very first slot still matters — kitchens are freshest and least rushed right at opening, and a table that arrives at 19:30 sharp gets food out faster than one seated at 20:30 into a full room.
For lunch, rifugi and pizzerias both work well with kids, but the rifugio's cooked-to-order kitchen means slower service than a pizzeria, so budget more patience if hunger is already running high by the time you sit down.
Frequently asked questions
Do Cortina restaurants have kids' menus?
Yes, most trattorie and pizzerias offer a simple menu bambini, usually pasta or a small pizza around €10-15.
Are high chairs common?
Available at most town restaurants; call ahead for rifugi as supply is limited at altitude.
Is Tivoli or SanBrite appropriate for children?
Not really — both are quiet, formal tasting-menu rooms better suited to an adults-only evening.
What's the easiest lunch option with young kids?
A pizzeria in town, or Ristorante 5 Torri if you want a mountain setting with easier access than a chairlift-only rifugio.
Is it safe to take toddlers to a rifugio terrace?
Take care — many terraces sit near real drops with no fencing, so it's fine with close supervision but not a place to let toddlers wander.
Take the early sitting, order what the valley actually cooks, and give the meal the two hours it wants.
Sources & further reading
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