Restaurants that please everyone: where to dine with the family over the holidays

The combination of the lakeside setting, expansive grounds, and Tudor-style mansion make Hart House a crowd pleaser. Over the phone, co-owner Carol Smolen explains why families feel so comfortable in the restaurant: “The house was built around 1910 and was a home for four different families. The physical house reminds people of a family home.” Of course, that doesn’t mean getting too cozy, but Hart House does its best to accommodate all diners, from booster seats for the kids to whipping up special requests in the kitchen (the more notice the better). The menu features Pacific Northwest cuisine, so think grilled B.C. salmon with winter vegetables, warm quinoa, and fried artichokes. They’re also open for Christmas Day dinner ($62 per adult; $35 per kid [under age 12]), and a $38 holiday lunch buffet until Friday (December 23); the buffet is $21 per kid under age 12. (Closed Monday [December 26] and January 1 and 2.)

Source: Georgia Straight, December 20 2011