Birthday Party Food

Birthday Cake Alternative

As an alternative to serving a birthday cake, you can serve cookies. Set out icing, sprinkles and other items that your birthday guests can use to ice and decorate the cookies themselves. Even sundaes can accompany the cookies which allows for the kids to decorate for themselves as well. You can have each child place their own candle atop as a finishing touch.

The Mystery Food

Have each guest order from a strange menu while not knowing exactly what they are ordering to being with. To do this, have a specific set of foods in mind to serve at the party. Give each item a strange name related to the party theme (e.g. Pumpkin juice for a Harry Potter theme; which is some sort of orange colors drink or spiced eggnog which usually has pumpkin flavor in it). Then allow each guest to order according to these strange names and see what they ordered when it arrives at their table. For example, a pepperoni pizza slice could be named “polka dotted tomato triangle”. As a game, you can even have your guests try to guess what the food is that they ordered by their funny names and give prizes to the winners.

Taco Bar

Set up a table with all the ingredients for tacos and let them build their own. Make sure plenty of ingredients are on hand so that they can make it fun rather than trying to ration the best ingredients. Cans of cheese wiz make this a lot more fun too!

Sandwich Bar

Similar to the Taco Bar, set out all this fixings for them to build their own sandwiches. Include different types of bread as well as ingredients that allow for vegetarian sandwiches as well. You can have a smaller table set out in order to toast bread for those who choose a crispier sandwich.

Mini Pizzas

Don’t just order pizzas like most people do, heat up some bagels and let your guests build their own little bagel pizzas from scratch. Have each person build his or her pizza and then slide them into the oven to bake. Just make sure they remember whose is whose.

For The Movie Buffs

If your party has a movie theme to it, a great idea is to set up theatre foods. Set out a table full of items you normally find at the theatre such as popcorn, hot dogs, nacho and cheese, big pickles and soda pop. For desert, they can choose from a variety of boxed candy like milk duds or mints.