Friendly’s

If I could give no stars I would. The food was TERRIBLE. We waited almost 40 minutes for our food. They messed up the order — and still charged me for what I didn’t get. And someone please explain to me how cute up banana and what appeared to be jarred mandarin is fruit salad! Never again.

Friendly’s is one of those places that is good but not great. We go there all the time but some days are better then others. Most of the time they will get you seated right away but every so often they have there off days. I mean who doesn’t. Friendly’s is definitely a place advertised for family’s but in honesty I think it is better for smaller groups.

Since when did Friendly’s forget how to make a chocolate milkshake? I didn’t ask for a vanilla fribble with chocolate syrup. Second time in two weeks I had to ask for chocolate ice cream. Seriously…4−5 scoops of chocolate ice cream, a shot or two of syrup and some cream to make it not too thick! Service is awful and the attitude is horrible.

A new décor at Friendly’s but some of the wait staff… suck. We used to go there at least 2 – 3 times a week but our last visit has pretty much killed that. We order beverages then dinner, my clam chowder comes out in a newly designed tiny bowl with mostly potatoes and very little clams, definitely not worth $ 5.00. Next my wifes dinner arrives, mine doesn’t when I asked when my dinner would be coming out the waitress tells me I didn’t order anything but yet when I DID order she asked me if I wanted the fries…
So we will not be going back to Friendly’s anytime soon, just left us disgusted. …

So a new Friendly’s ice cream shop opened up at the marina in Norwich. We have been excited to try it out all week as it is very close to our house and when we saw online that they are open till 10 PM every night we were very excited. Last night we went down there at 9 PM to find the place completely closed and with no signs about their hours of operation. This is very disappointing. And I hope a Unilocal entry is added so we can review this new satellite ice cream shop at the Marina of Norwich, in the shadow of the old Puts Up Dock.
On the flipside however we had a coupon for a buy one get one sundae, so we decided to visit the Friendly’s in W. Town St. The service there was very good and quick and our sundaes were a good quality. I would’ve given them a five star review but I’m going to hold it back until we can actually review the satellite ice cream shop at the marina.

Went with my father for a quick lunch, upon entering I could not believe how filthy and the stink! turned around and walked out, the health dpt needs to shut this place down.

My husband grew up in Springfield MA and has a fondness for Friendly’s. We have tried on a couple of occasions to eat in this restaurant and both times have had to leave without service. The first time we were seated but no one acknowledged that we were sitting there and the place was dirty. The 2^nd time was this past Friday night and after waiting in front of the dirty kitchen for at least 5 min a young lady looked at us and said I will be with you then started to take an order from a table :(. The place had a foul smell so we left again. We will not be trying to go there again. The next time he has memories of this place we will drive to Mass!

Having heard «rave» reviews about the hot dogs from a Plainfield/​Norwich local, I knew I just had to get one. The dog itself was pretty standard, but the toasty bun was a nice touch on a cold winter afternoon. When in New England, one must always eat New England chowder, right? The chowder was tasty and had ample clams to potato ratio, but came out luke warm.
The highlight of the meal was clearly the ice cream sundae. The freshly made waffle was absolutely delish! Hopefully I’ll be back someday to try another ice cream creation.

Haven’t been to a Friendly’s in ions and I remember the few things were super happy people serving. Great Ice cream & Burgers and it was always Clean. Since we only ate breakfast here I can only comment on the food and it’s state of decay from a sanitary position.
Found a table in the back and seated that had all the setups like it was ready to be seated but it was filthy. We selected another table then watched the server spray a minimal amount of cleaner on the dirty table give it an abbreviated wipe and move on.
Two breakfasts with coffee were OK coffee very strong like tar is fine but when it tastes burnt out its not. Platters were oily from the grease in the bacon. Water ordered and came with no ice.
Servers were friendly enough but after making a walk to the mens room I noticed the complete and utter mess the kitchen was. I mean make your legs go weak. Almost sorry I ate here.
Food was Ok — coffee awful — service friendly but this was not the place I remember growing up. Cleanliness wise… START OVER no help here without ripping everything out and beginning a new. I doubt Norwich CT will see me any time soon if ever but Pass on this place if you are in the area.

I can honestly say we have not been to a Friendly’s in decades.
Once out if the car, we were greeted by loud music from a speaker attached to the side of the restaurant. They do not have outdoor seating so what is the point other than to create noise where none is required. Dumb!
On to the food:
Our server was very pleasant and answered our menu questions easily. Obviously well trained.
My wife had the tuna melt on rye with fries ($ 8.49) which she said was good.
I had the fish sandwich ($ 7.49) which also came with fries. It was disappointing. The sandwich came on toasted white bread. The fish (assume cod) was deep fried, cheese was added on one side and tartar on the other. The result is the bread on the cheese side is soggy. Not good folks. You need to switch to using a roll.
While waiting for our food I read the triangle ad that is placed on each table. One of the three sides talks about the «New» Friendly’s being improved and cleaner than ever, etc. What I found funny was of the three sides, this side looked like it had not been cleaned in weeks.
Overall — the «New» Friendly’s is pretty much the same as the old version. I guess it will be a few more decades before we try again, if ever. We are starting to run out of decades.
Magoo

I highly recommend nobody eat at this establishment! It is absolutely filthy and the service was not any better. If I could give 0 stars I would. Disgusted!

My girlfriend, best friend, his wife, and I went to Friendly’s ice cream to have a quick breakfast after a long night at the Casino. Upon our arrival, we were ignored by the hostess as they were attending to leaving customers that were paying. We waited for about 10 minutes until we were asked if we needed help and seated, even though the restaurant was not busy. When we were seated, it seemed as if not a soul had bothered to clean the walls… ever! There was crayon written on the walls from brats before us. The sugar caddie was about a quarter filled and also looked as if it had never been touched with at least a wet rag.
We all ordered coffee and my girlfriend ordered orange juice. After a bit of a wait, a different waitress came back and informed us that the orange juice was frozen. My girlfriend then ordered apple juice. When the waiter came back with the apple juice, he handed my girlfriend the dirtiest glass I have ever seen with the apple juice in it. The waiter also forgot my drink order. The coffee was brought in a pitcher that was also filthy. It had dried food on the side such as jelly or ketchup, along with other disgusting food splatters.
After we placed our order we waited about 40 minutes. 3 out of 4 of us received our meals. The last member of our party received his meal about 10 minutes later. And of course, his cheeseburger was ordered without mayo, but yet it was swimming in it.
At that point the waiter took the order back and requested the cooks make a new burger. We were so disgusted by this place, we canceled the order and left nauseated. A manager was notified and refunded us our money. While complaining about our «lovely» stay at the restaurant to the manager, we noticed that under the cooler, there was at least 8 months worth of grease and grime that nobody could be bothered to bend over and sweep or mop under.
The Board Of Health and Friendly’s Corporate were contacted and made aware of this Disgusting, filthy, and neglected establishment.

Growing up, I loved Friendly’s, and, because I spent part of that childhood time in Norwich, I loved this Friendly’s in particular. Although a lot of aspects have changed – the décor is the most immediately apparent, having shifted from a divey-​diner to homey – it makes me happy that many things have stayed the same.
Although Friendly’s is known largely for its ice cream, its hot dogs have always been outstanding, representing the New England way of buttering the bun prior to toasting. Of course, the hot dogs are a lot smaller than I remember them. And, of course, the ice cream itself is always appealing. Although it seems like the iconic clown-​head sundae (whatever it was officially called), with its cone hat and M&M eyes, seems to be gone, the more modern, recently introduced «nut caramel waffle sundae» was super tasty and also super cute due to the waffles shaped like hearts. Perhaps the hearts represent my long-​lasting love of this particular location, and I am honored to write its first Unilocal review.
Summary: Friendly’s will never be the best food in town, but it’s comforting to know it’s in town nonetheless.