Friendly’s

One of my best experiences at Friendly’s. Fast seating, friendly server and host. Clean restaurant. Grilled cheese and soup were excellent, tomato basil soup could have been filled higher in the bowl though. Grilled cheese was just like picture showed. Reese sundae was extremely fast and great. It was also filled a little under the rim with the whipped cream, but tasty. A really good experience at a friendly’s. Extremely friendly people working there, good food, fast service, great icecream. What more could u ask for.

Breakfast was wonderful. Sue and I had the Lumberjack breakfast and they did everything well. Kathy our server was attentive, and the new manager greeted customers at their tables. The staff made one family happy with birthday balloons! Wonderful job people.

I hit this Friendly’s 9 – 10 times a year for about a decade, so it has a soft spot in my heart, but I will try to be unbiased.
I hadn’t been in for a year, and either I don’t remember the renovations or they just stuck out this time, but the restaurant itself looks much better, cleaner, and brighter than I ever remember.
While we were eating I saw a server cleaning, and was impressed– not just tables, but chairs, doors, windows, handles, pretty much all service areas. I know this is expected but I feel like it’s not something you actually see. This server was conversational and friendly to boot (without disrupting our meal).
The meals themselves were what I expected– a decent burger and freezer onion rings for me, and freezer fried shrimp and French fries for my friend. Not bad when you know what you’re getting. Honestly as cheap burgers go, Friendly’s never bothers me.
Only mistake was our ice cream– I’m allergic to cherries and clearly asked to go without but the server put one on anyway, and simply remarked «oops, it’s just a habit.» I understand that, but it also could literally kill me. Not super encouraging.
You get what you pay for at Friendly’s. Great for kids or a cheap meal. Way to go with the upgrades, F’s.

I tried the hunka chunka peanut butter fudge ice cream today. It was packed with the good stuff and really delicious!

When we walked in, there was no hostess present. Ok, no big deal. We waited a second, a few employees walked by did not greet us or let us know it would be a minute let alone acknowledge us. FINALLY a girl at the register (who was later our waitress) said hello and that someone would be right with us. Finally someone came out to seat us.
Our waitress came to help us and apologized for the wait which was nice, she was very nice! We ordered the loaded waffle fries which were okay. We ordered ice cream and when our sundaes came they were mixed up and the toppings were wrong, she took them back, about 10 minutes later they were brought back out and were clearly fresh but still mixed up and wrong, so she took them back once again and by that time about 30 minutes later she brought them back and had done them herself so they had came out right. She was very sweet and checked on us a lot, but with the inconvenience of the mix up, the un «friendly» environment and how filthy it was, we won’t be going back.

This place is great for kids. I loved when I was a kid and my son loves now! They have a really cool kids menu with 2 size variations. They are reasonably priced and include drink mean and ice cream. I always end up getting the same thing — honey BBQ super melt. It has always been my go to and it never disappoints. I am not a dessert eater, but I know everyone enjoys Friendly’s ice cream and they have a large selection that will suite just about anyone’s sweet tooth.
The atmosphere is as to be expected for a chain. This South Portland location has had a fairly recent renovation to update to the latest Friendly’s style. The servers are always nice when I go and we get our food pretty quickly and the price is reasonable… for my son and I we ate dinners and had ice cream for under $ 20.

What a New England tradition, great stop for dessert after a Mexican dinner. Jessica (our server) gets 5 stars as she took 3 custom orders and they all were spot on.
On the negative side, the cleanup before closing was disconcerting, especially dusting while eating.

We went there for breakfast today a saturday morning about 930. There were onky 2 maybe 3 other tables eating there. We were greeted by a our server who seemed nice and genuinely pleasant. We ordered waters which took about 10 minutes to get. They didnt offer or ask if our child wanted a beverage so we ordered a closed container of water also. Our server came back and took our order. The section we were in began to fill up and they didnt seat people in other parts of the restaurant so it seemed crowded 6 booths all filled in one little area than a wide open restaurant. It took about 15 minutes for us to get 4 scrambled eggs and 2 yogurt parfaits. The coffee we both ordered was cold and watered down didnt even taste like coffee. The dish of sugar that was brought was not stocked. Our food came out and we had these little spoons that barely reach down the yogurt glass. The yogurt tasted gritty and artificial like it was made from a powder or something, definitely not like the real stuff I buy in stores. There were like 3 grapes in each cup and 1 tiny piece of granola. Hardly a fruit and granola yogurt parfait by any standards. The eggs were lukewarm. Total bill was 20 bucks plus tip, highly disappointed and definitely wont return.

No wonder this place only has s three star rating. When we ordered our ice cream they gave it to us in a dish not the normal glass.
When asked they told us they just washed the glasses and are to hot for ice cream. There were very few people in the place and you can’t tell me they used them all before we came in.
We did not get the amount of ice cream and topping like we should have and yet were charged full price.
We will NOT be going back there ever again.

My friends that grew up in the area laughed when I said I wanted to try Friendly’s. I finally decided to give this chain a shot, and I was not disappointed. Being from the Midwest, this place reminded me of a Denny’s, Steak N Shake, Culver’s, Sonic, or a local diner. This menu isn’t too big but still offers enough variety. Friendly’s is known for their dessert (more on that later), but also has a nice selection of sandwiches, wraps, basic entrees, salads, some seafood, and appetizers. I had the highly hyped Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwich, which was very tasty.
When I was there, they had a $ 11.99 full meal special, which I highly recommend, if it is still available. It came with a drink (I had the limited time Mango Ice Tea), an entrée, and a Happy Ending (2 scoop sundae with one topping — AMAZING).
I’m not much of a dessert guy, but the ice cream here was delicious. It was so smooth and creamy. I’d probably avoid the ice cream if you’re on a diet, because it’s impossible to stop until it’s all gone. I had a birthday cake flavor, my roommate had the Maple Walnut flavor, and both were out of this world.
The waitress I had was Jenna, who was great! She was sweet, polite, checked on us often (but not too often where it would be annoying), and had some conversation with us when she wasn’t cleaning tables. She also knew every single flavor of ice cream off the top of her head (and there’s a lot of flavors). She’s honestly the reason this place got 5-​stars from me instead of 4. I don’t know if all the staff is like this, but she was an absolute pleasure and made my first (and hopefully not last) time at Friendly’s a wonderful experience

I have been to Friendly’s many times throughout my years and you can usually expect the same kind of visit. There will almost always be a gaggle of teenage girls who had been or were about to go shopping at the mall. Little kids with their family screaming at the top of their lungs. Elderly people who are there to share the soup and salad. In that respect Friendly’s is like it’s name, friendly albeit loud. Their menu changes with the seasons but for the most part you know what your options are. About 20 seconds after the hostess, who seemed kind of aloof, sat us the waitress was already there to take our order. Having not even had time to read two full sentences off the menu we were not quite ready to order but felt pressure and I ordered a Sprite… I never drink Sprite, and asked to spend some time with the menu. This particular day I was feeling like consuming a well deserved cheeseburger. My favorite kind of cheeseburger is mushroom swiss and just my luck they now had that exact order on their menu. My mother ordered a turkey club. It took about 30 minutes to get our food after our order had been placed. I know this isn’t exactly a «fast food» joint but I don’t think I had ever had that long of a wait. The waitress had not once checked on us from the time we ordered until we got our food. My burger was overdone. I ordered medium well and it was for sure well done. There was a spattering of fries on my plate also overdone and cold to boot. My mother’s turkey club looked amazing and her mountain of fries were still warm and much less crispy on the ends. I ate them instead of my own. I had lunch envy. I was glad she got a good meal but I was left feeling very underwhelmed. The waitress disappeared for a good solid 25 minutes before coming back. By then we were more than ready for our check. Overall this was not my best trip to Friendly’s, but I didn’t expect anything spectacular. If you are looking for a kid friendly place and an average to below average american meal, this is your place. It is always affordable though so that is a plus. Sorry Friendly’s, I am just not a fan.

It’s a Friendly’s, and there was probably a reason you haven’t been to one in a few years, but you completely forgot what that reason was when a little devil whispered in your ear during your drive home after a particularly exhausting evening.
«You know you want a Reese’s Cup Friend-​Z, right now,» she whispered. «No, I really don’t need one!» you protested, «It’s almost 10 o’clock, there’s still 30 minutes until I’m home, and I need to get to bed!»
Sometimes you just can’t win with the devil… and that’s how we ended up here, unplanned, on a Saturday night. I did get my Friend-​Z, and it tasted exactly like I remember: high school summers and bubblegum pop.

If you grew up in New England chances are you are familiar with Friendly’s, their diner style, and of course their delicious ice cream.
No matter how developed my «palate» is I will always have a soft spot in my heart and stomach for Friendly’s classic grilled cheese and fries and their peanut butter cup sundae. The grilled cheese is made with that thick sour dough perfectly grilled with that orangey, gooey, creamy cheese in the middle and crispy french fries. It just hits the spot and brings me back to my childhood every time. The peanut butter cup sundae doesn’t need too much describing: choice of ice cream. hot fudge, peanut butter sauce, whipped cream, chocolate jimmies, a whole peanut butter cup and a cherry on top. Nuff’ said.
I recently had a post movie craving for the grilled cheese and sundae and my «partner in dine» and I ventured here to fulfill that desire.
A quick aside: For whatever reason I always get grossed out by their kitchen and staff. I don’t know what it is exactly, but whenever I glance over I see a sweaty, hairy, miserable looking guy slamming plates in the expo window. I almost wish they didn’t have the kitchen slightly open to the public to view. At places like this, ignorance is bliss. I’ve worked in restaurants for my entire life and totally get «working the line» (I myself am of the Greek furry kind and have had my share of perspiration issues in the kitchen), but I still get can’t the icky feeling that their kitchen isn’t clean. As I digress…
The grilled cheese and fries was its constant tasty self but it is my ice cream ordering experience that I will NEVER forget.
When our waitress asked us if we were interested in ice cream we of course responded with: «Yes, we will have a peanut butter cup sundae». The sundae normally comes with 3 scoops of ice cream and since I try to live a somewhat healthier lifestyle with some moderation, I asked if I could get just two scoops instead.
Waitress Response:
«It’s going to be an EXTRA charge to get less scoops, you’re better off getting the 3 scoops or ordering it with 5.»
My response:
«Wait a second. It’s going to cost me MORE money to get LESS ice cream?! Are you serious?»
Waitress Response:
«Yep. It’s an extra charge to get the sundae with less than 3 scoops.»
I simply couldn’t wrap my head around this. It’s LESS food, LESS work for the kitchen, and I have to pay MORE for it?
The waitress said it’s company policy and there is no way around it. I can’t possibly understand from a restaurant perspective how this makes any sense whatsoever. Not food cost, not labor cost, not promoting healthier eating. Nothing fit.
I was stunned, confused, and speechless. It may not make sense to any of you but for principle’s sake (I believe the customer should generally get what they want within reason) I laughingly told her I’d pay the charge because I really didn’t need the 3 scoops and I didn’t want the temptation to eat the extra ice cream. (I’m kind of a finish your plate kind of guy).
We enjoyed the sweet ice cream but I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth. Friendly’s, where you pay MORE for LESS.

To experience the East coast, you must eat what East Coasters eat. My East Coast friends took me to Friendly’s one night to experience a cold treat that East Coasters enjoy. Friendly service, clean restaurant.
My recommendations:
— Fresh red velvet waffle cones
— Pistachio
— Loaded waffle fries
My only qualm about this place is that they are not open past midnight for my late night cravings!

One of the best breakfasts around.
I hadn’t been to a Friendly’s in years, since they don’t exist in Texas, so I was looking forward to returning. They’ve really updated the chain in the last few years, which is ironic considering that they went for a retro diner feel. This particular one was very clean and well-​lit. The music was audible, but not too loud.
The staff that morning consisted of one waitress and the kitchen staff. The waitress was exceedingly friendly and prompt to our needs. But let me tell ya: whoever was working the grill that morning NAILED it. Our whole breakfast was cooked perfectly: crispy bacon, eggs the right texture and temperature, fluffy pancakes, and the home fries were crispy outside and soft inside.
Would definitely go back if I’m in the Portland area, and will have to try a lunch or dinner sometime.

No trip home is complete without a trip to Friendly’s for ice cream. This was the go to spot on half days in high school and I swear the same waitresses work there now that did back then, poor dears.

This place was decent. I was excited to try this ‘East Coast’ ice cream spot. Had an extra thick shake, which was decent but could have been a lot thicker for my tastes. Friendly staff, and good service.