Bites Nearby: Friendly's

You could stand on a corner and look around until a restaurant sign draws you in. But we've got a better idea. Each week, Patch picks a great restaurant either in town or nearby that is worth checking out. Here's this week's choice:

Friendly’s 

Overview: Friendly’s is the poster board example of a family restaurant with ice cream, crane games and even balloons. This is the perfect place to celebrate a birthday, a graduation, or just because.

Decor: Friendly’s is brightly lit with hanging lamps over every booth and around all of the tables. The booths take up the perimeter of the restaurant and tables take up most of the inside. The walls are bright and accented with a maroon color, which is also accented on the booths and chairs at the tables.

The Drinks: Friendly’s has general soft drinks like Pepsi, Sprite, root beer, lemonade, and fresh brewed (unsweetened) iced tea. They also have milk, hot chocolate, juice, hot tea, and coffee. There are fountain drinks like fribbles, floats, milk shakes, and smoothies. For kids Friendly’s also has a shirley temple, royal razz and cotton candy.

Appetizers: The appetizers are called ‘munchies’ and can consist of food such as mozzarella sticks, onion rings, loaded potato skins, quesadillas, and chicken strips. There is also something called ‘create your own munchies mania’ where you can pick three from the nine appetizers and combine them to eat.

Entrees (there are only a few named in each category)

Breakfast:

• Super Sizzlin’ Combo: Two eggs (cooked the way you like it), two strips of bacon and two links of sausage.
• Lumber jack breakfast: Three farm-fresh eggs cooked to order, served with bacon or sausage and your choice of three fluffy pancakes, three slices of golden French toast or a muffin.
• ‘Sweet Creations’ breakfast which can involve pancakes, French toast, and fruit toppings as well as flavored syrups.

Lunch/Dinner:

SuperMelt sandwiches:

• Chicken Bruschetta Mozzarella SuperMelt -Tender balsamic vinaigrette-grilled chicken breast layered with juicy bruschetta tomatoes, lettuce, and two thick slices of mozzarella cheese on Ciabatta bread lightly grilled with our special Italian blend of Parmesan, Asiago and Romano cheeses.
• Steak 'n Mushroom SuperMelt-Savory steak strips sautéed with portabella mushrooms topped with melted Swiss cheese and roasted red pepper garlic sauce on grilled honey-dill bread.
• Tuna Salad SuperMelt -Freshly prepared Albacore tuna salad, melted American cheese and tomato on thick-sliced, freshly grilled sourdough bread.

Steak and Seafood:

• Juicy sirloin steak tips brushed with a Worcestershire steak glaze and topped with sautéed onions, green peppers and baby Portabella mushrooms, on a bed of rice or mashed potatoes with garden vegetables and grilled garlic bread.
• New England Fish 'n' Chips: Five pieces of savory tavern-battered cod fillets served golden brown with fries, cole slaw, tartar sauce, and fresh lemon.

Chicken Strips and Burgers:

• Signature Chicken Strips Entree: Enjoy their country-breaded, tender, juicy, all-white chicken breast strips served with cole slaw and your choice of honey mustard or BBQ sauce.
• Create Your Own Chicken Entree: Choose two flavors of their signature all-white chicken breast strips: Original, Honey BBQ or Kickin' Buffalo™! Served with cole slaw.
• All American Burger: Enjoy the classic, thick and juicy Big Beef burger with crisp lettuce, fresh tomato, red onion and mayo. Add cheese, bacon, or another burger patty for additional cost(s).

For the Kids:

• Mac & Cheese
• Friendly’s Grilled Cheese
• Cheeseburger Sliders
• Friendly’ Chicken Fingers
• Cheese Quesadilla
• Friendly Frank
• Mini Mozzarella Sticks
• Cheesy Mac & Frank

Desserts

• Royal Banana Split:  Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry ice cream between a split banana. Topped with chocolate, marshmallow, strawberry or pineapple, walnuts & sprinkles.
• Jim Dandy: Five scoops of ice cream, strawberry or pineapple, marshmallow & chocolate topping, a split-fresh banana, sprinkles & walnuts.
• Forbidden Fudge Brownie: Three scoops of Forbidden Chocolate ice cream, brownie chunks, sprinkles, hot fudge & Swiss chocolate.
• Butterfinger Sundae (Contains Peanuts): Three scoops of Vanilla ice cream, caramel & crushed Butterfinger pieces.
• Mint Cookie Crunch: Three scoops of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream with Oreo cookie pieces & hot fudge.
• Reese's Pieces Sundae (contains peanuts): Five scoops of Vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, marshmallow, hot fudge & Reese's Pieces candy.
• Strawberry Shortcake: Three scoops of Vanilla ice cream with chunks of vanilla pound cake & strawberry topping.
• Ultimate Cookies 'n Cream: Three scoops of Cookies ‘n Cream ice cream smothered with hot fudge & Oreo cookie pieces.
• Giant Crowd Pleaser:
• Twelve scoops of rich, delicious ice cream and six of your favorite Friendly’s toppings.
• Caramel Fudge Brownie Sundae: A warm Oreo brownie covered with three scoops of Vanilla ice cream & two scoops of Forbidden Chocolate ice cream topped with hot fudge and caramel.
• Nuts Over Caramel Lava Cake Sundae: Caramel-filled warm chocolate cake framed by three scoops of Nuts Over Caramel ice cream, caramel topping, drizzled hot fudge & almonds.
• Forbidden Chocolate Lava Cake Sundae: Hot fudge-filled warm chocolate cake, framed by three scoops of Forbidden Chocolate ice cream, Swiss chocolate topping & Swiss Miss cocoa powder.

You can also make your own sundaes by choosing the size, flavor, and topping for your own unique tastes.

Service: The wait to order can be a bit long but the staff always greets you with a smile. Since it is a family type restaurant, the wait staff tries to help the families out with orders for the children and the parents themselves. Sometimes, though, they get so caught up with the families that the people who are there, such as couples or friends, might get ignored. However this is not intentional and the staff is always apologetic if it happens.

Signature Dish: The $9.99 and $11.99 ‘create your own Friendly’s meal’. Pick a drink, an entrée and a sundae for either price. Entrée options vary between prices.

Address: 150 Jericho Turnpike

Cost: $-$$