Friendly's - Elmwood Park

I ordered the burger with mac and cheese and a side of honey BBQ sauce, and it absolutely blew my mind and tantalized my taste buds! It was hands down the best burger I’ve ever had. The menu was extensive and diverse, almost to the point of being overwhelming. Our waitress was incredibly patient and had a great attitude. For dessert, I tried the hunka chunka lava cake and swapped the ice cream for the barking pretzel, which was genuinely life-changing. The bathrooms were very clean, and the service was fast. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here and will definitely be coming back!

I miss my local Friendly's and some of the discontinued menu items, but I'm grateful that I can still visit a Friendly's within a 30-minute drive. It used to be a neighborhood staple that we could walk to. The Elmwood Park location is clean, spacious, and has a modern yet retro vibe, with friendly and accommodating managers and staff. Our server, Jazzlyn, was great. It was a tough night for the staff to work—July 4th—and our local fireworks were postponed until the next night, so we made the trip. On our way out, we could see and hear their fireworks. Despite the circumstances, the staff made our evening enjoyable.

I went there for ice cream, but I really should have chosen a different place. The restaurant was quite dirty and in disrepair. The bathrooms were absolutely disgusting—I’ve seen gas stations that were cleaner. Two urinals were broken, and only one of the two stalls was usable, but it was clogged with waste. I can't believe they were out of hot fudge and chocolate syrup; that’s pretty much a staple for any ice cream place. And what’s up with the paper cups? Are they out of glassware too? The place wasn't even busy. This will definitely be my last visit with the family.

Service deserves no stars. When I first walked in a server immediately asked if I was picking up. I told him I wanted to place an order to go. I stood at the counter for 10 minutes watching a server playing on her phone while occasionally glancing at me before anyone came over. I ordered a Sunday that wasn’t complicated but yet they still got it wrong!! Service doesn’t even get a star in my book. The manager should be ashamed at themselves! The place wasn’t even that busy!!

Waitress is smart fast and cheerful, burger is the best and the ice cream most popular you should try