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Mon-Thu. 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sat. 12:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 12:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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french toast slathered in nutella?? whaaaat .. im there. O H MY this was good. i think it was a special though, not on the regular menu.
food was great. service was ok - spotty at best, i think our waitress forgot about us for a half hour. didnt get refills on my coffee, and the first cup i got had a teaspoon of coffee grounds in the bottom - kinda nasty. a lot of people on here talk of waiting outside etc - i guess we timed it right, got in - sat down - ordered food and when we looked outside there was a line of people waiting for a table. the food was all good, and its definitely a place i would suggest for breakfast. the place didn't have a super-clean feel to it, but it did seem as clean as any other diner that bangs out thousands of meals without a blink. try to get there early (8am-ish?)
Yeah, I no longer have any qualms about docking a star or two, because the service just sucks that bad. As I was finishing up my last day of a class in Portsmouth, I figured I'd call ahead and put in a take-out order and bring some Omar's Scramble home for my better half.
So when I called in to place my order, I was told that they were just too busy to do take out orders that morning...
Nice. Yes, we, a restaurant, are too busy able to handle people ordering food. You people are fucking brilliant...
By the way, I'd also like to add a shout-out to my douchetastic hipster waiter who couldn't be bothered to write up the bill in anything other than incoherent chicken scratching, making it completely unsuitable to be submitted for reimbursement.
Oh Friendly Toast, how I long to dock you a star or two because of how bad your service sucks.
Of…
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After the first time I went here I was hooked on the place. All day breakfast menu and open Friday until Sunday night! I always wanted to just hike up there at 3am on Saturday. Haven't done that yet.
Not sure what all the fuss is about with the waitstaff because they have been very chipper and helpful when I venture there. This isn't a "TGI-RubyBees" people, that is what makes the joint unique.
Only time I don't recommend going unless you are willing to wait on an empty stomach is on a Saturday or Sunday morning during the summer. It's quite popular during that time.
Generous portions and a fair price. One request I have is more vegan options, they do have 2-3 vegan dishes but it would be peachy if they would offer one vegan breakfast option!!
One of my favorite places in the whole entire world.
A bit pricey, I guess...but the portions are generous (I almost always have something to take home).
Best atmosphere and really creative, delicious and varied food(s).
Probably best at 2am. And you will always leave smelling like the food that you ate.
http://www.seacoastonl...
Has anyone seen this?
I want to say I do not have sympathy for poor money management.
But, for putting any sort of weight on paying employees comparable wages... just don't do it.
Those employees work 20 times harder than any other restaurant employee.
I went in today after I saw the article. The Friendly Toast owes it's success to their employees. My waiter today was tremendous and friendly -- and had the business' back when I asked about the article.
I am not talking just waitstaff -- you can see the cooks clearly, you can even see the dish dogs. You don't see the motivation (and almost love) for a place of work as much as what is clear from these individuals.
I had a delicious lunch. Everything was perfect.
Support this business, for the employees.
We were between here and Popovers on the Square and we chose wrong. I'm not really a service snob. I don't get real antsy when my water doesn't get filled, I understand that the eggs on my plate aren't just going to appear there but honestly, this was bad. We waited for 45 minutes and then after we sat down, we didn't get our food for another hour. Nothing tastes real great after you go into "I need my breakfast or I'm going to eat my hand" meltdown but this was just bad. The ingredients didn't taste fresh, every dish seemed to miss something, and it wasn't exactly cheap.
Just a very bad experience all the way around. Go get yourself a popover instead.
I would def substitute for sweet potato french fries!! And I would def ask for NO salt on them. My goodness gracious those were salty. I would say good thing you get free soda fountain refills but oooh too bad our waitress didn't come back til the end of our meal for that offer. Spotty service indeed!
Prices were ok- $10 for a cheeseburger and slap onnan extra $1.50 for sweet po fries or onion rings.
overall MEH I would prob go somewhere else next time in Portsmouth
Good place for poor college/grad school students.
One of those places where I'd go on a Sunday morning for some pancakes after a long night of partying hard @ UNH.
Moderately priced, decent portion size.
Service is slow at times.
Parking can be fairly difficult if there are no spaces in the lot behind the restaurant.
Not the most spectacular looking or the best food, but you get what you pay for.
Real good if you're starving/drunk/hungover.
They're open. After being closed for about three weeks of electrical and plumbing repairs and assorted maintenance, Friendly Toast is open and there was a line to get in this weekend. One downside to their shutdown is that some of the staff left and that's probably why people were outside waiting to get in, even though there were empty tables inside.
It's not my favorite Portsmouth breakfast spot because I live in town and there are other places with better, cheaper food and no waiting. But this is my first choice for breakfast with out of town friends because it's so different and the food is okay. There's the kitsch overload, the menu that tries too hard, and the servers with enough ink and attitude to qualify for a tragically hip award. But you don't notice on your first few visits, so the tourists love it.
Yeah, I'm a fan and I'm glad to recommend it. But it's not for everybody or every breakfast. Latest newspaper article: http://www.seacoastonl...
Quick edit - the office got breakfast from FT today & the order was screwed up. Come on, guys. It's hard to support you if you can't get it together.
We went with a large group on a Sunday morning & we only waited a few minutes. That is really… Read more »
I have two friends, one in Boston and one in NYC. The NYC friend has someone say to her, "hey, you go to Portsmouth. Ever been to the Friendly Toast? Its great!". She says no and emails the Boston friend and says, "why haven't we ever gone there" which is promptly forwarded to me, the Portsmouth host. The following is my response:
To: Boston/NYC friends
Re: Friendly toast? wtf?
Why? Hmm...let me think about that. Probably because I didn't think you wanted to go have mediocre food off of dirty plates with dirty silverware out of decaying (oohhh but so retroie cool) plastic cups from servers with black dirt pressed under their fingernails. (yes this happened...something I noticed after prying hardened egg off of my knife...). Granted its kitchy with the wonder bread this and the cool 60s toys that, but I guess I'm over it.
The Friendly toast first opened as a small organic place in Dover in the early 90s. I lived around the corner. Then it moved to Kittery above the now famed Danish "health" spa and expanded to serve liquor with full bar and pinball machines. Now we're talking! Now its in downtown, is a hit with everyone and their brother and I just can't figure out why.
Sure, its OK. Pricey but OK. Some good ingredients and an extensive menu with good breads. The service is slow. The atmosphere kid friendly (and there will be kids if you're there before 8pm) and eclectic. I don't mind the tattoos and multiple piercing group, just please wash your hands!
Its good like a dirty truck stop trip for a christian school girl. All new and intriguing the first time, but it just gets more depressing and dirty the more often you go.
Wow!
What a cool place for breakfast.
It's pretty big inside, and yet we still found that a Friday morning was packed. You walk in, grab a menu and sit where you can...simple and easy. The menu was amazing, so many good looking items...but we were there for breakfast dammit!
The staff is friendly...no pun intended...it was busy though, and service was a tad slow, nothing major. Looks to be owned and run by all existing hipsters in Portsmouth, this place would fit in better in Brooklyn...sandwiched inbetween a tattoo parlor and fixie bike shop. I digress...
The food was great, I had the tofu scramble with the shockingly thick homemade wheat toast. My only complaint if any I guess would be that the tofu in my scramble was afirm tofu...the texture just didn't seem to fit well in a scrambled egg substituted dish...I personally thought a medium firmness would suit the dish better. Also, that my stomach is too small to eat everything that looks good there. I walked by another table, and saw a little girl m&m pancakes, they looked awesome.
Despite the RAVE reviews below, I will give you all an eye-opener. This place blows for several reasons.
1. Overpriced for what it actually is. I paid 9.50 for a greek omlet with toast and hash browns. I come from a place where DINERS rule and you can get a HUGE omlet with toast, coffee, juice, SAUSAGE or BACON, and hash browns for far less than 9.50.
2. Inconsistency. Ive been there twice. First time I went, my friend and I ordered breakfast and coffee. We got a 2nd refill on the coffee and were charged for it. Who charges for coffee refills??? The 2nd time we went - a guy walked around filling up everyones coffee SEVERAL times. And we were only charged for 2 coffees. Weird.
3. The waitstaff is filthy. They actually smell. Not only that, the clothes they wear must not get washed because it appeared that a waitress had stains all over her clothes. Now, I come from NYC - so grungy, hipsters are the norm in the hood of Brooklyn that I lived in. But, at least they bathed and dressed semi-decent. The overall attitude that comes from them is nuts - total wanna be hipsters with chips the size of Hondas on their shoulders for no reason. Well I would have a chip if I had to work and live in that town too. Oh well.
4. I got sick to my stomach when i got home from my last TOAST breakfast. My husband warned me, as one of his friends has worked there for the past few years and told HIM - DO NOT EAT HERE IT IS DISGUSTING, I SEE HOW/WHAT THEY COOK. And he actually warned me about it too. I should have taken his advice, because still til this moment I feel ILL. Not puking or crapping, but heavily ILL. Like stomach flu ILL. I can imagine where it came from. The ketchup bottle looked like it was 6 years old, the crust that had formed around the bottle top was heinous.
So all you tourists and local nutjobs. Go ahead, feel free to indulge in this dirty overpriced tourist trap that has angry trite pseudo-hipsters serving greasy cheap overpriced food that makes you sick. Ive had my last meal there.
Anything less than five-stars is heresy. The next restaurant that even comes close is almost 400-miles away in Philly. It's hard to find even one item in this place that isn't unique and delightful... and the exceptions prove the rule. Unlike most of the North-East, the Toast is open 24-hours (!!!) on Friday and Saturdays. That alone is a gem.
If you're new, and even I am still a noob, then take time to look over the menu. It's huge, and the group I hit this place up with hasn't found anything that didn't taste phenomenal. I have two complaints: you can't eat everything in one sitting; it price feels like a bit of a markup.
The coffee is a step up from a standard pancake house, but there are many more drinks to choose from. Supplement your drinking experience.
Service: 6 out of 5 stars. North-East edge with a bit o' that shirefolk weirdness that makes Portsmouth a stop all its own.
A final tip, bring a group. Split up plates to maximize the experience, and take smoke breaks outside to let some of it digest. You'll still have leftovers, and be thankful for them once you've woken up from the food coma.
I want to air-lift the whole place down to Austin, TX so that it's not half-a-country away most the time.
Oh friendly toast - how do i love thee...
u have hipster waitstaff with lots of tattoos
u have tasty breakie which i love so much
ah - if you were only closer...
Enjoyed a late breakfast at The Friendly Toast on Monday morning. The service was sub-par (a frequent issue, according to my boyfriend who lived in Portsmouth for two years), but the food was overall great. The $5 smoothie (raspberry-mango for us) was gigantic and great for sharing. My enormous pumpkin pancake was delicious, and adding Raisinettes was creative, but slightly overkill in sweetness. My bacon was a bit dry/overcooked as well. The decor is unique and funky, and the music was nothing short of awesome.
So here's my spiel on The Friendly Toast... I used to swear by this place as the best basic breakfast in town, but lately I've been left a little flat. The kitsch-inspired kitchen is always an interesting place to stop if for no other reason that to break away from the norm, but choosing the Toast for a staple meal has lately been like playing culinary Russian Roulette.
Let me say this first: if you are looking for some place to nurse a hangover, or a late-night pit stop after hitting the bars, the Friendly Toast will probably seem like a godsend. However, on sober time, I find that the greasy and often charred food coupled with the completely apathetic waitstaff leave a bit to be desired. Maybe that's harsh, I had a good waiter once... that one time.
Additionally, the Toast is not cheap. A basic breakfast can cost about 10 bucks... similarly, just a simple side of onion rings is $9.99. And though you may sometimes hit the kitchen at their A game (because let's face it, we all enjoy indulging in a good grease ball occasionally), there seems to be just too many times that their B or C... or D team is on the floor.
All in all, give it a shot if you're not looking for gourmet. If nothing else, the bizzarro-world decor is worth checking out. And get the cheesy fries (bleu and brie cheeses with a strawberry habanero sauce)... so far that's the one dish I've had done with any consistency.
I was just there again last week and it was just OK. I was really looking forward to it and the service was unbelievably slow...and for no apparent reason. It was not busy and our server was just kind of bopping around.
The food was pretty good, but also a little off. Hope it was just a bad day...
I really like this place. They have a grilled cheese that is too die for. Until now, I would have to… Read more »
I love The Friendly Toast. I first went there about eleven years ago when the girl I was dating at the time took me. The food is almost always excellent, the decor is one of a kind, and I love the wait staff there.
I only have a few caveats. I love that it's open all night on the weekends, but there are some things they won't serve you after midnight. The shakes and smoothies at The Friendly Toast are amazing, but if you get there after midnight, they won't make you one. They claim it takes too long. Same with some food items, like anything with hollandaise sauce (so you can't get their amazing smoked salmon benedict, either). Plus, it's PACKED and LOUD after midnight. They turn the music up way too loud, which makes everyone yell to communicate. The service sometimes gets a little too slow. Some of the customers get drunker than they ought. If you like that kind of scene or have never experienced it, definitely check it out after midnight. Otherwise, go in the middle of the afternoon when it's fairly empty and you can get anything you want from the menu.
The other thing is that Yelp claims The Friendly Toast is wheelchair accessible. Most of it is, you can roll right in fairly easily (the two sets of double doors to enter are a pain but manageable for me), but the bathrooms are minuscule and a wheelchair definitely won't fit. I wish they would have addressed this when they were making renovations recently. However, if you are there during the day when Pesce Blue, the seafood restaurant two doors up the street, is open, they are very gracious about letting disabled people use their very spacious bathroom.
Overall, The Friendly Toast has great food and is great fun. I only recently started going there again after not having been for several years and it's hardly changed. I hope it stands for many years to come.
Friendly Toast probably deserves 3.5 stars. If you can get pass the funky decor and the servers who are sometimes just as funky you'll have a great breakfast.
Stopped in this place on my first trip to portsmouth and was pleasently surprised. The decor and diner in general are all very retro. The food was good, with huge portions. I got an omlet and the GF ordered pumpkin pancakes. Both were very good. They didn't have keilbasa on the menu for an omlet and the price was kinda high for what you actually get (~12 for an omlet). But, if you want to have breakfast at a different type of place check this out. I don't think I'd go there every day if I lived in the area though after the novelty wears off.
I wish there was a Friendly Toast near me! I adore this place: quirky decor and interesting food menu. We got a pancake that was the size of a vinyl record. It was huge (and delicious)! I got the scrambled eggs with salmon (forget what is it called), and it was great!
I'd go there every weekend if I lived near it.
I've been going here for a few years now. I suck for never giving it some praise on Yelp. I love this place. I'm not sure where the hate is coming from because I've never seen/smelled any of these dirty, smelly, hipsters working there. They waitstaff has always been great on all of my visits. The food is delicious, the portions generous and the numerous vegetarian options get the thumbs up. The only place i'll dine at in Portsmouth.
I love looking over my shoulder to see a human child shaped plastic doll mounted on a wall, staring at me, judging me (perhaps) as I sit down for an afternoon breakfast with my Bradling.
The Friendly Toast is full of odd kitsch, happy diners, peace, and tasty food.
Although it looked quite busy, we were seated right away at a table by the front window, which later resulted in an awkward encounter with a weird dude on the street. Weirdo decided to come charging across the street and jump up on the bench in front of the restaurant to glare at us. Whatever, he was wearing shorts in December and had a bad hair dye job.
The menu is intense and offers a multitude of breakfast and non-breakfast items. I wanted eggies and I selected a lovely greek scramble. It had feta, spinach, kalamata olives, and my most favorite sundried tomatoes. I love those guys, so chewy and sweet mmm...
B decided to go for an omelette with bacon and was pleased to see that brie was a cheese option. We love brie in all it's French, creamy, rindy goodness. Along side our eggs there were some tasty, yet peppery home fries. The texture was much like scalloped potatoes, but that was fine with me. We both also selected the special bread of the day which was an apple pecan. The slices were hearty and the pecan bits were visible, but I didn't taste any apple.
Our server was pleasant, although a bit aloof. We were unsure if we were supposed to give our payment to her or bring it to the front counter. We decided to just bring it up front where they had some very yummy honey taffy treats for us to enjoy.
Back in the day, this place was great. The servers were friendly, the owner stopped by in her cute rain boots to make sure the food was delicious, and the food actually was delicious. And now? The service has declined slightly, as has the food, but this place is still worth four stars.
Here's the deal with the servers, I'm pretty sure: They don't like stupid people. If you know what you want, don't ask silly questions, and don't make a million demands, then you get treated great. If you're a dick, spill your shake all over yourself then demand another one - free of charge - you'll probably get your food with a side of boogers. But isn't that common sense?
I love the french toast made with Grand Marnier and topped with orange marmalade. I love the hash brown plate that just comes with pieces of whatever they've cooked on the grill that day mixed into it. And yes, there are a million other good choices for food here, but they're slipping my mind.
Would I wait longer than 15 minutes for a table? No. Would I bring tourist friends here for breakfast? Yes. Am I still puzzled by the hanging leg in the ceiling? Yes. And I want one for my apartment.
1) Food is pretty good I thought. I've never felt exceptional after going, but it's because I've eaten waaaaay too much. The cheese fries have to be tried, whatever you do.
2) I've been in the ballpark of a half dozen times now, and I don't think I've had a single issue with service.
3) Price is relative. I personally don't think you're paying too much more to feed yourself, if any more at all, than any other place around there. It's downtown Portsmouth for Christ's sake.
I recommend. It's totally not a five star though, all the food's sooooooo heavy. Everything.
90 Reviews! WOW! What's left to stay? A quirky little breakfast place located right in downtown Portsmouth. Expansive menu, offering unique twists on old breakfast favorites, plus lunch too. Very good eggs Benedict (replaced ham with spinach).
A pit pricey but fun to support local business, especially when visiting.
I visited this establishment over the weekend with 5 others and I enjoyed every minute of it.
The place was packed, but we only had to wait about 10 minutes before we were seated. Once we were, out waitress was very attentive and helpful.
The ambience of the place is one of its best assets, in my opinion. Chairs, plates, tables and decor straight outta the 50's and 60's it seems. Amazing.
We ordered one of the Almond Joy pancakes as a sort of appetizer for the table. Delicious. Imagine putting an Almond Joy in your mouth, and then pour in some melted butter and syrup... We cut it like a pizza. Everyone got a slice-- I got 3. BOOYAH!
I ordered this huge omelette with ham, sausage, and bacon in it (!!) with pecans and swiss cheese, I believe. It was amazing, though I shoulda asked for it sans pecans... not a fan. But my own fault. I picked em out and was in breakfast heaven. It came with some delicious homefries too and my choice of toast!! I went with cinnamon raisin swirl cuz I'm a friggin BALLER LIKE THAT.
Oh, they also serve booze. What better way to wash this meal down than with a cotdam Newcastle brown ALE!? AWsum.
It was 11 bones for my meal + 5 for booze buuuut it was a great time and great environment. I wanna go backkkk.
After reading mixed reviews of this place, my boyfriend and I decided to give it a shot as we were in the area today. We got there around 12:30pm and surprisingly, it was not crowded.. so we sat ourselves.
Our waitress was average. She came over, took our order quickly and left, wasn't much of a talker. The food took about 10 minutes to get to us, which as surprisingly fast after reading reviews of a slow kitchen.
We got our food, and we were shocked. The portion size was HUGE. My boyfriend got two pancakes, that were so big he couldn't even finish them. We also got a side of home fries, which could easily serve a family of 4. My waffle was a good size, and it was delicious. The eggs were nothing special, but can't complain...they were eggs.
Once we were done, it did take a considerable amount of time for our waitress to come check on us and give us our check, I would say we waited about 15 minutes once we were done. Normally this would be OK, but we were her only customers at the time so it is frustrating.
All in all, we had a good experience. The food was good and I would recommend this place to friends, as long as they are really hungry and not in a rush.
Wow, I visited Portsmouth, NH last weekend and ate breakfast at The Friendly Toast - a spot that came highly recommended. Straightaway, I was in love with the retro atmosphere and feel of this place. Tons of interesting memorabilia from America's commercial past and loud music. I listened to some appetite-era G&R and Black Sabbath while eating breakfast; at 10am. I ordered a scrambled egg and a M&M pancake (which was the size of my plate). The food and service were average but the experience was totally awesome.
I am not going to lie- the food is quite good. The service sucks.
When I go visit friends at UNH we typically end up there on Saturday mornings. I've probably dropped $150-$200 there over the past year and a half.
Last weekend, my friends and I whipped out the iPhone to calculate the tip and some hipster cocksucker of a "waiter" came over and slammed a calculator on the table and started to re-calcuate the check and then proclaimed it was "RIGHT!" and then walked away.
Go there for the food, if you have thick skin. Oh and be prepared to over-pay.
I have the most amazing memories of this place from college. I used to come in here at 2am after being the last one out of the Tiki Bar (or Poco's, or Jack Quigley's, or the Portsmouth Brewery, or the Coat of Arms, or Tequila Jack's, etc....) It's in a great location, it's got such a fun interior, and the breakfast is so amazing. (I'm sure the other food is good too, but I love their breakfast so much, I've never ordered off the lunch/dinner menus.)
I took my cousin Kate here last week and I was happy that the tomato and cheddar omelet, home fries, and thick homemade toast was as good as it's ever been. I always want to order almond joy pancakes but at the last second, I always find myself ordering my favorite omelet.
If you're in the area, I'm sure you've been here. If you're from somewhere else and visiting Portsmouth for the day, you absolutely have to go.
Was recently in Portsmouth on a Saturday and M was dying for a cheeseburger when we stumbled upon The Friendly Toast. The place is definitely fun, and the bowling alley bench booth we were in was kitschy but cool.
The food was very good. I can't remember the last time I ordered a medium rare burger and actually got a medium rare burger. The onion rings were great too. The mocha frappe was best of all. The breakfast items looked absolutely fantastic too.
The interior was fun and interesting, but it was definitely dirty. I saw milk on the floor, along with paper products and food. It was a Saturday, at 3, so I'm sure they'd been busy. Also, the hostess was a little too cool for school for my tastes, especially as there were 3 parties waiting, with ten empty tables, and it took her 15 minutes to seat us. So 5 stars for food, minus one for service and cleanliness.
When visiting Portsmouth, I was told by a local that this was a must-stop for breakfast- that it was the best place in town. I had no idea of the utter gloriousness that lay ahead...
The minute you walk into this place, you are hit head-on with the most amazing selection of mid-century kitsch artifacts that one could ever dream up. Every booth has an amazing lamp of some sort on it, and there's literally 50's antiques EVERYWHERE. And not just chintsy stuff- the real cream of the crop stuff that people scour the globe (or eBay) for. Killer formica with glitter vinyl dining sets, a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket swag light(!!!), rock art wall hangings, neon signs galore... the list could go on and on. I was literally having a mid-century meltdown, wanting to grab everything in sight.
And then the food- BIG, rich, and yum yum yum. Just the way diner food is supposed to be, but about 10 notches up. AND they make their own artisian breads. My shake called "The Pinky" was to die for. And my sandwich which was a concoction of grilled cheese with veggie bacon and garlic mashed potatoes in it was a-mazing. Next time I hope to actually try a breakfast item.
My only complaint is that when this place gets packed, the service gets lax. We had to literally hunt our waiter down to get our bill after waiting a while. But then agin, it does get PACKED- so I guess there's only so many servers, right?
Anyhow, this place is a must-see. Totally worth the drive to this quaint little town. And what's also great is that they sell merch! I picked up the cutest tote bag with a cartoon 1950's squirrel on it with their logo. Too cute! So overall this place is now one of my new favorite vacation destinations- yes, a restaurant as a destination.
I know I can't wait to go back!
This place is like someone read my mind on what breakfast should be and wrote a whole menu based on that. The common variety eggs and toast are on here but it would be a shame to order them with items such as fantastic Huevos Rancheros, dozens of breakfast burritos, an integration of brie, churizo sausages and sweet potato's into the otherwise boring traditional breakfast foods.
This is all to be enjoyed in a setting you will find nowhere else. Littered with 1950's tee shirts, advertisements, toys, and propaganda I hardly notice the wait for my food. It is an ADD child's dream come true.
So where is the catch?....Well....The catch is breakfastkfast". My recommendation is do not come here in the morning unless you have infinite patience and are willing to wait a good long time. It's not that it's not worth a wait...but if you are like me- waiting for food (or coffee) in the morning is not an option. I like to enjoy Friendly toast at night when they are open and have the same menu minus the wait. (PS- they have booze here too!)
My Huevos rancheros came to me cooked to perfection by a very nice young man with a baby blue Mohawk and served to me by an adorable tattoo clad pierced girl (the staff there is a little on the rocker side- but true to the name of the place- very friendly). My Huevos had an AWESOME ranchero sauce and tons of avocado. I also recommend breakfast burritos here, eggs in a hole, and green eggs and ham (to name a few).
The food here is SO worth the wait. But I say get the good food for dinner and leave the AM waiting for the non- yelpers.
I've been a regular patron since 1996-ish and I have to say, it only gets better and better. In fact since they renovated and raised the ceiling a few years back, it's even more comfortable and awesomely kitschy.
The food is just consistently great here. The coffee is deep, dark Twin-Peaks-worthy joe.
The service is actually I think better now than I remember it being back in the day -- i remember a few incidents of waiting way too long and getting attitude. I always thought that seminal Portsmouth funk band the Choosy Moms may have been talking about the Toast when they wrote "oh my, oh my, my waitress has died / I'm getting kind of thirsty and she's nowhere in sight" But I'm happy to report that the last couple years I've had nothing but really fast and well, friendly, servers.
With your breakfast, I highly recommend getting the cinnamon raisin toast, which will come in a huge delicious slab (all of their toast does). Whatever you get for lunch and dinner (and most everything on the menu is great) make sure you order a side of Orleans (sweet potato) fries- they come with brown sugar and Tabasco sauce.
The Friendly Toast is one of the reasons I miss NH. That should be 'nuff said, but alas, I shall reminisce of their delicious Anadama bread as well.
Friendly Toast is the place to go for a midnight snack, to hang out after a stomping through the streets of Portsmouth, or take your artsy girlfriend out for on a date. The food is actually damn tasty, and the employees are as interesting and crazy as the decor.
Definitely check it out if you're in Portsmouth!
Just went there for breakfast this past Sunday for a family birthday get together. There were 6 adults, a three week old, and a 9 month old. We just beat the rush (we got seated at 8:50) but by 9:15 the place was packed and there was a pretty long line outside.
Our waitress was attentive enough and it was pretty easy to get her attention when she walked by, which was pretty frequently because we were next to the kitchen. I was sitting under the stuffed wolf that had a squirrel pinned against a tree branch. The decor is a little bit suspect. It is kind of like being in a Tim Burton-esq environment which may not be for everyone but was fine for our group.
The coffee was ridiculously bitter (this is coming from a person who always drinks his coffee black) but the meal made up for the coffee. The portion sizes were HUGE and the food was OK. My requirements for a quality breakfast are pretty lenient...either the food has to be REALLY good or it has to be fair but there has to be a lot of it. That being said, the Friendly Toast provided me with a lot of mediocrity which is why they get a pass.
All in all my first trip to The Friendly Toast was pretty good. There are plenty of other breakfast places not too far away but I'm sure I'll take the 20 mile drive up again sometime for breakfast at The Friendly Toast.
very short wait at the door, which we really lucked out on. the line grew long later. main gripe is that we waited 1 hour for our food to come, and everyone around us seemed to get theirs. we were starving but waited patiently, even the waiter came over and commented that he didn't know why it was taking so long and that he would comp or drinks. I had an iced coffee and Chris has chocolate milk. the menu was extensive and EVERYTHING sounded so good! it was hard to choose. I got the greek scramble, which was scrambled eggs with feta, kalamata olives, spinach and sun dried tomatoes. AMAZING! Chris go the new hampshires finest which was scrambled eggs with local goat cheese, scallions, bacon (thin canadian), and asparagus (Chris got mushrooms instead though) it was also OUTSTANDING! both came with the most delicious homefries (the onions in them were so tasty!) and huge thick slices of homemade andama bread. our waistlines are seriously thankful that we do not live near this place, though there is one in Cambridge, that we may need to make a visit too really really soon!
Quite delicious! We had the almond joy pancakes and some of the egg options. I like that their bread is homemade and they are nice thick slices. The pancakes were huge and very delicious. I was disappointed in the "side of fresh fruit and whipped cream" for $2 extra because the fruit was so obviously defrosted previously frozen fruit out of bag- it was blueberries and strawberries slightly cold and shrivelled and not fresh whatsoever. Come on now, that's just a direct lie on your menu. The prices are pretty good though and the atmosphere is "funky", if I dare say it. The food took a long while to come out...next time I'm in Portsmouth I will probably try a different breakfast place, but it's nice to know this is a decent spot.
On a recent drive north, I stopped in at The Friendly Toast for breakfast. Since it was still early in the day (8:30am), we were seated quickly. The restaurant was really big with lots of booths and quite a few large tables for big crowds. The decor is very quirky but not tacky. My favorites were probably the humpty dumpty lamp and the stuffed cougar near the restroom in the back.
Our server was very courteous and attentive throughout the meal and took care of a problem I had with the bill without a snarl, grunt, or stare which was greatly appreciated and well deserving of the large tip I left him.
But most importantly, the food was delicious and satisfying. I had the fruit cup with granola and the blueberry pancake. The bf had the eggs benedict and m&m pancake. The eggs benedict had a spicy hollandaise sauce which was actually a perfect complement to the rest of the dish. The pancakes were as good as any other and about 10 inches in diameter. The fruit cup was quite large and the granola, tho a little too soft for my taste, was homemade and the perfect sweetness. The highlight of my meal was the blueberry pancake which was about 40% blueberries, 60% batter, and 100% perfection. I will probably just order two blueberry pancakes the next time I eat here.
They are looking to open a second restaurant in Boston and I really hope they make it here soon so I don't have to drive an hour for those blueberry pancakes...
Portsmouth, NH
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Portsmouth, NH
Category: Museums
Portsmouth, NH
Category: Performing Arts
Portsmouth, NH
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Portsmouth, NH
Category: Restaurants
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