I found Friendly Stop while looking online for somewhere to eat near my mother-in-law's nursing home. I needed a place that had the average American fare, as she's never been an adventurous eater. This place fit the bill. It's just over 1/2 mile from where she's living and had good reviews.
It's a typical, small dive bar with a funky decor of license plates covering the walls. There's only about 10-12 tables, including the tables that are up in a small room behind the bar. You have to walk behind the bar, up a few steps, and go to a little room behind the bar. There's also a back balcony patio for the warmer months.
Our server was also the bartender. She took our drink orders while we looked over the menu. On a whim, I decided to order a Bloody Mary. I saw several reviews saying that it was really good. I concur, it is delicious! My husband had a Beer and Ice-Tea and my mother-in-law also had an Ice-Tea. They both liked the tea and said it had a good flavor.
My mother-in-law ordered a half order of the Open Faced Roast Beef, served with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.
My husband ordered the Jumbo Chicken Wings. He ordered 5 of them with Buffalo Sauce and 5 of them with the Friendly Fire Sauce. The Friendly Fire Sauce was described as their absolute hottest sauce and is a secret recipe that the chef won't even share with the staff.
I ordered the CD burger. It's a deluxe cheeseburger. It's served with potato chips with the option to upgrade the side for a charge. I ordered Onion Rings instead of the chips.
We all thought our meals were really good for bar food. My mother-in-law enjoyed the open-faced roast beef with potatoes.
I tasted some of the Friendly Fire sauce after my husband said that he didn't think it was that hot. I agreed that it wasn't nearly as hot as expected. But we both agreed that the sauces were really yummy. My husband said they were some of his favorite wings that he's had.
My burger was good. Not the best burger I've had but definitely good for bar food. The onion rings were really tasty. They were fried perfectly and the onion had a slightly sweet flavor. My husband liked them also.
If I had any complaint it was the $2.99 for an upgrade to onion rings. There was only 6 onion rings. While it was plenty for me with the size of the burger, I thought it was over-priced for the size of the order.
In my opinion this place rates a solid 3.5 stars but the delicious Bloody Mary and homemade wing sauces, plus the friendly service bring it up to a 4 star.
The service was really friendly and fairly quick for how busy they were with all the regulars there to watch the Bengals game. We enjoyed the food and the funky decor. And I got quite a chuckle at the restroom decor. It had picture frames filled with cut out magazine pictures of men celebrities, many of them shirtless. We'll return the next time we take our mother out for quick bite to eat. read more