The Friendly Toast - Portsmouth, NH

Posted By Stephen Rushmore on July 22, 2008 6:56 PM

While most Roadfood restaurants have a particular dish or two to draw our attention, the Friendly Toast masters the entire meal of breakfast.

Don’t be alarmed if you think you have walked into the wrong establishment - on initial glance, it can seem you have entered a funky vintage store in downtown Portsmouth. Supersized, retro artifacts such as oversize bottle caps and posters cover the walls floor to ceiling, reminding us of the quintessential brands of last century. To top it off, tables, chairs and place settings are mix and match, adding to the homey ambiance. There is much to see, and the casual service of the retro-chic wait staff gives you plenty of time to soak in the ambiance.

Breakfast all-day is the most popular meal, and locals fill the place from the morning through the late evening (open 24 hours during weekends.) The Friendly Toast is one of the rare restaurants where every dish I have tried is one I'd order again. The ingredients are fresh, full of flavor, and remind me of a home-cooked meal my grandmother would spend a day preparing.

Bread is made on the premises and is used for sandwiches and delightfully thick French toast. Be sure to order home fries to accompany any plate. The al-dente potatoes are sliced thin, mixed in with caramelized onions and a little bit of spicy red pepper to awaken any sleepy morning tastebuds. The bacon, egg and cheese sandwich was served with a cooked-to-order runny egg and lean bacon on a piping hot toasted English muffin. Omelets are light and fluffy and filled with a fresh selection of ingredients.

Thank you to Chris & Amy for the recommendation. Located only 5 minutes from I-95 in New Hampshire (and only a 60 minute drive from Boston), the Friendly Toast is now a stop en route of my annual pilgrimage to Maine.

Overall Rating

Home Fries

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich

Onion Rings

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Posted By Eric Nash on October 17, 2011 1:46 PM

If you'd like to dine with the rest of the (generally very pleasant) tourists and be served mediocre food prepared by surly, wannabe hipsters then look no further! As a long-time seacoast resident I can't urge you emphatically enough to avoid the Unfriendly Toast. Don't be fooled by the owners' relentless self-promotion among the "foodie" crowd. Do yourself a favor and head away from downtown to the Golden Egg or to one of any number of other solid local haunts.

Overall Rating

Home Fries

Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich

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Posted By mr on August 1, 2011 2:11 PM

I happened to dine at The Friendly Toast while visiting Portsmouth and will never ever go back to that establishment as long as it is open. The service was absolutely terrible: our server visited our table once to get our orders, then promptly forgot about the table for 45 minutes before I had to flag him down and ask where the meal was. Upon asking why other tables that sat down after us had their meals and our table did not, I was promptly called several vulgar names and told to wait a bit more by our server.

While I can appreciate a nostalgic feel and actually did enjoy the eclectic decor, the service and lack of any management whatsoever to control the horrific service staff makes this breakfast place an absolute zero. Do yourself and favor and go somewhere else; do not visit this place.

Overall Rating

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