Friendly&#x27;s

I've seen Das Creamery listed as one of the best ice cream shops in northern NJ for a few years…read morenow. Yesterday, I finally had a chance to see for myself. The verdict? Definitely, one of the best! The ice cream here was so creamy and delicious, my wife and I loved it. She had a cup of strawberry cheesecake and I had a cone with scoops of chocolate and butter pecan. Both were great, but the chocolate was amazing! The store is located in a strip mall on Rt 46 in Budd Lake. Plenty of parking and friendly staff behind the counter. Stop here if you want to treat yourself to something good!

The Banana Oreo may be my new favorite flavor of ice cream! Someone suggested it when we were…read morewalking in and I highly recommend. I also tried the Toasted Coconut Almond Kulfi and the Downton Abbey which were both incredibly tasty. Scoops were huge and the folks behind the counter were nice. Would 100% return!

Small mint chocolate chip with to-go lid

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Cold Stone Creamery

2.2(20 reviews)

1.3 mi

Make sure you "read" the menu properly there, after being told asking for lucky charms cereal ice…read morecream with just the "marshmallows " is a common mistake... I was then told we should have read the menu since there are two types of marshmallows. To make it right they were only willing to give me a size 1/5 th of the size purchased. Also, the manager Melanie uses her social media to promote her store to gain business but says she feels uncomfortable communicating through that social media .

Cold soup, went to the Hackettstown store on 6/5/2024. Told us they were having refrigeration…read moreproblems. Ice cream could be soft. No way to judge soft till you try it. Bought two containers and went outside to enjoy them. As soon as we sat down the stuff turned to soup. I went back inside and told them they should not be serving this melted product. My response just stares and no words. My only consolation told four customers the inferior product they were selling and they walked away.

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Dairy Queen Grill & Chill

1.8(56 reviews)

0.3 mi

We went through the drive through tonight for a quick family fun snack. The drive through was kinda…read morerundown and you could barely hear the speaker. Other than that it's the only complaint! The order was correct and the service was quick! Everything was well made and the ice cream tasted delicious. Other Dairy Queen's I've been to the ice cream was melting by the time you get it and it's to soft. Not this place!

Wish I could leave no stars. They never have chocolate ice…read morecream, always short staffed. My blizzard isn't mixed. Long line for no reason. Workers were rude, laughing and making fun of us. Instead of laughing so much, they should use that energy to mix my blizzards better.

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Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard

Rude, antisocial server and incorrect hours online!!…read more Everywhere online said that this Rita's closed at TEN PM. Matter of fact, I went here the other night at around 9:30 and they were open. I go there tonight with my sister at 9pm and, despite their posted hours, the blinds are down. There was a server cleaning inside. She made direct eye contact with us, and rather than opening the serving window a little and telling me and sister that they were closed, she proceeds to turn the lights inside off without a word! Unbelievable.

All the different custards and Italian ices are very nice. Every time I have been here the workers…read morehave been exceptionally nice. The atmosphere is always very friendly and warm.

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Mama's Cafe Baci

4.4(725 reviews)

0.1 mi

Cannot speak highly enough of this wonderful restaurant. This is the type of establishment that…read morereminds you of the good old days. The customer service is a time capsule of an era where a business strived to make your visit special and memorable with quality food and great service and not by some trend or gimmick. One thing that is not in the past is their skilled ability to provide a safe meal for those who are vegan, gluten free and or dairy free. I've never been to a restaurant that can turnout amazing authentic Italian food made with regular flour while also being able to provide a safe gluten free and or dairy free alternative of the same caliber. They have an efficient system that makes it clear there are people with dietary restrictions at the table and they take it very seriously. With all those great things to say, the food is what is worth writing home about. A gluten free chicken Parmesan that no one would ever guess was gf! A delicious gf df chocolate lava cake to end the meal was such a treat and was delicious. The staff were so friendly and knowledgeable and attentive, they're a well oiled machine! And it was very nice for the grandson of the original founders to walk around and talk to us, not just a how is everything tonight kind of stop either, he really took the time to make pleasant conversation about the World Cup and ask how our son did at his soccer tournament. They have been around for 56 years and if our visit was anything to go off, they'll be around for another 100 years!

Another review from a poor man. I will give this to you…read moreas the good and the bad and the overall of Mama's. The good. The staff is as attentive as they have always been. The way they show pictures of "today's specials" on an iPad type device is a nice touch. The meatball app had good flavor as well as the ricotta that came with it. The fiancé had the pear purse which is always a very good. Also the Eggplant Pisa salad that came with my lunch paring was very very good and I would eat it again!!! The bad. The meatball app, although tasty, was only two small meatballs (basically the size of a soup spoon!!) for 15 bucks. So I don't care for the cost compared to the value you get for it. Also I am a snob for chicken parm and this chicken was overcooked and dry. The bread crumbs were soggy and would have been forgiven if the chicken itself wasn't so overcooked and dry!!!! My over all is this. Been to mamas many times before this review and I think they are worth your time (even more so during dinner time!). They do more things right than they ever do it wrong. So I would still recommend going. I just wouldn't recommend it to the New Jersey Chicken parm Facebook page........

Our Coach Room Private Event Space

This is the decadent chocolate cake.

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Zeppoles w.Nutella and Whipped Cream on the side

Toscana Trattoria Ristorante Italiano

4.4(160 reviews)

1.1 mi

Delicious food, excellent service, nice decor. Had lunch several times & never have been…read moredisappointed.

Stopped in for dinner and had the Linguini Vongole! The sauce was great, salty like the sea, and…read morethe clams were delicious. The bread they brought out for the table tasted good dipped in my leftover linguini sauce. Cute interior and was a nice place to grab dinner with friends!

Dining area

Porcini mushroom ravioli

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BYOB from @CzigMeister

Ort Farms

4.1(117 reviews)

4.8 mi

I stopped by for the home made ice cream today and it was such a great treat! I went with the…read morecarrot cake ice cream and the German valley chocolate! First off the carrot cake had real carrots in it. Which I liked! I met Amy, who makes the ice cream, and Denise who does the quality control. They were both very friendly and they gave me a peek at the process of making the ice cream. I highly recommend stopping by and visiting Ort Farms! They also have a produce store, that offers different kinds of quiche. I look forward to trying the bacon and cheddar quiche next time.

Went here a couple of months back during their Boo Bash weekend festival. We enjoyed a few hours…read morethere to do some pumpkin picking, hay rides, and the rest of the usual activities. They have several food trucks with lots of different choices. They have a nice farmer's market that is nicely decorated and has plenty of items for sale. They have a great selection of pies too. Also, there is an ice cream stand next to the market opened daily, all ice cream is homemade and fresh! Their hot apple cider and cinnamon donut was a great treat! Since finding Ort Farms is not too far from us, we'll be back next year once the crops are back in season.

Their slushie was so good

Welcome signage

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Special caramel apple cider slushie (already ate the apple cider donut that came with it lol)

Pandan Room

4.0(328 reviews)

1.2 mi

Can't speak to the typical dining experience, but I had to share my love for this place. My partner…read moreand I took one of the cooking classes offered here today. Booking was easy online and we were provided with the menu we'd be making. Chef Jay and his staff were so friendly, and the space we cooked in was very cozy. I loved the experience of Chef Jay explaining the ingredients, helping us understand the flavors we were creating, and then getting to eat all of our delicious dishes, and of course taking home the leftovers. This event was so worth it. I would recommend this to any one of any skill level. My partner and I are by no means chefs, but our food came out perfectly. I can't wait to come back and take another class here, or stop by for dinner!

Not worth the money or the hype…read more Pandan was recommended by close friends and we love Thai and Indonesian fare so we wanted to try it. It's priced like a solid sit down restaurant one would go to and easily spend $100 for a couple or small family on appetizers and entrees. The menu is interesting and authentic. The execution for our take away meal was sub par. First, we ordered two of an appetizer (dumplings) and only one was packed in our bag (unfortunately we only noticed after we were home); it was all stuck together and ripped apart - it was unappetizing to look at but had average flavor. The other appetizer, spring rolls, was very mushy and I am not sure if made as advertised; it was listed as some shrimp rolls and some vegetable rolls, but we only got one type of roll and I don't know if there was shrimp due to the consistency of the filling. The bang bang shrimp and chicken had NO bang (heat/spice) - it's like there was no seasoning at all and again the consistency was mush; it wasn't inedible but it wasn't worth $20. We would have been much happier at a standard Chinese or Thai place versus Pandan despite its stellar reputation. I'm not sure what happened tonight. Maybe it's better to sit down and have super fresh plates hit the table versus a 15 minute drive, but, I'm not convinced. Service was excellent, apart from the missing appetizer which could be an accident, an $8 accident. Not the end of the world.

Outside

Yellow curry with chicken

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Outside

Chesapeake Tavern

3.9(182 reviews)

4.3 mi

On a dreary, chilly Saturday afternoon in March, stopping in at the cozy bar at Chesapeake Tavern…read morewas just what my wife and I were looking for. This was our first time here and we really liked the place. Our bartender was very friendly and provided info on the building being over 200 years old and new ownership taking over 2 years ago. I started off with a Kane IPA, my wife had a Toasted Almond. The beer was easy, but he did a great job making her drink. We each had a bowl of broccoli cheddar soup, then we shared the Maryland Crab Nachos. The soup was ok, but those nachos were fantastic! So different from anything we've had. The dinner menu here looks very good also. We'll definitely be back!

Our first visit to this great restaurant which is also a local favorite. On a Monday night and a…read morespecial Oyster offerings for only $1.50 each. We sat outside in a very relaxed comfortable and umbrella covered patio. The service was spot on. We ordered the special Tuscan Shrimp and Italian Sausage pasta dish. A nice Kona Big Eave Beer pint on tap. Overall very positive dining experience!

Chesapeake Traven

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30 Burgers

3.4(55 reviews)

2.1 mi

I was in the mood for a burger and since there weren't any shake shacks nearby, I stopped here to…read moretry them out. I ordered a simple bacon cheese burger with onion rings and a shake, I was blown away!!! The Carmel milkshake was SOOOO GOOD for starters. Plus, the straw was super thick, so it was easier to drink. Then I tried the onion rings and they were crispy and cooked to perfection!!! Then one bite of the hamburger and I thought I was in heaven!!! A good size portion of fresh beef on a soft bun... amazing! The person behind the counter was also very friendly and helpful, since this was my first time. I did a search and found one closer to my area, so I'm hoping they're all this good! My take... if there's a 30 Burgers near you, skip Shake Shack or whatever burger place you might have gone to before. You'll be glad you did!

This place was trash, workers were super nice but the food was tragic, the whole place was…read moredilapidated, the tips don't even go to the workers with makes it so much worse, I've been so grossed out, straight microwaved food "fresh" my cheecks

2. Bullseye BBQ Burger Sweet Potato Fries

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Wow, one of the best burgers I've ever had! Right up there with Five Guys Friendly staff and promt service

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4 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Kelly B.

3 years ago

Tonight ordered 2 peanut butter cup friendz and they came with just vanilla ice cream and peanut butter cups and very few at that it was just like having a cup of vanilla ice cream. No peanut butter or hot fudge at all. Better train the staff on how to make ice cream. Disappointing. read more

Rhonda D.

15 years ago

Like their icecream, but love their sandwiches. Don't just go for the ice cream, try some lunch and dinner too. You'll be surprised like I was. read more

David S.

13 years ago

It's Friendly's, three stars its the best it will get, and this is not three stars

Dan B. C.

8 years ago

Food was good, service was friendly and quick. No complaints here.

Friendly's - tradamerican - Updated August 2026

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Stella G's

4.1

(320 reviews)

This diner was such a cute little spot for breakfast/lunch. My friends and I went in around 12 PM…read moreon a Sunday and it seemed pretty busy. I got the Western Omelet, and it was your standard no-frills omelet that was generously portioned with crunchy homefries! Our waitress was very pleasant and attentive; she frequently came to our table to check if we needed anything. She even beat us to the punch with extra napkins the moment a soda spill happened. Would come here again for a cozy bite!

Way overrated. I ordered a breakfast skillet that came with eggs, bacon, sausage and cheese…read more Arrived the entire bottom of the skillet was filled with marinara sauce. It was absolutely disgusting. On top of that my friend asked for a fresh cup of coffee when the bus girl walked over. The girl came back with an empty to-go cup...no coffee. Fun fact - This girl also works at the Dunkin nearby and has screwed up my order numerous times.

Budd Lake Diner

3.3

(168 reviews)

There is nothing better than a New Jersey Diner! Growing up in this area a diner was a part of our…read moreweekly routine. Living in the Mid West now, whenever we come home it's the first thing we take our kids to! Budd Diner did not disappoint! I had to have the Cannoli French Toast was perfect, not too sweet, but the perfect taste! Disco Fries a must! A gyro sandwich, mozzarella sticks, and a breakfast sandwich rounded out the perfect diner experience. Lovely staff, to-go cups for our drinks, nothing better!

We always enjoy a dinner because of all the options. It was a cold and rainy day so the beef barley…read moresoup warmed us up. It was a fair amount of beef, veggies and barley. Plenty of soups to choose from if you are so inclined. Hubby and I wanted to split some mousaka, but alas they didn't have any so I opted for the Greek wrap sans onions. It was tasty but could've used more chicken. It was more of a salad w/ a smacking of chicken wrapped up. Hubby got the chicken raspberry salad. It was huge but considering the size, there was only 1 piece of chicken and he said that it wasn't really seasoned. There were a fair amount of walnuts but he had to ask for more dressing. The apple was cut into slices so hubby asked for a knife and cut it up so he could cut it up himself. He wasn't thrilled with the salad and left half of it which was $18.58! He thought it could use some type of cheese or something to give it more umph. On a side note, they need to update their bathrooms. The toilet was cracked and leaked when you flushed. There were no towels and the hand drier didn't work. All in all, it wasn't the best visit we've had but our server was nice and I would like to come back again and try their coffees.

Lidia's Place

4.3

(28 reviews)

Stopped by for breakfast and was very impressed. Found Service, food and restaurant to be…read moreexcellent. Will be back

Met up with a friend for lunch. I've been to Lidia's several times but she never has but she loved…read moreit! It's such an easy-going place. I love how casual it is. You can sit and chat enjoy your meal. Our server Wendy checked in and ensure me we had what we wanted. I grabbed a Mediterranean wrap that I loved because they used romaine lettuce and the chicken was seasoned so well. The feta cheese and dressing were perfect. My friend for the California turkey wrap w/avocado. She said it was filling and she felt like she made a healthy choice.

Little Towne Diner

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For a little diner they sure have earned my 5 star rating. This morning's breakfast was fanasitic…read morethe triple egg bacon breakfast was fulfilling as well as delicious. Our server Tammie was gracious and very friendly.

Went for breakfast with my wife. Food was good, but it's tough to make a bad breakfast. The toast…read morewas darker than I'm used to, but it wasn't burned. Service was lacking a little, as both of us had to ask for coffee/tea refills. There were only 3 other tables occupied when we were there. Everyone was nice. Old time style inside and the place is very small. We'll try for lunch or dinner soon.

Fuddruckers

4.3

(255 reviews)

Rocco is absolutely amazing! He has made every dining experience 5 stars. No matter the time or day…read morethe food is always amazing & his energy is top notch. He truly is a wonderful employee & so is the rest of the staff! Rocco has been so kind & has been serving my friends & I the last year & a half. Overall, Fudds is amazing, great vibes, wonderful staff & food is always fire.

My family and I eat here everyweek,sometimes 2x! We just love it here ! The food is always…read moreexcellent and the service is outstanding! We are treated like VIP s everytime we are there ! The whole staff is amazing ! The place is always clean and it's just a great place to eat !

OMG Burger & Brew

3.3

(344 reviews)

Sweet server ! Fast service…read more A very loud space and the chairs scraping on the floor makes it hard to hear your table. Not a place for chit chatting with others due to the volume. Fried pickles were awesome. Love the seemingly homemade ranch. 12$ build your own burger plus fries is a fantastic deal. We'll be back just for that. Fried chicken sandwich was good! Needed more sauce but very tastey. Surprisingly the regular fries out did the sweet potato. I think I'll stick with the regular next time. Awesome beer choices. We'll be back.

My server was polite cater to needs make sure we had everything we needed…read more Plenty of draft beers on top. They allow you to sample. Wings were little dry but tasty french fries were excellent. all in all great visit. Highly recommended if you're in the area. Atmosphere is like a country barn house vibe.

Mini Mac Diner

4.4

(61 reviews)

After passing this place many times, today we stopped in for breakfast. So glad we did! The food,…read morevibe and service were all phenomenal! We definitely recommend the corn cakes, but everything we had was excellent.

(!CASH ONLY!) What a special place!!! I want to bring everyone here. The service is so comforting…read moreand sweet. You truly feel at home. The inside has 6 tables and about 5 stools at the counter. They have scrapple! My favorite breakfast meat (more of a mystery meat). I had scrambled eggs and scrapple with rye toast that came with home fries and my husband had eggs, toast, and home fries. We split the FAMOUS corn cakes. They are everything I dreamed they would be and more. Sweet, fluffy, but also melt in your mouth. They're almost better than regular pancakes. So stinkin good. If you forgot cash (like me), there's a ShopRite 4 minutes away that has a WellsFargo atm. Can't wait to go back.

Taphouse Grille

3.5

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This was our first time trying the Taphouse Grille and I will say I wasn't disappointed. Walking in…read morethe restaurant is very clean and has a nice chill vibe to it. Whether your going to the bar or going for a sit down meal there is a nice separation if your bringing the family. The service was quick and our server was on top of everything continuously checking in to see if all was good. The food was pretty good although one burger was slightly under cooked it was not terrible. The portions were big and the fries come plain so you can add whatever you need to, to make them the way you like them. I will definitely be coming back to this spot and encourage people to check it out!

Service was good and so was the beer other than that no good. Fries were cold. My husband's pasta…read moredish had no flavor at all as did the hamburger! I could not believe the cost for such terrible food. I see other people feel the same way I do about this place based on other reviews and I am not picky. Just good food for a decent price is all we expect. This place is not that kind of place. We will never go again. I do not recommend.

Marilyn's Cafe

3.7

(157 reviews)

This place is a gem!!! I saw this place on Yelp for a while but never get a chance to visit... so…read morewhen we see that they are open on Memorial Day... we have to try!! When we arrived they were pretty full!! But there were still a couple table opened, the gentlemen (I assume he must be the owner) direct us to the booth, and ask for our drink right away!! Which was nice since we don't need to wait for someone to come serve, we will be getting our drink super fast!! We ordered a breakfast dish (eggs, bacon, toast, and home fries), and also a country fried steak!! They came out super fast!! And OMG.. that home fries is to die for!! I think I can eat that ALL day long!! Super tasty!! As for the steak, it was ok... guess I was expecting a little more crunchier (not sure if it's because of the sauce they made the steak a bit soggy or not) but the sausage gravy is tasty as well!! The eggs are fresh and taste soo good!! Love it!! Service is super nice, I have a feeling they are family own business and they just work together so well... you can feel they genuinely care for the customers and lots of them are their usuals... We will definitely come back for sure!!! And if you are Marilyn Monroe fan that's the bonus for you!!

I really had a lovely time here. My parents took me out for breakfast and wanted to try Marilyns…read more When we walked in I was impressed by how charming the inside was. It feels like a hole in the wall, but at the same time is actually very clean and thoughtfully decorated. I loved all of the pictures of old fashioned movie stars on the wall, and much preferred this ambiance to any of my local diners. Our server was a young man who we later found out was the grandson of the owners, who were sitting right at the counter table. It made Marilyn's even more charming to know that it really is just a mom-and-pop that an entire family rallys to takes great pride in. I was really excited to see cheese blintz on the menu, as this is one of my favorites but is not so common! I ordered this, along with a side of bacon, and a decaf coffee. My blintz was excellent and came loaded with fresh fruits and sour cream. It was better than the blintzes I used to order from my favorite Ukranian restaurant in NYC. The bacon was cooked perfectly (crispy!) and my coffee was awesome. I will definitely be returning to bring my husband. I am only knocking off one star (it hurts to do this because I really loved my food and experience here) because they only offer bottled water, they are cash only, and the bathroom was very VERY cramped. Otherwise this would've been a five star review!

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