Dartmouth Mall Friendly's Restaurant Brings Back Tasty Memories

Dartmouth Mall has undergone many changes in its 50-plus years on State Road. It's been home to all sorts of stores, kiosks, entertainment and art in a constant effort to stay current.

Everyone knows the food court, but the real OGs who visited the mall back in the '90s and early 2000s will remember there was once a familiar sit-down restaurant in the mall: Friendly's.

That's right. You could go to the mall, be seated at a table and be served a full hot meal.

As a child, I dined at the mall Friendly's frequently. I can still see the oddly placed fence at the entrance. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed some time before I graduated high school in 2005. That said, Friendly's fans didn't have to go far. Another Friendly's is now right across Route 6 at the corner of Old Westport Road.

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Going back to the original mall location (I think it was in the area of PacSun), it was a fun lunch spot my uncle would take me to after a day of hanging out at Dream Machine arcade on the other side of the mall. Paying The Simpsons and air hockey certainly worked up an appetite. Leave it to a Honey BBQ Chicken SuperMelt and a side of fries with a thick chocolate milkshake to hit the spot every single time. All these years later, the kid's meals still hold up, too.

These were simpler days when spending time at the mall was an actual hobby rather than an errand. Friendly's and Rainoni's Pizzeria and Grill (which also had a spot outside the food court back then) were the go-to places to grab some grub.

My fondest memory at the Dartmouth Mall Friendly's was the time I asked for a girl's number. I was about 10 years old. It was the first time I mustered up the courage to talk to a girl, and she was my waitress. When I called her house, she hung up on me. I've moved on. I'm now a married man.

At the mall Friendly's, you could order ice cream from a walk-up counter or take your time at a table. These were the days before cell phones.

If I could go back and relive one day of my childhood, I'd be sitting at a table inside Friendly's with a bag of fresh kicks by my side and a handful of waffle fries.

Oh, how times have changed.

Walk Down Memory Lane at the Dartmouth Mall in 2017

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Gallery Credit: Maddie Levine

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