TGI Fridays – American diner restaurant

Perhaps the quintessential American diner-style, family-friendly restaurant.

One of the biggest shocks I got on my first trip to the US years ago was finding out that TGI Fridays is actually an American restaurant chain – the TGI Fridays restaurants I had been to in the UK had always seemed so American, that I thought there were some kind of parody!  Still, TGI Fridays really takes its theme and runs with it, and its fun, party vibe – family friendly by day, but with a great range of cocktails and drinks by night – delivers exactly what it promises.  But is the food any good?

Starter:  Hot Wings

What’s a more classic American starter than hot wings?  Yet as simple as the concept is, I’ve had a lot of bad chicken wings over the years.  Thankfully, the TGI hot wings were some of the better ones that I’ve had – the “hot sauce” coating was sticky, but not in a messy or greasy way, and packed a nice punch that wasn’t too overpowering (even with the fresh chilli slices sprinkled on top).  Yes, the bed of salad leaves were limp and unappealing, but they’re really just decoration (does anyone really ever eat it?), and the pot of blue cheese sauce wasn’t too thick or rich, and took the edge of the spicy wings nicely.

Hot Wings

Main:  Friday’s Ultimate Double Glazed Ribs

I’m a big fan of a full rack of ribs, and for years, my favourite restaurant chain for ribs was Tony Roma’s – but when they unfortunately shut down in the UK, I needed to find a new favourite – and TGI Fridays is it.  The full rack of ribs had been coated in TGI’s Jack Daniels glaze during the cooking, but it had soaked into the meat and given it a delicious sticky sweetness, without becoming too messy to eat.  Extra glaze was served on the side if you wanted “sloppier” ribs, but I used it as a dip for my fries instead.  The ribs themselves were the perfect balance between being tender enough to melt in the mouth, but not overcooked to the extent that the meat falls of the bones when you try to eat them.  All in all, they were a pretty perfect rack of ribs.

The fries were nothing special, but they had a pleasant “crispy coating”, were nicely presented in a mini-basket, and went well with the extra Jack Daniels glaze.  The chargrilled corn-on-the-cob tasted like it had genuinely been freshly cooked on the grill, rather than reheated in a microwave, and was as sweet and refreshing as you could want.  The small pot of “apple slaw” also made a really nice change from traditional coleslaw, as it was not only less sloppy than a lot of coleslaw is, the apple also gave it a sharp edge which cut through the richness of the glazed ribs.

Friday's Ultimate Double Glazed Ribs

Presentationally, the dish was served on an impressive cast iron plate set into a wooden block, which did give it much more of a “wow factor” than a normal plain plate would have done.  I washed my ribs down with one of TGI’s famous Oreo milkshakes, which almost counted as a dessert in its own right.

“…for casual, fun, American cuisine, TGI Fridays still seems to be the place to beat…”

Overall impression:  Yes, you could argue that TGI’s is just a corporate restaurant chain churning out mass produced food – but if you leave your cynicism at the door, there’s nothing wrong with that provided the food on your plate is tasty and well presented.  Judged on those criteria, my meal at TGI Fridays was very enjoyable, and the wings and ribs were genuinely among the best I’ve had in a while.  The staff were attentive and welcoming, but without it feeling faked or forced, and (we came during the day) the family friendly vibe was great for children.  For casual, fun, American cuisine, TGI Fridays still seems to be the place to beat.