The Friendly Toast

The brilliance of this place is surely to make any cold hearted bastard smile. The food, service, cocktails, and everything about this place is top notch. My partner loves to get the king pancakes and a strawberry frappé; for me there is an amazing amount of vegetarian and seafood items that are so yummy that it makes me giddy to go here. This place is my happy spot and I will come here when ever I have a chance.

Came here for breakfast this morning after spending the night in Portsmouth. I think we arrived at about 930 or so and we got seated immediately, about half an hour of us being there, lots of people were waiting to be seated. It seems that the earlier the better if your not looking to wait!
There are lots of unique choices on their menu, not like any other breakfast place I’ve been. We sat at a high –top table behind the bar and were served by one of the bar tenders, she was quick, friendly and efficient.
I got the «Olé Miss» which I believe was chipotle toast topped with a sausage patty, sweet mashed potatoes with scrambled eggs and homefries. A very different combination but I couldn’t believe how delicious it was and my boyfriend got the peanut butter banana pancakes, I forget exactly what else was on them but he loved them and not to mention there was a great bar with a big beer selection and we got some delicious mimosas!
Would highly recommend!

Good food But they had no chicken or fish when we went there. Our waitress was really nice but I think spread out a little to thin. We had no napkins, water or silverware and disappeared completely after she gave us a meal an hour after ordering. Just because of the bad service I would not go again. We traveled all the way from Conway to go here and we’re very disappointed.

Food was delicious and they were heavy-​handed on the drink but service seems inconsistent. We waited for over an hour during which they lost our name on their seating app because we apparently had the same name being used as someone else (?) and I guess the hostess deleted one because she thought it was the same group? Once the mistake was found out (only after we inquired after waiting for an hour), we got a table right away which was nice.
Our server was friendly but basically disappeared after taking our order and didn’t bring us water — we had to ask — then she forgot to get it for us. We flagged down another waiter who delivered. Same thing happened with our check — the other waiter who helped us was super nice though!

Nice staff, good service. Toast is great, rest of the food was alright. The toast is big, thick, and fluffy, which is great considering toast is in their name. However, the hollandaise sauce was mediocre and ended up giving my husband diarrhea all day long. The plus– it was a unique atmosphere to eat toast and get the poops in.

Amazing brunch, amazing pumpkin pancakes, and amazing toast! Get the japaleno cheddar, you won’t regret it.

Longest wait I’ve ever seen. It was going to take almost an hour just to get seated so we didn’t even end up getting food here. The place was packed, and the host was rude. Very much a family place. It was packed with small children and large groups. My boyfriend and I went elsewhere.

It’s a family tradition to go here every year as we go on vacation to Star Island on the isles of shoals. We go here for multiple reasons but there is one thing that sticks out; the food. Yes… the iconic vintage setting is a spectacle and experience within its self but the food is why we come back. Everything on the menu is excellent! The mouthwatering pancakes, crispy bacon, and Devine Eggs Benedict are my absolute favorite things to get! I recommend this place to anyone that is in need of a great breakfast. If you are planing a breakfast at 10:00 get ready to walk around Portsmouth for at least an hour-​the wait is always long (as it should be.)

Been here a bunch of times and you can’t go wrong with even a basic egg breakfast. My go-​to is the Olé Miss with the eggs over easy and I substitute the mango sour cream with a side of hollandaise sauce :) The veggie gravy is also awesome. The coffee is never good, unfortunately, and they charge an you $ 2 for the tiniest bottle of real maple syrup (they serve faux syrup at no charge).

Okay, so I’m back! My wife and daughter love this place! This time I got the Irish Benny consisting of two poached eggs on hash on english muffins with a side of potato something or other… Not bad, it actually worked for me. Although the eggs supposedly had hollandaise sauce it must have run off into the corn beaf hash. If the lighting were better i might have been able to see where it went! Oh well, service was great. Even with a nearly full house we got our meals in less than 20 minutes. Nothing to complain about, really. I guess I’m just going to have to live with the weird paintings and relics hanging everywhere because I know my wife will drag me back in here at some point. The man/​bunny painting still creeps me out. Its even on the menu! Egad!

Went here for brunch for the first time on Saturday afternoon and it was wonderful! We waited about a half hour for a table, but with their texting system it was easy to go shop and come back right when the table was ready opposed to standing around for a half hour. I got an omelette which was delicious and came with homemade toast which really made the meal. That hash browns are different, but very tasty. My mom got a breakfast burrito, which was very filling. We both split French toast on cinnamon raisin bread (also homemade). It was delicious. Definitely recommend the French toast. Our waiter, Seth, was also wonderful and very helpful. Overall great experience. I will be back.

Outright Fantastic!
I was here for a breakfast stop before Black Friday shopping in Portsmouth.
The food, service, and price was worthy of praise. I ordered the Biscuits and gravy breakfast and by golly I loved it. The service was near efficient, and That was remarkable. In short, Next time I am in Portsmouth, I will definitely come back here.
Thank you for your AMAZING Service!

I keep meaning to write a review for the friendly toast. I always write about the places that I have a bad experience I should write a review about a epic place.
With that said…
I HAVE NEVER HAD A BAD MEAL OR SERVICE HERE!!! The only thing that sucks is the wait time, and now they have a app on your phone to combat that (I wish I didn’t say that lol). Wait times, depending on time of day, can get a bit much, but I will not fault them for that. Food is alway delicious and you will never leave hungry or uncaffeinated!!!
I absolutely love all the eggs Benedict meals they have!!! Their cocktails are not to shabby as well! The mimosa is great!!!
Thank you friendly toast! I literally will drive over a hour to dine there. Now there is one in Boston, which is allot closer, but hey this is the better of the two. I’d have to give the Boston one 4.5, and only because it’s not the original one I fell in love with!!!

Okay so we got our food to-​go after learning that the wait would be at least an hour for two on a Sunday for brunch. I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to eat here seeing that the restaurant is very unique! The place is filled with signs on the wall, and interesting random statues throughout. A lot of restaurants nearby are empty while this place has a huge crowd waiting outside.
Instead, we sat outside at one of the picnic tables near the restaurant on a beautiful portsmouth day. The takeout took 25 minutes, which was surprisingly long to me, but I guess they are really busy.
The food was good despite they are in styrofoam containers: the chicken and waffles are beautifully done. Packed separately, it comes with a corn chowder– like gravy that definitely made the dish stood out from all the other chicken and waffles I’ve had in other parts of the country. I’m guessing this is a new england thing. The bacon is crispy. The country potatoes are slightly overcooked for my liking. The price is more expensive than most brunch places but I have no complains for paying a little extra for good food.
If I have a chance, I would come back here and call ahead to get myself on the waitlist.

It’s bad that a few weeks later I don’t even remember what I ordered, just that there was SO MUCH STUFF ON THE WALL. I do remember it being crowded and tight to maneuver, but the waitstaff was great about storing our stroller and tucking us in the corner so our baby in a carseat wasn’t in the way.
They had a lot of gluten free options so this place is definitely celiac friendly. Oh now I remember, I ordered some multigrain pancakes with berries. It was pretty good, but sounded better on paper than it was actually executed.

My bf and I visited Portsmouth for the weekend. We stopped by this place based on Unilocal reviews. On Saturday it was a 40 minute wait so we went somewhere else. On Sunday there was a 20 minute wait, but we were able to get seats at the bar after about 5 minutes.
Food: I had scrambled eggs, bacon, and a pumpkin pancake. Eggs were eggs. The bacon was nice and crispy. The pumpkin pancake was a little heavy, but it was delicious. What is it with Portsmouth and hubcap sized pancakes?
Experience: It nice atmosphere. If it’s only 2 of you, I recommend the bar.
Be sure to check in for the free coffee.

You get GREAT portion sizes at this place. And the food is quite good, at least by breakfast standards.
Make sure you check-​in on Unilocal for a free cup of coffee.
You’ll enjoy this place if you like dive spots with eclectic design and artwork. Great for a hipster group meeting, casual date, late night drink. Grab a seat at the bar for a good chat with the barkeeps and a peep into the workings of the kitchen — where the magic happens.

The legend of the Friendly Toast has been told to me many times over. Breakfasts good enough to cry over, giant portions worth waiting an hour or more for, and a friendly, fun atmosphere worth choosing over other diners. We got there early on a drizzly Sunday morning, and were seated immediately by a dizzyingly friendly staff. The menu is enormous, with additional menus full of specials, and a bar menu to accompany their newly built bar.
Bar service starts at 7 or 8 am, and seats a good number of clients. Their newly renovated interior is bright, cheerful, and clean, while still kitchy as a nod to their past. My husband has waxed on about the glory of their cayenne cheddar bread, which he ordered as a side to his Biscuits and Gravy ($ 11). I chose the Chicken and Waffles ($ 14), with a Bloody Mary ($ 9) and Organic White Heron Green Tea ($ 2.50). Husband’s biscuits were dry, and covered with a white pepper gravy, which was strange. His bread was equally dry, and burnt, with little butter, which he bit into with a sad face. My waffle got to me completely soggy, swimming in a corn gravy and overly breaded chicken tenders. Bloody Mary was decent, and green tea was over-​steeped and bitter.
Service was fast, despite it being packed by the time we got our food, and they served, cleared, and took payment timely. Prices are reasonable, but I think their food doesn’t meet the hype of how great everybody says it is. I think they try too hard to be cutting edge and foodie, which is awesome, but the result is just ok. I’d probably come back to try their lunch Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese, but not likely to come back for breakfast.

The Friendly Toast is a super cool, retro breakfast joint with a really hip menu. They’ve got everything from coconut and walnut pancakes to chicken and waffles — which are both delectable.
The décor is full of nostalgia, and makes for a nice setting located in the heart of Downtown Portsmouth.
The wait staff is hit or miss — the girl we had this morning was so nice, but before this, wow — was the waitress unaccommodating, lazy, and untidy.
The biggest downfall here though isn’t the staff, it’s the pricing. Expect to pay 30−40% more than every other breakfast place for standard items. Specialty breakfast entrees are even pricier.
They also have some great craft beer choices and offer mimosas and Bloody Mary.
Despite the downfalls, the food and setting are so great, I’ve been back three times and know I’ll continue to come back each time I’m vacationing in Portsmouth.

I came here on a Friday morning about 9:30am with my in laws who were visiting from out of state. We decided to try the Friendly Toast because of the reviews it got. When walking into the restaurant we saw about 5 empty tables and were happy to know that we would get seated right away. Unfortunately, we got on the wait list and had to wait 20 minutes for a table. As we waited, we saw more and more tables becoming vacant and yet we were not getting seated. I have no idea why in the hell we had to wait for an empty table.
When we finally were seated, we all ordered coffee and our meals right away. Go figure, that 20 minute wait was only the beginning of our long wait. We had to wait another 30 minutes for our food. And our waitress was not very good at her job. Not once did she come back to refill our coffee while we were waiting. It would have been nice if they offered some sort of bread for you to nibble on while you had to wait (or an explanation).
Our group ordered: pumpkin pancakes, biscuits and gravy, bacon, and eggs in a hole. Once we got our food, it was delicious. I don’t know if it was worth the long wait and horrible service. But I guess I can now say that I’ve tried it. I will not be coming back, because there are so many other great breakfast restaurants in Portsmouth. I will be spending my money at a business that makes each customer feel important. Eating is supposed to be a happy experience, not a headache.