Guida’s Restaurant

Yeah, I’m gonna have to run with the crowd on this one. It’s fine, and it’s cute, but it’s just okay when all is said and done.
I had a good bacon egg and cheese. With a hot coffee and a bottle of Snapple, my total came to $ 9.81. Boy, that’s an expensive breakfast + extra beverage. They have ice cream, and the prices seem a bit more reasonable. $ 3.75 for one scoop.
It is nice to see a little diner with a counter waitress and a grill man, smiling as they make and serve your food. Brings you back in time, for sure. But I still wouldn’t put it on my «must visit» list. Certainly serviceable, but as Unilocal would put it, just A-​OK.

If I could give this place a ½ star I would. This was the worse experience that I have ever had here. I have been coming here all my life. I bring my kids here — well used to.
I was waiting to place a take out a order and an older man approached me from behind the counter & rudely stated do not bring this in here. I had brought my venti Starbucks water in. Normally I would just smile & apologize — but he was so rude. Refused to take the order & glared at me. Now that’s customer service! Have a better day grouch.

It’s Guidas. It’s a local institution that’s been part of town longer than your parents have. It’s where you take the kids for ice cream after a game, or a fun lunch after a hike along the ridge. Burgers, fries and shakes… Eaten on the table that’s probably been there since the Powder Ridge Rock Festival in 1970. Bring cash, or the ATM might actually work.

Are you a fan of grilled 10″ hot dogs covered with your favorite toppings. How about grilled burgers, sausage burgers, pepper burgers, other types of grilled sandwiches like kielbasa, reuben, blt, cheese? Well, you better check out Guida’s. This is a quaint old-​time-​ish roadside place that serves those exact items to quench these cravings. They also serve delish breakfast items and a bunch of differing ice cream flavors if that’s your fancy.
For me, I’ll take (2) hot dogs topped with chili, onions and ketchup please. And when I do, which is every 6 – 8 weeks or so, I love em.
This place completes what I call the «triangle of dogs». Meaning, get a great grilled dog here. Or go for the deep fried dogs offered at Blackie’s. Or how bout the dogs at Capitol Lunch with that different meat sauce. All these options available within 20 minutes or so from each other. What a country. Enjoy!

Place is hoping this morning! Every table taken. And only a few stools left at the counter. Great food and great service. Love the floors and the bathrooms recently updated. Very clean and neat. The counters are gorgeous. Food delicious and hot. Great portions for the buck.

2 for the price of 1 chili dog specials on Monday! Offer starts and ends 6−8pm.
These are foot long Martin Rosol’s and if have to say that the in house chili they make compliments the dog very well! They also butter and toast the buns because why not?
I had two of them with mustard and onions for the first time and I’ll say that it out ranks New Britain’s Capitol Lunch chili dogs easily.

I’ve only been there for breakfast, but man, they have great breakfast. This place has the greatest home fries I have ever eaten in my life. The first time I ate there I just sat there in awe of how delicious those potatoes were. I’ve been back twice since the first time I went last week, just because they are so delicious. If I could just order like four orders of home fries and nothing else without it being weird, I’d be the happiest person alive.
The grill is also right behind the counter so it’s kind of neat to see everything being made. The only downside is they only take cash, so keep that in mind when you go.

A cheese pizza, or even a plain tomato pie, can stand on its own if it’s good enough. With hot dogs, it’s a little more difficult. Quality as the dogs themselves may be, it usually takes at least one standout topping to build a reputation. With Capitol Lunch in New Britain, it’s their meat sauce. With Blackie’s in Cheshire, it’s their relish.
After visiting Guida’s today, I’m going to say that, for me, it’s a combo of their hot relish and chili. There’s a lot going on in the relish — some kind of savory peppery complexity that I can’t really articulate — and it wonderfully complements the slightly-​sweet meatiness of the chili. These two were made for each other. The melted white American cheese was underneath the dog, which was a nice surprise. I think the area between the bottom of the dog and the bun should be exploited more often. And speaking of the bun, it was perfectly toasted. The whole thing was clearly assembled with care, and had enough structural integrity to be lifted out of its cardboard container and eaten in the car. Impressive!
The fries? Totally bland, obviously frozen, a mere vehicle for condiments. Don’t bother. I’m knocking off a star for those, because a place that does a hot dog this good should be able to do decent fries as well.

Came in here for lunch before going to a party and the place was booming. I ordered a hot dog with yellow mustard and kraut, and my boyfriend got the day’s special: a jalapeño chilli dog. We also split an order of chili cheese fries. The hot dog was grilled perfectly and the fries were tasty. Definitely would come back here again to try the rest of their lunch menu; it looked yummy. The only caveat: it’s cash-​only. They do have an ATM, but more likely than not you’ll pay a surcharge for using it, so just be sure to have enough cash on you beforehand.

I don’t get it. OK so as greasy spoons go this one is average. Why don’t they have half stars because I would give it 2−½ instead of 3 but anyways… Hummels hot dog I can cook at home. I am assuming canned Chile I can cook at home, frozen French fries I can cook at home and frozen French fries I can cook at home. I will only go when I’m in a pinch and don’t want to cook at home. Everything there is just fine. Nothing special, nothing bad. You cannot go wrong with Hummel hot dogs, the buns are the same as you would get in a grocery store.
It’s Hershey ice cream. (not the same as the Milton Hershey candy co) and is considered just an ok ice cream. They make a good shake.

Where do I start… I thought someone was playing a joke on me… one person in front of me… I ordered one chili dog to go… I waited twenty minutes. In the meantime they ran around the place giving the wrong orders to people. finally I gety hot dog… the chili looked like it was almost raw hamburger… I scraped that off and two two bites and threw it away… I wasted my whole lunch time and had to go to work with nothing… NEVER AGAIN

I haven’t been there since I was a kid and was getting a tattoo consultation next door at CT ink. I was hungry so I stopped into Guida’s.
I’m clumsy, so maybe it’s just me but I feel like there should be a watch your step sign cause I totally tripped twice! Any who is got the hot dog and French fry combo. The hot dog was pretty delicious but the fries were bland. No salt or seasoning. I wanted a milkshake but didn’t have enough leftover. I think I want to try the ice cream. I would come back for hot dogs here. They toasted the bun perfectly!

Blah hot dogs. They’re not up to Hummels quality. They taste a lot like many hot dogs found in New Britain, such the ones sold at Capital Lunch.
I do like their browned sauerkraut though. Browned sauerkraut is something uniquely central Connecticut and I wish more places had it in the state.
Sign says hot dogs are 10″ long. So they’re not quite a foot long.
$ 6.85 total for a hot dog and Snapple.

The hotdogs were OK; decent at best,
The O-​rings were frozen and failed the test.
But the 2 for 1 dog deal cannot be beat,
Come here on Monday for this special treat.
I got a couple hot dogs with the normal ketchup and sweet relish, but they also had 3 different mustards to choose from. The horseradish one was pretty boss. The dogs had an OK crisp to them, but they could have been grilled a bit longer. The bun kind of fell apart in my hand. Boo.
The waitress was very nice. You have the option to dine in or take out. Average, old fashioned fast food joint. Nothing to lose your marbles over… except the prices of hot dogs on Mondays.

The ice cream is wonderful. Stopped here after a long hike. A small cone is $ 2.00.
The mint chocolate chip is the best I’ve had and no stomach ache after. Can’t wait to come back. Next time will definitely have lunch. The breakfast menu looks on point too.

Stopped in here after a trip to Lyman Orchards for the corn maze. When we walked in I was immediately reminded of my hometown diners with the small booths and the long counter.
We each got the famous 10″ hotdog which was a bargain at $ 3.75. Many of the additional toppings are free but the ones that aren’t are only $ 0.35 each so feel free to load it up with whatever you’re in the mood for. The service was extremely quick and our food came out within minutes of ordering.
Afterward we stuck around and went to the ice cream walk-​up window for dessert. I got a scoop of pumpkin ice cream and a scoop of apple pie ice cream both of which were amazing! Would love to stop in again for a quick cheap bite to eat if I’m ever back in the area.

This is my favorite spot to stop for a great hot dog and a milkshake. The foot-​long hot dog with chili, onions, and mustard is awesome with a side of perfectly cooked french fries. Finish the (not so healthy splurge) meal with a cookies and cream milkshake. The service was fast and friendly, even on a busy Sunday afternoon.

Your normal «greasy» hamburger and hotdog place. But go for the chili!!!
Alright, I am definitely NOT someone to eat greasy food on the regular. But, my husband and I were having a pleasant afternoon and he loves greasy food. We were leaving Lyman Orchards after picking some fresh strawberries and raspberries and he suggested we try it out.
While their prices could have been about $.50 cheaper, it was enjoyable. The service was friendly and the food was good. I ordered a cheeseburger and some onion rings. The onion rings were crispy and yummy, the burger was a good size (maybe a little too pink for my taste, but I ate it). My husband had a chili cheese fry and a chili cheese dog. He couldn’t get over how delicious their chili was, and I agree. I love a spicy chili and this was it. It had the right amount of sweetness in the beginning and heat (def. not for those who don’t like spice) at the end. When we asked them about it, they said they make their chili right there and add in their own spices to go with their mood that day. Well, I guess we will be going back to see what the chili tastes like on other days. If it were me, I would give it 3 stars, but the chili brings it to 4.
P. S. BRING CASH! They have an ATM, but who wants to pay service fees?

We have driven by this place many times thinking someday when we are in a mood for a cheeseburger and some fries, kind of a greasy spoon kinda of fix… a quick Unilocal check and with three stars we decided to try.
It was good. It is a greasy spoon kind of place. It really needs a makeover. I opted to sit at a booth not the counter because I did not want to sit close and watch the food being made… so service was fast, efficient and friendly.
Hot dog grilled and served with sauerkraut that had great flavor. Great fries and a good cheeseburger.
Go back? maybe, but glad we stopped by. Lots of families and what seemed regulars — its an american classic… please someone give it a makeover!

I think this place is pretty decent. It is by no means a particularly great hot dog but it’s perfectly acceptable. It is likewise a passable burger but again, nothing special. The fires, ice cream and shakes are also just fine. It is fairly convenient and the people are nice.
For me the huge attraction is that this place is directly on the Mattabassett trail. This is part of the MMM trail that recently got some special designation and we should be able to expect upgrades and extensions to this trail system shortly. The Mattabassett in this area is an amazing cliff walk that looks out over the hills of central CT, crosses over the Powder Ridge Ski area and meanders through some nice quiet woods in an otherwise fairly well developed part of the state. So if you’re hiking with kids, it is pretty easy to park at Guida’s, take off into the woods where you are fairly quickly and easily walking along the edge of a cliff. Go for a few miles and then spin around and head back for hot dogs and ice cream. If you’re hiking by yourself, park elsewhere along the trail and plan to stop for an ice cream when you pass by Guida’s.
Middletown has some great places to eat, so I wouldn’t pass those up to eat at Guida’s, but if you’re here and you’re hungry you’ll be ok with whatever you try.