Duchess Drive-In

I’m a fan of this duchess it is one of the few left that is clean has friendly staff and well cooked food. Big d chili cheese with bacon bits and fried onions is the way to go with well done fries. The restaurant was renovated recently and now has tvs and comfy seating. One of the burgers ordered was incorrect and was promptly corrected.

This was my favorite place to eat for at least 5 years and always was fresh, but this time something happened, my wife and daughter came home from there very, very sick. My daughter is 3 years old and both her and my wife got food poisoning from a fish sandwich. Very scary my wife said she though she was gonna die. What the f — — is going on over there? Did this happen to anyone else?

I have been eating duchess since I was a little kid over twenty years ago, its fresh, the burgers are awesome, don’t love the fries but the chicken nuggets and hot dogs are great. I never go to CT without hitting Duchess at least twice.

The best fast casual/​fast food in CT. I love it! I also love the Coke Freestyle machine. That thing is the bomb. But seriously, get a hot dog with the works, get the egg and cheese sandwich on a hard roll, and don’t forget the big D burger. Seriously!

I used to love this place. Recently they have gone down hill big time on the service! Every time I go something goes wrong! This last time I watched my completed order sit under the heat lamps in a bag, the woman working the drive up window takes one of my two onion rings out of my completed order and had a new one put down. So I waited. Most of the time my completed order sits there getting cold. My husband and I had once been given our order without fries and figured we would start, finally they arrived as we were ready to leave. Trying to get someones attention is hard as drive thru will not help the counter and everyone else is carrying on about their personal life! I have given this restaurant MANY chances, but I don’t think I will be returning anytime soon!

They’ve changed the interior but the food remains great. I’ve been comming here for years and perfer them over McD’s or Burgerking. They’re a small chain I think only in CT but they definatly have a small buisness touch. Food has always been made to order so its a bit slower than the other chains but they definatly have quality

Bacon, egg and American cheese on a poppy seed roll. The hangout spot in high school (some 25 years ago) it is funny how certain spots invoke fond memories. I am still a fan of this sammy today — add a piping hot, greasy hash brown and a small drink for under 5 bucks and it is still a great drive through spot.

This fast food restaurant is definately a hub for technology fans and elderly people. I was amazed with the touch screen soda fountain but also amazed to find the atmosphere similar to that of a nursing home. Tons of televisions all over the place but a little too crowded for my taste. Avoid the hot dog.

Duchess is a weird place. It’s not fast food, but it’s not exactly the quality of… say… a diner. At best, Duchess can be described as your typical «burger & dog» joint. But more.
The menu selection is excellent with a wide range of foods to choose from: burgers, dogs, sandwiches, breakfast, wraps, fried clams, etc. Come between 4pm and 8pm and you can choose from their «dinner» menu (spaghetti & meatballs, meatloaf and such). If your staying in then they bring the food to you (listen for your number!). If you’re going out, there’s seating so you can wait for you food to be made (everything cooked to order, never ahead of time).
The one I’m in now (in Ansonia) recently had a major renovation done and it shows. It’s brighter than it used to be, and quite frankly, much cleaner looking. The booths on the side of the dining room all have their own individual televisions so you can watch while you eat. If you don’t get a side booth, don’t worry. There are two good sized tvs at the front for you to watch (downside is you don’t get to control what’s on). Also, free Wi-​Fi (which I’m using right now).
The staff here is always nice and helpful. Don’t be afraid to ask them what’s good; they’ll be happy to tell you.
The best thing to come from the remodel though is the new drink system. There is, and I’m not exaggerating, 106 drink choices. Let me repeat that… 106 DRINK CHOICES! 9 flavors of Diet Coke! 8 flavors of Lemonade! And did I mention beer? Yes, beer! (Stella Artois for those wondering)
The food quality is nothing to write home about honestly though. They have a pretty good turkey burger and I love the turkey, bacon & cheddar sandwich, but their burgers and hotdogs aren’t anything you couldn’t pick up at a supermarket. Tonight I had the meatloaf dinner and it was pretty «eh» honestly. It wasn’t horrible, but it certainly wasn’t worth the $ 8.99 I paid.
To wrap up, Duchess is a good choice if some of you want to do fast food and some of you want to do a diner.

I love Duchess! If I ever go back to school and become a sociologist, I am going to do thesis on Duchess. Maybe it is because I grew up with Duchess and my father loved going, but there is something very special happening here.
I can’t think of any restaurant anywhere, that you can find people gathered over food having in depth conversations with such verve. I have been in Connecticut a week and have gone every day. This morning went and observed four men in there 70’s discussing with gusto CT college basketball and football. Yesterday it was a family reunion. I love this place, and they make a great bacon, egg and cheese or a bacon and hotdog.

This is my favorite duchess in the area. They bring the food to your table… it’s almost kind of like a fast food restaurant!