Guido’s Drive Inn Restaurant

I counted 13 health code violations upon arrival and going to the restroom. I can only imagine what the kitchen looks like. I do have to admit, the hotdogs were a bit better than good. Service was ok (hard to mess up 6 dogs) but she fumbled when it was time to split the bill. Will not be back!

A little skanky, a little sketchy, a little tasty… I wish I could title my reviews. Guida’s is a bit of all over the place. I’ve been here quite a bit over the years. The food is kind of hard to explain. Not in a bad way, but this place embodies mediocrity. Everything here is about what you’d expect to get from your typical ²⁴⁄₇ diner, except their not a diner and their hours are not even close to ²⁴⁄₇. So they mix a bit of hooters action (mini skirt wearing scantily-​clad women staff) in with occasional roller skate table service as their gimmick. It’s ok but seems a bit uncalled for. Their burgers and hotdogs are good but not great. Stay away from the fries. Prices are reasonable. There’s honestly not a lot to say about this place except that they have GREAT ice cream. Previously they had nothing but Hershey’s brand which is already a good thing. But now they switched to only serving Gifford’s, which has already brought me back here repeatedly, if for nothing but their rendition of moose tracks, muddy boots, and a well as a few other (weird sounding) ice cream flavors. They’re all amazing. I would recommend coming here, but not for «food»; stick to dessert. :)

Sauerkraut hot dog was good & cooked to order, fries were ok, not great. The service was not very good. After the waitress took our order and delivered our food, she never came back to check on us. My husband had to go find her to ask for the relish/​onion tray, and again when we needed drink refills. I’m not a fan of the skimpy outfits on the teenage servers– at least pull the skirt part down a little bit, so that your ass doesn’t hang out! What can I say, it was Labor Day and many restaurants were closed, so we settled for Guidos.

Great burgers
Fries suck
Ice cream and shakes great
Girls are awesome and always nice
My only complaint beside french fries
Is the place smells like bad mop water smells like old wash rags
Oh and the chili grease man chili not suppose to be greasy and oil.

Maybe some folks are being a little too harsh on this place.
I can’t believe people walk into this people expecting anything other than canned and frozen food. Because from the looks of the place that should not be a surprise.
Yes the girls working here wear tight tee shirts and shorts but it’s really not bad. Ever go to the mall? Every teenage girl today wears a tight tee shirt and shorts. IMO a visit to Guidos is no worse than a visit to Hooters or a day a Masquamicut Beach. To be honest I sort of felt sorry to the girls working there. If they were better looking I bet people wouldn’t be as harsh on them. But not every girl in the universe is destined to be a prom queen or work at The Banana Republic. I like rooting for the underdog and these girls seemed like girls I could root for. A simple friendly greeting is all it took to win me over.
Apparently Guidos serves Hersey’s ice cream and thankfully I’m not so snooty that I can’t appreciate Hersey’s ice cream. I got two dynamite flavors that I’ve never experienced before; cappuccino crunch and raspberry roadrunner. The best part is two gigantic scoops cost approximately $ 3 and change.
One reason I felt sorry for the girls is because I overheard them talking and one girl said she had to pay for a customer’s meatball sub that she accidentally made a mistake on earlier in the day. I then saw her take her own money out of her purse and put it into the cash register. Her boss was nowhere in sight. So kudos to her for being super honest. I’d hire her in second if I had the chance. On the other hand, a big «middle finger» goes to her boss for having such a crummy policy. Everybody makes mistakes (including me Mr Perfect) and a few mistakes should be tolerated so employees aren’t monetarily penalized. I got the impression the girls were honest girls, just working hard for a day’s pay.

My wife and I happened to be in the area at around lunch time and spotted this restaurant. The day was overcast so no one was outside so I proceeded inside. There really wasn’t much of a counter but a server took my order, a pair of 6″ inch hot dogs with mustard, relish and onions. The hot dogs must have been cooked to order as it took a good 15 minutes to be prepared. These looked closer to 5″, but there was a desirable snap when bitten and the overall flavor was pretty good. My sole disappointment was discovering after reading online reviews at home that the roller skating, lingerie clad hotties had taken this Sunday off.
A rating of 2.5 stars would be most appropriate.

I have a more favorable view of this restaraunt than some Unilocal reviewers.
The burgers are good, the chicken grinder is fine. Breakfast is probably the best thing about the place, especially the pancakes. Service is usually fast and always courteous. As for the ambience, I will refrain from moral judgments about the waitresses’ attire because they are personally irrelevant.

This was the worst restaurant I’ve ever been too. The waitress wear cheap lingerie and it very disturbing if you are trying to enjoy a meal with your family. The food it’s literally canned food. I ordered the clam chowder and I could taste the metal of the can. It was nasty. The fries were very soggy it seems like they were microwaved like everything else. I will not recommend this place at all. Not even for ice cream

Great shakes, decent burgers. Worst part is the insanely underdressed staff. Both times I have sat in booth I have been greeted by a belly button ring and bare stomach literally in my face, at eye level, by a young woman who clearly should not be wearing said clothing.
The older server (probably in her late 30s) walks around in skin tight leggings and a black lack camisole every time I have been here. Utterly disturbing experience. This place could be a great family spot if the women that worked here had a little more self respect.
I order shakes from here to go and try my best not to make eye contact.

My favorite (nostalgic) burger Joint so far.
Home of the Three tier burger (see my pictures), Guido’s has a wide variety of signature burgers and hot dogs.
The girls serve 50s style on roller skates whether you order inside or out.
Car shows are frequently held here — see their facebook or website for event details.
Inside of the building is decorated with Coke memorabilia, a pinball machine, and seating all designed as if it were pulled right out of the 50s.
Aside from their meat, I have also enjoyed a thick creamy shake and a handful of fries.
This place is a relic to burgers and should be visited by any burger lover or old timer who is stuck in the past.
Stop by and give it a try. If you are a burger junkie like me, do not pass up the chance to try their 3 tier burger.

This joint is not an appropriate substitute for Kool Cow. Kool Cow was a place for families, for children. Now it’s a place that uses those children, girls almost grown into women as main attraction meat. Yes, meat. I feel very proprietary because this is my town and these are OUR young women.
KOOL COW rocked! It was about the beauty of the cow, great very fresh burgers and delicous ice cream and shakes. Kool Cow was a Manchester icon and it was special.
I look at GUIDOS and it just makes me sad to live in Manchester.
Frankly, it’s disgusting what these businesses are doing to our young women and I say this in all seriousness. I won’t go into a big magilla discussion about the owl dump or this dump — only that our young women deserve better than being put through this gristmill to earn a buck.
PS. In case you were wondering — Guidos is not very clean, the food isn’t good and the girls are under age and exploited.
Welcome to third world Manchester CT, USA. :(

Don’t like they. Food is ok. Is just not like before. Does why would not go here.

I have been here twice for ice cream, but have never had the food. My husband had a sundae both times and he raved about how good they were. I had the soft serve both times and it was good. The décor could use some updating, but it also has outdoor tables to enjoy your ice cream or food.

This is a cute little place, but it could use a renovation. The outside is pretty run down, and the inside is pretty cheesy. It doesn’t full look like a 50s Drive In. It more looks like a restaurant opened in the 80s that tries to look like a 50s restaurant. In respect to the girls at Guido’s… well, I’ve really never had that experience. Many say that they are in tightly clad outfits, but I’ve never seen that, and I’ve been there about four times. Today, they were in what looked like full sweatsuits. Maybe that is because it is winter though— I’m not sure.
The food is great for the price. Some food is overpriced, but some things are well-​priced. For example, their bacon burgers are normal size, and their only $ 4ish. That’s about the same price as fast food, but much, much better. Very good quality on the burgers. They also have shakes — at a little over $ 4, which are not the best, but okay. Probably a little overpriced for the quality. They have fried dough, which I haven’t tried yet, but I look forward to it. For two burgers and a large order of fries, it would come to about $ 11, plus tip. That’s about the same as what you’d pay for fast food, but the food is much better, and the waitresses are much more attentive and very sweet.
Edited for a note: The food is very fast, which is a big plus. You can come here to eat on the go without having to take a big part of your day! Perfect for fast food, without the poor fast food quality.

Guido’s Car Hop, Connecticut’s only roller skating car hop restaurant. Right in the rockin’ land of Manchester.
What a ridiculous looking place. The outdoor eating area is made up of sea foam green picnic tables enclosed by neon pink fencing. Inside, the eatery is adorned with all sorts of kitschy accessories, wall hangings, and even the stray pinball machine. Waitresses roll by in roller skates and teeny tiny mini-​skirt/​bodysuits, a detail some will appreciate more than others. A bit sexist, methinks. Anyway, at Guido’s, you have lots of options for what to order and where to eat it: inside, outside at a picnic table… or in your car. Just wait for a waitress to skate on over to you. Somehow, it’s even less endearing than Sonic.
I can’t do much to comment on the food menu aside from describing it. I opted for ice cream. However, the lunch/​dinner menu includes plenty of grilled dishes, grinders, fried seafood, hot dogs, and burgers– with sides like fried dough, mozzerella sticks, fried mushrooms and spicy curly fries. Artery busting in a «hits the spot» kinda way. Quite a few breakfast offerings as well.
After browsing through the Nifty Fifties sundae list, I chose the Turtle Sundae ($ 4.95), which gives 3 scoops of ice cream (my choices: choc peanut butter, cookies & cream & choc) with caramel, hot fudge, and walnuts topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Delish– Like a giant, messy, melty Snickers bar.
Also, if you’re brave (and/​or a bottomless pit, and/​or came with a few friends), spring for the Grease Lightening Sundae, which gives you 5 scoops of ice cream plus 3 toppings with whipped cream and a cherry for $ 6.95
I don’t know how I ultimately feel about Guido’s. The atmosphere is kind of fun… but it freaks me out a little bit. Plastic flamingos and waitresses on wheels may have something to do with that.

Guido’s features greasy food, a menu with items named after cars and 50’s icons, bikers and rock music in the parking lot, and roller-​skating waitresses whose outfits don’t leave much to the imagination. If this is your thing, Guido’s will most likely be a hit. If not, you really won’t want to come here. Burger was pretty good (I just got takeout) but the inside of the restaurant could use some freshening up. I’ll probably go back.

This is basically an overpriced Dairy Queen. The biggest difference is that it’s full of 16 year-​old girls with their asses hanging out of their skirts while creepy old men ogle them.

Smells like a sewer in there. Also the Décor is right out of iparty very cheesy. Food is ok nothing to write home about. They really need to get the toilet bowl smell outta there!

Please note this review is for the hot dog at Guido’s…
…which is pretty disappointing. They proudly advertise their dog’s prowess in big letters out front and inside they even have a sign showing they one the honor of «Best Dog» from a local radio station.
Unfortunately, the dog + sauce is quite bland and flavorless, and the bun was toasted to a deep, dark brown. I appreciate they toast the bun at all but this was well beyond my preferred toastiness level.
To top it off, the dog with chili is an eye-​popping $ 4. This is the most expensive hot dog I’ve encountered on my quest for the best dogs in CT by a good 75 cents and it’s just not worth the money.