Duchess (Norwalk, CT) Review

 [Stock images, sorry I'm 150 miles away]

Value:    **** 1/2
Taste:     *****
Service:  *** 1/2

I’m not one to judge others on the spot, but I do have one simple rule by which I measure the character of others. If you do not like Duchess, I do not like you. There are no ifs, ands, or buts, no negotiation, we cannot be friends. If you like Duchess, well nice to meet yah pal! How to describe Duchess…Well it’s like a diner, but there’s no waiters/waitresses, so it’s a fast food joint, with diner quality food. This place has been around since my dad came to this country, and I’ve eaten here since I was a kid. Telling me you don’t like Duchess is like tell me my Mom’s cooking sucks (even though it does). 

However, Duchess’ food definitely does not suck. It’s the opposite of suck, it’s…it’s…wonderful. It’s the freshest fast food you can get because, hell, it’s grilled right there in front of you. Duchess also loves you, yah that’s right, IT LOVES YOU. How do I know this? When you’re drunk at 2 A.M. and that shitty Taco Bell down the road is closed, and you don’t feel like getting food poisoning at Burger King, Duchess lights the sky like a shining beacon. There is nothing better than a sausage, egg, and cheese freshly grilled at 2 in the morning to offset that oncoming hang over.

So down to business:

Duchess is pretty fairly priced. You’re going to pay about what you pay at other fast food restaurants, roughly $6-$10 for a meal. The difference is in the quality and amount you get. Like I said, you get a diner type meal, so you get you soup and salad, with your meal and choice of potato and vegetables. You also have your standard sandwich/fries/drink type meal.

[Everything you'd ever need, ever]

Comparing the food at Duchess to McDonalds is like comparing real pizzeria pizza to that shit you get at your grocer’s freezer. You can really taste that the stuff at Duchess hasn’t been sitting under a heat lamp. It just tastes fresh. I usually switch it up when I order at Duchess, but when I’m not sure what to order I go with the classic hot dog. To the best of my knowledge, Duchess is well known for their hot dogs and I can see why. First off they fry these bastards just right so the casing has that good crisp bite to it. Second, bacon. What better to compliment the artificial chemicals and heart clogging wonder of a hot dog than to throw bacon on it.  Also the chili is kick ass.

Service is alright. A lot of the workers are young kids so you can’t expect too much. There are some employees there that have been working their forever and they’re always pleasant to deal with. Beware the lunch hour and rush hour though, you will be in line for a loooooong time, but I’d argue its worth it.

Duchess Family Restaurant
157 Main Street
Norwalk, CT 06851-3709




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