Shady Glen Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor
Manchester, CT • ★ 4.4 (3198 Google reviews)
The Story
The red vinyl booths and spinning stools at Shady Glen feel like a happy step back in time, where good simple food and smiles are always on the menu. Waiters in their crisp paper hats deliver those legendary cheeseburgers, stacked high with crispy cheese that crunches with every delicious bite. Finishing with a scoop of their rich homemade ice cream is the perfect sweet end to a perfect slice of Americana.
From the Counter
Recent Google reviews
Dalton Anderson
★ 3 • 10 months ago
Shady Glen Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor is an experience of nostalgia from a simpler time. This 50s-style diner transports you back to a post WW2 era where the ice cream flowed in gallon containers and servers wore paper hats. Simply for the experience, Shady Glen is worth a visit. The food, is just okay. I ordered a Cheeseburger Platter with Fries and Cole Slaw, Child's Grilled Cheese, Root Beer, Peanut Butter Chocolate Milkshake, Chocolate Malt Milkshake, Hot Fudge Sundae with Cookies & Cream, Small Chocolate Ice Cream, and Regular Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. The cheeseburger is unique, especially with the crisped melted cheese, but it's very dry and lacks flavor outside of the crispy cheese. The root beer is unique to Shady Glen, and I liked it. More like a sasparilla. The cole slaw was the best dinner item I ate here. The ice cream is good. I wouldn't recommend getting it as a milkshake. Stick to a sundae or regular scoops. Our server was a pleasant young man. Serving isn't his life's passion, and we couldn't track him down for refills. Our plates also started to heap at the end of the table as we ordered dessert. There was nothing bad or good about the service, it just was. Again, for the experience of an old time diner, it's worth the visit, but I probably won't dine here again.
Ana Huynh
★ 4 • 3 months ago
Ice cream, minestrone soup and onion rings were delicious. I know this place is well known for its burgers and fried cheese but not a fan. Burger was very dry.
Allison Carlson
★ 5 • 7 months ago
Visiting my home state of Connecticut led me to stop in at Shady Glen’s for a bite to eat before going up to Storrs to watch the Women’s Basketball Champions take on Villanova. Emma was a 💎 gem. Her hospitality was warm and she made me feel like it hadn’t been 20 years since I last visited. For anyone who hasn’t stopped in a while, you won’t be disappointed.
Julia Burke
★ 2 • 2 months ago
I heard good things about this place so I drove from Hartford to give it a try. After sitting for awhile at the counter where I was told I could sit, I had to finally get up and ask to be waited on, since the waitress was pointedly ignoring me and waiting on the man sitting a few chairs down. She has to be told to wait on me; she then waited on me and was very kind and attentive. The cheeseburger was undercooked, I wasn't asked how I wanted it cooked so I guess that's on me. It was very delicious regardless of not being cooked to my liking. The milkshake was runny, like strawberry milk. The video on their website made the shakes look thick and creamy so I was disappointed. The fries were a bit bland, nothing special but they did seem maybe "healthier" as they weren't greasy and were devoid of salt. They only accept cash, so I paid the fee on the ATM to obtain the $25.00 I needed for a cheeseburger, fries, and shake. Who really carries cash these days? All in all, I can see why it seems to be a local favorite, even though the atmosphere was lacking.
