Friends Grille and Bar — Restaurant in Valdosta

My girlfriend and I stopped here to eat on our way from Florida up to Macon, GA for dinner. We chose it because it had positive reviews, and after reading the "about us" section on the website, it seemed like a place where we could get some good food and relax after 4 hours of driving. The food was good, the service was good, but we were wayyyy underdressed. I had on a baseball cap, t-shirt and jeans and my girlfriend had on jeans and a top, and we were by far the most causal people in the place. The name and "about us" was a bit misleading as to the level of "casualness", so if you are planning on coming here for the first time be sure to be at a minimum of semi-causal attire. We were a little embarrassed when we walked in, but we were starving and tired so we decided it made more sense to stay rather than try to find somewhere else. We were seated in the bar area, and definitely got some looks for our attire from employees and patrons. In regard to the service, I cannot remember her name, but our server/bartender was very nice. The drinks were good & the empanadas were good. I had the pot roast, and although the meat itself was pretty good- that was about it. I had sautéed carrots instead of potatoes, and they were awful. They were undercooked to the point they were still cold in the middle, and the amount of sage was Incredibly overwhelming. I honestly couldn't eat them. My girlfriend had the pan seared shrimp, which was almost like a gumbo and she liked it a lot, except that it 100% should have been served over some sort of starch (like rice) because the bowl was just left with a ton of delicious sauce. Overall our experience was good, but not great. That's not to say it wouldn't have been slightly better under different circumstances, but for the cost of the food I can't ignore that it was...

Let me start with the good: this place looks like it knows what it’s doing. The ambiance is simple, tasteful, and well-designed—perfect for a cute dinner out. We were greeted with a smile the second we walked in, and our server was friendly and attentive the whole time. A+ for vibes and service.

Now, the food… oof.

We started with the appetizer special of the night, which, shockingly, was the best thing we had—and it was aggressively mid. Everything that followed? Two thumbs down.

The peas I ordered as a side; I swear were marinated in red onion slivers for several decades. Even after picking out all the visible onion, (as shown in pictures) it still tasted like Shrek’s bathwater. If I had ordered this on a first date, I would’ve just gone home to save us both the trauma of onion breath. There’s no way a single person has ever eaten this dish and said, “Wow, that was delightful.” I’d actually pay money to see the facial expressions of anyone taking a bite.

My partner’s mashed potatoes? So dry and dense I could’ve thrown them at a wall and they’d stick. Come back the next morning and they’d be holding up drywall. Not a single drop of moisture in sight.

I asked for crushed red pepper for my flatbread (thinking maybe it could be saved). No - No pepper flakes. Apparently none of their flatbreads are allowed joy or spice. Even if they did have red pepper, I don’t think it would've saved it.

Best thing we had all night? My partner’s chicken. And even that was dry. So, that says a lot.

Final verdict: come here for a drink and a snack before going somewhere else for the actual meal. It’s a great pregame spot, but if you’re hungry-hungry,...

I have tried to like this place........My crew members I am working with raved about how good it was. Well the first trip I ordered their special steak, a ribeye with their reduction sauce. I honestly hated it. There was about a 1" thick burnt portion (what they call a char) , so I ended up with a steak that was over done on the outside and cooked rare in the middle. Then to "top it off", which they did, it was drowned in this reduction sauce.

Second trip was for breakfast, this was actually pretty good, but the service was really slow.

Third and final trip, a group of us went for dinner on a Tuesday night. After calling and being told they don't take reservations, we arrived (6 people) and were asked if we had a reservation.....After an hour wait we were seated. Our drink orders and apps were taken and we again......waited. If took over an hour to get all of our apps and get the waiter back to take our order. To avoid the steak I wanted to try something else, their seafood special for the night. Again my food was swimming in whatever the sauce was they had for the dish and the scallops were like chewing a rubber band.

After an hour wait and THREE hours to eat a sub par meal, I will not return until I hear other say the service and food has meet...