Halfway Cafe - Marlborough, MA - Ian

Halfway Cafe on Boston Post Road in Marlborough

We were headed to the Solomon Pond Mall on Friday evening and we were hungry. So I Googled restaurants in the area from my phone and I found the Halfway Cafe and discovered that it is a favorite of the Phantom Gourmet. We decided to check it out.




The Ambiance

One word to describe this place is FUN. When you walk in, you're greeted by one of those curvy mirrors (vertically, of course) that makes you look all stretchy and stuff. You could smell popcorn and hear great music. We had to wait about 10 minutes for a table, but it was Friday night and it definitely seemed like a popular place.

The Food

There was a great selection of food, great prices and a full bar. They're running a "7 for 7" special for the month of January. There are seven different meals for 7 dollars. Two of the people at my table ordered the Steak Au Poivre and they said you couldn't beat it for 7 bucks.

For appetizers, we had the calamari and onion rings and they were both fantastic! I was really impressed by the onion rings because the batter actually stuck to the onion. It wasn't like the rings at Red Robin that slide all the way out on the first bite and slap you on the chin.

The calamari was also outstanding. It was served with red and green hot peppers and some tangy marinara. It definitely beats the calamari you'd get at Longhorn's, 99, Friday's or any of those places.

For my entree, I ordered a burger. It was tasty, although a bit overcooked, and the fries were especially good. They were skin-on, hand-cut. Can't beat that. Together with my black-and-tan it made me a very happy (and full) man.

The Service

I was very pleased with the service. All of our appetizers came out very quickly, and so did out entrees. This was especially impressive for a Friday evening. Our waitress was very friendly and good-natured and the others in the wait staff had a similar persona that melded well with the family atmosphere.

I liked this place so much that I'm going to add it to the Fantom Four Fantastic Finds! I was very pleased to know that there are still great pubs out there that remain unscathed by the corporate monster that has taken over American, feel-good food.