Friedman's has several locations in the city and this one has been on my list for years, though for some reason have never had the chance to stop by. Finally came for brunch for two on a Sunday around 1:30pm and was seated within 5 minutes of arrival without reservations. There's room for maybe 5-6 people to wait at the host counter. The restaurant is larger than it looks from the outside, with seating for probably over 100 people taking into account the original and expanded sections. Food was very solid and I can see why they have so many locations if they're able to maintain this level of consistency. My friend got the lemon ricotta pancakes $19 which were, light, fluffy without being dry, and you could taste the lemon and ricotta clearly. Nice that it wasn't too sweet and the healthy dollop of whipped cream, fresh-cut strawberries and a drizzle of maple syrup went well with it. I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich $21 that came with bacon jam, gruyere, lettuce, avocado aioli, on a ciabatta roll. That bacon jam and avocado aioli were delicious and added the right amount of salty-sweetness and creaminess to the sandwich. The chicken was tender and moist too. The herb fries that came with it were a bit of a let down, some parts were soggy and the herb flavor wasn't particularly present. Solid serving sizes for the price and location. Staff was pretty good about checking in, food came out quickly within 10 minutes of ordering. There are gender-neutral bathrooms in the back of the restaurant.

OVERALL: went here for New Year's Day brunch because it's one of the few places in this area that looks clean and modern but service was just ok. Food was good. FOOD: everything looks delicious and picture worthy. Banana bread - this was the best. It's basically like french toast but with banana bread. We added a fruit side to balance the meal. Lemon ricotta pancakes - look beautiful but are dry. Had to drown it in maple syrup and it still wasn't enough. Eggs - super fresh, probably the best part of my meal given the disappointing pancakes Hot chocolate - diner style with flavor. Loved it. Not heavy or too overpowered with chocolate Tap water - i didn't trust the tap water because it looked dirty. The waitress/hostess was taking used bottles from other tables to fill other cups and she looked frazzled so I was concerned she didn't know what she was doing/paying attention. SERVICE: see above for comments on the hostess/waiter who took our order. The gentlemen that brought out our food were great though. I think these are the cooks. VENUE: large, modern, looks clean

Amazing brunch spot, service was great and staff were friendly. Portions are huge so you will have leftover. I ended up eating my leftovers at the movies later:

We had a small wait outside, drinks and food we great. We highly recommend and we will be back soon.