Duchess of Wallingford

For fast food, if in the rare case I need to get something quick I’ll swing through the drive through here for a solid breakfast sandwich! Priced Nicely for a bacon egg and cheese on a wonderfully soft Portuguese roll, coffee and hash brown. I always top the sandwich off with the hash brown. makes for an easier commute meal and tasty at that. Cannot go wrong here!

Disgusting… utter garbage! I never give a low review until its so bad that they deserve it and holy cow what a gross place. Food took over 20 minutes to finish, burger was mediocre and the fries tasted days old and over salted. The resaurant itself was filthy, floors greasy and tables littered with filth. The worst part was the nuggets (I wish I had my phone on me at the time I would’ve taken a picture) one of them was literally the size of a quarter. If I could’ve stood to be in there another second I wouldve complained but they had so much chaos going on behind the counter I thought it best to cut my losses and tell my story so others don’t get taken as well. I get that its an old established place, clearly someone has had a good experience there from time to time. I went partially because I have heard their egg sandwiches aren’t bad and reasonably priced but the dinner crew is the pits.

Decent lunch fair, a step above McDonald’s…buyer beware at dinnertime though, food tastes like it has been sitting since lunchtime!

Decent soups and fries. Turkey burger not half bad either. I’ve had the turkey sandwich and grilled cheese as well… both pretty good. The only thing that irritates me is that Fox news channel is on their tv non stop with no way to change channel… sure way to lose your appetite!!!

They used to grill the rolls. For 30 years. Now they are dry. Oh well :(hey less calories.

LOVE duchess. I have never been disappointed with anything I’ve had. My kids love breakfast foods so it’s nice you can get French toast around the clock., their fries are soooo good, and I love the soda machine that offers a million different combinations of soda so you can mix it up. (I like putting half cherry into my coca cola)
They are very fast at making your order when calling ahead, too. All in all, I have always been very happy with everything I’ve had.

Duchess will always be the epitome of identity crisis for me. Is it fast food? Is it a diner? Is it fast diner food? Whatever it is, it curbs cravings.
Walking into Duchess reminds me of vacation in Lake George or New Hampshire — stale, outdated but just because they’re too busy to remodel. It’s like a step back in time, no particular era though just a time before franchises invested in interior decorators.
Food is a two steps up from fast food, one step down from a diner. Burgers are dry, and smooshed, but don’t give you the bubble gut. Fries are tasty and fresh. Chicken nuggets are better than average but are usually cooked to long, but it’s real chicken not some pink paste. See where I’m going with this?
The employees here didn’t give me the impression they really gave a crap. Now I wouldn’t be sunshine and rainbows on a Saturday night either — but it was either monotone or avoidance — if you got lucky you received both from one person.
The thought of big chain fast food is enough to make me gag, I can’t even handle the smell. But my terrible Mother tainted my brain receptors and from time to time I want junk — I head here as the better alternative.
TL:DR? I don’t really know how to review Duchess, it’s not good, it’s not bad, it serves it’s purpose.

Food is good, but the wifi is terrible.

Duchess is a local fast food restaurant chain in Connecticut. I’ve only been to the Wallingford location and the food is made fresh when your order. I usually go to Duchess a few times a year when they have burger specials on the sign outside. I’ve only had the burgers, fries and onion rings which all have been very good at reasonable prices. The interior of Duchess is dated and they recently repaved the parking lot which was in bad shape.

I’ve been going to Duchess for years. I love the variety they offer from your typical fast food fare like burgers to full dinners like chicken parm. Sometimes when too many things are offered, some are good some not. I’ve enjoyed just about every items I’ve had. What I get depends on my mood. The food does taste much fresher than a fast food place. I had the beef barley soup last night which was quite tasty along with a chicken salad sandwich.
I usually go to dinner there, but of you are in the mood for breakfast, they also have a good variety of items. They also serve green mountain coffee which is a plus.
Wallingford does have many restaurants to choose from but if you want something quick or if the members of your family are not all in the mood for the same type of food, you might want to check this place out.

The chicken nuggets are the best. Real pieces of chicken and not pressed chicken sweepings from the floor. And the sweet and sour sauce is the best too. It is made by Kens, and I can never find Ken’s sweet and sour sauce anywhere but this place. Fries are just whatever. If they are fresh out of the fryer they are good, but when they get cold or have been sitting they’re just whatever. They installed a Coca Cola Freestyle dispenser, which is cool, but I say bring the birch beer back!!! Burgers are really good too. I have never tried breakfast there, but it looks like they have a really good selection.

There’s been a resurgence of Duchess in my life, and I am welcoming it with open arms — and with frequent visits to satisfy all my fast food cravings. Duchess is like a fast food place mixed with a diner. On top of your usual burger combos, you can get some quality diner fare for all meals of the day at fast food prices. I loved this place when I was a kid and just kind of forgot about it for a while. When I went back recently with my boyfriend because he had never been to a Duchess, I realized what I was missing.
Starting with dinner, I always thought it was cool that you could get liver and onions at Duchess, and that’s what my boyfriend ordered. I went with a meatloaf dinner. Both were around $ 8, and they came with mashed potatoes, a vegetable, dinner rolls and butter, plus a side salad. When our trays came out, there was a lot of food. The veggies were just canned peas, but I really liked the mashed potatoes, and my meatloaf, though a little dry, wasn’t half bad. I’m not too much of a liver and onions fan, but when I tried some of my boyfriend’s, it was pretty delicious, and he got a lot of it. Plus we got a good-​sized salad, and we each got the house dressing per recommendation by the lady at the register. It’s a creamy kind of blue cheese dressing with dill and a little zip to it — I might be addicted now.
I went back just a few days later to pick up some burgers and fries to bring home for lunch. Duchess uses a bakery-​style roll instead of your usual bagged hamburger bun, and combined with the quality burger — although still thin and like a fast food burger — it was pretty wonderful. I also got an order of onion rings on the side, which are made fresh there — not frozen and from a bag.
Bonus: There’s a Coke Freestyle machine.

A fast food place of contradictions. Interior décor looks about 30 years old, but they have wifi and one of those super fancy touch screen 100 flavor soda machines.
Burger was ok. Bacon and fries were nice and crispy. Aside from the time warp, and the fact they were a tad slow, I can’t complain.

We’ve been going here for years and besides that 15 years ago my dad got a «green» burger we can forgive them as that has not been the experience since. I usually go here for a bacon egg and cheese, two for $ 3.33 (the price of one at D&D) and WAY better than dunkin doughnuts!
Everything here is made fresh so expect it to take a little bit longer than the average fast food joint as this place is really halfway between fast food and a restaurant. The manager i’ve noticed is usually always working hard and always attentive which I give a big props to him for being so friendly and on top of things.
The variety on their menu simply cannot be beat. Breakfast anytime, tons of sandwiches, wraps and sides. Plus one of those fancy coke machines with all the flavors. Of course it doesn’t help me stay away from soda when they have yummy cherry vanilla coke.
However this place is in SERIOUS need of an update. Parking lot needs to be repaved and the interior needs to get in this decade.

I’ve been going to various Duchess restaurants all over CT and am a huge fan. This branch is very good, everything is fresh and tasty. Great burgers and chicken nuggets!