This American diner has all the right ingredients for a fun and friendly feed.

The Venue
Pretty much what you’d expect from an American chain: a large diner style restaurant with an island bar in the middle. It’s big, noisy and all American, with a red and white colour scheme and chirpy staff. This venue accommodates lots of diners but it manages to stop you feeling on top of each other by separating the seating areas with wood and glass panels. There’s live sport on the screens, pop music on the sound system and a background of loud chatter.

The Atmosphere
This venue must be the busiest of all TGI’s - even on weeknights you can expect a wait. But you can sample the huge range of cocktails at the bar whilst you wait, and a loud tannoy system announces when your table is ready.

It’s got a fun, feel-good atmosphere about it, with a mix of families and groups of friends, celebrating birthdays or stopping for a pre- or post-theatre feed. The service is speedy and friendly, but you don’t feel rushed.

The Food
A massive menu of traditional American fare, with equally big portions – you certainly won’t leave hungry. Appetisers include favourites such as tender chicken wings that come traditional style or boneless, dressed in a fiery hot sauce or Jack Daniel’s sweet and smoky glaze, served with celery sticks and blue cheese dip. The Hot and Cool Lettuce Wraps are worth a try in an attempt to be slightly healthy - a spicy warm chicken salad with peppers and onions wrapped in cold crisp iceberg lettuce leaves. There are also appetisers to share, including nachos loaded with a variety of toppings, stuffed potato skins and even more chicken wings.

For mains, there are burgers and sandwiches, pasta and salads, chicken and fish - there’s almost too much to choose from but that means even the fussiest eaters should find something they like. The filet mignon steak is tender and well cooked, but the chips are served overly pre-salted and the fresh vegetables a bit on the raw side. From the Tex-Mex menu, the chicken fajitas are authentic and tasty, served with warm doughy wraps and heaps of guacamole, sour cream, cheese and salsa.

TGI’s certainly isn’t a place for the calorie conscious or anyone in search of a haute cuisine, but it does what is does well, and you certainly can’t complain about the portion sizes. The dessert menu offers equally large and sumptuous treats to share or gorge on yourself. The Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake is deliciously creamy and the Brownie Obsession would satisfy any sweet tooth, with lashings of hot fudge sauce and vanilla ice cream.

The Drink
It’s all about the cocktails at TGI’s, which come in standard size for around £5.00 or in humungous goblets for about £7.50. There are the usual suspects, such as Cosmopolitans, Margaritas, Mojitos and Long Island Iced Teas, and more unusual choices such as the refreshingly tangy Uncle Vanya (a blend of vodka, blackberry liqueur and citrus juice) and Hurricane (a mix of rum, passion fruit juice and grenadine topped with orange and lime juice). There’s also non-alcoholic cocktails and soft drinks, beer by the bottle and a small wine list.

The Last Word
If you’re after good but not great food with family or friends in the West End, TGI Friday’s is worth a visit.

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