Restaurant Review: Arnold’s American Diner
So this weekend we finally made it to Arnold’s American Diner in Hoddesdon and was it worth the wait? Well read on and I’ll tell you more…
Arnold’s is a bit of a hidden gem, the location isn’t amazing to be honest and you probably wouldn’t stumble across it as they’re not in the town centre. Even if you drove past it which is likely if you’ve ever been to Rye House you wouldn’t necessarily be lured inside as it’s almost a bit tatty looking from the outside. One thing that certainly does stand out a mile is the life size Elvis Presley sitting outside strummimg his guitar! Having said that, I really like that’s it’s a bit hidden away and it’s not all shiny and new. It feels like ‘if you’re in the know about Arnold’s you just know!’
We arrived at just after 12 so we didn’t book a table, a bit of a risk on my part as I would have been so dissapointed if they were full. We were lucky it was fairly quiet so we were greeted by some friendly faces and shown to our table. It was due to be myself, my husband and the 3 year old because the 5 year old had just been dropped off at Rye House for a birthday party — 3 hours of Nerf Guns, soft play and go karts! So we were more than happy to drop and run. But we had the unexpected pleasure of some friends and their 3 year old joining us as their daughter was also at the party and the lure of hotdogs was too much for them to resist.
It was an instant hit with the children, there was so much to look at from a train track around the ceiling with a train chugging around and around, lots of interesting pictures and bits on the walls to music playing in the backgound. Our waitress was excellent and handed out the crayons and menu straight away to keep the little ones busy. This is always a win for us parents, you know that children are more than welcome at a restaurant if they’ve got the activities ready to hand out. I’m always on the lookout for family friendly restaurants and Arnolds was already ticking all the boxes for us.
First up was the vanilla milkshakes, oh my goodness they are delicious. Proper, old school milkshake in tall glasses made with ice cream. They were devoured in seconds. BIG decisons choosing the main course, I went for the Hotdog with jalapenos and melted cheese and the husband opted for the Classic Burger. I thought I’d have food envy but I was more than happy with the Hotdog. Really simple options but you can’t beat a really good hotdog or burger and they were huge as well! The 3 year old had chicken fingers and chips — he was happy too! The Little Dinner Menu for kids was great and very reasonable at £5.50 for a main and pudding.
There is plenty to choose from on the menu if you don’t fancy a burger or a hotdog. There’s always the Smoked and Slow Roasted Baby Back Ribs or Whole Buffalo Chicken Wings (YUM!) and they’ve got the vegetarian or salad options covered too. So after the main course I was completely stuffed so I ‘almost’ didn’t look at the desert menu, but then I realised that I wouldn’t be able to write a full review if I didn’t have a desert! So I thought, sod it and had to make an even bigger decision about which desert to have.
I thought about having the Creme Egg Freak Shake, a whole Easter Egg filled with milkshake and icecream with a Creme Egg on the side! Wowzers!
I couldn’t quite face this amount of chocolate to be honest so I opted for a good old fashioned Waffle with ice cream and maple syrup (which was huge by the way) but with a little bit of help from my friend it was soon consumed and very much enjoyed (diet started on Monday).
According the the website Arnold’s are under new management, I didn’t go under the previous managment so I can’t compare but it certainly looks like the new guys are doing a fantastic job.
I can’t not mention the Jukebox, we didn’t get around to putting any music on the jukebox but I believe that you can do which is adds a bit of fun to the whole Arnold’s experience.
The atmosphere was very relaxed and chilled out throughout the meal. It’s not huge inside so feels quite cosy and friendly. We all enjoyed our first visit to Arnold’s American Diner and will be back for sure, but next time with the 5 year old with a huge appetite as he would have totally loved it.
Thanks for reading my very first restaurant review :-)
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This one will be back soon for more of the ice cream please!! One happy boy right there…
