By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
Marlborough – It says on the Kennedy’s Restaurant’s menu “Casual family dining with excellent food! Come join us for great home-cooked meals in a friendly, comfortable, and inviting atmosphere.”
And that is actually what you get at this iconic Marlborough restaurant, as legions of loyal fans over the years would attest.
The family-owned restaurant opened in 1981. Dennis Kennedy was a renowned chef who operated another restaurant before he and his wife Carolyn made the decision to go out on their own. Since then their children joined them, helping to make it a destination for diners looking for great food, reasonable prices and a comfortable and friendly environment.
On a recent Thursday afternoon a friend and I decided to meet for lunch at Kennedy’s. Although the restaurant was full, we were seated almost immediately after being warmly greeted by the hostess. There were a wide variety of patrons amidst the luncheon crowd, including families, business people and even a group celebrating a birthday.
The luncheon menu is quite varied, offering an assortment of soups and salads, sandwiches and burgers. There were also entrees such as Honey Stung Chicken (tender chicken in a walnut breading, finished with a honey lemon glaze); Mandarin Salmon (fresh salmon broiled to perfection and finished with a Mandarin orange sauce and toasted almonds); and Coconut Fried Shrimp Basket.
I chose the Chicken Milanese Sandwich which is an Italian breaded chicken topped with tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella on a Panini grilled flat bread. The chicken was moist and tender and drizzled with just the right amount of balsamic glaze. It was delicious.
My friend ordered the marinated sirloin tips. They were served, as promised, char-grilled and medium rare. His side of green beans were also cooked to just the right degree of crispness as well.
We were too full to order dessert although selections such as Apple Crisp a la Mode, Homemade Brownie Sundae, Peanut Butter Blast and Ice Cream Puff were certainly tempting.
The dinner menu offers a great variety of seafood, beef and stir-fry entrees as well as many of the same items on the luncheon menu. Daily menu specials are also noted on their website.
Kennedy’s is open Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 12 – 10 p.m.; and Sunday 12 – 9 p.m.
In addition to the downstairs dining room, Kennedy’s has an upstairs dining room that can accommodate large parties for special functions. They also offer catering for any size function.
Right next to the restaurant is Kennedy’s Market where customers can purchase seafood, meats, prepared meals and baked goods. The market also has a deli that features Boar’s Head deli meats, prepared salads and cheeses.
Kennedy’s Market is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Kennedy’s Restaurant and Market is located 247A Maple St. Visit kennedys-pub.com for more information.
Photos/submitted