TGI Friday's

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

You can't help but smile as you enter TGI's jolly palace of fun. You'll probably be singing along to Sinitta by the time you're greeted by a bouncy server schooled in wholesome Stateside customer service. The look is Cheers-meets-Happy Days in Disneyland, with red leatherette booths and an incredible display of mashed-up Americana that could easily distract from your conversation, whether it's a Hendrix poster, a life-size Yoda or a giant marlin over a door. As for the food, dive headlong into the awesome 'Times Square big share', a heaving plate of smoky wings, cheese and bacon skins and mozzarella dippers. This will introduce you to the 'Jack Daniel's sweet'n'smoky glaze', a sticky, sickly concoction that pops up all over the menu. Or if you just want an appetiser with your cocktail, there are the 'mac'n'cheese bites' that are as bizarre as they sound. There's a stack of steaks, fish, chicken, burgers, sandwiches, pasta and even salads on offer. The super-sizers at the table can wrestle with the ultimate American grill, but it's a case sometimes of quantity over quality. One notable exception is for dessert, such as the particularly pleasurable 'popcorn brownie sundae', which is massive.

• High point: Jaw-dropping décor
• Low point: The 'legendary' Jack Daniel's glaze