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Foley's Backstreet Grille

531 Pearl Street, Stoughton, MA 02072
(781) 297-0100 Find location!

Photo of Foley's Backstreet Grille, Stoughton, MA Sometimes you can tell that a dining spot might not be well-known just from its name; for instance, if the word "backstreet" is in a restaurant's name, chances are it isn't in the middle of a bustling city center or on a four-lane thoroughfare with malls and shopping centers on either side. And so it is with Foley's Backstreet Grille, a homey, friendly place located on, well, the backstreets of Stoughton, a little ways northwest of the center of town.

Foley's, which first opened in 2005, is a family-friendly place that has comfortable seating (including a number of high-backed booths), posters of classic movies on the walls, moderately bright track lighting, and carpeting to keep the noise level down. The overall feel of the restaurant is that of a neighborhood place, but with more of a cozy feel to it than an Applebee's or a TGI Friday's. The staff at Foley's seems to know many of the folks who come here, further giving it the feel of an almost exclusively local dining spot. The right side of the restaurant has a fairly large bar area where folks can have a drink while watching a game or waiting for a table.

The menu at Foley's Backstreet Grille isn't what you would call adventurous, but for those who love comfort food, it will probably be tough to choose from the items offered here. Appetizers include a tasty (and very cheesy) French onion soup, a hearty and mild chili, hand-cut onion rings, stuffed mushrooms, clam chowder, and six different types of salads. Meals are broken down by category, with the "diner" section including pastrami, chicken, and steak tip sandwiches; the "open range" section including teriyaki sirloin and chicken tips (both of which have a deliciously tangy marinade), baby back ribs, surf and turf, and pork chops; and the "ocean's eleven" section including haddock, salmon, scallops, shrimp, and clams. There is also a "goodfellas" section (Italian meals, including a much better than average chicken parmigiana) and a "chicken run" section, which includes a marvelous turkey dinner with loads of white meat, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and gravy. A children's section is also on the menu, with a number of items offered for the young ones.

Foley's Backstreet Grille is in some ways the perfect neighborhood restaurant; it is friendly, comfortable, and reasonably-priced, and focuses mainly on familiar dishes that many diners grew up eating. Parking is no problem (they have their own lot) and crowds are relatively rare (depending on the night). And, the folks who run Foley's really seem to take pride in being a neighborhood spot. Indeed, a note on their site says "...our restaurant is really your restaurant," implying that they will do whatever it takes to make customers happy enough to return again and again. And that, in these days of faceless chains and soulless franchises, is very, very refreshing.