Manchester Restaurant Guide

"The Red Barn Diner" (formerly "Shirley D's") is rising above what "Shirley D's" once was. The place was packed this morning, the food was good, and service excelent.

Shirley D's has always been a nice place to eat. I see do not a difference in the waiting staff since the change of ownership. The food is still good old yankee grub. The bad review that I saw must have come from the competion. I think that all reviews MUST INCLUDE THE NAME OF THE REVIEWER.

Food is good at a reasonable price. Home made soups and desserts, hard to beat that. Friendly waitresses.

The diner is also open 24 hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. There's alot more room than in the Red Arrow, and rarely a wait for tables. Good place to go after work, or if bored with nothing to do for the night.

I use to go the shirley d's when I was younger and it is completely different now. The waitresses use to know your name when you walked in the door. It was a friendly and inviting place. Now under new ownership the quality of the food has gone down dramatically. I actually had food poisoning from mushrooms I ate there. I would consider myself a regular before this happended, I went once a week with my husband on sundays before church more out of ritual then because of good service or good food. We mentioned to the staff the next week and they made no effort to really listen or rectify what happened. To me that's just bad service after you've been going for ten years.
In a nutshell the food is subpar,
Service is terrible ( a waitress actually took off her shoes and started rubbing her feet right next to our table one morning)
Go to the Red Arrow before this place.

This place was the worst place!! The waitress was rude & made it clear we were bothering her by asking for explanation of the charges. We didn't even get a receipt!!!!!

We will never return and won't recommend it to our friends.

A definite 2 thumbs up for this place!
We've been going to Shirley D's since last fall, 2008. They serve breakfast all day, their deserts are fresh, and the prices are very reasonable. We have been pleased with everything that we've ever ordered. Their burgers and fries are the best in the area. I can highly recommend the Blue-cheese burger.

We find that the waitresses and cooks are very pleasant and helpful. Bob, the owner, always makes an effort to come by see how you're doing and check if the food and service are up to your expectations. We try to stop in at least once a week. They just added an all you can eat spaghetti & meat ball dinner for $4.99, my wife loves it.

Great food for a great price. Old school diner experience. I enjoyed the friendliness of the waitstaff and cooks.

This diner was one of the worst places I have ever ate at. It was very dirty and cold. The service was the worst.

This diner has been in business for over 20 years serving good breakfasts and lunches at very reasonable prices (under $10). This diner used to have a smoker-friendly atmosphere until the NH smoking ban took effect recently.

Under new ownership (June 2007), this diner opens at 5:00 AM for breakfast. Popular with regulars, this place has the basic old-time diner atmosphere with lunch counter seating and table seating. The ceiling is low in some parts, so tall folks should watch their head. Grab a Union Leader or a Boston Phoenix to read with the meal!

The menu offers typical diner fare including breakfast (served all day): egg dishes, omelettes, pancakes, French toast, hash, pan fries, muffins, & beans and lunch items include sandwiches, subs, soups, comfort dishes (meatloaf, open faced sandwiches, mashed potatoes), and desserts (pies, whoopie pies, & ice cream). Daily specials are posted. The Clam Chowder is HOMEMADE and not from a can.

Now smoke-free, I decided to stop here for lunch, but had breakfast instead. As soon as I walked in and sat myself at the lunch counter, I was offered hot coffee. I ordered a Western Omelette ($6.45), which included pan fries, buttered toast, and bottomless coffee. The omelette had ham, peppers, & cheese which was folded nicely and clean, not greasy. The pan fries (small sliced potato chunks) were light and had very minimal grease. The service at the lunch counter was quick and good including refills on coffee.

It now has a new management and things have obviously improved. The new owners seems to be committed to improve the quality of food, service and cleanliness. They have already started to improve the ambience. They have told me that they are re-evaluating their menu choices. All in all it was a good place to eat. The wait staff was very friendly and efficient. Will certain go back.