As the 1960s hit “Reflections of My Life,” by Marmalade played gently in the background at Bliss Family Restaurant and Ice Cream Shop in Attleboro, Mass., dining reflections of my life raced to the forefront of my mind.
Family-style dining with families turning out in droves, booths and counters, career waitresses, menus with pictures of food and ice cream, burgers and sundaes as the main cuisine, townies talking it up with the staff, the open kitchen, the older cashier seemingly permanently glued to her station, 50s and 60s music playing, the cool lofted beam ceiling, and an outside “Bliss Dairy” side sign with a 50s style font helped set the retro vibe.
Bliss Dairy looks way out of place in our rushed, technology-based, specialized world where we are not supposed to eat anything bad, and that’s what makes this place so refreshing. It’s like an old Friendly’s restaurant that expanded three-fold — or almost like those mammoth pre-1980s turnpike restaurants that only had one place to eat. Bliss first opened as an ice cream stand at this location in 1930! The family restaurant has been around since 1978 and was recently given an extensive renovation without compromising the innate charm of the place.
Bliss turns out some mighty fine ice cream, breakfast items, sandwiches, soups, salads and dinners (they have nice Friday seafood specials) at fairly cheap prices — nothing fancy, but very tasty and served in generous portions. Nice, too, that a few grandmotherly-type employees said “hello” to us even though they were not our waitresses. It just made us feel welcome and wanting to come back again.
Bliss, a major manufacturer of ice cream (you’ll find its ice cream at may local farm stands) also has a manufacturing and distribution area in the building, which you can see through a window on a painted wall delivery truck. In this area is also an ice cream shop where you can purchase containers of ice cream.
When coming here, I enjoy the burgers, tuna melt, fries and, last but not least, the Dusty Glacier — a huge serving of two fudge brownies, three scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, a dusting of cocoa and a cherry. It’s filling enough for three people!
Last time while dining here, “Glad All Over,” by the Dave Clark Five was playing just before we left. It couldn’t have been a more appropriate tune to reflect our overall time capsule dining experience here!
Bliss Family Restaurant and Ice Cream Shop is located at 711 Park Street in Attleboro MA. Tel. (508) 222-0787.
Some additional pictures at Bliss to whet your appetite…
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