Wendy Williams looked overjoyed to be out of the assisted living facility where she's living and back in the Big Apple streets ... grabbing a meal with some friends.

The former talk show host stepped out in NYC Thursday night with media mogul Alvina Alston and fashionista Tobi Rubinstein ... gripping them tightly when they met up on the sidewalk.

Check out the video ... Williams is just buzzing with excitement while embracing her pals, and they even stopped to take a picture together before heading into the joint.

Not a whole lot from Wendy here ... but, who can blame her after seeing so few people over the last few months.

As you know ... Wendy's been fighting to get out of her conservatorship since earlier this year -- with numerous celebs coming to her defense in the last few months.

We hadn't seen Wendy out since she grabbed dinner with Don Lemon back in April -- remember, Wendy has likened the facility she's living at to a prison -- so, it's good to see her roaming free, at least for one evening.