Updated as of 5/19/19

For such a small town, the number of restaurant choices here in East Greenwich is amazing. And it is constantly changing as restaurants come and go.

What’s here this summer, may not be here next summer. Waterfront dining and entertainment at Blu On The Water, Finn’s Harborside or Nautica (our only waterfront dining is on Quantum Leap) or a variety of restaurants within walking distance on Main Street. Whether you have a craving for seafood, Thai, Indian, Italian, Asian, or plain ol’ American, want fine dining or pub style or are interested in eat in or take out, there’s a restaurant in town or within a short driving distance to meet your needs. We tried our best, but despite being here for a few months, we didn’t have time to try all of them. But here’s a synopsis of where we did go….

Breakfast

Coastline Diner (formerly Athens Diner), Warwick
This has been one of our favorite breakfast and lunch joints in the past but we’ve recently decided (in 2018) that it no longer is. In fact we avoid going there now. It has been replaced by Gel’s Kitchen (see below). Nothing fancy but the food is still reasonably priced. The “special” (2 eggs with toast which I usually order) has increased from $.99 to $1.99 and the price of their home made corned beef hash (Rob’s favorite) has increased by a dollar to $6.99. The thing we don’t like is the portion size and food quality has declined substantially. What used to be a two person serving of “homemade” hash (that we would share) is now less than half the size and last time we tried it (Spring 2019) it had an odd taste – wonder what’s in it? And the homefries have declined to the point of being tasteless and completely inedible. Otherwise it is  probably still an OK Diner, just not anywhere near what it once was. Being near the airport, expect to find a line on weekends. Open for breakfast and lunch.

Donat’s Place, Warwick
Located next to the Coast Line Diner is a tiny restaurant named Donat’s Place. From 4:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. they have a breakfast special of two eggs, home fries, and toast for $.99! (much better deal than Coastline Diner above). Our check for two specials and two coffees $1.60 each) was $5.60. Can’t beat that. Only open until 2:00 p.m. Cash only!

Dante’s Kitchen, Main Street, East Greenwich
Used to be a little hole in the wall place named Audra’s but now it is a bistro specializing in “American fare with a Southern flair”. A relatively new restaurant on Main Street in East Greenwich and an easy walk up from the boat which has become one of our favorites especially for breakfast and lunch. Haven’t tried dinner here yet. Not a place we go to often because it is a little pricey but it is oh, so good and if you are into Bloody Mary’s or other similar adult breakfast beverages they have quite a few interesting looking options here. They also have a few simpler, less expensive breakfast dishes like two eggs for $5 or a breakfast sandwich with one egg, american cheese, bacon, pulled pork or sausage on an english muffin for $7.  Both are served with a choice of home fries, cheddar grits (delish by the way) or a fruit cup. A number of other more eclectic choices are offered for breakfast or lunch. See what we tried under the lunch section down below. Usually pretty busy, expect to wait on weekend. Closed on Mondays, open for breakfast and lunch Tuesdays – Saturday and for dinner on Thursday- Saturday. Brunch only on Sundays.

Ed’s Roost, Main Street, East Greenwich
Small down to earth mom and pop good ‘ol home cookin’ restaurant which has been on Main Street forever. Good breakfast at reasonable prices. Rob has his usual home made corned beef hash which was unusual – more like a casserole of sliced corned beef and grilled potato slices – really good! I had my usual eggs, home fries and bacon. Bacon was crispy and excellent and home fries were really good. Open for breakfast and lunch. Cash only.

T’s Restaurant, 5600 Post Road, East Greenwich
Just for a change of pace, sometimes we will have breakfast at this restaurant. Nicely decorated with good food and service but quite pricey. Although the food was good, there was one thing we weren’t particularly happy with on our first visit here this year – Rob had the home made corned beef hash ($10.89) and I had their breakfast sandwich ($5.89). The waitress suggested the southwestern fries so we ordered those. But she neglected to tell us that that there was a $1.29 up charge for them which we didn’t know until she gave us the check which came to a total of $23.60. Although the food is good, the ambiance is nice and the service is usually good, there are better choices which cost less and have better food. Guess other people disagree – it is always busy with a wait. Open for breakfast and lunch only.

Wild Harvest Bakery Cafe, Route 2, East Greenwich
I don’t know how many times we had driven by this cute little log cabin, often commenting that we should stop for breakfast some time. I think part of the problem was that we weren’t sure if they served a full breakfast or if it was just a bagel kind of place. Well, finally one day, we did stop. Although you can buy muffins, pastries and all sorts of goodies at the counter, it does have a small dining room, offering a limited selection of full breakfasts. We both decided to try an Egg Sandwich with cheese & choice of meat on a ciabatta ($4.75). Rob opted for sausage while I had bacon on my sandwich. Very tasty especially the freshly baked ciabatta. The breakfast choices are delivered to your table but the coffee bar is self serve.

The Cozy Grill, Coventry
We’ve been here many times during our stays in East Greenwich. Nice atmosphere, good service and good food at reasonable prices. Senior specials are offered all week. We usually get their senior, two eggs with home fries and toast for $2.98. Other offerings seem a bity pricy to us but the quality is very good. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nice atmosphere, great tasting good quality food and great service!

Oatley’s Restaurant, 1717 Ten Rod Rd, North Kingston (Permanently Closed 2021)
Always good food (love their home made breads), great service and reasonable prices. Expect a line on weekends. Open for breakfast and lunch.

Gel’s Kitchen, 1745 Main Street, West Warwick
Open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for breakfast (served all day) and lunch. Discovered this place late in our stay on our way to another restaurant in Coventry. Cute place, good service with reasonable prices. Rob had the home made corned beef hash which was very good. I had my usual eggs with bacon. Didn’t care for the bacon so don’t think I would order that again. On another visit, I had Papa’s Poached which is two poached eggs on top of corn bread served with home fries ($4.95). They definitely know how to cook a poached egg here!

Each day they have specials but you won’t find them on their website of on their menu. On Tuesdays, for $1.99 you can get 2 eggs, home fries and toast. What a deal!

They also have a Senior Special Monday – Friday – two eggs, homefries and toast for $2.50. How can you beat that!

On Wednesday’s they have 99¢ hot weiners (aka NY System Weiners). What a deal! Weiners made of pork and veal, lovingly placed in a steamed roll, then topped with seasoned ground beef, yellow mustard, onions and the all important celery salt. Yummy!

On Fridays, they offer a number of seafood entrees. One Friday we went here for lunch to have one of their other specials – 2 Fish & Chip dinners with 2 cups of chowder (white, red or clear broth) or lobster bisque for $18.99. We both had the clear broth chowder which had lots of clams in it – really good. The huge pieces of fish was fried with a light batter and were excellent. Whether for breakfast or lunch, due to the quality of food, the prices and the service, Gel’s is now our favorite restaurant in the area. We’ve also had their lobster bisque several times which is full of actual real chunks of lobster and is really good.

Whistle Stop, Albion, RI
We stopped here on our way to Blinds To Go in Attleboro, MA. Guess what we both had? Yep, you guessed it – the usual CBH for Rob ($5.99) and the usual for me ($4.99). Good breakfast, good service! Open for breakfast and lunch.

J. P Spoonems, Cranston, RI
The first time we visited this restaurant we were favorably impressed. However, the second time, not so much. Food was mediocre and we had to wait an incredibly long time for our breakfast. Don’t think we’ll return any time in the future. Cash only. There is an ATM inside the restaurant.

Lunch/ Dinner

Ritrovo’s Pub & Grill, East Greenwich
Ritrovo’s, one of our favorite local restaurants and located just a couple of miles from the yacht club has an extensive menu, offering special deals each night of the week (half price appetizers at the bar, half price specials for the ladies on Ladies night, etc.). Although everything on their menu is good, one of our favorite meals served only on Friday nights is their fish and chips.

Reasonably priced at $10.95, it is a pretty large portion of fresh fish in a light batter served with fries and cole slaw. Usually we opt to have another favorite appetizer, their Calamari Ritrovo (the name has recently changed to House Calamari) but on this particular night we decided it would be too much food. Instead we managed to consume a free basket of popcorn. On other occasions, when we don’t feel like a full meal, we have split an order of the House Calamari and a small order of the Ritrovo meatball appetizer (the meatballs are excellent). Every day they have specials and on Monday, they have a $6 menu.  Lovely ambiance, delicious food and great service. Open for dinner only.

Jason’s Asian Grille and Sushi Bar, East Greenwich Update 6/2021: Due to Covid, Jason’s is only open for take out. 

One of our favorite asian restaurants. Lovely interior. I had Chicken with Lemongrass Sauce and Rob had General Tso’s Chicken.  Both were $7.50 and came with your choice of soup (we both had the Hot Sour Soup which was excellent) and a choice of either white, brown or fried rice (we both had fried) and chicken fingers. Excellent! They specialize in Sushi here and some of the plates we saw served looked beautiful.

In 2018 with a hankering for Asian food, we stopped for lunch where we both had the Chicken with Thai Basil (#10 lunch special). With the Hot Sour Soup, the chicken fingers and fried rice, it was a delicious and very satisfying lunch.

You can find their menu here.

Condesa Restaurante Mexicano, Quaker Lane, West Warwick
The eclectic decor is warm and inviting sets this place apart from other Mexican restaurants we have been to. On their website, they boast that they “fuse ethically sourced ingredients with their  love for the art of Mexican cuisine”.  Stopping there for lunch, we both had the Baja Burrito ($13), described on their menu as carnitas, rice and beans and topped with salsa verde, roasted guajillo salsa, queso fresco and pico de gallo. Wow, it was huge and almost looked too good to eat! When our meals arrived we both figured we would have leftovers but it was so good we ate the whole thing!

Definitely need to return before leaving the area.

Red Rice Asian Cuisine, Warwick

While out doing errands, we stopped here for lunch. So glad we did – the ambiance was quite nice and the food was delicious. For $7.99, we chose from their luncheon menu. Each dish is served with a choice of Egg Drop Soup, Hot and Sour Soup, or Miso Soup, a choice of Plain fried rice, fragrant jasmine white rice, or brown rice and chicken wings. Both of us ordered Hot Sour Soup and Chicken with Lemon Grass. Excellent!

 

Red Stripe, Main Street, East Greenwich

Located on Main Street and an easy walk from our boat, this restaurant is dubbed as an “American brasserie” which according to their website  “is a modern take on the traditional European-style French café.” The decor and the menu sure reflect that. We went here for lunch twice, thoroughly enjoying each meal.

On our first visit, based on their reviews,  I couldn’t

resist their Red Stripe Grilled Cheese ($12) which is not your typical grilled cheese – Bel Paese, prosciutto, poached pear & basil pesto. It’s served with a salad, roasted tomato soup (my choice) or house made frites. Rob had their Red Stripe Moules (mussels with cherry tomato, pesto, garlic, shallot, Red Stripe lager, cream) & Frites ($12). Totally delish!

On our second lunch visit, I had the Pastrami Sandwich ($11)  and Rob had the Bacon and Cheddar Meat Loaf sandwich. Both served with fries. Yowsa! Huge portions (leftovers enjoyed later that day) and oh so good.

Red Stripe has nightly specials. In 2019, on Thursday nights, order any burger (except the Truffle Burger) with fries and a beer, glass of house wine or soda for only $9.99. We both had the bacon blue cheeseburger. Not your average pub burger! It was huge and delicious.

We haven’t tried it but in 2019 they were offering a half pound lobster roll with frites & cole slaw for $24. That beats the Bon Bon deal below if you split it.

Bon Bon Appetit, Exeter, RI

Update 6/2021: This food truck has changed its name to “Exeter Eats”. It now sells mostly burgers.

If you like lobster rolls, this is a must go to place. Order your lobster rolls ($16) with lobster salad (our favorite), lobster with butter or lobster with butter and sherry.  Each roll is stuffed with 4 ounces of lobster meat! Don’t be like us and limit your choice to just lobster rolls, they offer clam cakes, chowder, scallop rolls, lobster bisque, lobster cakes, etc. We can’t comment on any of their other menu offerings since we never tried anything else. Nothing fancy, it’s actually a permanent food truck located on the side of Route 2 in Exeter. Either order take out or sit at their picnic tables to enjoy your meal. Be aware that it is easy to drive right past it.

Dante’s Kitchen, East Greenwich
Yes, I’ve already mentioned this restaurant under the breakfast section but we went here several times for brunch/lunch. Also an easy walk from our boat. For our first lunch, I tried the Fried Green Tomato BLT ($9) served on toasted wheatberry with pecan-smoked bacon, romaine and jalapeno remoulade. It was quite tasty but not sure that I would order this again only because there are too many other choices on the menu. Rob had the Dante’s Mac ‘N Cheese ($12) which was a surprise as he doesn’t really like mac ‘n cheese. This came with bacon, cheddar, pulled pork and jalapeno cornbread crumbs. A huge portion and probably one of the best mac ‘n cheese dishes either of us have ever had. We would rate this mac ‘n cheese superior to the dish we had in Side Street Cafe in Bar Harbor that was on Paula Deen’s top 10 list. Enjoyed the leftovers that night.

After reading reviews, on another visit I had to try one of their specialties – Fried Chicken and Waffles ($13). Not something I would typically order but I’m so very glad I did. Absolutely delicious, very tender sage fried chicken with a buttermilk waffle topped with toasted cashews and served with Vermont bourbon maple syrup. OMG so delicious and so much food (yep, once again had leftovers). Rob had the Chipotle Chicken Sandwich ($12) served on a chibulky with pecan smoked bacon, tomato, pickled onion, slaw and chipotle sauce. Yummy as well but the Fried Chicken and Waffles here totally rocks!

On another late morning visit, I surprised myself by trying the Chipotle Pork Belly ($13). Surprising since I didn’t even know what pork belly was. We sat at the bar and when I asked the barmaid, she didn’t describe it very well either but bravely I decided to give it a try. It came with two poached eggs served on a cheddar grit cake, fennel slaw and chipotle sauce. Guess the best way to describe it is that it is a combo of a spare rib and bacon. Very tender, a little spicy but delish! Rob had two eggs with pulled pork ($9) with cheddar grits.

Dante’s recently got their liquor license. Several times for brunch we sat at the bar since there were no regular tables available, we were surprised to see a  number of people sipping cocktails with their meals with the most popular being Dante’s Bloody Mary. Made with Tito’s & Absolute Cilantro vodka (who knew there was such a thing as cilantro vodka) and spicy horseradish (according to the menu), it was garnished with cajun shrimp,  smoked pecan bacon and olives.

At $13, it cost more than a meal but boy, did it look good! With the shrimp and the bacon, who needs to order anything else?

On another visit here with friends, Linda and Bill, we both had the Pulled Pork Hash ($13) which is slow roasted pork over home fries served with two poached eggs and a grilled buttermilk biscuit. Another delicious meal!

Our last visit was for breakfast and we each tried an omelet. For $9 you get any three fillings you want plus grits or home fried and toast. I had bacon, goat cheese and portabello mushroom and Rob had bacon, sausage and cheese. Yummy!

So do you think we like this restaurant or what?

Olde Theater Diner, Coventry
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, we used to frequent this restaurant on a fairly regular basis although we stopped going as it seemed like the prices went up and the quality went down. Turns out, we found in the spring of 2019 that the original owner had sold it, the new owners ran it into the ground and then the original owner bought it back!

We tried it again in 2019 and found the 99 cent breakfast special was back as well as a return of the original higher quality food.

Extensive menu, reasonable prices, generous portions, good food and service. One day after visiting our storage unit also located in Coventry, we stopped here for lunch. Lots of choices on their Blue Plate Special Menu where everything is $6.99. Tough decision but we both tried their fish & chips. Excellent

James Breakfast & More, Route 140, Wrentham, MA
I’ve written about this cafe before and it is one of our all time favorites with gourmet prepared food at very reasonable prices. Since most of our doctors are located in MA, we often stop here between appointments. This year was no exception – in fact we went here twice, once for breakfast and once for lunch. On our first visit, I had my favorite, the Bennies with a Twist, two over easy eggs, crab cakes, and grilled tomato on English muffin with dill hollandaise ($10) and Rob had his usual, the Cast Iron Killer, two eggs over homemade corned beef hash and home fries ($9). As usual, both dishes were excellent.

On our second visit since it was closer to lunchtime, we both opted for the Backyard Burger, a half pound of seasoned chopped sirloin however you like it, with any fixings (choice of cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and a lot more – all for no extra charge) and served with hand cut fries. Excellent burger!

Twin Oaks, Sabra Street, Cranston
Anyone who lives in RI knows Twin Oaks – it been a RI institution for decades (since 1933, it was originally a speakeasy) and one of our favorites. Very popular, lots of locals and regulars – go there on a weekend and expect to wait for 1 – 2 hours for a table (unless you have an “in” with one of the waiters). Only male waiters – many have been there for decades and never write anything down (how do they do that especially when they have a big party of 8 or more??). It’s here where we usually satisfy our craving for lobster salad by ordering their lobster salad plate. Served with potato and vegetable, we usually have lobster meat leftovers which I weighted one time – our combined take home was over 1-1/2 pounds of lobster meat and that was just what was LEFT OVER. Unbelievable! The price last year was in the $22 range, this year it had climbed to over $30, but its still cheaper than buying lobster meat at the fish market. Besides the lobster salad, their extensive menu includes delicious, top quality steaks, chops, and fish as well as great Italian dinners. Everything is delicious here (except maybe their vegetables).

Somehow we ran out of time so we only went here once – when Rob’s Dad (who now lives in Albany) took the family out to dinner here during his visit to RI in August. Hard time deciding what to have. Decided to order the Baked Scrod, a much cheaper alternative than the lobster salad. Delicious as usual!

So that sums up the majority of our gastronomic expeditions near our summer hangout. If you ever visit this area give some of them a try and let us know what you think!