I know Providence has Federal Hill and Boston has the North End, but this place is still definitely worth a stop for Italian food! My boyfriend and I stopped in for a quick lunch, and the wait staff was super friendly. They were also really thoughtful about getting us the check quickly since they knew we had somewhere to be. We split the chicken parm, and they brought it out already split onto separate plates, which I really appreciated! Definitely want to come back and try one of their cocktails next time. read more

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We had a lovely lunch at Avvio. This seems to be the location to 'lunch with the ladies' if their lunch clientele is any indication. Parking in this are is shared with all the other businesses in Garden City, so you may have to walk a bit on busy shopping days. We were seated by a hostess with menus and our waitress came by in enough time that we knew what we wanted to order for lunch. The menu has everything from salad entrée to full bar. I went with a salad with salmon added. My dining companion chose a pizza. We were both happy with our choices. The lettuce was fresh, the portion size of the salmon good and it was cooked perfectly. Restrooms are at the back, past the bar. Seating is comfortable with a variety of banquettes and chairs. The dining room was bright with large windows. The bar side has more subdued lighting. Our waitress was not often available, but when she stopped by she was 'present'. Food was brought out by runners. read more

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This place is SOOOO YUMMY with great portions-- I left feeling full and even had a little left over. Will be back!!!! Our waiter, Malik, was so nice and attentive. He really seemed like he likes his job and was so delightful to interact with. The bread here is delicious (focaccia I think, and it comes with olive oil). The bolognese, though, was SO GOOD-- maybe the best I've ever had? SOOOOO GOOD and I do consider myself an experienced bolognese consumer. I will definitely be back!! read more

Avvio Ristorante - New American Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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Food was freshly prepared. Service was a bit off (no bread, gave our party bottle beer without a glass). Server was polite. Calamari was excellent. Two chicken dishes were spot on. Drinks were good. Place was clean and decorated nicely. Hostess was professional and amicable. read more

Woohoo!!! New fav lunch spot ! Convenient location (right in GC) they offer outside dining, patio or indoor.. beautiful layout, service was impeccable- the hostess, our waitress and other staff around-- lunch and drinks were delicious, decent portions and prices - 100% will be back! read more

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Went for a few drinks on a weeknight. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best experience overall. We bought an espresso martini and one of my favorite drinks a sidecar. They were severely lacking alcohol and tasted like juice so we got ripped off for cocktails that were $14 each. The bartender was nothing great. He didn't have the best attitude and seemed like he didn't want be there. I was going to rate it two stars, but I've had their pizza here before from leftovers and it was pretty good. read more

Avvio Ristorante - New American Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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I don't know what has taken me so long to get to Avvio. I'm a Cranston native and have been back living in Cranston for over four years. For some reason, this restaurant just hasn't been on my radar. I was craving a good woodfired pizza and there aren't too many restaurants that make me a Neapolitan style pizza. While theirs is not officially Neapolitan, it's pretty damn close. I am a fan of Margherita pizza with prosciutto and heaping ton of basil. So that's what I ordered as well as some cocktails. I've now been three times in the past month, and I've gotten to try several different drinks on their menu, but I never deviate from the pizza. The pizza is a little on the small side, I would like it to be a little bit bigger, but it is absolutely delicious. It has hit the mark every single time. The sauce has excellent flavor, it's clear they use a simple recipe with San marzano tomatoes which is a staple for Neapolitan pizza . The prosciutto is good quality, as is the mozzarella. My mom had the chicken Parm and very much enjoyed it. The service here is truly excellent. I've had three different servers and each time they were incredibly attentive, consistently checking in and making sure my water was refilled. I drink a ton of water, and a lot of times at restaurants I have to try to flag someone down or even go to the bar to get a refill and that has never happened and I doubt will in my experience here. They have a decent wine list and a great cocktail list. This is one of the few restaurants that has lavender simple syrup, which is one of my favorite things ever because I am a huge fan of lavender gin cocktails. The two purple drinks pictured are a lavender gin cocktail that I always request and it was made wonderfully each time. I've also sampled the espresso martini with half Baileys and half Frangelico and it was one of the best espresso cocktails I've had. Finally, I tried the pretty in pink, which is on their current cocktail menu. The drink itself tasted fine, it has lavender in it, which is a favorite as well as gin, but the glass that it served in is more like a whiskey on the rocks glass. It would have been better in a coupe or martini glasses, which is what I would expect one given the name, for presentation purposes, but also functionality. It has Aperol foam on top, and due to the glass and the fact that there was ice in it, the foam kind of dripped down the glass and made it very sticky and unpleasant to drink. I ended up asking for a straw which helped a lot, but I would recommend to the bar to change this to a coupe glass because it would be more functional, and the ice is not needed. The drink itself had a nice taste, and I would order it again with some adjustments. The bathrooms have always been kept clean every time I've utilized them. When you walk in, there is first a bar area which has ample seating and high tops, and then the main dining room, which is minimally decorated but classy looking. The kitchen is an open concept so you can see into it while you eat. Avvio is going to be a monthly if not weekly stop for me. Highly recommend. read more

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I'll start off with the fact that I love Newport Restaurant Group in general- they never disappoint! I got a massive order here since I had a voucher that needed to be used in one sitting. I've eaten here before but this time I got takeout. My order was perfectly packed and ready when I arrived! The burger was delicious, I feel like if you get a burger at any one of the restaurants in this group it's going to be stellar! The cheesecake and tiramisu are definitely worth getting! Solid chicken parm, calamari, and pizza- I will for sure be back! *since I ordered so much food I froze most of the mushroom pizza since it was my least favorite at the time....boy i'm glad I did- I'm not sure if it was the timing but when I heated it from frozen back up in the oven it was perfect and just what I needed at the time, haha! I guess I just had too much food at once- stellar place! read more

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I have passed by Avvio a hundred times and I regret not stopping sooner. I sat outside on a beautiful warm May day and it was perfect. The service was A+, attentive and friendly. I had the Sicilian Sangria which was refreshing, fruity, and sweet but not too sweet. For lunch, I had the chopped Italian sandwich and it was delicious. I am pretty picky about my french fries and these were scrumptious. The portion was huge and could easily be shared. I can't wait to go back and try their Chicken Piccata for dinner. read more

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Came here for a large order that was perfectly executed! Their burger and calamari are definitely top rated in my book! I'm a HUGE fan of desserts and sweets and absolutely loved the special cheesecake and tiramisu. Everything was cooked perfectly. I've had great service the few times I have been there, clean establishment in a convenient location for shopping (if that's your thing). Ohhhhh, and the chicken parmesan was DELICIOUS, even reheated as leftovers! read more

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Excellent service and a cozy dinner on a cold February winters night. It's restaurant week so I chose the set 3 course menu. $40 app, entree and dessert. Artichoke hearts were simply perfection!! LONG STEM ARTICHOKES wood-grilled, sundried tomato pesto, herb bread crumbs, basil pesto aioli. A masterpiece in presentation and flavors! My entree was CODA ALL VACCINARA, braised oxtail, pancetta, sofrito, pine nuts, golden raisins. With tasty plentiful rosemary fingerling potatoes. This looked good but it was a bit disappointing. Very tender meat pulled apart, but I had so much fat in most bites of oxtail. Pulling fat out of my mouth was not pretty at shared dining. Dessert had two cream choices, I picked the CROSTATA DI RICOTTA sweet ricotta, olive oil crust, raspberry jam, ok but was not for me. A pleasant time dining out just, not the best tonight . I enjoy the place and always return. read more

Avvio Ristorante - Oxtail - New American Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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Celebrated my cousin's baby shower at Avvio and had an amazing time! There happened to be a farmers market going on the day of the shower, limiting parking, but it looked like a beautiful market. The food was great! I really enjoyed my Cesar salad, which was made with anchovies (the correct way!) and my panini. My espresso martini was also very good. Most importantly, the service was incredible. Trisha and (I'm so mad I can't remember his name - it was something like Chris or Joe... but my mom snapped a picture of him, included in the review) were so attentive and made sure we had everything we needed for the baby shower. read more

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Fancy! This place is much more upscale than expected for it's location within a shopping center. I came here for a work lunch with a client. I ordered the "mixed greens" salad with salmon. It was one of the BEST salads I've had in long time! The combo of the apple chunks, beets, goat cheese and dressing was fantastic. And the salmon!! Even though it was a generous portion size, I could have eaten more because it was soo good! I would definitely consider coming back here if I'm in the area again :) read more

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I really like it here because it has elevated atmosphere yet casual at the same time. Always really attentive and efficient service. My waitress even gave me extra bread + garlic confit to take home:) read more

Avvio Ristorante - Calamari - New American Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

Went to Avvio a while back and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We had been shopping at Garden City and wanted a bite. Our server was personable and attentive. Cocktails were great as were our meals. Someone in our party had dietary restrictions and our server made sure those were addressed. We sat in a side area that was okay. Main restaurant looked nice. read more

Food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the ambience was everything We are so looking forward to going back again. read more

i actually really enjoy this place. however i went here last night with my friend n i have to say it was somethin else. the focaccia and breadsticks were great as always.. same with our drinks. my entree was very salty though. we ordered dessert i got a lemon sorbetto and was given a dirty stained spoon. overall food was great though. our waitress was a little pushy and weird but nice. it was very busy but ina good way. the lighting was great, it wasnt too cramped and i like that you can see the kitchen. overall great imo. read more

Avvio Ristorante - stained sorbetto spoon - New American Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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I brought my daughter for her birthday and we couldn't have had a better experience. Our waiter was very attentive and made a big deal about it being her birthday. The sangria was excellent. We shared the fig and prosciutto pizza and a burger with cheddar and bacon-both delicious and plentiful. The Parmesan fries were crispy and hot. They brought her a free dessert and complimentary limoncello, as well as a birthday chocolate. I've been here before and an outstanding experience again. read more

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Great service from our young waiter; attentive, timing was on point when checking on us. And he knew the menu - gave us great recommendations. Restaurant was busy, with a lively atmosphere. From our hostess to waitstaff we were well taken care of. Great entrees. Right sized portions. We had some pizza to take home! We will be back! read more

Avvio Ristorante - Cajun Chicken Sandwich - New American Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

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Came here for restaurant week. The inside is spacious and nice! We were seated pretty quickly which was nice. We ordered drinks but they both came with items floating inside which was gross but our waiter had them remade after inspecting them thoroughly. We noticed every table but ours was given bread so when we asked about getting some the waiter was like "oh yeah, I can get you some". Our waiter was hard to find after that, maybe we rubbed her the wrong way with the drinks. We ordered food and it was good. The mushroom pizza was great and the chicken sandwich was HUGE. The calamari was nice but I didn't love the aioli at the bottom. The eggplant was also nice but could have been a little bit crispier. The drinks (minus the floating stuff) were good. I'm not entirely sure if I'd come back but besides the service mishaps the food quality was nice. read more

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This is one of my favorite restaurants in the area. No matter what time or day you go, it is always bustling. I prefer eating at the bar, but the last three times I went it was completely packed. The appetizers are great. I've had the eggplants Parmesan, calamari, everything has been fantastic. I have enjoyed the pasta dishes, the burger is amazing, pizzas are great. My favorite is the steak I ordered last time. BISTECCA OREGANATA Brandt grass-fed 12oz N.Y. strip, roasted fingerling potatoes, green beans, tomato confit, pickled cherry peppers, lemon oregano garlic butter. It was so good, definitely my new go to menu item. Service is always friendly and very helpful. The only negative for me is the portion sizes for the pasta dishes are very small. Other than that, I have zero complaints. read more

The most delicious lunch! A swordfish sandwich on a ciabatta. It was a special, so it was reasonably priced. I was lucky to get it because I understand it was so well-received they ran out! Breadsticks and bread and dipping sauce were a perfect appetizer. Our server Celina was gracious and attentive! Our table was perfectly situated and we had everything we needed. I highly recommend Avvio! read more

Our server, Abbey was the best! She's personable, attentive and knowledgeable of the food and beverage menu. The interior is very stylish and seating comfortable. There's plenty of parking and the food was delicious! We can't wait to return soon. read more

I had one of the most frustrating dining experiences here and won't be returning. I went out with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday, friends in town who now live out of state that have not seen each other in months, and what should have been a fun night quickly turned sour. My friend, who is clearly 29 years old, was refused service because her ID had expired--by 11 days. It had literally just been her birthday. Instead of handling the situation with any level of understanding or professionalism, the manager was incredibly rude and dismissive (the one with the bob) There was no attempt to be accommodating or even polite about it--just an abrupt refusal and an attitude that made us feel like we were doing something wrong. I understand that policies exist, but there's a way to enforce them without being disrespectful, especially in a situation that is so obviously harmless. The lack of basic customer service, best JUDGEMENT and empathy was shocking. We ended up leaving and taking our business elsewhere. If you're looking for a place that treats customers with courtesy and common sense, I'd strongly suggest going somewhere else. read more

I went here tonight with a group of 7 coworkers for dinner. The white and red sangria were both phenomenal. I had the penne con pollo which was a huge portion and was delicious. Ask for the focaccia bread for the table, so good. The only negative was that it was extremely hot in the restaurant and everyone at the table was overheating. Overall, I enjoy the atmosphere. It's a convenient location and great place to meet up for a drink as well! read more

Avvio Ristorante - PENNE CON POLLO - New American Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

So nice to have this somewhat upscale, yet approachable spot near our house. The menu is extensive and has something for pasta lovers and those who prefer less traditional Italian fare. Pricier, but good quality. Service is always on point and some nice outdoor seating for the summer months read more

My first but certainly not my last visit! Super star service and delicious food. Make a reaervation, if you can, because it is one popular joint. I love that they have a wide selection of mocktails for lunchtime - or Dry January - imbibes! read more

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The restaurant was nice and the plates look good when they arrive. The food was good and family friendly.

Part of the garden city restaurants so plenty of parking but may be hard to find one if it's a busy day. Had the Ck piccata $20 with mashed and g. beans and it was delish. Also came with a Bread basket for the table which wasn't all that. Croquets were just ok. Could do without it. Coffee was good to end the night but service was lacking and it wasn't busy either. It's clean inside and low lighting for a cutesy date . read more

Very disappointed with the Beef Carpaccio delivered today. They have the audacity to charge more than $14 for three tiny pieces of beef. I frequent this restaurant quite a bit but would not recommend delivery services. Total ripoff! read more

Avvio Ristorante - New American Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

My wife & I tried Avvio because we had a Gift Card and we had a wonderful experience. We walked in at 430p with no reservation and the gentlemen at the host table was super nice and sat us right away. Our waitress Asia was outstanding! We started with a Margarita pizza for an appetizer and it was good but not a wow. Actually didn't come out very hot. We both wished the pizza had more sauce, cheese and basil. For dinner I ordered Chicken Parm and it was good and came out hot. My wife got an Eggplant pizza and she enjoyed it and that too came very hot. What I also want to point out is the nice ambiance of the restaurant. I felt like I was in a very exclusive and high end restaurant but felt comfortable. I'll go back and recommend others do to. Total meal was $92 and that included 3 glasses of wine and 2 beers. read more

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This restaurant is part of the Newport Restaurant group and I decided to check it out. I had never eaten here before but I had seen it many times as I shopped in the Garden City shopping center. I had made a reservation using Open Table and my table was ready when I arrived. Patrick was my server and he told me about the specials. None of them was presented with the corresponding price. I think it should be...the menu has description of menu items with price...why not sharing the price of the specials ??? What's to hide ??? I decided to get the top sirloin. I asked for the steak to be cooked between medium rare to rare...sauce (au jus) on the side.........he said...Sure....He then walked away to enter the order. As I waited for my meal to arrive, I noticed that most tables had a basket of bread, but I was never offered one.....After I saw a buzz boy bringing food to a nearby table, I asked him if I could get a basket of the complementary bread and he said, sure no problem. The bread basket came to my table quickly. A bit later my steak arrived. Unfortunately, the sauce/jus was all over the steak..it did not come on the side as requested....I started eating since I was starving. The steak was tough and a bit chewy and it was more like medium well than medium rare/medium. The sides were very salty, especially the potato croquettes.... As I ate my meal, I drank all my water and never once the server nor the buzz boy came to refill my water glass. Not a fan of this place. Not coming back. read more

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I have to say after going to Avvio last night, I will never be going back. It actually wasn't my table that suffered. It was this other table. It was a foursome of elderly people. How they were treated by both the waiter and the manager. Absolutely disgusting. The manager was so disgusting when he called this old man a name or asked him why he was acting so badly. All he did was ask why his coffee was taking so long. The waiter snapped at him first, then the manager came over to make it worse and insulting. There are so many great restaurants in our wonderful state/city. This one off the list. read more

This one of my favorite place to go for lunch, the food is amazing, i ordered the eggplant parmigiana with linguine omg delicious the egg plant is fresh soft, saucy and cheesy. The service is also phenomenal. They are on top of the game for time and on point with the refills. Ambiance is great you can feel the positive energy with the people enjoying their food. I recommend this place for sure. read more

Avvio Ristorante - EGGPLANT PARMESAN with pasta - New American Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island

Wonderful spiced pear cocktail was all I wanted. I really like the bar here but apparently my favorite bartender is gone. I didn't find the two female bartenders attentive at all. But they were to the other patrons. read more

Always nice to have a ladies who lunch moment on a shopping day with Grandma! We wanted something healthy and light, and Avvio always does the trick. The air conditioned interior was a welcome respite from the sweltering heat wave outside, and we were ushered promptly to a comfortable and cushy booth in the smart Sinatra inspired dining room. Our server was friendly and was doing her best with a busy section, however, when our drinks came, the iced tea was super watery and even after a refill of fresh tea, it did not remedy the situation. I switched over to Diet Coke and our server was hospitable enough to take the ice teas off the final bill, which was much appreciated. The food looks delicious, and I'll definitely be trying that Gnocchi on a future visit. However, I was looking forward to an Elite Event later that night, and wanted to eat lighter with their wonderful Caesar salad. The dressing tasted homemade, and I would totally order again. We'll be back for sure! read more

Had a nice outside dinner on the patio tonight! I tried something different the risotto & asparagus with grilled Shrimp & it was out of this world! My husband had encrusted cod it was great too! Great service & nice fall weather & pretty string lights everywhere . read more

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We went for dinner after reading so many positive reviews. We now can say this is our favorite restaurant! The chicken piccata was cooked perfectly! I love that it had vegetables instead of the traditional pasta. The chicken parm was heavenly! Perfect amount of sauce and cheese. The pasta was not over sauced and perfectly aldente. Our server, Josh, was really on top of everything! The atmosphere was relaxing and not overly loud or overstimulating. We will definitely be back, repeatedly!! read more

Upon entry, we received a warm welcome from the two male hosts. Such gentlemen! They sat us with a nice window view. Our server, Asia, was super friendly. She was upbeat and accommodating. She made some terrific recommendations. The Avvio Burger was beautifully presented with a huge serving of a side of house salad. The burger was grass fed beef, dressed in applewood smoked bacon, caramelized onions and a thin blanket of melted cheddar cheese all sandwiched between two slices of potato bread. The Rigatoni Beef Bolognese was a generous serving of pasta, folded into a flavorful meat base. We really enjoyed our meal and the amazing team here at Avvio! Thank you. read more

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Avvio never disappoints. My friend and I had a wonderful lunch celebration today there. Everything was great, especially Emma, our waitress. Their antipasto is the best! read more

Avvio Ristorante - New American Near Me - Cranston, Rhode Island