If I could give this review a 0, I would and having said, I Never write reviews, but feel so strongly about the inferior Dinner experience and service, I must write this. My husband, daughter, son in law and myself had Dinner at Blackies this past weekend. We have all dined at Blackies several times, my Daughter frequenting with friends, often. Both my husband and son in law ordered the Backyard BBQ Rib Eye dinner. When the meals arrived, my son in laws steak was completely raw, had not been flipped or cooked on one side at all, to the point the meat was purple and he could not cut into it. He sent the meal back, with our waiter apologizing, and returning to our table several times to say the meal would be back out in "5 minutes", which turned into a good 25 to 30 minute wait for my son in law's Dinner to be brought back to our table. They cooked his original steak, and what they were doing with it, is Unowned. He did not eat the steak, because it was it was tough, when his Dinner was brought back to the table. By the time he received his meal, all at the table had completely finished eating our Dinners. We were not offered a meal credit, complimentary drink or any type of consideration by our waiter or staff. Each Rib Eye meal was $65., our bill totaling $300. There was a clear level of non Concern over this unfortunate incident, and a patron sitting with not even a complimentary offer made, as if this were normal. We Dine out frequently, and will not be returning to Blackies. If you are going to charge patrons $65. For a Steak, it should be of reasonable quality and cooked properly. Based on this poor experience with both the food and staff there are many other Restaurants to dine at. read more

Amazing food! I ordered the fish and chips and got an extra side of mac and cheese and was blown away. It was delicious! One of the better fish and chips I've tried. Our server was excellent. But, I'm deducting a star for the host staff. They were nice, but seemed a bit bothered when we walked in. Not a very welcoming experience. And, the food took a long while to come out. We didn't have anywhere to be, so it didn't really matter, but it was a good 40-50 minutes from when the server took our order until the food came out. read more

I came to Blackie's with my sister for dinner a few nights ago. The place was packed but we were seated in about 5 min. the menu is pretty extensive. We ordered a nacho app....which was HUGE! at the time we placed the order for our app, we also ordered our dinner. I ordered a kale salad with chicken and my sister got a burger. The portions are the largest I've seen. I couldn't finish half of my salad. While the food was excellent and our waitress was very friendly, I am giving 4 stars because the restaurant was dim, noisy and very crowded. They need to install more lights and space out the tables a bit better. and while I appreciate a good helping of food, the amount was so overwhelming. We could have fed 4 people easily. Overall I would recommend Blackie's. Tasty food, nice staff and clean restaurant. read more

Decided to try this place after reading reviews. We arrived at 6 pm on Friday evening- we were told 45 min wait and because it was a drive we opted to stay. An hour later we were seated at a high top table near the patio doors- it was a feb Eve and the cold air coming they the cracks was crazy. We ordered the buffalo chicken dip app and then waited and waited and waited... 45 mins later it arrived. It lived up to the review hypes. Delish when we ordered the app we had also placed our dinner order, my son the cheesesteak and with waitress recommendation I chose the pastrami sand. After the app came we then waited and waited and waited, almost 50 mins after our app arrived came dinner. The pastrami was okay, rather dry and chewy, my sons cheesesteak just a gooey mess ( though he enjoyed it). The place has a great energy and atmosphere- our waitress was attentive to us refilling our drinks and checking in. Would I venture out to try again, probably not. The bill for what we ordered plus 2 glasses of wine and 2 sodas was almost 80 without tip, a bit much for what we really did not enjoy. read more

So sad to write this. I have wanted to love this restaurant since I have moved to the area. They get great reviews and I wanted to enjoy every minute of it! Sadly, that is now how it was. We arrived a 1/2 hr earlier on a sunday than we called in for, which I understood if there was a wait and there was. No problem. When we were seated, our waitress seemed like she just did NOT want to be there. She did the bare minimum when it comes to waitressing. She came for the drink order, and the food order. That was it. When the food came one of the entrees has chips instead of fries and the salad dressing was not right. We had to hunt her down to let her know, and even then she seemed soooo annoyed. "Okaaaayyy, you want it changed then?" she said. Clearly we were not her favorite people, for whatever reason. Maybe she was having a bad day, and I know its hard to leave the issues as the door, but if you have to work with people all day, buck up. Food was ok. I REALLY wanted it to be amazing. Chicken tenders were dry, no seasoning. The Calamari again, just ok, a little rubbery. Again, so sad to write this. Maybe we just got the restaurant on an off day. I am one for second chances. read more

This place was better as the original. The atmosphere was more authentic and the music wasn't elevator music for people in their 60s. The food on numerous occasions took 45 minutes or more for a simple sandwich. There are plenty of other restaurants in the area that are just as good food quality wise or better so this is for sure not my first pick by any means. read more

Have been to Blackie's a few times over the last few months and have always been very pleased with the service and food. I always sit at the bar but that's just what i always do wherever we go. Had the brisket and "brussel-kraut" Folks it's off the chain . those pickled brussels are just insane. Also had the wings, perfectly fried and very very juicy. Our bartender "Tootts" was awesome . Just don't call her mam :) read more

There is a wide variety of options on their menu, I was simple and got the classic burger with fries. WOW delicious! The party was VERY juiced and flavorful, hands down one of the best burgers I've ever had. It's not a typical burger bun either, the bun was also rich in flavor! I got a side of guacamole and again WOW! I was blown away by how delicious this was and his restaurant isn't even Mexican lol the service was excellent, our waitress Amanda was very friendly, patient, and since it was some of my friends first time she recommended items on the menu. Highly recommend this restaurant, they tend to be busy so come early! read more

Where do I begin. Went 2 weeks ago and were told the bathrooms didn't work and they would be closing 9:30PM. OK , that happens. Went on 2/19, was told 20 min. for a table , went to bar, waited for our friends. We decided to eat @ bar. Oh wait the kitchen could only fill OLD orders, no problem we'd wait, 10 min later NO food could be served, fire in kitchen Left, along with 1/2 the place. Not a great way to get business. No apologies, GOOD BYE. Went back after a movie 2/20 just for pizza. Ordered a pizza and some tenders, how challenging for the kitchen, right. WRONG, tenders were COLD, pizza was gross. Oh and NO beer on tap, lines were broken. Something is always broken. This place only cares about the Bryant drinking crowd. The bar staff has wicked attitude and not in a good way. Sorry Blackies I really don't think you're going to make it. This place is for the DOGS!!!! read more

I've only been once, but this restaurant is amazing! Speaking specifically for the paleo menu, as a person with a restricted diet, it feels amazing to look at a menu and see such an extensive list of such delicious options! My food was SO DANG GOOD and I was genuinely sad when my leftovers ran out. I took my friends who ate from the regular menu and they loved it just as much as me. Unfortunately, I'm moving in a few days so I won't be able to enjoy this pure deliciousness as often as I want. Please please make a location in NYC! read more

Stopped in at Blackie's tonight to grab some beers, and was pleasantly greeted by my bartender. Good bar service, the kitchen smelled amazing, but alas was closed. I will say, the best part of the evening was the interpretive dance that our bartender performed. Combining elements of Bob Fosse, Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham and Debbie Allen, she channeled Christina Perri's instant classic A Thousand Years into what can only be described as magic. It is said that music is what feelings sound like, and that dance is the physical manifestation of music; therefore what I witnessed tonight was nothing less than then what feelings look like. I will definitely be back and look forward to what magic may happen at this wonderful establishment. Also, there is ample parking and free valet. read more

Your reply to me was not just lip service. Was back recently. Ordered a smash burger "well done" and it came out perfectly well done and was DELICIOUS! Love the atmosphere as always and the staff we dealt with were so helpful and sweet! Thank you for your reply and fixing that little problem I had the time before my recent time! Place is great!! Much love! read more

So this is my first time at the new Blackie's, I also really don't like the other one. But I'm even more disappointed than I expected to be. We ordered the vegan nachos which were very underwhelming.. $17 dollars and barely any sour cream on top. Not very good. My mom wanted one of the salads but she didn't want an all kale base. She asked if they could mix some other greens in or just change the type of salad. They said no immediately, the server saying that the kitchen does not do substitions at all. Coming from someone who works in a restaurant that is completely ridiculous. Especially for such a simple request. You are supposed to make the customer as happy as possible. The vegan ramen was flavorous and hard to eat. Overall bad experience. Won't be returning. read more

Outstanding and very unique dishes that are served in a creative way. I had the breakfast burger and it was out of this world. Finally a burger that beats five guys. If you want great food check this place out. If you want great service ask for Seamus. Very attentive and thorough with good suggestions and very prompt. read more

We went here last night for Valentine's day. We were so impressed! We have never been here before but it is very close to my husband's work. We decided to meet up for dinner and I thought to make reservations, thank goodness. The place was packed when we got there. Apparently they were having a Valentine's day special upstairs- $100 per couple included entertainment, wine, etc. Didn't really seem like our thing so we just got reservations for the dining room. It was very busy when we got there. We checked in amidst the chaos and then sat down. The hostesses were clearly struggling but doing it calmly and with a smile. There was some confusion and about 10 minutes went by without being seated. I checked in again and they apologized and whisked us to a table. I can't stress enough how chaotic it was and I don't fault them at all for the error. They really did a great job handling everything. We were seated at a nice table... the only downside was that it was under a speaker which was a little loud. Other than that it was very nice. Our waitress was wonderful and attentive without being overbearing. I ordered the Sangria which was wonderful. We had a pretzel bite appetizer which was way fancier than it sounds, without being too "much". Our food was served in a very reasonable amount of time, considering how busy it was, and looked amazing. I got the chicken and mushrooms which is pan fried and served over wilted spinach and angel hair pasta in the most delicious sauce on the face of the earth. My husband got the ribeye with perfectly done green beans and some not that amazing but good enough fries. I have leftovers in the fridge and they were the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning- that's how good it was. We decided to go with dessert and got their homemade ice cream sandwhiches- one chocolate with homemade marshmallow ice cream, and one snickerdoodle with homemade butter pecan ice cream. outstanding. we did get a bit of sticker shock with the bill- 10 dollar apps and sangria and dessert are a little out of the norm for us. but all that ended up being about $78 which really isn't that bad considering what we got and the experience we had. I was very impressed that despite the craziness there were friendly servers everywhere waiting to jump in, and that the manager stopped by to ask how our meal was. All in all we were VERY impressed with this place and will surely be back for a date night. thank you for making our valentines day so wonderful!! read more

I went to Blackies Bulldog Tavern on NYE with my boyfriend and we both got sick. A few hours after eating here, I was extremely sick with food poisoning! After 40+ hours of illness, my boyfriend called the restaurant. We just wanted to let the manager know she needed to look into kitchen sanitation. Instead, she said it couldn't have been them because food poisoning doesn't begin for 24 hours, which is totally false. With no apology or promise to evaluate sanitation, she quickly ended the call. The whole experience was very unprofessional. read more

Always amazing service, food, atmosphere and oh yes did I mention the food? It's an understatement that I really enjoy everything about Blackie's. read more

Wasn't going to write about my experience at the bar tonight until I read some of the comments regarding the service. Have been going to Blackie's since last summer. We usually sit at the bar for drinks and food. I have always enjoyed it unless I am expecting courteous, prompt service. Three bartenders working, two doing double duty on the floor, leaving the one bartender in the state who really needs to realize that empty drink glasses, empty food dishes and looking over the heads of patrons as if they are invisible is really service at it worse. We have had this same service(lack of) from this person on numerous visits. It won't happen again, however, as there are many establishments willing to appreciate patrons spending their hard earned money. What is really too bad is that we really like the owner, the other bartenders, the food and the proximity to our house. We have recommended many people to Blackie's. Too bad we won't be anymore. One more thing, bar tending 101(made a great living at it for many years) discourages naked skin flab hanging out of jeans. Not professional, attractive or appetizing. read more

I LOVED blackies. I went to their old location many, many times. Today I went to their new location. Made reservations, and was seated on their dining side? Which seemed to consist of mainly families with small children. After sitting for 10 minutes with no acknowledgement, we asked the hostess if we could be moved to the bar. The hostess said if there were open seats we could seat ourselves (didn't even look? Customer service?) we saw open seats and moved over. The bar was a nightmare...one of the bartenders(female, didn't catch name, but tipped her out separately) was AMAZING, but overwhelmed. The bartender working with her appeared new, and I saw a few of his drinks remade by her and she was the only one interacting with guests. We ordered our food at 4 (had arrived at 3, moved to the bar 3:15, bartender was too busy to be able to take our order till then, not her fault) by 5 we still hadn't gotten our sandwiches and bar tending staff had changed over. We asked our new bartender if they had fired our sandwich course (we had eaten our app over 45 mins ago) and she said she thinks so? (Omg) my friend finally went up to the hostess and asked for a manager who said he went to check on our food and had it sent out right away. We ended up being there 3 hours total....most of the time waiting to order or waiting for our food. Super unfortunate that there seems to be a lack of staff or lack of training for existing staff but a very disappointing experience and frustrating from someone who saw how well managed the previous location was. I'm hoping the issues and miscommunication is improved, as we were one of several guests at the bar who voiced issues with ordering, getting drinks, or being able to cash out. read more

Terrible experience there and will never go back. I called on a Thurs to make reservation for Saturday and was told call back Saturday (had a party of 6, they don't take reservations for less than 8). I called back Saturday at 1PM and was told to call back around 4PM to ask to be added to wait-list for 5:30PM seating. I call back at 4PM, as instructed, and asked to be added to the wait-list. I was then told there were "plenty" of tables available and it was unnecessary. I show up just after 5:30PM. Parking lot is jam packed. We go in and I'm told its going to be a 20-30 minute wait. I have a 2 year old and a 4 year old hence the entire reason for me trying to avoid sitting and waiting. But wait we did in a small, high-traffic area. People come in, get seated immediately. Larger groups, smaller groups, you name it. We are still sitting there. The thirty minutes pass and I'm starting to get annoyed - cant be much longer now right? WRONG. I get a call from their # (they ask for your cell # when you arrive so they can text you when your table is ready) and I go up to the hostess stand. She says, your table is ready, you will be seated in a few minutes. I sit back down. Another 15 or so minutes pass, I have TWO voicemails on my phone saying YOUR TABLE IS READY, PLEASE RETURN TO THE HOSTESS STAND. Which I do. I'm told that the table ISN'T ready and they don't know why I got the message. At this point its over an hour that we've been sitting and waiting. All of a sudden a manager (I think) comes up to my husband and says its going to be ANOTHER 20 minutes. I explained to her how many times I tried, in vain, to make some sort of a reservation and was refused and told it was unnecessary and after an hour of waiting you come over and say with no shame, we have to wait even longer??? She nor the hostess never apologized you for the inconvenience. She attempted to offer food for the kids which would have been great to deal with in a completely cramped space with as much traffic as Grand Central Station. I was so taken aback at her attitude, even after I explained how I DID try to avoid this situation and was deterred from doing so by her own staff. We just left. We went to Condesa right down the road and had an amazing experience. read more

I really enjoyed my meal at Blackies ! I had a "squished"bacon burger and a couple of beers. Service was friendly and attentive. Only thing that was totally weird was that one of the servers was in the bathroom for over 35 minutes, it was very strange. And then at one point another server went to the door and knocked and then went in and they both came out 10 minutes later? Normally I wouldn't pay attention to things like this but I really needed to use the bathroom and just simply couldn't. Strange. read more

If I could give this place zero stars I would. its just nasty, tried it three times all three just bad. the first time had the homemade nachos, might sound good but the nacho chip's just turn to mosh. second time I figure ill get a burger,that should be hard to screw up, WRONG they cooked it to death. third time just last week went for drinks with some friends from work. didn't plan on ordering food but one of my friends ordered some pizza's. one of the pizza's was so burnt on the bottom I couldn't believe it left the kitchen the other one was just over powered with the peppers that were on it, and just not tasty. what blows my mind is all the good reviews for this place. do you these people usual eat at McDonalds and are all excited to go to a place without a drive thru. Stay away read more

Food was good - a little pretentious but good - not great. The prices were steep. $6.50 for a corona light - thats Boston prices. Better take out a mortgage to eat and drink here - shame because it wasnt always like this. After all this time they still have one small john for the guys ? The 3 stars reflect the value for money and the pain on my bladder while waiting for the john to free up. There are cheaper options with the same healthy menu stuff around. read more

I hate to see when a business closes because that means unemployment for staff and the owners facing hardships. Back in February of this year, a party of three decided to stop in at around 4:45pm. I remember the time distinctly. We were approached by the hostess who asked if we had a reservation. We didn't. We were turned away after being told the next seating would be at around 7:30pm. Tables were open. Very pompous atmosphere and hugely overpriced. Maybe this will take the owners down a few britches to reevaluate their customer service and work on a plan on how not to turn people away. Whoever heard of a business turning people away? I can see if I walked in with a party of six of more. Any restaurant can make accommodations for three. Sorry, Blacks. I hope you reopen somewhere because I hate to see a business fold. Maybe you'll have a table for us then? read more

Favorite place in Rhode Island hands down...I come from Boston to order from the gluten free/paleo menu. Paleo menus are almost non existent and not only does Blackies offer one but it has so many options! They use creative alternatives like nachos with homemade almond cheese and paleo wraps....these are time consuming touches that most restaurants wouldn't bother to do...love it here! read more

Food was mediocre at best. The menu descriptions were much better than the actual final product. While I understand there was a convention in town and the place was unexpectedly packed the service was exceptionally poor. A packed pub on a Saturday night is a servers dream. It's a chance to shmooze and push alcohol sales. Neither of these things happened here and the food wasn't worth the 30 minutes I waited with an empty beer glass. read more

After having a terrible experience at Blackie's the first time around, the owner contacted me to discuss the situation. She sent me a gift card to come back and try them out again. Today, I took her up on the offer. My friend and I arrived around 12:15pm, which seemed to be prime brunch time for a Sunday. We were seated around 12:40pm. The waitress was very friendly. She took our order and then we waited...and waited. Around 1:30pm, she stopped back by to offer more water and to let us know that the kitchen was backed up and that our food was coming. Finally an hour after ordering, we received our food. Our waitress let us know that she told the manager about our table and another table that had been waiting just as long as us. The next problem came when my friend took a bite of her fish tacos. The fish was cold. Not just room temperature, but actually cold. So she asked if that was how it was supposed to be (maybe she missed that in the description?) and our waitress assured us it wasn't. Back went the food. After an hour wait, the last thing we wanted to do was wait even longer for her meal to come back. Once it did, my friend said they were good, though she didn't love the corn tortillas and ended up just eating the filling. As a side note, I had the breakfast pizza and it was tasty, though I asked for the hot sauce on the side and they just took it off the order all together. Then came the bill. They didn't take anything off the total for the long wait. A manager stopped by our table to drop off a coupon for a free appetizer. I guess that makes sense business-wise...they'd rather you come back and spend more money...but that didn't make up for the experience. Perhaps if they had come out with the free app while we were waiting, we would have felt differently. read more

As a Bryant graduate, most of us go to J's Deli when in town. That may be changing. Blackie's Bulldog Tavern offers a vast menu with many choices and they were all excellent. With a full bar and separate paleo and GF menus, they have selections for anyone in your party. We sampled the paleo wings with General Tsos sauce, the cauliflower corn taco handhelds, and the tuna poke and we loved all three options. We will be back for more! read more

We were a group of 9 people. We tried to make a reservation, but they only do reservations for 10 or more. That's fine. We figure we can just do the call ahead. We try that. When we call, it prompts us to download an app. Okay..... Now the app won't let us be placed on the list because they have a max of 6 people for call ahead. If you have a group of 7-9 people, look somewhere else. They apparently don't want your business. read more

All the food here is amazing and well worth the wait you will undoubtably encounter (maybe not the best place for a quick lunch). I highly suggest the Mediterranean platter, which is usually enough to fill both my husband and I (we order at least one other thing anyway) and the side macaroni and cheese is the best. Do not let the busy parking lot deter you! read more

Fish and chips were so over cooked when I told my waitress she said that was how the batter was. I wanted to send it back but she didn't get the hint. read more

this is no longer a tavern. it is a high dollar ($$$) restaurant ( 2 beer and a salad 33$. decor very hip and modern (not at all like the old tavern). very limited beer selection ...apparently harpoon owns there draft lines. service was cheerful and attentive. no tee shirts and jeans just blazers and sport shirts at the best. not for me .i will not return read more

Signature drink blackie very bitter BBQ mushy and boring taste. Guess I won't be back. Server was very polite and professional. read more

Cant rave enough about the food, the service and the entire experience. We had two waitresses and both were excellent. our dinner was tasty and hot and brought out on time. We also had drinks and that waitress was very attentive. My husband had a burger which was giant and I enjoyed the Cod and both dishes were wonderful. We will return! read more

Nothing great in this area so gave it a shot but I found it to be a very arrogant approach to satisfying clientele. They are in the hospitality business but apparently they are not aware. Odd practice of the chef not accommodating any even minor special request/changes in order. Apparently it compromises the integrity of their work. Next time I hope they're paying the bill then they can tell me how I prefer my food. Especially odd as it is mostly high top tables with sport bar atmosphere (TVs on the wall). Owner saw review came over defending why it is the way it is at this place. I suggest next time ask the client what could they have done differently to improve the experience instead of explaining why they could not. More listening less talking. Issue was with limits on steak sand. not so much pasta special. Failure. #management101. As confirmed by response below. lol. read more

Blackie's - Floor is velvet carpet made to look like hard word. - American Near Me - Smithfield, Rhode Island

Always great service with amazing and creative dishes. As a vegetarian, it is sometimes hard to find more than one thing to eat besides a salad, but the veggie burger is always good. read more

I get take out from Blackie's a lot because they have a GREAT gluten-free menu. Very creative food for a bar/tavern. Decor inside is really nice too- very clean and rather upscale for again, a bar/tavern. Staff is attentive too- something I'm crazy about. Definitely the best option for casual dining in Smithfield. read more

Service is so slow. Ordered a meal an took over an hour. This is why I stopped going to the older place. Food was bland not worth the price.

I'm really surprised that Blackie's has such a good rating . I go out to dinner a lot however the prices on this menu were very overpriced. The menu is also very big . But more importantly who wants to pay $17 for a burger?! It was a massive unappealing portion, and the burger had a strange texture. I don't mind paying a little more for good food but this was no where close. The one plus is that their drinks are very good. It also gets busy and there's single stall bathrooms. Which for the ladies are right in the bar area , so it's kind of awkward to wait since you're standing next to someone's table . read more

So my wife and I have been hearing about this place for what seems like forever, she is gluten free, which is a recent challenge/godsend we have been dealing with in our lives! Luckily we found out about her illness and now can control it. Unfortunately the foody lifestyle we enjoyed (much to her detriments) has suffered since this discovery, well until a week ago. At that time is when we finally decided to stop into Blackies Bulldog Tavern. We were delighted to find this gem that is a haven for all gluten free foodies who have been missing excitement and innovation in there diet. Blackies is devoid of the 1/2 page 8 item list of gluten free options that we have quickly grown to know all to well. At Blackies instead of your salad and oh have a burger with no bun options that we have found at every resturant we have visited in the last 3 months, (I swear if I have any waitstaff tell me when we ask about gf options that any of there burgers can be made gf with no bun again I'm going to loose it) we were amazed to see a Paleo and Gluten free menu that rivaled if not exceeded the normal one. I have never seen anything like it. We have been 3 times in a week now (yup I said that) and have been as impressed each time as we were the first. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and attentive. Not a rush in, rush out, table flipping typical busy place. I could go into detail about what we had and how it was, but after 3 times it would take way to long to type! I'll just say travel to Blackies as soon as possible gluten free or not (I'm not, wife is). You will be glad you did. I don't often write reviews, I have a couple under my belt. I just felt the need to express my joy for a place that cares enough to make delicious innovative food for everyone, they deserve it and I almost feel obligated to share with people out there my opinion. 5 star all the way, if you are disappointed at Blackies you don't know food or a real dining experience. Take it from a fat kid from Rhode Island where food is a way of life Blackies is the spot to be. Cheers to them... we will see them again very soon! read more