For the last couple of months I kept hearing people talk about Bomb Chicken Parm and how I needed to try it. A few colleagues of mine were raving about it nonstop, so tonight while driving through Johnston we happened to pass by and decided on a whim to pull in. Very glad we did. The setup is fast casual and counter service, but they bring the food out to your table. Everything moved quickly without feeling rushed. Since it was our first time, we figured we had to order the traditional chicken parm considering it's literally the name of the place. Honestly, it lived up to the hype. The meal came with a salad, rigatoni, and two small cannolis. The salad was surprisingly good for what could have easily been an afterthought. Fresh ingredients, generous portion, and the dressing had a great flavor to it. The rigatoni was cooked perfectly al dente and the sauce tasted homemade instead of overly sweet or heavy like a lot of places do now. The chicken parm itself was excellent. Big portion, tender, juicy, crispy in the right places without being dry at all. One of those meals where halfway through you realize everyone at the table got quiet because they're too busy eating. We cleaned our plates. What really stood out though was how friendly everyone was. The owners were there walking around, checking in with people, genuinely wanting feedback and making sure customers were happy. You can tell they care about what they're building there, and it shows in both the food and the atmosphere. For around $20 to get chicken parm, rigatoni, salad, and cannolis, it's honestly a fantastic deal. Perfect spot for a quick dinner or takeout when you want something comforting that actually tastes fresh and well made. Really happy we decided to stop in tonight. No question we'll be back, and probably sooner rather than later. read more

Bomb Chicken Parm - Classic Chicken Parm - Italian Near Me - Johnston, Rhode Island

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I spotted this restaurant while passing through Johnston a few weeks ago and was genuinely excited to try it. Unfortunately, tonight's visit didn't quite match my anticipation, but I'll break it down fairly since there were some real highlights. Salads: The house salad was solid and well-composed with cucumber, tomato, and onion. The Caesar was an upcharge, which felt a little steep given its simplicity compared to the house option. 6/10 Garlic Bread: Decent but nothing memorable. 5/10 Entrées: We ordered four chicken parms and one eggplant parm across two sauces. The marinara leaned very sweet for my taste, not unpleasant if that's your preference, but not for me. 3/10. The vodka sauce was more balanced and enjoyable. 6/10. The chicken cutlet itself was genuinely excellent -- well-breaded, tender, and flavorful. 8/10 Pasta: The homemade rigatoni was fine but didn't stand out the way house-made pasta usually does. 5/10 Dessert: The cannoli were a bright spot. Piped to order, so the shells stayed crispy, and the filling was smooth and well-seasoned. A real strength of the kitchen. Atmosphere: The space is beautiful, though the overall vibe felt a little off on this visit -- hard to pinpoint, but it didn't add to the experience the way the décor suggested it might. Overall, there's potential here and the chicken itself shows real skill. The sauces and pasta could use some refinement. I'd encourage others to give it a try and form their own opinion, but I don't see myself returning -- especially with strong local alternatives nearby. read more

Bomb Chicken Parm is brought to you by the same owners of Cucina Rustica. Chef Brian has finally opened the fast casual Italian spot after years of operating as a ghost kitchen out of his already successful Italian restaurant in Johnston. The interior is cool, modern Italian American. Pop art of pasta and other Italian sundries line the walls. The bar is beautiful, the place is clean and sleek. The gentleman at the counter was nice enough and we placed our order for one Classic and one Bolognese. Each chicken parm dinner comes with a house or Caesar salad, and a pair of mini cannolis. Before long the food was in front of us and we were ready to eat. The portion is generous, easily two meals or more. The Bolognese was good, the blend of ground meat was tender and it was well seasoned. They offer extra grated parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes if you desire, but I ate it straight up. The pasta was rigatoni, one of my favorites. It was perfectly cooked and just the right shape to scoop up the extra sauce. The cutlet was thin and cooked exactly right. They do sauce on top of the cheese here, which I prefer. Although it was a little heavier on the cheese than I prefer but that's an easy mod for next time. Overall, I liked it and I would be back. I want to try some of the other varieties on the menu, plus one of the wraps! read more

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We walked in and the room was better than I expected. A lot better. Fast casual, as a category, trains you to expect a certain level of everything. Counters, menu boards, lighting that makes food look worse than it is. You adjust. You accept it. Bomb Chicken Parm, which sits in a brand new building on Atwood Ave right next to Johnston Town Hall, does not accept it. The bar is real. The tables are nice. The whole place is clean and new and put together with genuine care, the kind of care that makes you look around before you even figure out where to order. Someone built this room on purpose. Then the music registered. The Gap Band. "You Dropped a Bomb on Me." And I want to be clear about the timing here: that song was playing at the exact moment the chicken parm arrived at the table. I don't know what the odds are on that. I know it made me laugh out loud. It wasn't just that song either. DeBarge. Michael Jackson. Color Me Badd. Sly and the Family Stone. This isn't an Italian restaurant accordian playlist. This isn't an algorithm, it's a choice. I think the audience for this place is a younger group who want good food, not fast. That music choice tells you something about who these people are that the room alone can't tell you. That being said, the person who built this place matters. Brian Nadeau taught himself to cook. Started as a dishwasher, worked his way through every station in every kitchen he could find, including a pizza place in Pawtucket that's been gone for years, until he and his wife Gina opened Cucina Rustica in Cranston. Real Italian. Wood-fired oven. House pasta. Netflix found him and put him on "Pressure Cooker", where eleven chefs live in a house and judge each other's food for $100,000. No outside judges. Just chefs judging chefs. The show hit the Top 10. He says he came home a completely different chef. Then he opened this spot. You order at the counter. They bring everything to you. The Classic is $20 and yes, for a half second, your brain does the fast casual math and hesitates. It shouldn't. Two chicken breasts arrive, pounded down properly, breading that has actual seasoning in it. The sauce is balanced, sweet and bright with enough acid to keep it honest, not heavy, not rich, the kind of sauce that doesn't call attention to itself because it doesn't need to. Good cheese, properly melted. The pasta is house-made and it's excellent, and here's the thing: the sauce on the pasta has a red pepper bite that the chicken's sauce doesn't have. They're different. Deliberately different. That choice, that small decision to keep two components on the same plate doing two different things, is what separates a cook from a chef. Most places use one sauce. Put it on everything. Nobody complains. Nobody notices. Brian Nadeau noticed. The salad is fresh. The bread is good. The cannoli is included. You get a lot of food for that price and all of it is made from scratch by people who are paying attention. The bar stays open after the kitchen closes, which is the kind of detail that sounds like a footnote until you're sitting at that bar at 9:30 on a Thursday night. This place is the real thing. Go find out for yourself. read more

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We were dying for chicken Parm so we went to sit in the bar area & we actually spit a meal & got an extra salad ! It was pretty quiet but still a great atmosphere & we had the chicken parm stacked with eggplant & ricotta with red sauce and omg it was amazing . They actually have a great offer right now if you go earlier it's bogo 1/2 off which is a great summer deal! The two cannolis at the end are a perfect touch too! Service is great & price is perfect and food is amazing . Such a fun concept and great place so clean too! read more

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I love the concept of a restaurant in Rhode Island dedicated entirely to chicken parm. I haven't seen anything like it around here before! There are so many different options it feels like the "Chipotle of Chicken Parm." (Hope they don't steal that line from me ) The Caesar salad was solid. The croutons were perfectly seasoned, not too soft and not too crunchy, and the dressing was spot-on. My only small complaint is that the portion felt a bit skimpy, but let's be real... you're not coming here for the salad anyway lol. I went with the breaded chicken parm in vodka sauce served over rigatoni. The sauce was excellent. Perfectly balanced between creamy and tomatoey, not too thick, and just the right amount. I'd order it again in a heartbeat. Only minor thing: I wish they offered a side of bread to mop up the sauce (pasta without bread is like cookies without milk). Maybe something they can add down the line. Other than that will def be back. Maybe I'll get a sandwich next time. Great place if you're a diehard chicken parm aficionado. read more

I really like this new spot in Johnston. Chicken parm is one of my favorite dishes and they've done a great job making the dish their own. It's counter service with a large bar. The restaurant itself looks nice and there are numerous tables around to sit at. I enjoyed their artwork and found the bar to be very impressive. We went on a Monday night and it was busy but there were still plenty of places to sit. I ordered the formaggio chicken parm. It came with your choice of house or Caesar salad and two mini cannolis. The parm itself had some homemade pasta. You can also do grilled chicken or eggplant, build your own parm, and they can even make parm sandwiches. I really liked this chicken parm. The chicken itself was tasty and the portion was large. It wasn't my favorite cream sauce but serviceable overall. The Caesar salad tasted fresh and the cannoli were crunchy and very creamy. At $24 for a speciality parm they're not giving the food away but for the amount I consider it a good deal. This is a fantastic new spot and I highly recommend every tries out their unique take on chicken parms. read more

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So.. it's a cold wintery night and a fresh blanket of snow just hit the pavement What better than to adventure with the bro on a Friday night and try something new. The atmosphere is cozy. The lighting is dim and appropriate. The music was vibing setting the good feel. The staff all smiled and was attentive. I decided to go with the B.Y.O.P. I chose grilled chicken, farmaggio sauce, with caramalized onions , roasted red peppers, rabe, and spinach. And of course I "stacked it" for an extra $2 (layered with ricotta & eggplant )! Let's just say it came hot, layered with melted cheese and flavor in every bite that had me saying "mmmmm this is good"! And of course, like my grandmother taught me, eating my Caesar salad last read more

This place really is bomb chicken parm. I thought the name was a bit funny, but then I found out they really do have essentially just chicken parm. But they can cook it up many different ways and even have wraps. All I can say is it was a delicious meal and fresh, tender chicken. The place has a nice bar and is a bit of a cross between a casual sit down and a strip mall take out place but it works. But it certainly is clean and a good place to sit so have a meal. I didn't have an alcoholic drink but they do have wine and drinks at the bar. I don't know if people love chicken parm as much as I do anyways, but if so I could see this place having multiple locations. read more

Bomb Chicken Parm - Italian Near Me - Johnston, Rhode Island

I saw a friends post online and decided to stop in the same night. (Friday) There was no wait for a seat at the bar. Every thing was AMAZINGGGG!! I had an espresso martini, pink vodka chicken Parm garlic bread and affogato ... every single thing was awesome... I can't wait to go back read more

Bomb Chicken Parm - Italian Near Me - Johnston, Rhode Island

The food was amazing, and so reasonable! We sat at the bar and Scott took good care of us. My reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is the music. It was so out of place for such a cool little Italian restaurant. This may keep folks away--maybe that's why so many takeout orders were being picked up. I'm not saying they should be playing Frank Sinatra, lol--but probably something different than too loud old school hip hop! read more

Really wanted to like this place. It was hopping on a Saturday at 4:30. Vibe was cool and the place was clean though they weren't keeping up with wiping down the tables. Fortunately, my wife carries wipes and was able to take care of it for us. I ordered the vodka sauce parm "stacked". My wife ordered the fomaggio . The Caesar salads that come with were crisp but bland. Basically eating lettuce with a bit of dressing. My chicken was overcooked and dry. It also did not come out "stacked" so I paid an up charge on something I didn't receive. Both meals were pretty flavorless. Both the breading and sauce lacked any real depth of flavor. They also advertised it coming with a cannoli which wasn't there. The portions were huge and the staff was friendly. Overall, the concept is great but the execution was lacking. read more

Ok The first interaction- vibes are on bright - with the upbeat jiving music. The tone is casual - laid back- a place to stop and have a quick good meal- alone or with others. The servers - all new to the game - but bring a good spirit. They were a bit scattered and more into conversation with each other as opposed to being customer centric. And weird but the bar gets service and the dining room you are pretty much taking care of yourself. Something that definitely needs to be reevaluated. They will improve with experience. Now to the food. Yesssss!!! It was delicious - chicken and eggplant were fried to a good crisp. The Formaggio sauce was cheesy and absolutely delicious. The side of Pasta was a bit a dente - could have used 30 seconds to a minute more. And overall a bit more sauce but this is all nit picking. The Caesar salad was an awesome start with incredible homemade croutons. Then the cannoli at the end was a good kiss to the meal. Overall - I dig the concept- a 3 course meal menu- restaurant week all the time. I will be back and highly recommend that you give it a try. read more

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This place is the Bomb! The chicken was very tender, the portion size was generous, and the flavors were excellent. I highly recommend this place. read more

Good! Fun! Casual! It's worth it! Played some old school hip hop in the background. Chicken parm was delish! Wine was good. Comes w salad and cannolis for dessert. How can you go wrong? read more

I have no ill will for this restaurant at all. Atmosphere was nice, employees were friendly. Unfortunately when you specialize heavily in one particular menu item, the quality of said item is going to swing the score substantially. In my opinion their standard red sauce was inedibly sweet. Over the week or so since I have gone I have spoken to several people who have been and felt the same way. While the sweetness was mentioned on a few reviews thus far I am shocked it is not more strongly highlighted. I am a huge chicken parm fan so this place is right up my alley, but I'm afraid I will not be back. Sweetness in a tomato sauce is of course a matter of preference, but this is about as sweet as I have ever tasted so make sure that is what you prefer before going. Other than that as I said I enjoyed salad and canollis and wish them well. I just write this to warn non-sweet sauce lovers like myself to probably steer clear. read more

So far we have only ordered delivery from Bomb Chicken. So impressed! Johnston needed this, seems like the same concept as a restaurant in Delray Beach, where you choose your Cutlet, Pasta, Sauce and Salad. The Cutlet at Bomb is nice and thin, good size portion, delicious sauces, Bolognese is great, not too chunky. Pasta is so good, just wish there was a Spaghetti choice too. Delivery didn't include any Italian Bread which was needed with their excellent sauces. This will be our go to for sure! Mostly for delivery but the restaurant's vibe and atmosphere sounds great! read more

Very fresh and made to order. It comes as a 3 course meal with a delicious salad and cannolis! Excellent service and excellent value. We will definitely be back. read more

Food was great. We haven't tried it for dinner yet but definitely a good spot for a hot lunch and quick service too read more

Bomb Chicken Parm - Chicken pesto parm sammie for lunch. Deliciousness - Italian Near Me - Johnston, Rhode Island

Very good! Service, food, ambiance all 10/10. My dad wants to go so Will definitely be back very soon!

Service was quick, and the place looks nice. Not the biggest fan of the food, ordered the classic, the pink vodka and 2 kids meals. Chicken for the adult meal is paper thin resulting in dryness, the classic is quite bland. Kids didn't like their meals. Pink vodka had better flavor but still, did not knock my socks off. Overall it was mid, I recognize I may just be particular when it comes to Italian food, and I believe this place has a lot of potential, that sauce needs a bit more zip to it. read more

I can honestly say they nailed what they were going for. Fast food with a Restraunt meal and a fun relaxing casual feel. At first, I was a little confused where to go, and the music although awesome was bit loud( old classic R & B ). Im also the type that turns my radio down so I can see ( lol). It turned out to be the perfect volume. You can hear the person you are with but not other people's conversations which was nice. The staff was very friendly, you order at the counter like fast food. We ordered the chicken parm classic. Your food is brought to you if you eat there. I was pleasantly surprised about that. The portions are large. It came with pasta, a salad, and a cannoli. Everything was excellent not dry, the perfect amount of sauce and I am very picky with my chicken parm. The place was very clean. I checked out the restroom and it was set up like a fancy Restraunt. It was clean the toilet paper wasn't that cheap sandpaper tissue paper and there was nice thick disposable hand towels to dry your hands. That was impressive. There is also a cute changing table in there. read more

Bomb Chicken Parm - Chicken parm with pasta. - Italian Near Me - Johnston, Rhode Island

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Awesome chicken parm !!! Got it to go was delicious !!! Will go again for sure !!!!!!!

Great price and the food is made with quality ingredients. You can't go wrong with just about anything on the menu.

I tried to get in a few times but it was so packed! Finally went on a weekday at 2. I got the vodka sauce chicken parm. Everything was very yummy! The vodka sauce was creamy and delicious and the pasta was perfect. Chicken could have been a bit juicier but still very good! Great value with the salad and cannolis and good portions! I got a side of garlic bread too. Will definitely return!! read more

Chicken parm was great...large portion...the salad was lacking...no cheese(maybe you need to ask?)...no italian dressing option...had to ask for salt and pepper...I would go again but wish for these improvements read more

Love the idea of fast casual Italian, dislike the execution. I have visited twice. Here is my takeaway. Outside: The door to enter is very hard to pull open, likely due to an imbalance of air pressure. So if you are seated near the door, you will see 8 out of 10 people struggle to get in, many simply walk away, and some never return. Inside: The place looks beautiful! Excellent lighting, music, decor. Food: The menu is simple enough. Choose crispy or grilled chicken parm. Choose a sauce. Comes with homemade pasta, a side salad, and is supposed to include a cannoli. They also have gelato, and a couple of sides menu items that can be ordered. The good: The traditional chicken parm was nice. Crispy, quality chicken. Sauce is a little sweet, but still fine! The Caesar salad that you can order for an up-charge is decent. The place is clean, and has great ambiance. The staff is very friendly! The bad: 1) There is nothing fast about the experience. You wait in line to order. And then wait for the food to be ready. If you are looking for takeout, it will be at least 40 minutes from when you walk in, to when you leave with the food, unless the place is empty. If the tables are full, you just stand awkwardly near the registers for however long it takes. The fact that you cannot order before, and pick up, means this is not a viable choice for a quick easy dinner. 2) The homemade pasta is odd tasting. A little eggy. Both times I went was the same, and people I dined with agreed. Homemade pasta can be great - but not here. 3) They forgot our cannolis on both visits. 4) They have a small menu, but both times, were out of major items. On 1st visit, I was unable to "Stack It" (which adds eggplant and ricotta on for an up-charge) because they didn't have the ingredients. My 2nd visit, I could not order garlic bread - because they were out of it. 5) The price is about the same as any local sit-down Italian restaurant. Only, you can order ahead at those places and pick up when it's ready. So other restaurants are actually more convenient, for the same price and quality. In conclusion. This place has plenty of potential. Just needs to figure out a way to make visits less chaotic for the customer. I've tried twice, and won't be back. If they make it a year, I'll revisit, and see if they've figured themselves out! read more

was not at all impressed with the chicken parm very lacking in flavor not at all what I was expecting very disappointed also purchased eggplant parm same with this the marinara is very lacking will not return will not waste anymore money in this restaurant read more

Fantastic! Ordered takeout for the first tonight. I had the original chicken parm with red sauce, ziti, salad and 2 little cannolis all for $20.00! Huge portions for a second meal. Highly recommend! read more