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    Chelo's Waterfront Bar & Grille

    3.2 (356 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 11:30 pm

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    CHELO'S WATERFRONT BAR & GRILLE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Live music
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    Dog friendly - Outdoor seating
    Dan S.

    We ate outside on the back lawn. There were several dogs there which was nice. Our server was friendly and patient with our group of 6. We ordered baked sole, calamari, clam fritters, lobster ravioli, and shrimp scampi. Nothing was good enough to order again. The taste was bland. Or, the cooks have no idea how to balance the ingredients. The clam fritters were the size of pool balls and were dry. Go for the music or the view of the boat slips. Eat before you get there!!

    Marina view is behind the band pavilion.
    Jude B.

    My first time... Made a reservation, a must. Valet parked. Inside at reservation desk the gal said our table is number three, go ahead out there to the deck and find it!! What?? So we kind of looked at each other and we're like oh OK we'll walk out and find our table by ourselves, so we did. We found a front row table and sat down. No waitress comes over until another host arrives to say this table is for someone else and I said no we were told to come sit here, so she goes away and then our another waitress comes over and says were you seated by a hostess because we need this table. I said yes we were told to come and sit at this table. But Knowing this confusion was gonna happen again I get up and go out to the hostess stand and say look, you sent us out to find our own table for our reservation and now you're having two other people ask us to move. Can you please make sure you know why we are seated here ... and we would like menus, we would like to enjoy our evening! This was so rude and so amateur. 10 minutes later, a manager comes and drops menus on the table and walks away. No apology or acknowledgment for how amateur, so unprofessional. She leaves it to her poor teenage server who had to come out and say I'm sorry I don't do anything about the seating. Food was Basic. The calamari was very good but that was bout it. The waterfront burger was fine, soft soggy sweet potato fries were very lackluster and you pay extra for them and a side of green beans came so overcooked that they were impossible to eat unless you like shriveled leather beans. One friend had salmon on a salad, looked fine. My other friend ordered the clam balls that were big and dry and a cup of chowder. ($165) We enjoyed the band & watching tons kids running about. But really parents after at 9pm take the kids home. And the clincher comes when we were told we needed to get up and leave our table in 10 minutes because another reservation was coming. Our time was up. See ya!

    Stuffies
    Stephanie T.

    I made a reservation through OpenTable for outdoor deck seating for 3 on Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 3:00 pm. When making the reservation, it stated that this restaurant requires a credit card to secure the reservation and no-shows or cancellations less than 1 day in advance may be subject to a charge of $20 per person. We arrived about 30 minutes late, but they still sat us at a table on the deck. I like to bring my friends visiting Providence to Chelo's because they are the largest family-owned restaurant company in Rhode Island since 1955. The waterfront location has great food, a great view, great service, and live entertainment. Also, Chelo's offer traditional foods of Rhode Island, is a great seafood restaurant, and has many menu options. On Saturday afternoon, live music was playing and the breeze from the water was wonderful. The hostess informed us that we have the table for 1 hour 30 minutes. I had the watermelon sangria which had White zinfandel, Absolut Raspberri, Bacardi Limon, watermelon schnapps, Sierra Mist, fresh sour & fruits. It was very refreshing. The 3 of us shared a New England White Clam Chowder, clam cakes and chowder combo (three clam cakes, white claim chowder), stuffies (two stuffed quahogs, lemon). These are a few of Little Rhody's most-iconic dishes. It was all very tasty. I had the Chelo's famous lobster roll cold with mayo and lettuce on a brioche roll. There were not much lobster, but the brioche roll and the lobster was fresh. It was very good. I can't wait to come back to Chelo's!

    Fresh Oysters
    Erin M.

    I've been to Chelos many times. Usually go for dancing and drinks when a band I like is playing there. Had dinner a few times too. The food is always tasty! As are the drinks although the drinks are getting a little pricey at $12.50 for a Tito's and soda. Inside there are several seating areas. Outside there are proper tables on the deck on the grass there are some wood picnic table style for bigger groups. The bandstand and dance floor are a good size. I've always had a good time!

    Lobster Mac & Cheese, Fish & Chips, Shrimp Scampi, salad
    Michelle Z.

    Lovely waterfront restaurant with live music and great waterfront views! Went here with my family while we were visiting the Warwick area. We were looking for a casual seafood place to get dinner, and this place exceeded our expectations in so many ways. We sat outdoors in their massive backyard seating area. They had a band playing live music, which made the ambiance fantastic. The energy was so lively and there were even people dancing. For food, we ordered fish and chips, lobster mac and cheese, and shrimp scampi. Everything was really delicious, especially the mac & cheese. It came with large chunks of lobster which was a pleasant surprise. The fish & chips came with lots of fries and a massive piece of battered fish. The shrimp scampi tasted very fresh and not too heavy at all. Since we were seated outside and the area is huge, the service can be a bit chaotic and random. It won't be the most attentive service ever but they served our food in a timely manner and we were able to enjoy the great music and outdoor views while we waited. Highly recommend if you're looking for a dinner place in the area with amazing vibes!

    Tuna Poke Bowl
    Samantha W.

    Chelo's is always a hit, I've never had a bad experience at any location. This casual dinning restaurant is family friendly and a must visit in the summer months. The seafood is fresh and tastes like they caught it right off their dock. The servers are friendly, attentive and give great recommendations! You can't go wrong with their pricing either, middle of the road with great value!! Stop in for a lobster roll or some oysters, you'll be happy either way.

    Line of urinals without privacy dividers in the men's room at Chelo's on the Waterfront.
    Mike B.

    Ideal if you were a frat boy in the 1980s looking to relive your experiences, but otherwise like being in hell for anyone who enjoys the non-Waterfront Chelo's experience. Probably the aspect most evocative of frat-boy lifestyle is the line of urinals in the men's room with no privacy dividers (see photo), like pissing into a trough. This sort of thing might have been acceptable in century-old stadiums, but not in the modern era. The menu is severely cut down from a regular Chelo's with only some seafood and burgers remaining. If you're going to drink and not eat, that's not so bad --- but expecting actual food is unwise. I ordered fish and chips, and while the fried fish was at least acceptable although slightly undercooked, the fries were cold and soggy, so bad as to be inedible. I should have sent back the fries, but I was with a group and didn't want to cause a scene, especially after sending back an iced tea because it unexpectedly arrived with lemon in it. Parking was so bad that I had to circle the lot for 15 minutes until someone else departed and I could take their space. There is a large valet area, but nothing is posted about the cost of that and I didn't want to risk it. Reservations are only accepted on OpenTable over the web, and require a credit card where you are informed there will be a $20 charge for a no-show or cancellation. The web site said no outside tables were available, so I was forced to make a reservation for an inside table and telephone the restaurant to arrange an outside table, which led to confusion until I reached a manager who was able to do it. This was around four hours before a 5:00pm reservation on a weekday. The table we ended up with was at the end of the patio, which was a problem only because we were the closest to the kitchen exhaust vent that emitted a lot of smoke that kept wafting across and enveloping us. There was a live band that despite being quite a distance away was so loud as to make talking at the table impossible. It seemed to be a 1980s cover band, playing very much what would be expected at a frat party for aging Millennials. Don't go for the food. Don't go for the atmosphere. Don't go for the parking. Don't go for the abusive reservation policy. In fact, just don't go.

    Chowder

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    11 months ago

    Food and service was excellent. We were unable to sit outside but the ambiance was great.

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    McKinley's Pub

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    Wide World of Indoor Sports South

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    Wide World of Indoor Sports South

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    I visited Sombra for the first time and it was during brunch. I had received a recommendation for…read morethis spot for brunch specifically and had to check it out! I was immediately impressed with the interior of this restaurant, it felt upscale and designed so tastefully, loved the atmosphere! Our serve was also really sweet, bubbly, and friendly too. This made our dining experience very pleasant. I order the Churro Iced Café Exprés for a drink, and it was so impressive looking. I loved that the churro was warm and the drink itself was really tasty. However, I think there was way too much whipped cream and not enough of the actual drink. For my main dish, I chose the Barbacoa Benedict - a super popular choice according to the waitress, and for good reason! The Benedict really was delicious, the meat was tender, the flavors popped, and I love a good bolo roll as a base. But, the homefries were SO salty. They were cooked nicely, but I couldn't enjoy them for more than a few bites. Overall, I really enjoyed Sombra as a brunch spot and would certainly visit again. It's a great brunch spot in a prime location.

    Sombraaaaa! I've heard many positive things about dinner and drinks here, but no mention of brunch?…read moreWe'll, let me tell you, they know how to do brunch, too. Priced a little highly in my opinion- I got the meat Omelette. It was tasty, it had a fair bit of carne asada in it and it was well seasoned. It also had some bacon and chorizo in there if memory serves me. I thought the portion could have been a little bit better for $23, or better yet, just make it $18-19. There's no reason an Omelette should come with a $23 price tag. I was actually satisfied with the portion given the mound of home fries. Which by the way were very tasty albeit, over salted. The braised beef Benedict that my wife got was very good, my only critique on it would be to toast the bolo a bit more because the whole thing was one texture. It missed the crunch you get with an English muffin as the base. I also thought the beef could have been more seasoned. One other order at the table included the breakfast tacos. You get 4 tacos piled with food. Actually looked like you got more than the Omelette. Noted for next time. I didn't order this, but tried it at the table- the spiked horchata drink was tasty. A little heavy on the whipped cream but it was a good drink! We were surprisingly the only ones in there besides one other table. Doesn't seem like brunch has caught on here? Nonetheless, I think you should give it a try, we were well taken care of and there wasn't anything we didn't like.

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    Restaurant

    Chelo's Waterfront Bar & Grille - seafood - Updated May 2026

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