You must visit Viola Cucina. This food is among the closest of Italian dinners - like I've grown up…read morewith - that we've ever enjoyed. The pasta e fagioli soup was delicious and tasted as it should. We savoured it. Our salad tasted garden fresh. I asked for a basic spaghetti with meatballs. Delicious. Their meatballs meet my approval. And that is saying a lot because usually no restaurant meatballs measure up. Except for the meatballs my Grandmother, Mother and I have cooked. This is why I'm tentative about eating Italian out since we grew up making it, ourselves. Everything we tried here falls under the "did not disappoint," category which is an A all around. Even the rustic dining style with sentimental interior home furnishings and decorations. All of it speaks to the heart. They are a warm bunch and will talk to those just passing through. When I'm traveling the Eastern seaboard, I will make it a point to dine at Viola Cucina.

Mostly Smoke and mirrors.... At first glance, their website…read morelooks impressive, their menu looks authentic, and their staff promised 'everything' made fresh and to order. But upon tasting their food, it was clear, 'Viola' is just another Americanized Italian restaurant. We started with an a la carte order of: 'House made focaccia, roasted garlic spread, evoo, craft butter' This was fresh and tasty. We then shared the 'Caesar: traditional romaine hearts, foccaccia croutons, shaved pecorino cheese. classic caesar dressing.' This lacked any flavour, the romaine was cut into too small pieces, there was no hint of garlic or anchovy in the dressing. But the most disappointing dishes were the pasta dishes: 'Fettucini bolognese, house made, beef, pork, veal ragu, pecorino, basil, calabrian Chili.' 'Scampi viola, squid ink linguini, shrimp garlic, white wine, julienned vegetables, preserved lemon butter.' Although the pastas were freshly made, their textures were compromised; both pasta dishes were not 'al dente'. In fact the Scampi viola was drenched in a dark gravy and greasy. This is just not a very skilled preparation of pasta. A fresh pasta needs very little sauce, and should be dressed very simply so the 'textures' can be enjoyed. I ordered the: 'Zuppa di vongole: fresh little neck clams, vino biqnco, fresh herbs, crostini.' But this dish was replaced by a fried calamari dish. This was well prepared, actually the only star of the evening. This restaurant may succeed on its 'blandness' but will never attract the discerning diner who wants and appreciates authentic Italian cuisine. ~tiaotse~

So always the pizza is so good. I had the fig n a pizza and my husband had the gold digger. Always…read moregood and the staff is very friendly.

Bettola is a VIBE!!!! The staff are always friendly and fun! I think I pretty much ordered 90% of…read morethe menu and NOTHING has disappoint. My ULTIMATE favorite is the Short Ribs and Risotto. The meat is sooooo juicy, tender and flavorful! Next would be obviously their pizza and their salad! (please note: their salads is topped to the BRIM! And if good enough to share with 2-3 people) Depending on the day in the mood would determine which pizza I get my top 3 are/ Gold digger, the San Genaro, and the Marilyn Monroe/Fign' a (I can't decide LOL) don't let the commotion of Rolfe square Seder you from visiting, there is plenty of parking in the back, the restaurant is such a vibe with the decor (learn some Italian LOL) and hilarious placemats. And lastly, what I think is so cool and unique about this place is their Themed Weekend specials! They always have fun drinks and witty names for the items. Oh and don't forget to swing by the dessert case on your way out- they have LEMON TIRAMISU!!!! You heard right! LEMON TIRAMISU!!

This place is delicious every time we go. But this dinner special has quickly become my favorite…read moredish! Sausage, rabe, cannellini beans and cavatelli. Meal starts with salad and bread. Salad is usually swimming in dressing - which is tasty but too much for my liking. Service is pretty good. They squeezed five of us into a booth like sardines so I ate with T-Rex arms, lol. The outdoor patio is enclosed but has no AC. Highly recommend a reservation for a larger party. Portions are still huge and I had another meal to bring home! Unfortunately for me, my son came home hungry and devoured my leftovers! Lucky him! Until I get back, I'll be dreaming of this dinner!

I've been going to Marchetti's since I was 5-years old in 1982 I'm now 49-years old the food is…read morestill amazing as always, me and my boyfriend went there on June 19th on a Friday afternoon at 4 pm, our waiter was Andy he was very professional treated me and my boyfriend with respect, he was fast with bringing out our drinks and food, I had eggplant Parmesan with spaghetti with plain marinara sauce, my boyfriend had Fish and chips our food was delicious like always We will be back again soon Thank You again Andy

We had a lovely lunch at Avvio. This seems to be the location to 'lunch with the ladies' if their…read morelunch 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.

This place is SOOOO YUMMY with great portions-- I left feeling full and even had a little left…read moreover. 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!!

This is probably one of the only places I'd give a 10/10 Italian experience for. Every food item we…read morehad was delightful. The flavors were deep and portions good. The service was awesome. I can't speak highly enough of all of the dishes. The vibe is cozy and comfortable. Service was attentive, kinda, and helpful with answering questions. If you are looking for a spot to try, you will not be disappointed by coming here.

Loved this place! It is very small so you definitely want to make a reservation to make sure they…read morehave a table for you. Food was delicious. Clams for our appetizer were awesome! Gnocchi and meatballs were amazing! Just a warning, patio seating is not enclosed so if rain is in the forecast then stick with a table inside because if it happens to rain while you're outside eating there is no backup table or seats at the bar to move to inside. We learned that the hard way so just a heads up. Everything else was great.

My family and I love this place and dine here often. It's my 3.5 year old's favorite restaurant…read more The food is always excellent, especially the fresh house made pastas and the grilled romaine salad. The staff is outstanding and always makes us feel at home, especially Tori! Highly recommend!

I really did love the flavor of everything I got! The margherita pizza omg the the flavor…read moreWas phenomenal but it was SUPER undercooked. I'm not sure if it was just a freak thing or happens all the time but next time I go I'll definitely ask for it to be well done! Staff are all super friendly!

I've been going to Antonio's Trattoria for years now, and one thing I can say is the place is…read moreincredibly consistent. In a world where restaurants seem to either reinvent themselves every six months or completely fall apart after a few good years, Antonio's just keeps doing what it does well. Good food, solid portions, professional service, and that old-school Italian restaurant atmosphere that Rhode Island somehow still manages to preserve better than almost anywhere else. My wife and I went recently for dinner and had one of those meals where everything just flowed the way you want it to. We started with the fried calamari, which was excellent. Light, crispy, not drowning in grease, and actually seasoned properly. A lot of places phone calamari in because it's such a standard appetizer, but this tasted fresh and well executed. The hot peppers mixed in gave it a nice kick without taking over the plate. We also got a couple espresso martinis because it feels almost illegal to eat Italian food in Cranston without at least considering one. For dinner, I went with the chicken parmigiana after hearing people rave about it for years, and honestly, they weren't wrong. The chicken was tender, perfectly breaded, and the sauce had that slow-cooked flavor that tastes like somebody's grandmother has been guarding the recipe since the Reagan administration. My wife ordered the seafood fra diavolo, which came loaded with shrimp, clams, mussels, and enough garlic to keep vampires away for the rest of the week. Spicy without being ridiculous. The portions were generous too. Not "food challenge" oversized, just satisfying. Dessert was tiramisu for the table because at that point you're already committed to the experience. Really good balance of espresso flavor and mascarpone without feeling overly heavy. Sometimes tiramisu can feel like eating sweet drywall. This wasn't that. Service was also great all night. Attentive without hovering. Drinks stayed filled, plates disappeared quickly, and the pacing of the meal felt relaxed but organized. You never felt rushed, but you also weren't sitting there wondering if your waiter had moved to another state midway through dinner. The place itself has that classic Rhode Island Italian restaurant energy. Comfortable, a little lively, people talking loudly across tables, waiters who look like they've worked there forever, and the smell of garlic and red sauce hitting you the second you walk in. It's not trendy or trying to become some minimalist foodie experiment. Thank God for that.

Antonio's in Cranston has become one of those rare spots that's not just good once -- it's usually…read moreconsistently good every single time I go. Only on a few occasions I've had their sauce that wasn't as good as it normally is. You know they are doing something right there when they continuously have regulars showing up weekly. I usually order the chicken parm, and it never disappoints. Sometimes I go classic red sauce, other times I switch it up with the pink vodka sauce, which is very good. Their red sauce is on the sweeter side compared to most Italian places. The portions are generous, the chicken is always cooked perfectly (pounded thin and pan fried), they don't just pour ladles of sauce on their parm's, instead they put the sauce on the bottom of the chicken which I really like. Everything tastes homemade instead of mass-produced. Another standout is the homemade ravioli, it's one giant ravioli and definitely something different from the usual Italian menu where you get multiple frozen raviolis in sauce. On top of the food, the service has always been solid. Staff is friendly, attentive, and the whole place runs smoothly without feeling rushed. If you're looking for a reliable Italian restaurant in Rhode Island that's consistently great, Antonio's is absolutely worth going to again and again.

A special friend had made a significant step in her small business. I suggested dinner at Twin…read moreOaks. I surprised her at the restaurant with a package and card. The card congratulated her on her success, brought about only because of her hard work, courage and persistence despite some difficult times. I had purchased some crystal, champagne and cocktail coupes. I had removed them from the package, washed and bagged the crystal and repackaged it. I gave her the card and she opened the package. I told her the crystal champagne glasses were to celebrate her success! I ordered champagne which came in a chilled marble container to keep it cold. I had looked at a couple other restaurants before settling on Twin Oaks. Twin Oaks was easy for her to get to after meeting with a new client. The food was delicious. The ambience looking out over Spectacle Lake with the moonlight on the water was wonderful. The waiter could not not have been more attentive yet not intrusive. For all her hard work and her business beginning to take off, she deserved some recognition. It took courage to have given up a career that very few would have walked away from and start her own business. Twin Oaks was the the right place to acknowledge her success that night. I'll not forget how she smiled that night, her surprise, her happiness. She deserved some special recognition and Twin Oaks helped to deliver it!

What a delight to visit Twin Oaks again! We were in the area and my husband had never been so it…read morewas an easy choice for lunch. We were seated right away. Jimmy and Max took exceptional care of us! We started with the Clams Casino that were so flavorful and the perfect serving size to split. My husband had the friend scallops served with fries and cole slaw ; I ordered the dinner portion of veal parm ( you've got to have leftovers) . The scallops were cooked to perfection. The veal was fork tender and so flavorful and legit, the leftover lunch was the best!! If you're in the area be sure to give them a try, you won't be disappointed!!