Delicious!! The sauces were so amazing and flavorful. We had fettuccine alfredo, haddock and…read moregnocchi pink vodka. Huge portions and a must try restaurant. It's small no wait during week 7ish, I'm sure weekends you would need a reservation.

One of these best Italian restaurants in Cranston ! Sauce is amazing . Pink vodka is even better!!read more

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~

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!!

I ordered a pepperoni pizza here for takeout and overall really enjoyed it. The pizza itself was…read morereally good and I would definitely order it again. The pizza was only $20, which I thought was a pretty reasonable price. They only offer one size, which I'd say is around a large, although maybe just a little smaller than a typical large. It wasn't a huge difference, but I do wish they offered a smaller size as an option. I was going to add honey to the pizza, but it was an additional $4, which I thought was a little much for just a drizzle of honey, so I skipped it. I also noticed they don't open until 4:30, at least yesterday, so I wish they opened a little earlier. I completely understand that they're more of a dinner spot, though. Overall, it's a great spot with really good pizza and a reasonable price. I'd definitely come back!

Went out for a family dinner to celebrate my mother in law's birthday. They look care of our large…read moregroup exceptionally well. Food portions are out of control! The food was delicious! I had the chicken cutlet, sauce on the side, which comes with two large cutlets and a giant plate of penne with vodka sauce. On top of that, they brought a large bowl of sauce as well. That side of penne was entire by my hubby and I, plus I enjoyed the leftover pasta the next day. His side of pasta and the second cutlet were too be shared by my in-laws for at least one if not two meals!

Marchetti's is an absolute staple for a reason. The food is flat-out incredible, the drinks are…read moretop-tier, and the portions are so massive you're guaranteed to leave with enough leftovers for tomorrow's lunch and dinner. It's a little pricier, but when a single entrée feeds you for two days, you more than get what you pay for. The only real obstacle course is the parking lot. People park so tight in there you'd think they were playing a high-stakes game of Tetris, so you might have to suck in your gut just to squeeze out of your car door. Tight parking aside, the incredible food and huge portion sizes make it 100% worth it every single time. Just bring an appetite and leave the oversized truck at home

We were going through the area during rush hour so we decided to sit on a bar stool rather than the…read moreInterstate. We were warmly greeted and made our way to a high top setup. It was getting busier by the minute so we were in time for a nice dinner. Our server was really attentive. He explained the menu and a couple of specials. Our meals were served hot and they were delicious. Prices here are reasonable and our dinner with a bottle of wine, split appetizer, soup, two pasta dishes and dessert for under $150. The place has some really cool art too.

I know Providence has Federal Hill and Boston has the North End, but this place is still definitely…read moreworth 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.

An incredible, intimate location with authentic Italian eats. The calamari was tender and had good…read morepieces of tentacles, great dipping sauce, and the Caesar salad was perfect size to split. For entrees the wife and I had the cacio e pepe with crumbled sausage, which had a nice little kick to it and seasoned just right. The gnocchi with the meatballs had excellent sauce and cheese smothered on top. You must book a reservation to lock in a table, but it's highly worth visiting!!

I really wanted to like this place, especially given all the great reviews, but after two chances,…read moreI don't see myself coming back. We visited on a Friday night. We arrived early, before the restaurant got busy, and sat at the bar. What immediately struck us was how long we sat there without even being acknowledged. The bartender and other staff weren't particularly busy, yet it was probably close to 10 minutes before we even received a greeting. It was awkward and honestly a little strange. We stayed, ordered drinks, appetizers, and fairly expensive entrées. The food was mixed--my partner really enjoyed everything she had, while I wasn't particularly impressed with mine. But the bigger issue was the service. By the time we left, the restaurant was packed, so they're clearly doing something right, but given the price point and our experience, I didn't feel much desire to return. That said, I pass by frequently and kept seeing so many positive reviews that I started wondering if we'd simply caught them on an off night. So we decided to give them another chance. Unfortunately, the second visit was somehow even stranger. We came in around 4 PM on a Thursday. The restaurant was practically empty--maybe one or two tables and two people sitting at the bar. We sat down at the bar and, once again, it was as though we were invisible. No greeting, no acknowledgment. The bartender and staff were chatting with the other two people at the bar, who may have been regulars or people they knew, while we just sat there waiting. Eventually, we ordered two drinks and an appetizer, and everything took an unusually long time considering how empty the restaurant was. Throughout the entire visit, getting anyone's attention felt like a chore. The best way I can describe the experience is that it felt like we'd walked into someone's private club and weren't members. It was uncomfortable and awkward, and I've honestly never experienced anything quite like it at a restaurant. We planned to stay for dinner and order more drinks, but after nearly an hour of feeling ignored and unwelcome, we decided we'd had enough. We left and went to AVVIO in Garden City, where the experience was literally night and day. I can overlook an off night, which is exactly why we came back a second time. But having essentially the same service experience twice, on two different days and while the restaurant wasn't busy, is hard to overlook. Both times, I left feeling like our business wasn't particularly appreciated and that asking for service was somehow bothering the staff. At this price point, guests shouldn't feel that way. Unfortunately, twice was enough for us. We won't be back.

This place is the best ever for Italian food and the fish is wicked good too! One of my favorite…read morethings to eat there were actually their mashed potatoes! Whatever they put in their potatoes are the BEST EVER that I ever had in my life! The Calamari ala-mM style is also the very best I ever had too! It's delicious! you can't go wrong with anything you order here! I am not one that likes Spaghetti red sauce and it's one thing I would never order out at a restaurant, but I would here! I went to Antonio's several times and was never disappointed! In fact, I have been amazed at the excellent way everything was cooked! I look forward to going to Antonio's again very soon! It's worth the trip! I honestly can't say enough about it and loved it every time!

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.

THE PORTIONS!! I love how large the portions are here-- we were all satisfied and three of us had a…read moremeal for the next day. The place is massive and the only downside of that is parking-- it's hard to find a spot! We did a couple laps until we got one. Even at 6:30 on a Saturday, we were sat within 5 minutes and had an enjoyable meal. We were there for probably about an hour and a half, so I'd say it's a place to go for a slower meal as opposed to a quick bite. (While waiting there was also a very nice bartender who got me a glass of water so I could take a medication I needed to-- I really appreciated that!) We'll be back!

I've been coming to Twin Oaks since I was a child. I remember going with my grandfather and never…read morewaiting in line. That was such a flex back then. My wife, I've never been and I wanted to take my uncles out to a nice dinner. They don't set you until your entire part is there, which I like. We do have to wait a little bit, but they are very organized and went quickly. Mind you, we went on a Wednesday night and it was packed! I always recommend using the valet here as the parking lot can be kind of a nightmare. It was just as I remembered. I know things have been updated, but the ambience is exactly the same, even though all male wait staff. It was very nostalgic. Our waiter, food runner, and busser were fantastic. Our waiter greeted us and brought us our bread and some oil. I ordered a spicy tequila Cosmo and was apparently all the Talk because no one had ever ordered that there before. This seemed pretty impressive considering how long they've been open! My drink was fantastic. I love a place that can make a drink that they've never made before and make it a 10 out of 10. I ordered the Chicken Milanese as that's my favorite Italian dish. The lemon vinaigrette was one of the best that I've ever had. The chicken cutlets were also cooked perfectly! I was really happy that this place is still remain the same, with the same great service, same great quality and just a little bit more expensive than when I remember. Absolutely worth it.

Food was amazing had chicken parm and chicken scampi and Eggplant rollinti not so so good…read more Service was great our Bartender was very friendly The place is so cute and cozy to relax and enjoy great food and service Prices are good

Absolutely loved Andino's! The food was amazing - so amazing that we actually ordered takeout the…read morenext day because we wanted it again! But honestly, our waiter Eric made the whole experience. What an amazing human. He was so kind, genuine and just one of those people you don't forget. He remembered it was our son's birthday and surprised him with tiramisu with our take out order- candle included!! Those little things are what make a place special. Amazing food, great atmosphere, but even better people. It's rare to come across someone who genuinely makes an experience better just by being themselves. Thank you, Eric! We'll definitely be back the next time we're in Providence!