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~

I used Bettola to cater a party. The food was excellent and the service was wonderful. I would…read morehighly recommend their catering.

We were anticipating a 45 min wait for a table but so happy someone canceled and we got a seat. The…read moreplace isn't that big and the bar was packed. Service was fast once we were seated. We had fried mozzarella and meatballs for apps. We got the Fra Diavolo and Bolognese pasta. Everything was delicious! I never had fried mozzarella flat but can't stop thinking of it. It had the perfect crisp! The fra diavolo is spicy but the perfect amount for me. I was eyeing the pizzas at the tables next to us. They looked so good. I'll try it next time but I really love the fra diavolo so it's going to be a tough choice. Perhaps pizza for apps but also the fried mozzarella. Oh boy... so hard to choose!! You won't be disappointed here!

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!!

More like four and a half Stars…read more Shaved fennel salad. Very good except there were some dead leaves in there which I have to pick out not a big deal but I would hope that they would Pay attention to things like that. Rigatoni with braised pork colon very good tasty I enjoyed it I added some red pepper flakes as well Parking is free and in a lot it shares the parking lot with the seafood place sometimes that can be an issue and there are a lot of signs that the seafood place puts up to make that distinction Also it's a bit busy in terms of getting into the parking lot because of the roundabout Service is great no issues Bathroom is clean. It's a bit claustrophobic and tight in my opinion Overall I think the place is pretty good I would come back, no problems!

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!

Hmmmm. Not sure where to begin, but I wish I had read the reviews before heading here. Here's the…read moregood, bad and ugly... To start, the menus were flimsy, wrinkled and stained with oil. They look like they should have a one time use, but they are clearly recycled for longer. Our server was very busy, as they seemed to be understaffed with a huge party on one side and the bar was full. He checked in with us periodically. There were babies and little kids sitting at every one of the tables on the bar side, except ours, which was odd to us. This seems like more of an adult restaurant (at least the bar side). There was a seemingly drunk patron at the bar loudly dropping f-bombs every few minutes, which was disruptive to our dining experience and I imagine the parents of the little kids did not appreciate this. We ordered a few appetizers as it was our first time here. We wanted to check out a few items. The soup du jour was good, but the bowl was small. The grilled romaine salad was tasty. The mussels, including the cream sauce, were good, except the size of the actual mussels were extremely small. We would have preferred regular fries to the truffle fries that came with this dish. The glass of Sauvignon blanc I had was great, and a hefty pour. I could not drink the tap water, it tasted so badly. We were full and decided not to order a pasta dish after the experience we had. However, I was looking forward to trying the shrimp. I believe they have happy hour, as well, but we arrived soon afterwards so I'm not sure what it entails. I'm not sure if we will come back to try it. With so many Italian restaurants in Cranston, they may want to work on the service, as the food was great.

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 10 Service 12…read moreAmbience 10 We love this place We enjoy the experience every time on date night

On my third and final city of my Rhode Island tour on October 24, 2026, I came to Providence, Rhode…read moreIsland. Just a note, you need to make a reservation because this place gets packed, even if you're the only one coming in. I wanted a reservation right before I needed to park for WaterFire, but they didn't have any in the 4 o'clock hour open, I had to book for 3:00 instead. This was also the only stop on my tour that was recommended to me by someone else. Every other place I had either chosen myself or had only had help from AI to formulate a plan for. Though the person who recommended me this place while I was work told me about Terry, I was helped by Charlotte which was fine by me. This allowed me to have a more unbiased service and makes this review a more fair one. I will say that finding parking for this place, or even trying to get here in Providence, was a nightmare. Everywhere I went, every car seemed to want to crash into mine, and the GPS even played their part in trying to kill me coming here. Yeah, apparently it's against the law to try and come here alive if you're driving. But thankfully I survived that, and I would say this place was worth the trouble, even though I would probably choose to go somewhere else next time if I want to find better places in Providence to drive to. The attire is business casual, so keep that in mind when dressing to come here. And it is an intimate spot, even though it can be a bit loud in here sometimes. But the service is worth coming here alone, and the casual atmosphere helps its case here. If you aren't driving, then this would be a great spot. I will also mention that you do have to climb a few steps to get to a bathroom, so if you have disabilities, this place isn't all that ADA-friendly. They serve a complimentary bread basket and I got water served to me from a pitcher though you can also have a bottle served to you. They even light the candle on the table, so this lunch was a nice candlelit affair if I do say so myself. I also ordered the Apple Cider Sangria for my drink since it was a fall special. That said, I could only have that one because, again, I still had to drive later, and that includes a 2-hour night drive all the way back to Connecticut. Plus, I was going to get more libations at WaterFire, so that was more reason not to go more than one on the sangria. If not for those things, I absolutely would have ordered at least one more sangria! It was delicious! The sliced apples served with the drink were green. The bread basket had a hard crust that you could still bite your way down and a soft bread inside. For an appetizer, it will get the job done. And it was complimentary which was nice. For food, I only went with the shrimp scampi this time around. There was going to be more to eat at WaterFire, and I did also have Viiny's Kitchen in Wickford and a lobster roll in Newport before coming here, so I kept my food choices at this restaurant more muted than I would have otherwise. The reason this was the dish I went with was because I wanted to continue on with the theme of Rhode Island seafood, but I did come very close to ordering the fig ravioli since it was a special they had and sounded like it was really tasty. This was a delicate decision that required some extra time for me to pick. I did have another waitress add some extra black pepper to my scampi, and then made a LOT of difference! It was already good on its own, but the extra black pepper elevated it into something special. Overall, a good place to eat if you're not driving. The driving portion was what brought this down to a 3, but it's still a 3 and a half if anything. I would probably pick another place to eat if I find myself in Providence again, but I will still recommend this place if you're looking for good Italian food and great service. Just make a reservation, and, if you're driving, try not to get killed coming here.