The first rule of Famous Pizza was not mine…read more I married into it. My in-laws lived in the Oak Haven section of Coventry, and Famous was their pizza place. Same for most of the people they knew. Famous had a West Warwick address, but it belonged to them. The order came with the family. Always get the square. Extra sauce. No explanation. No tasting flight. No committee formed to consider the round. That was their pizza. Thirty years later, Famous has 18 other pizzerias within a ten-minute drive. There is a Domino's directly across Main Street, just in case the competition was feeling too subtle. There are newer places making newer styles. There are pizzas with longer fermentation schedules and enough information printed on the menu to qualify for college credit. Famous still makes the square. And they make it really well. The stream of customers that were coming in while we talked for an hour spoke to that. Oftentimes people walking out with four or five pizzas in their hands. The classics do not owe anyone reinvention. They owe people consistency. Keep making the thing they loved in the first place, and make it well enough that they still want it after the world around it gives them 18 other choices. Lauren and I met up with Kirk and Tracy at Famous for lunch. Kirk is the director of The Pizza Principal. Tracy is its executive producer. The four of us were there to talk about what comes next as we work toward getting the movie onto a screen in Providence this November and, from there, onto screens across the country. Three decades ago, my family had me picking up Famous on Saturday nights because they made the best pizza nearby. Now I'm sitting at one of its tables discussing how to put a movie about my life with pizza into theaters. Life can really throw you some curveballs, man. We ordered the square with extra sauce, pepperoni and black olives. It arrived with just the right amount of cheese. Plenty of pepperoni. Plenty of olives. Sauce visible underneath and pushing toward the edges. The bottom was a topographical map of dark brown blistering and lighter pockets. The crust crunched when I bit through it, then turned chewy underneath. Golden brown. Sturdy. Strong enough to carry all that sauce, cheese and topping without collapsing under the weight of its own decisions. The extra sauce is still the right move. Thick, but not pasty. Flavorful. Basil right out front, with enough body to stand up to the crust and all that cheese. Good cheese, too. The pepperoni had crisped in spots, while a little grease collected in the cups exactly where it belonged. Nobody has ever improved pepperoni by making it apologize for the grease. Even the black olives did their job. That should not be remarkable, but on a heavily topped pizza, olives often become decoration. Black circles buried under stronger flavors. These still tasted like olives. The crust, sauce, cheese, pepperoni and olives came together without turning into one big, heavy, indistinguishable flavor. Each part held its ground. Together, they made for a very good, traditional pizza. Pretty much the one I remembered. Famous does not need clever reinvention after all these years. Families have been carrying those square boxes back across the Coventry line for decades. Mine was one of them. The classic survived because it stayed good. If you haven't been in a while, this is a great time for you to feel that nostalgia and have a nice pizza too. Square. Extra sauce. You're welcome.

Famous Pizza is close enough for pick-up or delivery. I order online and they send me email coupons…read moreand save my previous orders making ordering quick. We really enjoy their square pizza cooked well done. It's good next day as left overs too. I think the pizza sauce has changed recently. The last time we ordered a take away Ceaser salad, I think it may have been a kit with tiny croutons and packet dressing. We had visitors and ordered several items including pasta with just parmesan cheese one guest requested. We added butter and they loved it! Ordering online gives you the option to add or remove items and leave special instructions. They have limited seating inside. Most business is take away. Plenty of parking. Not sure if they have a public restroom. Restaurant is clean and wheelchair accessible.

West Warwick was built by people who went to work…read more Before it was even a town, it was a collection of mill villages along the Pawtuxet River. Textile mills went up, jobs followed, and neighborhoods grew around them. Those mills don't define West Warwick anymore, but they left something behind. This is still a blue-collar, remarkably parochial town. People grow up here and stay here. They buy the house down the street from their parents. Sometimes the one next door. Sometimes they never leave the house they grew up in. That shapes who and what survives here. West Warwick has never needed the newest restaurant concept or trendy ingredient everybody suddenly discovered six months ago. They don't need tweezers to arrange their lunch or a paragraph on the menu explaining where everything on the plate was "sourced" from. Nobody here needs their lunch explained to them. Keep it simple. Make it good. Make it right. Give people their money's worth. They'll decide if you're worth coming back to. Bill's Place West Warwick has been getting that answer right since 1974. Bill and Kiki Melanis migrated from Greece in the 1970s. They worked with family members in the pizza business before opening a place of their own. Seven tables. Fifteen stools. A small menu of pizza and grinders. That's how Bill's Place started. Fifty-two years later, I ce for lunch and ordered two things that would have made perfect sense on that original menu. A meatball grinder and a 10-inch pepperoni pizza. The grinder came cut in half on a plain plate. The meatballs are a house family recipe, sliced rather than left whole, tender and juicy, covered with sauce and melted mozzarella. When I pulled the halves apart, the cheese followed. No garnish. No little metal basket. No attempt to make a meatball grinder anything other than what it was supposed to be. It was just really good. Then the pizza arrived. Bill's offers three sizes, a 10-inch, a 16-inch large and an 18-by-12 square. I went with the little guy. Ten inches. Pepperoni. The top looked right immediately. Cheese browned across the surface. Pepperoni curled into little cups, crisp around the rims, each one holding its own little pool of oil. Pepperoni as God intended. Then I turned over the first slice. That bottom. Dark brown and gold from edge to edge. Blistered. Crisp. Oil and pan heat had put an almost fried surface across the entire thing. That's where you could see the care. Greek pizza looks simple. Dough goes into an oiled pan, sauce and cheese go on top, and the whole thing goes into the oven. Cook it wrong and you know immediately. This was cooked right. The bottom crunched. The edge crunched. Inside, the dough stayed light and soft. The sauce had enough flavor to stay present beneath the cheese. And the pepperoni contributed exactly what those little cups promised. A little crunch and a little heat. And grease. Good grease. The kind that ends up on your fingertips and requires a napkin, not an apology. While I ate, I kept noticing the interactions. The servers were young. Teenagers, maybe very early twenties. But when they stopped at the tables, the conversations weren't young. They knew the orders. They knew the families. They knew enough about what had happened since the last visit to know what to ask about this time. That's different from good service. That's familiarity. That's belonging. And in West Warwick, that carries a ton of weight. Fifty-two years of people coming through the door. Parents bringing kids. Kids growing up, becoming regulars, then bringing kids of their own. Maybe that's the best measure of a great neighborhood restaurant. Not how long the doors have been open. How many generations have contunued walking through them.

Portuguese kale soup and the red chowder are some of the best around. $4.99 a bowl and $10 a quart.read more

Once I found this gem- I hardly go anywhere else for pizza. The employees are always so kind…read morewhether it be on the phone or in person I've never had an issue and I go here often I can't help it the pizza is that good! If you're a student like me don't forget they have student discounts double bonus and if you sign up for their program I think after you spend 100.00 you get 5.00 off- I love this. The pizza is just perfect. My boyfriend really enjoys the wings as well. Whenever we go inside the pick up the food it's so chill in there music and tv's, lots of room and there's tables outside. If you need a place to have great pizza for sure go to the west Warwick location. I usually get a large cheese, mushroom and pepperoni pizza- yum. Just got done eating one too. I'm also confused on why I haven't written a review on here yet- and I've been here a dozen times. Give it a shot you won't regret it at all. Oh and they also have a huge selection of other stuff.

I found maggots and french fries in my order of wings not to mention the pizza is undercooked and…read moretaste disgusting I order from there alot called and when I said my issue i talked to 2 different managers they said the were chilli seed Ik they can become translucent but they don't have legs !!!!

The best fish n chips in the world! Huge portions and cooked perfectly!…read moreI can't wait to have them again!! Reasonably priced for the amount of food that we got.

Had to try the famous fish & chips - and they were very good! It had a thick beer batter, and a…read moregenerous amount of fish & French fries. Take out service only right now, so I called ahead. Would go back again.

Well, I'm going to give people a secret that this is the best chicken Parm sandwich in the entire…read morestate of Rhode Island. I've had this chicken Parm sandwich probably 30 times and it is absolutely the best chicken Parm in the entire state.

I was in the East Greenwich area and wanted to try pizza from a shop I had heard a lot about…read morenearby, Fratellis. So I drove 10 minutes down the road to the Center of New England... boulevard. Fratellis is situated in one of the shopping strips along the boulevard. Lots of open parking, always a plus in my book. Inside, the big windows of the front offer a lot of natural light as you walk inside. The set is simple, straightforward and clean. A few tables, counter seating at the windows and the register, where a nice woman was waiting to take our order. We went simple today, a Detroit half cheese and half pepperoni. I had heard great things about the Detroit and I wanted to taste for myself. After about 20 minutes, the pizza arrived and it was time to eat. The first thing I noticed is this is a VERY cheesy pizza, some might say overly so. I would be one of those people. But if you love lots of cheese, you will love this. Although it was a lot of cheese, it was delicious. The pockets of sauce were great, I love a chunky, savory sauce. The crust was buttery, crispy but pillowy thick. The caramelized cheese edges nice and crunchy, always my favorite part of the Detroit. We are blessed to have many great options for Detroit now here in Rhode Island. Fratelli's is absolutely among the top in the state. If you like Detroit, you need to add this place to your list to check out ASAP.

RI Food Fight- Lord of the Wings 2025 Review:…read more Local pizza shop in Warwick. -Clean -Friendly folks working -Quick with pizza orders -They charge extra for blue cheese (AND IT'S NOT THE GOOD BLUE CHEESE!) Wings were cooked as ordered, well done. The buffalo sauce options were given and I ordered a medium sauce. It was just like any other typical buffalo sauce. The pizza was not my standard style, a lot more crust. Our family crushed the pizza no complaints, I actually thought it was good. Nothing super special but nothing terrible.

Ordered take out here. Friendly staff, quick service and solid pizza. Small space to dine in but…read moreperfect for takeout! Pizza was also very reasonably priced.

everything is delicious and the staff is always pleasant get there early - it always get busy.read more

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 came for the $12 bar pie. I'm not what you'd call a big sports fan, much less a Pat's fan. I was…read morein the marching band, if that explains anything But with the Pats first playoff win, Cowesett Pizza was offering a special through today - one topping bar pie for $12. They also had a deal on a regular one topping for $10 but I made the trek from the office in Milford MA all the way to West Warwick instead of home today. I was a woman on a mission. I came in and took a seat at the bar. I had been here once before so I knew that the place was small but clean and bright inside. I ordered a beer and my pizza, then sat back and waited. The staff worked like a well oiled machine pumping out food and taking care of every customer with ease After a while, my beautiful baby landed right in front of me. I chose cherry peppers as my one topping, wanting the heat and vinegar taste. I was hungry so I immediately dug in. The crust was crispy but gave way when I bit into it. The sauce and cheese together were salty, savory and sharp. The beer was a good choice to have with this pizza for sure. The lacy crunchy edges were fantastic, the cooked down cheese having a taste I can only describe as similar to extra crispy bacon. Awesome. Before I left I snagged a slice of the Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake by The Side Slice who sells incredible cheesecakes thru preorder on his page or you can find a rotation of slices in the Cowesett cooler. I waited until I got home to enjoy this wonderful dessert: chocolate cake base, filled with pistachio cheesecake, topped with a thick layer of pistachio kaitafi, covered in chocolate fudge frosting, pistachio whipped cream, and chopped pistachios. The bite was divine. I cut off another bite and ate each layer individually, such different but wonderful textures and flavors. I managed to stop halfway through the slice to save the rest for tomorrow but I will be thinking about that cheesecake as much as I'll be thinking about that bar pie. So if you haven't made the detour off Route 2 to have some pizza and cheesecake, you need to fix that asap. And sorry to all those who missed out on this deal, because I had a three course meal for $27 with leftovers for at least two more meals. Thanks so much!

I was drawn to Cowesett Pizza because when I'd post reviews of other pizzerias, their account…read morewould show up writing positive things about those places. That's pretty rare. Most places are too busy promoting themselves to acknowledge anyone else exists. I thought it made sense to reward that kind of energy and try the pizza, even though I have to drive by six other pizza places I enjoy to get to them. Turns out the pizza's worth the drive. Cowesett is one of those neighborhood gems you only know about if you live around the corner or stumble upon it by pure luck. It's no-frills and familiar inside. A few bar stools, a couple of tables, local sports plaques on the wall. There's a sign over the kitchen that says "Great Food Served Here", and like the staff T-shirts that read "Cooked with Love", they're not lying. Most of the business here is takeout. People call ahead, swing in, grab their food. But if you stick around, there's space to sit, and no one's rushing you out. The staff are very friendly and equally efficient. They know the regulars. They're happy to help everyone though, without making you feel like an outsider. Just nice people doing their jobs really well. I ordered the half tray square pizza on my first visit because I'll always choose a square over a round. Square pizza always tastes better. It's not an opinion. It's some form of food physics or alchemy. Like how sandwiches taste better cut into triangles. Some truths don't need explanation, they just are. I went with pepperoni. What came out looked simple but nailed every detail. The crust was medium thick, super light, crispy, and airy. Baked perfectly. Golden on the bottom with a little crunch and a lot of character. The sauce had a savory flavor and a little bite. The cheese melted clean and was definitely good quality. The pepperoni cupped and crisped at the edges, exactly how you want it. Nothing fancy. Just really, really good pizza. I've been back many times since. They're consistently great. That matters more than a single perfect night. I switched my order a couple months ago from pepperoni to grilled chicken just to see how they'd handle it. Turns out it was a revelation. They prepare the chicken fresh on the spot before putting it on the pizza to cook. That's a pro tip. Many places don't understand how that works and end up drying the chicken into rubbery waste. Knowing that you want it surrounded with enough sauce to keep it moist, my go-to became square half sheet with grilled chicken, extra sauce, and light cheese. Cheese is just a condiment to me on pizza. It's among the best pizzas I've had anywhere. Perfectly brown, perfectly tasty, super high quality ingredients from top to bottom. Maybe I'm crazy but I always feel like when I eat grilled chicken pizza instead of pepperoni, I'm somehow eating health food. More protein, right? That's exactly how it works in your brain even when you know it's probably bullshit. Like I'm thinking "but it's CHICKEN, so this is basically a gym membership" while I destroy an entire half sheet by myself. The owners, Chris and Britt, are among the nicest people I've met in the pizza business, or anywhere, really. Quality and community focused. They use the best ingredients and do their best to keep prices reasonable for the neighborhood while also doing right by their employees. Great pay. Long-term disability coverage. Retirement matching. How many pizza places do that? I can't think of another one in Rhode Island. And they don't rest on what works. They developed an awesome bar pie. Now they're working on a Detroit hybrid. They keep pushing. They keep trying to do better. They're also generous with their time and money in the community. Fantastic food, model business, outstanding neighbors. Cowesett Pizza's square pie is good enough to be a destination pizza, not just the best option in the neighborhood. Chris and Britt make fantastic pizza, treat people right, and keep getting better. That's worth driving past six other good options for.

This location in particular is one of their best. Honestly the best pizza I've ever had from here…read more The original tomato pie and the fresh tomato when in season (summer) the thickness of the dough is perfection all the way to the last bite of crust.

Took nearly 20 mins to put the pizza in the oven and I'm at Pepe's in New Haven all the time. The…read moreapple has fallen far from the tree

Apparently Lauren's birthday is a pizza festival now…read more For Day Two, I met up with her at The Pizza Nomad in the Center of New England because they have a new pizza called the Detroit Slim. I had questions. Mostly about how something this thick gets to call itself slim. We ordered one cheese and one pepperoni and settled in. Then we saw the pizza, and suddenly Detroit Slim made sense. The answer is geometry. It isn't slim from the side. Not even close. It's slim from above. Instead of the big rectangular Detroit-style pizza most of us know, this thing is long and narrow, cut into four substantial pieces. I immediately loved the size. It gives you everything I want from Detroit-style pizza without requiring what sometimes feels like a contractual obligation to an enormous pan of it. Four pieces. Manageable. Plenty of pizza. But the crust is what got me. Look at the picture of Lauren holding up that cross-section. That's the story. The inside is almost absurdly soft, smooth and airy. Big pockets run through a light, pillowy structure that looks nothing like what you're expecting from the weight of the slice in your hand. Then turn it over. The bottom is golden brown, blistered and crisp enough to make noise. That's the trick. You bite through this loud, crunchy shell and immediately hit something soft, smooth and almost delicate inside. Crunch, then pillow. The two textures shouldn't occupy the same piece of dough this comfortably. But they do. And around the perimeter, things get even better. Cheese escapes down the sides and meets the hot pan, leaving behind those dark, crispy pieces hanging off the edges. The stuff that looks almost burned in the pictures? That's treasure. The sauce has enough presence to survive everything happening around it. You still taste tomato beneath all that cheese, crust and rendered pepperoni. The cheese itself is really good, with enough flavor to be more than just the thing holding everything together. And that pepperoni was fantastic. Some cups. Some curls. Some lies flat against the cheese. The edges go dark and crisp while the centers render their fat into everything underneath them. There is a point with pepperoni where "burned" and "perfect" become separated by about thirty seconds. I like living dangerously close to that line. Pizza Nomad does too. There is also, for reasons I cannot explain, a full-sized medieval knight standing guard over the pizza. I respect this. If you're going to make an inch and a half thick pizza called Detroit Slim, there is no reason a knight can't stand guard over it. The Detroit Slim is a collection of contradictions. It's thick without being heavy. Soft and seriously crunchy. Small enough to feel manageable, substantial enough that nobody is going home wondering what we're having for lunch tomorrow. But I keep coming back to that crust. That soft, smooth, airy interior. The blistered bottom. The cheese cooked hard against the edges. Crispy pepperoni on top of all of it. Every layer has a different job. And somehow, every one of them makes noise. Day Two of Lauren's birthday pizza week is in the books. At this point, I've accepted that her birthday lasts a week. I see no compelling reason to challenge this.

I've been to the other Nomad in West Warwick and this is just as good. They're both about the same…read moredistance from my house, but I'll probably go here more often as parking can get a little tight at the west warwick location when boomerangs is busy. Anyway, both are pretty consistent and are good. People have always been friendly too.