Providing an update after communication from the restaurant. It seems our server only keyed in one family style dinner for the two of us... vs. the two that we ordered. This created the "meal/portion/request for more and more "issue. No idea how this was never "caught" along the way, esp as found it annoying to keep asking for more. Truly never noticed on the bill as we had 2 beers, 3 sodas (well, 2 plus a refill, I believe), gravy (which is extra x2) and cranberry sauce (also extra) which I didn't notice the cost of on the menu (the server just asked if we wanted it and we said SURE! And it was good so get those!). Genuinely, when we received the bill, we were so frustrated with the experience we just put our card on there and waited for it to be taken - I never checked the total. But looking back at my debit charges, I see we paid $83.55 for the 3 meals with gratuity and that doesn't add up. Gratefully the restaurant has gone out of their way to assist with our review and get to the bottom of our disappointment and now it makes a lot more sense. Maybe we'll give it another try... Thanks for giving us as much attention as you did in working to get tot he bottom of our disappointment, Sandra! read more

Very good! Definitely worth a try! Very reasonable price and great waitstaff........................ read more

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I would highly recommend Village Haven for some excellent family style chicken and service. They also have a full bar and menu as well. read more

The Village Haven - Chicken Family Style - American Near Me - Forestdale, Rhode Island

I had been craving family style chicken for the past few weeks and finally pulled the trigger and went to Village Haven tonight. Everything was excellent! I hadn't been to the restaurant since their remodel and it looks great in there. Very homey and the bar area is very nice. A little dim but nothing too egregious. We had a table of five and were sat immediately. Our waitress was very cheery, attentive, and more than accommodating. I was very impressed. As for the food it was quite honestly pretty incredible. The family style chicken (which all 5 ordered) comes with rolls, cinnamon rolls, salad, chicken, fries, pasta, and potatoes all for $19! That's a ton of food and an insane deal. The food itself was top notch. Rolls were nice and crusty, cinnamon rolls tasted out of this world, salad was nicely dressed, chicken was literally falling off the bone and incredibly juice, fries were crispy, pasta was cooked well, and the potatoes melted in your mouth like butter. Such an incredible meal! I would highly recommend Village Haven for some excellent chicken and even better service. read more

The Village Haven - Family style chicken - American Near Me - Forestdale, Rhode Island

Village Haven has been our go to for years with big parties. We have always known we would be 2 tables near each other with separate checks. Called for Mothers Day reservations, they no longer take parties bigger than 18. So now, we will not go there for family events AND we will no longer go there when we are just few of us. Bad business decision. To think, we stayed loyal to all the changes in food quality to be squeezed out. read more

I am a North Smithfield native and The Village Haven has been a place my family and I have dined for most, if not all of my life. It is now under new ownership and I think there are some improvements from the previous food, but it is the same casual atmosphere. Typically, I order Family Style Chicken here, but there was one time when I ordered off their regular menu and I thought that food was also very tasty. My most recent visit was on Easter day. We had an early reservation, 11:00AM. We were sat immediately and the waitress was very pleasant and greeted us shortly after and took drink orders. Half of our table did Family Style Chicken and half ordered other options from the Easter menu. I didn't read into the menu too much, but I was told by the people in my party that you could order other proteins (ham, prime rib, etc.) and then you could still share the family style sides of pasta, french fries, potatoes, vegetables, and salad and rolls because of the holiday. Everything was great! We NEVER try to cheat the system where people order off the regular menu or don't order at all and then try to eat someone else's family style order and we have never had any problems. I think a lot of negative reviews are trying to bend the rules and find the loopholes and that is why they are getting so upset. I think the price point for the amount of food you are getting and the quality of food is extremely fair. They even offer a kids price. Don't be rude and try to cheat a local business! Not cool! My boyfriend actually used to work at the Village Haven under its previous owners. He even says that there is an improvement in the food. They seemed to change what needed to be changed, but kept the things that we knew and loved. For example, they changed the sauce on the pasta to a WAY better sauce, but they kept the beloved cinnamon buns the same. I do miss the original salad dressing, but the new one is not bad by any means. Overall, I'm super happy with the new ownership and we really look forward to going there for dinner! read more

This review is for their function hall downstairs and the staff that work the events. I've been here twice now for my fiancé's work holiday party and the food and staff have always been amazing. The bartenders and waitstaff are absolutely wonderful and attentive. The food is great (octopus, candied bacon, mac and cheese, prime rib, stuffed sole to name a few) The decor and overall look of this establishment is a bit dated (inside and out) and could use some TLC but it gives a homey feel and is truly a hidden gem! Plenty of parking which is an added plus! read more

Service was exceptional. Our server, Kristen, was on top of everything. Very kind, extremely friendly and courteous. Food was as good if not better than I remember. Food was delivered quickly and it was hot and very tasty. We ordered family style chicken and as far as I am concerned, the best around. Village Haven was so good, I plan to eat here once a week and have almost everything on the menu. NOT everything because some food I simply do not like And I only want Kristen as my server. read more

Always love this place for yrs...great food and service...the cinnamon rolls are the best...wish they were opened more night than they are...am heading there for supper tonight.! read more

Very good pasta. Very good bread.very good service. Very good vibe. Overall very good i will be coming back!!!

Great fast seating and service. Best kept secret don't tell anyone so they go to the competition down the road. Otherwise we all have to wait for tables lol. Chicken, salad was awesome hot fresh. Loved the rolls and fries. Pasta etc awesome experience at a great price will return soon. read more

Bday dinner with the family... We really miss the "original" fries from Village haven and salad dressing. The potatoes are an extra but not needed.. we all miss the ice cream too! It's good, but not the way we remember our best memories from there over many 20+ yrs. I guess we aren't great with change!!! read more

Good family chicken dinner and pasta bolognese. I always placed my order with the bar and the chicken dinner is out in less than five minutes, don't forget about the cinnamon rolls read more

Great service ! Warm and cozy atmosphere! Best chicken family style ! This place has been sold a few years ago from the long time owners . Excellent new owners keeping the food and cinnamon rolls the same!!! read more

This is my family's go to choice for family birthday dinners. They are always very accommodating and able to handle our large party of about 13-14 people. In addition to their very popular family style chicken dinner, they have a varied menu that seems to satisfy everyone's taste and the prices are reasonable. I live in central MA so it's a bit of a ride but well worth the trip. read more

Food and service (Rodrigo was our server) was GREAT. Was a little disappointed that the soup bar was gone and the french fries are no longer hand cut Chicken family style was terrific. Pleased overall and will be back. read more

Great food Friendly staff Classic They were very accommodating for a large group we had. read more

Village Haven is a huge restaurant specializing in comfort food such as chicken pot pie, pot-roast, and chicken parmigiana. They also offer family style all you can eat roasted chicken, pasta and salad with French fries and rolls. I had the chicken pot pie which was served piping hot, the filling was loaded with tender chicken but the puff pastry topping was a bit tough. A friend ordered jumbo buffalo wings that were good, and another friend had the chicken Scampi that he liked. Service was quick, almost to the point where it seemed they wanted to turnover tables quickly. The interior is almost cafeteria style and a bit uncomfortable, but the bar area is dark, inviting, and cozy. I'll be back for the pot roast, and may try the family style roasted chicken. Will definitely get the jumbo buffalo wings again. read more

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Seating was so close you couldn't move once seated and server's couldn't fit in the isles to serve so they basically handed food to the first person and we were responsible to pass it down. This was at a bereavement lunch and many people came from out of town And I really expected enough room so I could visit with my guest. Very disappointed with a day I can never get back. Owner just had one excuse after another. They have lost my business. read more

Never been here, so I can't compare it to the last owners but the food was great. The family style chicken moist and flavorful, the stuff sol special was stuffed w/ lobster (big chunks that you can tell was real lobster) topped w/ shrimp, asparagus and roasted potatoes complemented the dish well. No take out container needed. My friends were happy with their dishes. They been here several times and recommend. Salad was fair but it's salad. The Cinnamon rolls, we took to go due to no more room left for the sweet treats, they were great the next morning with coffee. The service was fast and friendly even with the large amount of customers on a Saturday night. The country atmosphere with chicken vibe. So if you have a fear of chickens might not be the place for you. I will be returning soon. read more

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After trying both wrights and village. We thought the chicken and service is better at wrights.

Their food is good. Service is friendly and quick. Comfortable place. All the food is reliable. THE whole (HOORAY!) chicken wings are great and come fried or baked. read more

I went there for Easter dinner and there was not one thing we got that was bad everything was absolutely delicious from the calamari, shrimp cocktail , stuffed mushrooms to the family style chicken and ham and stuff shrimp oh and them cinnamon rolls to die for thank you for the delicious food and I want to say the waitress we had Angie Carr went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed and more she was exactly how every waitress should be very pleasant ty read more

Our server was helpful and friendly (they all are always) locals still love the family style chicken and cant to wrong with their newer elevated menu items either. read more

The Village Haven - 2 sole stuffed with seafood stuffing topped with giant shrimp, Newburgh sauce, roasted potatoes and asparagus. $36. Delicious! - American Near Me - Forestdale, Rhode Island

Overall terrible place to get a meal. People mistake this for a good restaurant that used to be there under the same name. Service and food were terrible. I won't be returning. Managment is aware we were very unsatisfied and responded online with lies instead of solutions. That tells you about the establishment you are dealing with here. Very unprofessional. Do yourself a favor and avoid this place at all cost. read more

Overall, this is a pretty good size location. Lots of space and lots of tables. It was my first time coming here and the experience was mediocre. Mind you I was not expected to be absolutely blown away, but I did expect good service when I was here. We had never heard of a restaurant that does family style chicken and this sounded pretty interesting. There were many other things and choices on the menu, but we decided to get that. You were supposed to also be able to get as much as you want of the family style chicken meal. Sad to say that this did not happen. The chicken was very moist and juicy and delicious, but the rest of the presentation was incredibly underwhelming. I have had better salad at a salad bar and rolls at a buffet. One of our biggest pet peeves, we absolutely could not stand was the small cups that they give. Have regular adult size glasses please. The glasses that you give us are meant for just water glasses not for people who drink soda. Please honor free refills as well instead of charging almost 3 dollars per refill out of sippy cups. One major thing as well is their address when you Google it is not accurate. On their actual webpage it is correct in Forestdale Rd., Island but on Google it says it is in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. Very aggravating and frustrating and I have no clue why they have not contacted Google about this and fix this problem. When bringing this to their attention, they had a very snotty attitude about it and acted like we should know this even if you're not from the area. Most of the weight staff seem to be very irritated, grouchy and tired. I might potentially be interested in coming back here if changes are made with everything I've mentioned. Other than that as of right now, I probably would not come back here for at least another year. read more

My 1st time there was for a small function. Everything was excellent. Service was top no. Can't wait to go back for the family style chicken dinner. I was very impressed read more

A very nice family restaurant. Good for family dinners and get togethers. They are very flexible with bigger parties. Love the food. Love the staff. read more

I have been to the Village Haven a number of times mostly for family events. The place is very nice inside. The salmon and the baked fish are excellent. The problem is with the family style chicken. The chicken is bony and has very little flavor. The roasted potatoes are very plain and without flavor. Most people at the table thought the fries were great and equated them to Burger King but I didn't care for them. The salad could have used more dressing but I was afraid to ask for some due to their "Upcharge" policy They upcharge you $2 per person for all dark meat or $2 per person for all white meat which doesn't make sense to me because I think it should even out. I asked for gravy for my mashed potatoes and they told me there was an upcharge. For Gravy. Who knows what else this place up charges you for! The cinnamon rolls they serve you prior to the meal are great and the service is fair. The waitress took offense to the fact that I thought it was a rip-off to charge extra for gravy and was kind of miserable the rest of the time. I would recommend this place for the seafood and the cinnamon rolls but I would say if you want family style chicken go to Wright's Chicken farm a couple of miles away. read more

Every time my husband and I go we sit at the bar and the bar staff is so friendly and accommodating. Food is delicious!

EDITING: When I arrived to try the said "new restaurant," you did not have anything about a cake on your website. It's quite possible it was before that time, as we tried you a week after re-opening (which is how you marketed). None the less, it was my experience. I can near gaurantee you added it to the website- because of my experience, as your male front end manager had to come back to apologize greatly, and most of what is in this review was verbally spoken to the manager on staff. If you have a separate new page for the new business, I would happily post a new experience there. END UPDATE. 2023 review of 2022 experience : Not what it used to be. Imagine telling a family of three, mom, dad, and child that they're not welcome to bring a (grocery store) style cake in to sing happy birthday to Dad. In my previous review, you'll see that I've been coming here since the 80s. Most litterlly every year we bring a cake. I would have been MORE than happy to pay a cake cutting fee. Even if they told me it was $10, I would have still done it. How do you call yourself a "family restaurant" and not allow families to celebrate. It was a terrible move and a poor handling of the situation. I was very respectful to everyone involved and took our cake to go, but it was very sad to see the tradition go. Chicken was as usual. Pasta was the same. Fries are much better than previously. The potatoes are a strange addition when you already have fries. Have to pay if you want that Hoodsie cup that used to come with the meal. I'm very sad about the whole thing. As a side note , I (yes me personally) added Village Haven to the "Yelp Map" by hand typing each and every detail into the New Business Yelp submission form many (many) years ago. 2006/2007 maybe? This one. The one you're responding to... long before the new owners were here, before Rachel knew how to do these things, and before most common "Yelpers" knew how to do such things. If you're a new restaurant, you should make a new page. I wish Rachel and the previous staff the best of luck and love 2022 and beyond. I wish the same for the New Restaurant. read more

We went to village haven for the first time since the ownership change. We both ordered the family style chicken. The good... The chicken was about the same as before, the cinnamon rolls are much better, the pasta sauce was better and very good.... The bad, the french fries are no longer fresh hand cut fries but rather those terrible coated ones, they also said we would get roasted potatoes now, they were not roasted but boiled in fat or something, you'll see in the pictures, and they no longer have the ice cream cups at the end. All of this would've been just fine except for the fact that I said as much in a comment on their Facebook page. When I went to recommend somebody go there and share the page with them a few days later, I found that I was blocked. I called the restaurant to see if there was some kind of mishap as far as this situation. The owner, the wife, I don't know her name, called me back. Apparently she did not like me saying the fries are terrible and using the word sh**y when referring to those coated frozen fries, because that is vulgar and considered bashing a restaurant. We went back-and-forth a few times regarding reviews. She repeatedly said that me not liking the fries is just my opinion, but that is the nature of a review, it's always an opinion! She also conveyed that she would prefer we do not come back and not be customers of the restaurant. This seems like a colossal overreaction to someone not liking some of your food, especially the part you didn't really cook. To me it's opportunity to make things better. I've asked many people since and it seems to be the general consensus that the coated fries are terrible. Even so, to behave like that as a business owner over something this minute takes things to a while other level. How can you trust reviews/ comments if they will delete and block any time it's negative? Even after all that, I'll still say the good, because that's who I am... They really should go back to the hand cut fries like all the other family style chicken places have. To me that is part of the family style chicken meal. Wrights, Pomodoro and Broaster house all have delicious fries! We would have gone back for something else but I cannot and will not support owners that think it's ok to behave like that to someone spending their hard earned money at their restaurant. It was a Saturday night and the place was empty, maybe that should have been a sign. read more

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All you can eat family style roasted chicken, French fries, salad, potatoes, macaroni, rolls/butter and cinnamon roles! We'll. Been going to Wrights Farm for 50 years. Village Haven does it better ! Service is great. Food was HOT and fresh. Pasta was cooked perfectly (Al dente) gravy was second to none. Beats the shells at Wrights. Just sayin. That's my opinion. read more

Food was mediocre at best. RI calamari was good. Wife's meal was a disappointment, some sort of sole. She barely touched it. Took it to the local shelter for someone to enjoy. There is no ambiance. Large room with half wall dividers named after RI communities. Chairs are old banquet type seats. Let me stress old banquet and uncomfortable. Several alternatives nearby that are better. First time dining here and won't be back. Their sister restaurant up the road is fabulous! What I notice is that the response to reviews on various sites from the manager/owner never demonstrates accountability. Feedback from patrons is a gift. Take it as such to improve for the next. Edited after Sandra responds. And once again Sandra demonstrates lack of accountability. Review her response to me. And every other negative one on Yelp, Open Table or any social platform - negative comments always defended. So Sandra thinks she knows it all - homeless accept meals with gratitude. I do it regularly. It was a full portion meal because my wife took one bite. We packed it up to take purposely to give away. Mrs Sandra, you, may think you know it all but have ALOT to learn. Starting with accountability. Perhaps a simple acknowledgment, 'sorry your experience was not as expected' . That goes along way. No one is looking for a complimentary meal. Get a clue. Your restaurant was not to our liking and accept it for that. read more

Headed off to the Village Haven this past Sunday afternoon. Sat in the bar section in a nice corner table. They had four tables leave and refill at once. I figured we were in trouble! Well just the opposite. The service was a solid ten outta ten . We both ordered our favorite, the homestyle chicken feast . Don't know the secret but the consistency is quite remarkable. Every item was delicious . It's always the same fantastic food ! Love the salad dressing , better than the original. read more

Really excellent family style dining.... shells, cinnamon rolls, chicken, roasted potatoes, fries, salad for a very reasonable price. Add cranberry sauce but it will cost you a $1 ;) Such good value. Ambiance is what you would would expect for a family chicken place... somewhat loud and upbeat. Service was excellent, they use a team approach. Not to be missed if you're in for good food and cheerful setting. read more

The food and services is amazing. The servers know us and know what we drink and eat. We have never had a bad meal or bad service ever.

Out of the gate, gotta say, I like what was AND is being delivered here. The old adage still rings true given the new ownership...haters gonna hate! It's what they do. Unfortunately for them, the food is still supreme and delicious. C'est la vie! This most previous experience was a run of the menu kind of night for some playoff football. The crowd was pleased. Wings, chicken and poutine; OH MY! I personally enjoy the salad dressing offered, as it has a delightful tang. The poutine has actual curds, not just claiming to be such and pouring on shredded cheese. The chicken is flavorful and perfectly cooked. The real crowd pleaser was the pot roast!! So tender and just made you feel all the warmth a comfort food should. Perfect! Lastly, the wings have a nice amount of heat, matched with tenderness. Kudos for keeping the vibrancy of this place alive and cooking some tasty food. Recommend and Bon appetite! read more

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Good food and great service Love the new food choices that are on the menu The chicken pot pie is delicious! read more

All you can eat!!! But a full menu to accompany the chicken or pot roast. The French onion soup was the best I have had recently. They pump food out and keep the customers happy. Being greeted with a picture of water and rolls and cinnamon buns was the best introduction. The service was spot on- never needed a thing. The food was tasty but the meat was a little bit dry but totally scrumptious. I would have given 5 stars but the floors were a little messy- could of used a sweep and the bus people didn't neatly reset the tables for the next customers- almost going too fast. Otherwise a very good place to come and eat. I will be back. read more

The Village Haven - Entrance - American Near Me - Forestdale, Rhode Island

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