Twin Oaks

Went here last night and boy has it changed… I used to love their chicken parm and now it appears the chicken they’re serving is frozen patties! That is a way to cut corners and save money and it leaves little to be desired. The sauce was mediocre at best and the service was pretty bad too. I’m not sure if our waiter had too many tables, but he didn’t remember what one person ordered, took ten minutes to get Parmesan cheese and gave the wrong leftovers to people. If he was too busy I feel sorry for him because there were about ten waiters in the room we sat in and someone should have helped. I won’t be going back, unless maybe they start to use fresh chicken for their chicken parm!

Bachelor with a skillet results, Quick delivery of my dish but wasn’t what I ordered, had to send my correct order of meatball and peppers back 2 times to be microwaved, was even thinking a third time! but just dealt with it. Maybe I am too fussy as the lunch crowd seemed brisk

Although the food was visually pleasing, the flavor was just not there. The steak was bland and gristly. The calamari was doughy and luke warm at best. The two stars were earned for the salad and the infant friendly mashed potatoes. For the price I paid I expected more, Olive Garden could have delivered more, sadly.
The waiter did a good job remembering our orders, but never once during the entire meal came back to check on us. Every single drink glass was empty before the halfway point in the meal. That includes the children’s drinks.
Add the overall experience with the poor lighting in the back corner where we were seated and it just makes this a restaurant to not visit again. Was hoping I found a true representations of what RI offered since I drove from CA to visit family and make memories.

Saturday night disaster !! We kept getting passed over by the head majors for cash gratuities and people who reserved for 13 but only 6 showed up. My steak was the worst piece of meat ever. Black through out and even the beet side were brown. The waiter did offer a replacement but we had waited 2 hours and some of our party had to get back to Boston. After well over 30 years of coming to Twin Oaks, we head to the many other great restaurants in Providence

Love it here! Excellent selection of food to suit any taste or price point. The steaks are great and the shrimp cocktail ate the biggest and best you can get anywhere. My wife loves the baked stuff shrimp and steak teriyaki. My twins have been fighting over the mashed potatoes since they were born 26 years ago! Drinks are excellent. Well worth the trip!!!

I haven’t dinned at Twin Oaks in quit a few years. If you had asked me my thoughts prior to this night, I would have told you that they have some of the best tasting Italian food this side of Rhode Island. However, now if you were to ask me, I would say… ‘Eh, they’re okay.
On Saturday night we went to here for a friends birthday. I was so very excited! We were a rather larger party, about 14 people. I will say, the servers and head waiter did a great job keeping up with the orders of the night. Unfortunately, that’s where the good stuff ends. Even though I am only going to describe my meal, I will say that 4 other people I dined with shared my thoughts in regards to their own food not being as good as they were hoping.
I had ordered the Surf and Turf which included a good size steak and two baked stuffed shrimp. For a side I decided to do mashed potatoes and the house salad with house creamy Italian dressing.
The salad dressing is my absolute favorite and while that hasn’t changed, the salad itself did. I felt the majority of the salad was shredded lettuce. Very little olives (I think I had one), little tomato and onion. I remember the salad being much more fuller with more than just lettuce. It looked like a very cheap, right out of the bag, salad. I was hoping to at least enjoy my meal more. I had asked for the steak to be cooked well-​done (yes I know… I’ve killed the cow twice). I cut into my steak and it had looked good. What I soon realized was that the portion of steak I cut into was on the thinner end, so as I approached the center of the meat, the new was the pink. I could have gotten past that of it would have just been a little pink, but it wasn’t a light pink, it was a darker color. The mashed potatoes were very runny looking and while there was liquid on top from the melted butter, you could tell that the mashed potatoes were going to be runny. I still attempted a bite and it wasn’t very flavorful either. As for The baked stuffed shrimp… Thank god that was at least pretty good! The two pieces of shrimp were fairly large and the stuffing on top was generous.
I am in no rush to return to Twin Oaks any time soon. Unfortunately, I feel that overtime and maybe due to change of hands, the restaurant has lost its golden touch.

I know this place is famous or whatever, but it’s totally overrated unless you load up on chicken parm and merlot.
Unfortunately, I had to go here (been several times) for family gatherings, and I have a severe gluten allergy. I got broiled chicken breast with baked potato and broccoli. The chicken breast was disgusting. It was this weird brown color, was hard as a rock on one half of it, was so dry and tasted like it sat in an oven too long.
The rest of the food was sub-​par. Thank God I didn’t have to pay the bill!

The baked scrod is the best. The service is excellent. The view is beautiful. Its best to make reservations, weekends are packed. Deffinetly worth the wait.

Twin Oaks! Great experience here… It’s like going through a time warp… A time warp that leads to a delicious mound of inexpensive lobster salad. I also personally liked the ambiance: it’s like eating in an 70s mobster movie, never knowing if you’re gonna get whacked at the end of the meal :). Lots of character here. The décor is not for everyone, but don’t let it deter you… The food was good and you get a peaceful view of the lake.

A time warp. Nothing’s changed. Still the same waiters, guys at the door, same dated décor. Lotta hometown people saying hello to each other.
Food was good. Steak sandwich and the lobster roll, NE style with the hot dog roll grilled. It was a Saturday afternoon, stopped by for a quick bite to eat. Parking lot was full but never felt rushed or crowded. Same old same old if that’s what your looking for. But they really don’t have to change as their business is very established.

One star is far beyond superior for the restaurant. This place has gone down hill quick. Though it is 80 years old, esthetically nothing has changed but the format of the menu. The carpet stinks, the booths are sticky and the bathrooms are dirty. I am unsure as to why it is still in business. It’s probably because the food is relatively inexpensive and the service is mediocre and anyone who knows someone can drop a 10 spot and be seated «quickly». The food is never cooked as requested; raw scallops, well done meat, mushy pasta, the list continues. I have never been so sick in my life after dining out. Save your money and go some place else, it may save you a pair of pants and a car seat.

Makes me feel old and sad when I read the reviews posted by kids who don’t know what a real restaurant is. Sure, it looks «old» with male servers who don’t giggle, sit on your lap and say, «I’m Molly and what’s your name?» They are not pushing strawberry Greek yogurt martinis but sell an excellent generous cocktail at a great price. The food is very well prepared and hugely portioned. I have NEVER been disappointed.

Went for a friends birthday last week and I had heard such great things about twin oaks from many people. The drinks were really good many of us opted for the red sangria which was delicious. The server seemed really busy and forgot to ring in one of our tables entrees completely which I can understand it happens but what really bothered me was that the bus boy was more apologetic then the waiter was. I wish I had caught his name because he really seemed to care about his job. It ended up working out fine because we had a friend show up late so nobody ended up eating alone. The food was good nothing to rave about.

This place should close down right now name should be «Swill Oaks». Dirty carpets, sticky booths, just really run down. Food is horrible, I wouldn’t eat there if the meal was for free. Not a RI Icon anymore, close the doors.

Meals here are always good, large portions & reasonably priced. We were seated right away, but had a bit of a wait for our food. I had the eggplant parm, their marinara (by request) was very good. My sister had the baked scrod which was also very good, w/​an imitation crab meat garnish. Too full for dessert.

Great food, great atmosphere, been coming here since I was a kid! they have the best baked stuffed shrimp, Chicken parm and Calamari… and the drinks are out of this world, you won’t get a weak drink at the Oak thats for sure

This is not fine dining. It’s more of… My grandmothers really really awesome cooking but treated like a holiday gathering at an Italian household. So great. Love this place. Definition of Italian-​American cuisine !

This is a Rhode Island icon, so they tell me. Since I’m not from here had to go try it, its one of those places you go to only once and never go back. So you can say, been there, done that. That’s about it.
As with other reviewers this place needs a major remodel, with everything.

Dark, dingy, wood. This is what first comes to mind when I think of Twin Oaks. The space is HUGE with no atmospheric privacy– everyone is seemingly sitting in a large banquet hall at their own round table. Though the view is nice overlooking water, nothing else really appeals to me.
The food is good, especially their red sauce. Very average American-​Italian food with large portions and cheap prices.
All the waiters are males which is interesting and surprising. I reckon the place is worth giving a try if your in the area. But for me, once was enough.

Rhode Island icon.
If you like Italian food, you must, as a Rhode Islander, visit this place at least once.
Great authentic Italian food. Nice bar. Good service.