Tavern on the Water

My husband and I had passed by a bunch of times and I remember we had tried to stop in when it was a previous owner but it always seemed to be closed for a private party. So I kept watching Unilocal and saw good reviews. We finally tried it and we liked it. They have nice specials and good apps. The nachos are huge and we tried the tenderloin stroganoff which was yummy.
The bar is very big and it was awesome that they didn’t have sports on every TV. That’s a huge plus in our book.
Can’t wait for the nice weather so we can ride our bikes and sit out on the patio!

This place is fantastic. I came here to celebrate my Dad’s birthday because it’s his favorite restaurant and I had a really great time and a delicious meal. It’s actually much bigger on the inside than it looks. It’s right on the water and they have a really big patio which will be so nice once the winter is over. We were seated right away and ordered drinks and then they brought us bread — an entire loaf of fresh Italian bread in a paper bag, so you can take home whatever you don’t finish. AN ENTIRE LOAF OF BREAD. This is my kind of place. The bread came with some kind of delicious homemade butter — yum. For an appetizer, we ordered the RI Calamari, which came with hot peppers and a garlic butter sauce and also marinara on the side. For my main course, I had the shrimp penne pasta, which was full of fresh tasty ingredients, including 7 large shrimp. (I hate when you order a shrimp dish and there’s maybe 3 – 4 shrimp in it.) They brought over fresh cheese to grate at the table and fresh cracked pepper which always makes me happy when I order pasta. Frankly, I’ll eat any kind of Parmesan cheese, but freshly grated is always best. Lastly, they brought us out a free slice of homemade pumpkin cheesecake with fresh whipped cream for my Dad’s birthday. Perfect ending to a great night. I’ll definitely be back. It’s only a short distance from the chain restaurants in Greenville, so do yourself a favor and come here instead.

great place and great food go with friends or family for a tasty dinner and great setting

I have visited this resturant twice, always very pleased, until tonight. Our service was very slow, our waitress was spending a lot of time with the table behind us, they were obviously friends. When she wasnt chatting with them, it was with other employees. I felt like we had to keep asking for things. I have been a waitress myself, this isnt exactly the best way to treat customers.

Very good place loved the Steak Sandwich and Greek Salad. People were very attentive and nice. Def 5 Star.

I’ve tried to like this place, really I have. First let me say that out of 5 dinners, 1 person loved his chicken marsala. Now on to the review. 3^rd visit in 3 months and it just doesn’t get better. Maybe I order the wrong items, but it’s a tavern and on this trip we ordered tavern food. Martini was ok, but can someone please buy medium olives, martini drinkers love their olives & these minis are just a disappointment in a $ 10 or so drink! Loaded nachos… bottled hot peppers, pre-​sliced olives, maybe 1 tomato chopped & melted AMERICAN? Served w/​a very small side of salsa & sour cream… no beans, no meat, absolutely nothing fresh… american cheese, really? Burgers, ok but everyone was served ice cold fries. Just serve chips! Steak sandwich overcooked… side of pasta (came w/​marsala) …came white, yes a dish of pasta with absolutely nothing on it… puzzled because Marsala is not to be poured over pasta so I’m very confused??? Brought friends and felt embarrassed. Servers very nice, place is nice, just needs Gordon Ramsay to re-​do the food…

Stopped by for lunch after picking apples with the family. The experience was incredible. The atmosphere was great. We got to sit out on the deck which is right on the water. The service was spot on. The food was great, even the kids food. I highly recommend the open face steak sandwich. It’s definitely a place worth going out of the way for. Can’t wait to come back!

View from the deck is almost as awesome as the food and service. Will be back. #Abby’sAwesome

I let my bestie choose where he wanted and I am glad I did. I’ve lived in the area for 3 years and have never stopped in. The place is beautiful with great drinks and wicked good food.

Amazing amazing amazing!!! Great food… great service with a peaceful setting. On the deck for lunch today… just simply perfect. Tried the Hummus Platter and the Stuffies… so so GOOD. We will be back for sure!

Sat out on the deck on Saturday night — it was perfect weather to eat outdoors, we were a party of 7 and really enjoyed our night there. There is complimentary valet service which I find a little strange as I don’t think it’s warranted. The place is in the middle of Route 44 in Smithfield, where parking really isn’t a big issue.
We all enjoyed all of our meals — Margherita pizza, salmon, burgers, shrimp scampi and scallops were among the things ordered. I had the caprese salad with grilled chicken. I really enjoyed it — nice fresh great flavor.
Great place for a nice outdoor meal during the good weather. Our service was excellent and attentive. The manager came over to see how we were doing at some point. Def would come back again.

Awesome. Outside doesn’t do the inside and food justice. seated outside on deck with a crew of 20 including kids. Everyone raved about their meals. Service prompt and friendly. Kids feeding fish and turtles. A must visit…

Save yourself a trip to providence. This is by far one of the best presented, big portion, and tastiest food I have had in a while. Valet parking, beautiful water views and excellent service. Will be back soon! Great for date night.

The place was pretty cool cause it has outside sitting directly above the water. They brought bread over to feed the fish and a giant snapping turtle came to get a bite. No worries totally safe, unless you jump in and feed it your hand. I order a burger it was good. my daughter ordered mac and cheese she ate about two bites. I don’t want to speak for her, but i think she didn’t like it.

First time here and I loved it! We sat outside on the deck where the view is absolutely beautiful! We ordered a margherita pizza and it was delicious! My cucumber martini was great as well and worth every penny. The waitress was extremely attentive and friendly. I seriously can not complain about anything and can not wait to return !

Beautiful location great staff interesting & delicious menu… definitely coming back

holy moses.
this restaurant is a classic example of where the exterior does NOT do the interior justice. my boyfriend and i had an exceptional lunch here on a recent saturday afternoon.
this restaurant is located on our way to each other and, though we’ve driven past it for almost a year, we’ve not yet had the chance to stop. i am so very glad we finally did.
the outside is a kind of blue-​ish clapboard that leads you to believe you will be receiving classic new england: fried seafood, chowder, sandwiches, etc. well, things are very different on the inside. what you’re really getting is super affordable new american twist, with a nod to new england. we couldn’t have been happier.
the interior is open, spacious, and very modern. while we’ll usually sit at a bar, when available, it was entirely vacant at 2pm on a saturday, and i was honestly in the mood for the lake view (even though it was frozen over). so, we were seated at a large (and inventively created) table for 5. no complaints here. we’re not above sitting next to each other, which we did this time, especially because the Bruins were playing, and the manager offered to put them on the large tv at the center of the bar, so we could see. we were very happy to be accommodated on all fronts.
we were nicely greeted by our server (who happened to also be the bartender), and were quickly served waters and a loaf (literally– at least 10 inches in length) of freshly baked bread, along with an herbed, compound butter. this stuff was amazing, and you’ll easily ruin your meal, if you don’t refrain after just one slice. i could have eaten the whole thing.
my boyfriend was in the mood for chili, so we ordered their chili & chips as an appetizer. freshly fried tri-​color tortilla chips accompanied a large crock of chili that was covered with beautifully blistered cheese. this was hearty, rich, and deeply satisfying. better than your average chili, it was dotted with beans, veggies, and corn. the flavor was nicely developed, and not too spicy. (i would have added hot sauce, if i was the only one partaking, but i think it’s better to go mild, and allow guests to add the heat, if they choose.) a healthy portion, this could easily have fed four as an appetizer.
for our meals, he went with the crab and shrimp cake sandwich, and i got the chicken sandwich served with arugula pesto. his cake sandwich was phenomenal– lovely and crisp on the outside, creamy and rich on the inside. he requested to substitute a side of risotto for the fries, and it was absolutely incredible. the risotto had spinach and fresh tomato incorporated into the luscious risotto, decadent with butter and wine. this was a real star, and we did not appear to incur an upcharge for the swap.
my chicken sandwich sounded plain, but the arugula pesto was truly the star, and made the sandwich shine. the chicken itself was juicy and really well seasoned– some of the best i’ve literally ever had. i requested a side caesar in place of the fries, and that, too, was fantastic. the dressing was creamy and flavorful, and the portion was enormous– well beyond what i had expected.
overall thoughts:
staff are warm, friendly, and eager to accommodate.
food is simple. my sandwich was exactly as advertised: ciabbatta roll with grilled chicken and arugula pesto– nothing more, nothing less. after a rash of restaurants whose menus read better than the delivery, i’d rather this, than an incredible description that simply doesn’t show up on my plate.
prices? so SO reasonable. we spent about $ 40 for our meal (which included 1 beer and 1 soft drink), and we had plenty of leftovers.
ambiance: excellent. the look and feel of the place make me wish i lived closer.
conclusion: the distance is not prohibitive, but it’s also not super close. we won’t be here as often as i would like, but we certainly will be back, especially to take advantage of the outdoor patio in the nicer weather.
can’t believe this place wasn’t busier when we were there. if you’re within half an hour of this place and don’t make an effort to visit, you’re a fool.

By far the best restaurant in the area! Food is delicious, waitstaff are attentive and bar service is great! If you haven’t tried it yet you are missing out. Great place to watch a game or have a night out! The new owner Linda came over to our table and introduced herself, a great overall experience!