Cowesett Inn

We came here on a gift certificate not knowing what to expect. I hadn’t been in years, used to love it. Our meals were just OK. Friendly service, decent enough prices, plenty of parking but the food was lacking in flavor. If I’m going to drive out that way for good food, a few doors down is The Villa, which has much better food and live entertainment.

After some debate my family and I decided that we would have Thanksgiving dinner without all the muss and fuss. 2 of our party worked during the day and we weren’t up to cooking and cleaning up a big mess. We decided that the CI would be a good choice. I am so glad we made the choice to have our Thanksgiving meal here. We had our own room and a terrific waitperson named Mary Lou. All of the dinners we enjoyed were well prepared and the folks who opted out of turkey were equally pleased with their choices. I could see that when we arrived at 6 pm the staff was starting to fade a bit after working very hard, in spite of this everyone was pleasant, courteous, and very attentive. My thanks to Cowesett Inn for making this one of the most enjoyable ever. When all was said and done we were able to just pick up and go.

I was very surprised by my lunch salad today (in a good way). We were a party of 13 work associates and I didn’t hear one complaint (which was good as I paid for the meal!). I decided to try the grilled shrimp salad and it was 100% fresh and delicious (romaine, corn, grilled shrimp, tomatoes, fresh avocado slices, and just enough dressing). Our server was attentive, the bread n’butter was decent, and overall it was a satisfying experience.
So why does Cowesett Inn only get three stars instead of 4 or 5? Well, the place is stuck in the 80’s. It’s cool in a throwback kind of way (I imagined myself in the bar area by the fireplace enjoying a scotch), but it’s not nostalgic enough for me to ever go out of my way to eat here. After our meal some of us at work got into a lively debate as to what we would do if we owned the place (Remove the wood paneling! Move into a smaller location as the place is too big!), but we never finished the debate as it was 5pm on Friday and I wanted to get home!

This has become by far so much a favorite I bring several to enjoy with me. Highly recommend their tropical sorbetto. Their lunch dinner special are always wonderful. They make the best New England chowder loaded with clams.

Bad food, smells like something died near the bar, and slow or just bad service. I sent my entrée back since it smelled and looked like it was retrieved from the trash. Then i heard the cooks (I presume) screaming at the server that finally came to check on us about how its supposed to be as it was. Swears mixed in English and Spanish. We were not near the kitchen either. Server may have been bad but they don’t need to be yelled at or yelling themself. Never goin back. Disgusting.

This is a great option for people who want to get a good seafood or Italian Rhode Island meal without all the bullshit.
Parking is easy. You get a seat right away. There is a great oak dark décor that some kid inheriting the place will probably ruin some day.
I always order the calamari Rhode Island style. That means it’s fried, then tossed in peppers. Marinara sauce to dip. The key here is not to over bread the squid. They do a great job here.
My wife gets their stuffies. A stuffy is a Rhode Island clam on the shell which is stuffed with a spicy breadcrumb mix. Fantastic.
They have a nice lobster dinner here, too. Hard to go wrong with any choice.

This is a great restaurant. We ate here regularly years ago and then moved away. This week we were in town for a visit and nothing has changed, well, maybe they have new menus. The food is still excellent and the service lovely. Fresh bread and butter, homemade soup, thick potato skins and a hamburger grilled perfectly. Everything tastes fresh made and the portions are generous. Pricing is more than reasonable and the dining atmosphere is pleasant. Give the Cowesett Inn a try.

this place used to be real good in the 90’s and early 00’s but has just been slowly downhill since. last time we went there were 8 other people there total and our food took about and hour to come out. then my food tasted like gasoline and was switched out but by the time i had it i was so past hungry i didnt care. the place looks ok but just needs a shot in the arm… they are like 1 of the places robert irvine would visit (minus bugs and gross food).

I am honestly shocked with my experience. I had a gift card from years ago when I went and the food was terrible. So I finally decided to use it and I am thrilled with the progress there!
Went on a Sunday for lunch, they have lunch specials everyday for $ 7.99 and the portions are huge. I got the salmon salad, it was so fresh and delicious. The other order was a pasta dish on this $ 7.99 menu and she loved it! Even took some home because the portion was so big. The bread they start you off with looks like they actually make it there and it comes on a butcher block.
I can’t believe the change in the quality of the food, I will definitely return. Realism for the four stars vs five is that the server was just ok, didn’t really know the menu and the one thing that hasn’t changed about this place is that the average age of the clientele is still 70+…

Stopped in on Saturday night with the storm coming and had no problem getting a table. I will admit the food was very good but, my friends steak was over cooked and had to wait for the plate to be remade. There was no apology from management even though he gave a free appetizer to the table right by us. Not the type of service I was expecting.

My dinner partner and I realized that we hadn’t been here since the ‘80s!!! It was a slamming place on a Friday or Saturday night for prime rib etc.
On a cold winter week night we walked in to a quiet atmosphere, TV’s were on above the expansive bar. Wish the fireplace was on when we walked in, it would have definitely added to the ambiance (it was eventually lit after the dinner crowd had been seated — hmmmmm).
Veal Parm was dry $ 15, Chicken Marsala was moist and delicious. We opted for a side of carrots instead of pasta, they were OK, could have used a splash of flavor.
My side of safron rice was served cold and it seemed it took an long time for dinner to come out.
Prices reasonable and I would give it another shot.

The pluses to this place are: Good generous cocktails (expensive though), nice people and comfortable seating.
I agree with the reviewer that the atmosphere is somewhat 1980’s but that doesn’t bother me. I prefer that to the hard uncomfortable chairs and cold sharp atmosphere of the more contemporary places. The chairs and seating, even at the bar are upholstered and comfortable.
If there was music, I did not hear it. this is a huge plus for me.
I ordered the cabbage pierogi (a rarely offered Polish treat), it was just OK.
What outraged me was the clams casino. This is a very well defined, textbook offering. What was served was definitely NOT clams casino. It was a hard sticky ball of stuffing stuck on top of a clam. I’m not sure why, but it tasted like peanut butter. Just awful. They were removed from my bill.
Finally the waiter told me, «Öh, that’s how we do it here.» Really? Well Mr. Owner, if you want to do it that way, fine. Call them clams Cowesett, not casino.
The clams tell a huge story. What if you came to a jewelry store and requested a diamond and the owner promptly delivered an amethyst to you? I don’t know about you, I figure if the owner doesn’t know the difference between an amethyst and a diamond I don’t want to buy anything there and I don’t want to eat here anymore.

Disappointing. You know your dining experience is off to an ominous start when your table tent advertises creative drink specials featuring eggnog and candy canes — in March.
I couldn’t believe it had been five years since we had last dined at the Cowesett Inn. Once, it had been one of our favorite family-​friendly spots, well known for its over-​filled plates of delicious seafood, steaks and pasta. We were all looking forward to the visit, too, wondering what it was that kept us away so long.
We began with an appetizer of Rhode Island-​style calamari that featured mushy, pre-​frozen squid. Yikes… not good. And though our entrees (deep fried clams and scallops, chicken Marsala and fish and chips) were served hot and well-​prepared, the portions could only be described as barely average, at best. And when our waitress — a dear, sweet girl who looked terribly exhausted — couldn’t figure out how to process my gift card, her boss just went ahead and charged it all to my credit card instead. Oh well.
I really hope they figure out how to return this restaurant to its glory days. Like an old friend, it will be nice to welcome them back.

Went here for my mom’s birthday last Friday. Great service! But the food was ehh. The famous baked stuffed shrimp of my childhood was mushy & tasted blah. Used to taste fresh & flaky. By making a few changes, this place could return to its glory.

Promptly seated with a smile. Service was great. She was there soon and with a smile. Nice drink menu. The Strawberry Thyme was delicious. Loaf of lightly garlic dusted bread was hot and tasty. I am wavering between 3 and 4 stars because the service was so good, but the meal was ho hum and pretty pricey. The crab cake appetizer was melt in your mouth and one in our party loved the tuna steak. The mashed potatoes and gravy and squash sides and the Cajun fish were lacking zing. Restaurant was clean, bathroom was small and needs updating.

I haven’t been here is 20 years and so when I saw a groupon, I thought — why not? I liked it in the past (as far as I can remember, my parents took us here occasionally).
So off I went to meet a friend there for dinner. The décor is exactly the same (a bit scary it has never been removated) which was dark, but seemed fine. The bar was huge and we sat and had a drink while we watched the older clientele arrive for an early dinner. I had received an email saying come see our new fall specials, which was one of the reason we sent that night. Come to find out, they started in a week or so. Drinks were fine, if uninspired.
Menu was very basic food, with some specials. We got the standard loaf of bread, salad and then our dinners. Bread was a bit dry and was not frehly baked, but warmed. Salad was ok, I still don’t get the raw onions on the salad, but the lettuce was freah. I got the whole clam special. Not very good. No flavor, over battered, and the worst thing — soggy. If you are going to fry something, you have to make the oil hot enough to seal the flavor and become crisp — not soggy and limp. The fries were not better– same temp of oil, I would guess. Friend had pasta with seafood. She said it was ok, not great and wouldn’t order it again. Very bland.
Server very friendly but I would not go back. There are so many places in RI (and everywhere else) where the food is this mediocre. I would rather have a brighter, happier atmosphere if the food is going to tasted the same.
Too bad. I had happy memories but my taste buds changed.

I used to come here back in the 90’s with a bunch of friends because one of them was related to the owner. It was always good for a decent meal and a bunch of drinks at a reasonable price back then.
Fast forward almost 20 years and not much has changed. The food is basic, American comfort-​type food, the drinks are still fine, and the price is still reasonable. Fine dining it most assuredly isn’t, but it’s solid and consistent, if uninspired. That being said, sometimes that is exactly what hits the spot.
Décor hasn’t changed at all in all this time either, lots of wood and some chrome/​brass.
Service has always been acceptable when we’ve been recently, nothing to complain about.
Clientele generally seems to be an older/​blue-​haired crowd, at least the times we’ve been there.
Not our first choice for dining out, but a decent fall back when we can’t think of anyplace else to go.

Nope, no way, no chance.
The dirt in this dive is covered in dirt. Large menu, this is my third time through in a year and each experience is more underwhelming that the last.
Today my pal had the fried chicken and I a «lobster» roll. Fries and chicken were very oily and tasted like cod. The lobster roll consisted of a tablespoon and a half of small flakes of lobster meat on top of two fists full of lettuce slammed in a poppy seed hot dog roll. Tasteless and way over priced.
The restaurant smells and looks like it hasn’t been cleaned or updated in 25 years. Next time my pal tries to bring me here I may just order three beers and a punch in the mouth, certainly that would be a better experience that today’s.

Myself and 2 coworkers were looking for a restaurant near our hotel in West Warwick. The Cowesett in was close and got a good recommendation from the desk attendant at the hotel so we decided to give it a shot.
We were seated right away (it was fairly late) and the waitress was over quickly getting our drink orders and reading off the specials.
The menu is very large and being that we were in New England we figured we should get seafood, so that was ordered all around.
We started with an order of calamari as an appetizer to share (for foursquare members there’s a free app special on your first check-​in). The calamari was incredible, it was extremely fresh, very lightly breaded and cooked perfectly. The sliced banana and jalapeño peppers that were mixed in added a little heat that just set the flavor off. It was without a doubt one of the best order’s of calamari I’ve ever had.
For my entrée I ordered the stuffed shrimp which are a signature item at the Cowesett Inn. The shrimp were very large and the loaded with breading. The cracker breading was very flavorful, although it did overpower the shrimp a little. Still it was very good, and I was stuffed after polishing off the order of 5 shrimp. The mashed potatoes on the side were good but not great.
The price was extremely reasonable, I got all of the above a salad and 3 beers for $ 35. One of my coworkers ordered a full 1−¼ lb lobster which was $ 15 … try finding a price like that on lobster in Philly.
To top it all off our waitress was awesome. She was incredibly friendly and spent most of the night joking around with us and just making the meal that much more enjoyable.
So for all that I’m going to do it … An extremely well earned 5 stars.

I have been a couple of times now. My wife has really latched on and I enjoy it as well. The other reviews tend to review Breakfast, so I have avoided breakfast. We have been for dinner twice and both times been very happy. They have some great specials.
The place is really nice inside but being new to the area, I am not used to the ‘lounge’ scene. It is interesting to see the blue hairs in enjoying the evening out.
So the food. It is mid price, $ 10 — $ 20, but the food is really good. I have had the Turkey Cranberry Salad on one occasion and the Fish & Chips on another. Both were fantastic, especially the fish and chips. My wife had a stuffed cod (on special) that was seriously out of this world on one occasion and the Turkey and dressing the next. She liked it, but said it was not quite as good as she hoped.
The wait staff is mixed. On the first occasion, getting a glass refilled or bread was very difficult even though there was a light crowed. The second trip, the glasses stayed full, the bread came to the table and was replenished, all during a very busy session.
My wife gives this place a 4, and I am told I must agree with her. Husbandly duties you know. If you are looking for a quiet evening with your special someone or some close friends, are not in a rush and looking to spend about 15 bucks per person (not counting booze), this is a great place to go.