You must visit Viola Cucina. This food is among the closest of Italian dinners - like I've grown up…read morewith - that we've ever enjoyed. The pasta e fagioli soup was delicious and tasted as it should. We savoured it. Our salad tasted garden fresh. I asked for a basic spaghetti with meatballs. Delicious. Their meatballs meet my approval. And that is saying a lot because usually no restaurant meatballs measure up. Except for the meatballs my Grandmother, Mother and I have cooked. This is why I'm tentative about eating Italian out since we grew up making it, ourselves. Everything we tried here falls under the "did not disappoint," category which is an A all around. Even the rustic dining style with sentimental interior home furnishings and decorations. All of it speaks to the heart. They are a warm bunch and will talk to those just passing through. When I'm traveling the Eastern seaboard, I will make it a point to dine at Viola Cucina.

Mostly Smoke and mirrors.... At first glance, their website…read morelooks impressive, their menu looks authentic, and their staff promised 'everything' made fresh and to order. But upon tasting their food, it was clear, 'Viola' is just another Americanized Italian restaurant. We started with an a la carte order of: 'House made focaccia, roasted garlic spread, evoo, craft butter' This was fresh and tasty. We then shared the 'Caesar: traditional romaine hearts, foccaccia croutons, shaved pecorino cheese. classic caesar dressing.' This lacked any flavour, the romaine was cut into too small pieces, there was no hint of garlic or anchovy in the dressing. But the most disappointing dishes were the pasta dishes: 'Fettucini bolognese, house made, beef, pork, veal ragu, pecorino, basil, calabrian Chili.' 'Scampi viola, squid ink linguini, shrimp garlic, white wine, julienned vegetables, preserved lemon butter.' Although the pastas were freshly made, their textures were compromised; both pasta dishes were not 'al dente'. In fact the Scampi viola was drenched in a dark gravy and greasy. This is just not a very skilled preparation of pasta. A fresh pasta needs very little sauce, and should be dressed very simply so the 'textures' can be enjoyed. I ordered the: 'Zuppa di vongole: fresh little neck clams, vino biqnco, fresh herbs, crostini.' But this dish was replaced by a fried calamari dish. This was well prepared, actually the only star of the evening. This restaurant may succeed on its 'blandness' but will never attract the discerning diner who wants and appreciates authentic Italian cuisine. ~tiaotse~

Had a little bit of higher expectations for this place due to all the high reviews, but nonetheless…read morethe food was very good, just didn't really have a "wow" factor for me like I was expecting. I do love that the restaurant is BYOB!

Love the vibe at this cozy yet elegant local restaurant. For starters, We enjoyed a nicely dressed…read moreCaesar salad along side the delicious focaccia with their house dipping oil featuring tasty whole roasted garlic cloves. We had two generous entrees from their thoughtfully created menu - which our server said changes weekly. The veal saltimbocca was tender and full of flavor. It was served nestled in angel hair pasta that was loaded with plenty of mushrooms, prosciutto and just the right amount of melted cheese. Unfortunately the eggplant parm entree fell short. The medallions of eggplant were unexpectedly tough - it was actually difficult to even cut them with a knife. The red sauce was delicious as was the homemade pasta but the entree was disappointing overall. The service was attentive and friendly. Reservations are a must.

We sat at the bar. Food was good. I had steak frites and my wife had the sweet chili shrimp with a…read moreside of mashed sweet potato and sautéed spinach. Service with a smile. Pleasant atmosphere.

Tried Tavolo with a Groupon and had mixed feelings. The service was a bright spot--our host and…read morewaitress were both attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere and seating were genuinely nice. Unfortunately, the food didn't quite match the experience. The lasagna was too salty, likely from the sausage and sauce combination overpowering the dish. The swordfish was okay but overly seasoned and slightly overcooked, which took away from what should have been a delicate, flaky piece of fish. Worth a visit for the ambiance and service, but the kitchen has some room to dial back the seasoning and pay closer attention to cook times.

The baked ziti was yummy and the smaller portion was a perfect size . I also had their spinach…read morepie cheese and pepperoni many times It's excellent We went earlier today and the service was great and our waitress was very friendly Always quiet in there too I'll be back I'm sure They have a delicious fresh chicken soup

Great food. Great service. A very old school vibe. Such an awesome dinner out. Thank you Rigatoni's!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!!

Still one of the best restaurants for Pizza in RI. The $15 cheese pizza is the best value around…read more Staff is well trained, everything on the menu is outstanding. Very clean and comfortable dining area.

Amazing. Delicious Chicken parm was delicious. Absolutely no complaints…read more Will return

Very good food and service we love coming here the owners are very nice people will definitely be…read moreback

What can I say, other than this place is absolutely amazing. I come here to treat myself to the…read moreamazing food and the best dirty martini out there, STEVE has special stuffed olives that are absolutely amazing.. then again Steve makes a great drink for everybody for all their different flavors, in the cooks are amazing no matter what the special is no matter what you see on the menu. It's always cooked perfection and the way you like it. this place is five stars and a hidden gem, and the people are so friendly here because it's small and Quinn I highly recommend this restaurant out of every one of the ones I've ever visited and that includes other countries.. and when you come in sit at the bar, you'll see that handsome guy behind the boss and tell him you're here for his specialty stuffed olives

A true gem in Warwick. Great ambience, fantastic food and drinks. We have been here several times…read moreover the years and each meal was a great experience. Staff is also attentive and accommodating. Definitely recommend.

I don't know what has taken me so long to get to Avvio. I'm a Cranston native and have been back…read moreliving in Cranston for over four years. For some reason, this restaurant just hasn't been on my radar. I was craving a good woodfired pizza and there aren't too many restaurants that make me a Neapolitan style pizza. While theirs is not officially Neapolitan, it's pretty damn close. I am a fan of Margherita pizza with prosciutto and heaping ton of basil. So that's what I ordered as well as some cocktails. I've now been three times in the past month, and I've gotten to try several different drinks on their menu, but I never deviate from the pizza. The pizza is a little on the small side, I would like it to be a little bit bigger, but it is absolutely delicious. It has hit the mark every single time. The sauce has excellent flavor, it's clear they use a simple recipe with San marzano tomatoes which is a staple for Neapolitan pizza . The prosciutto is good quality, as is the mozzarella. My mom had the chicken Parm and very much enjoyed it. The service here is truly excellent. I've had three different servers and each time they were incredibly attentive, consistently checking in and making sure my water was refilled. I drink a ton of water, and a lot of times at restaurants I have to try to flag someone down or even go to the bar to get a refill and that has never happened and I doubt will in my experience here. They have a decent wine list and a great cocktail list. This is one of the few restaurants that has lavender simple syrup, which is one of my favorite things ever because I am a huge fan of lavender gin cocktails. The two purple drinks pictured are a lavender gin cocktail that I always request and it was made wonderfully each time. I've also sampled the espresso martini with half Baileys and half Frangelico and it was one of the best espresso cocktails I've had. Finally, I tried the pretty in pink, which is on their current cocktail menu. The drink itself tasted fine, it has lavender in it, which is a favorite as well as gin, but the glass that it served in is more like a whiskey on the rocks glass. It would have been better in a coupe or martini glasses, which is what I would expect one given the name, for presentation purposes, but also functionality. It has Aperol foam on top, and due to the glass and the fact that there was ice in it, the foam kind of dripped down the glass and made it very sticky and unpleasant to drink. I ended up asking for a straw which helped a lot, but I would recommend to the bar to change this to a coupe glass because it would be more functional, and the ice is not needed. The drink itself had a nice taste, and I would order it again with some adjustments. The bathrooms have always been kept clean every time I've utilized them. When you walk in, there is first a bar area which has ample seating and high tops, and then the main dining room, which is minimally decorated but classy looking. The kitchen is an open concept so you can see into it while you eat. Avvio is going to be a monthly if not weekly stop for me. Highly recommend.

Stopped into Avvio for lunch and had a great experience. I ordered the burger and it was absolutely…read moredelicious--perfectly cooked and full of flavor. The fries were just as impressive, crispy and addictive in the best way. A special shoutout to Anya and Tom behind the bar--they were attentive, friendly, and provided excellent service throughout. Already looking forward to coming back again soon.