If you haven't been here because you're thinking how good can it be if it's located in a holiday inn, you are seriously missing out. First of all you truly can't tell when you're in the restaurant that you're in a hotel. It feels very cozy inside. We've been here several times over the years and have never been disappointed. We went with the littles and they had the typical pasta with butter and chicken fingers. We shared their special heirloom tomato and burrata salad over arugula. So fresh. So delicious. For our entrees, hubs had the porterhouse steak and I had the ravioli Norma (eggplant). Both were beyond delicious. The porterhouse steak could literally be cut with the side of a fork. Cooked a perfect medium rare. They make all the pasta in house so obviously it's insanely delicious. The sauce couldn't have been better. Our waiter was very attentive, kept our water and wine full, kids liked him. Just a really friendly guy. Cannot recommend this place enough for locals or tourists. read more

Nice Italian restaurant located in the Holiday Inn in South County. Cute interior with a nice bar and very good service. We really enjoyed our waiter. The food was very good. We had the salmon and Pappardelle ala bolognese . Dessert was amazing as well - cannolis were amazing. I found it to be a bit pricey. Only downside. read more

Locanda - Italian Near Me - Saunderstown, Rhode Island

Wow - what an amazing dinner! Every element of the evening was top-notch, from the food to the service. Our server, Larry, was attentive, genuinely personable and provided excellent service. I started with the Salerno Sidecar ($14), and it might just be one of the best cocktails I've ever had. It struck a flawless balance between sweetness and bitterness, with an incredibly smooth finish that made it dangerously easy to sip. For my entrée, I chose the house-made gnocchi ($29), and it was divine. Larry mentioned they make it from scratch, and it absolutely showed--each bite was like a soft, pillowy cloud, perfectly complemented by a rich, flavorful sauce. We all shared bites of each other's dishes, and not a single plate disappointed. I sampled their chicken Toscana, chicken Milanese, rigatoni Bolognese and fettuccine scampi. Each one bursted with freshness and layered with flavor. You could taste the care in every dish. Inside is very clean, has a very inviting atmosphere. Such a nice place and I highly recommend. read more

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Thirst-quenching water. This might seem redundant, but not all water hits the spot like this does. It is available for self-serve during the breakfast buffet. The glasses are on the small side, but you can refill! read more

Locanda - Water - Italian Near Me - Saunderstown, Rhode Island

Always a great experience! Food and service are fantastic. Great wine selection. Ideal for date nights. read more

Locanda - Tortellini - Italian Near Me - Saunderstown, Rhode Island

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Best service I have ever received at a restaurant ever. Incredible food, generous portions. I will be back!!!!

Homemade pasta with such a tasty sauce. I was there for work, but this restaurant warrants a stop- especially if delicious, Homemade pasta is what you crave. An unexpected gem nestled in a holiday inn. read more

I'm staying at the Holiday Inn and skeptical about a restaurant in a Holiday Inn, but the reviews were really good. Locanda did not disappoint.!!! for the moment I walked through the door I was greeted instantly, and I asked for a seat at the bar. I was brought to an end seat and told that as soon as the couple at the other end of the bar further away from the door was done that they would come and move me over to that spot where it would be warmer and away from the door. I didn't even ask about that, but she took the initiative to make that offer. I said I was fine where I was and thanked her, but then once my food was served, the bartender asked if I wanted to move away from the door, and I took her up on the offer. She moved all of my stuff, even personal things to a nice seat at the opposite end of the bar away from the drafty door. I ordered the fillet and an old-fashioned, which was called a pinky ring and it was delicious.. for dessert. I had the pistachio olive oil cake, which was fantastic. Both bartenders +2 servers were very attentive and it just showed how well they all work together as a team. I appreciated the attention and the fact that it wasn't overwhelming. It really was a great balance and I was so happy that I followed the yelp reviews for this place read more

Homemade fresh pasta with other delicious options as well. Irresistible focaccia bread with a unique olive oil dip that you just might sell your firstborn for. I would not do that, but you will love it. The cannolis are deliciously light and fresh to cleanse your pallet after a fulfilling, scrumptious meal. Service is wonderful as well. You can't get a bad server here... they love what they are bringing you and it shows. We travel 45-55 minutes to this restaurant and it's worth it. read more

The fresh pasta is soo much better than the what you will find on Federal Hill! And a great wine selection !

This is a BREAKFAST review. I have no idea how their dinners are but as a guest at the hotel we ate breakfast here and it was pathetic. We stayed here in the spring and had their breakfast buffet. It was very nice as far as hotel breakfast buffets are concerned. So we gave this place another go since the weather isn't good. Everything is clean and neat so no issues there. The buffet wasn't available, only table service so we ordered 2 coffees, my husband got the egg platter with potatoes and toast and I got the Texas French toast with an added side of bacon. The coffee was incredibly bitter. Not good at all. But then our server carried ALL of the plates out on her arms and hands at once and promptly spilled not only my husband's toast but also my plate of bacon on the table. Barely an apology and began to walk away. I had to ask her for a new plate of bacon. She looked surprised but took the spilled bacon plate away and went and ordered the new one. No offers for new toast, just whatever was left on the plate was sufficient I guess. Both plates were the saddest excuses for bacon imaginable. They were super tiny, super greasy, super thin to the point of translucency and only 3 slices. I actually asked her that this plate was $3 and she just laughed and said yes as she walked away. The egg platter was fine but the french toast was soggy and underwhelming. Bottom line, go somewhere else for breakfast if their buffet is unavailable. Their overpriced options are not worth it whatsoever. read more

Want this place to survive and improve with time. Food is dependably quite good. Italian cuisine. Salads are very good (a deal maker with me). Service was very good, courteous and prompt. Have been in small and large groups here. The function room desperately needs deep cleaning or redecorating. Carpets terribly soiled, upholstery stained, walls and woodwork grubby. Cruddy furniture, dated decor. Spruce yourselves up! We want you to survive! read more

Took a group of friends back to Locanda. Unfortunately the focaccia and dipping sauce I'd been raving about to them no longer existed? The white bean dip is very Heavy on rosemary, which many of us do not like, and cannot compete at all with the old dipping sauce. Waitress said lots of customers agree, so why not bring it back? My husband's favorite dish, the veal Milanese also changed to chicken and much smaller. pastas still good and still love the Brussels sprout app but please bring back our bread and original dip! read more

Nice place to go for a meal my wife and I have been there a couple of times not the same old stuff you see on every menu they switch it up. Different kinds of foods always had a good meal there clean the service was always great. read more

We miss the short rib dinner, eggplant appetizer and the pork chop without vinegar peppers. We both found the vinegar peppers pork chops too spicy. Your tomato salads and pasta dishes are amazing. Just miss our go to entree choices. The service is always above and beyond most restaurants. read more

We keep going back to Locanda almost every week and every time it is an excellent experience. The food, drinks and the service are consistently outstanding. Especially from Michelle and Sandra at the bar (having dinner at the bar is remarkably enjoyable - everyone is always in a happy mood - customers and staff). read more

This restaurant is a hidden gem. Tucked ion the Holiday Inn in Saunderstown is not part of the hotel but resides there. The staff is very friendly, atmosphere is friendly, family environment. This is my second time dining there, the first being a few years ago & both times were very good. The pasta dishes are flavorful, & pasta is homemade. Some of my friends had the salmon dishes which they enjoyed. I tried their soup of the day which was a chicken & mushroom soup had a wonderful Unami flavor. It was so good. For dessert we tried the olive oil cake which wasn't my first time eating it & was very good. Their gelato is good as well. All of my friends enjoyed their meals as well. read more

Our server, Larry, was knowledgeable, personable, and efficient and spoke proudly of the restaurant, food, and owners. The food was delicious and the wine selection excellent. I was very pleased with the short rib and very impressed with the shaved kale and broccoli salad. Sounds iffy, but try it- it was very tasty. read more

Amazing Italian food in an unexpected location. Locanda is located next to the Holiday Inn (they're technically attached, though not affiliated), and the interior is both elegant and welcoming. It has a gilded quality, but also makes you feel like you're at grandma's house- the endearing, Italian grandmother's house who has tchotchkes in cabinets (here, they are displayed in wall niches - little wooden spoons and small oil paintings. I loved looking at these!) I went before COVID hit, but I loved everything about the dishes I tried - also a fan of their alcohol free drink list! (They offer both cocktails and mocktails.) My fav cocktail was the Mediterranean Mule - black fig infused vodka, elderflower, lime, ginger beer, candied ginger- and my fav mocktail was the Nero Minded- Seedlip Garden, lemon, black currant, Peychaud's bitters. For food: the Truffled Mushroom and Mascarpone Polenta in a jar might have been my absolute favorite- I offered to sacrifice my first born child for this. (I was joking...mostly.) But you can't go wrong with anything. The pastas are handmade: the Acorn Squash Agnolotti, Crispy Sage, Parmesan, and Hazelnut-Brown Butter is worth licking your plate for in public. The Shaved Brussel Spout Salad, Candied Lemon Peel, Pecorino and Pistachio looks a bit like coleslaw but is surprising in delivery: it's light, citrusy and sweet--a great achievement. The Fontina Stuffed Meatballs in Sugo are just like Grandma made them. I don't even have an Italian grandmother, but I could conjure her just by taking a bite into this meatball filled with melted cheese. The Bananamisu stole my heart, but the pistachio cake was also nice. I also recommend the Bomboloni Di Locanda, Italian-style donuts served with Nutella. I was expecting something of a beignet or doughboy, but these were so much better! Go give them some love, especially if you're headed to south county for a beach day. read more

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I have been coming here for years and realized I owe them a review. A great review. First and foremost the staff is incredible. They deserve nothing but success. They are so good that they outshine the food which is nothing short of phenomenal. Go. Just go. read more

So this is a repost to include a email I received from yelp on removing my original post. Hello, We're reaching out to let you know that our moderators removed the review and photos you posted to Locanda because it didn't look like your content depicted an experience at this location. To learn more, check out our Content Guidelines (https://www.yelp.com/guidelines). Flagged Content: Went on a Sunday night around 7pm Place was pretty empty just a couple of tables occupied and about 7 at the bar. So we walked in and the waitress/hostess asked us if we had reservations. To which I was just about to say to her did you really just asked if we have a reservation? And do I really need a reservation? And she made us wait while she gets a table setup for us. Really! There are nothing more obvious to me than 15 empty tables that was set already and she could've just guided us to. So anyway we ordered our drinks and then the apps. The grilled octopus salad Not much to it, it was basically 2 tentacles cut in 6 small pieces with shaved fennel and carrots. Not worth the $18.00 And the Pt Judith Calamari which is fried with the cherry peppers so you're getting 1/3 cherry peppers and 2/3 calamari served in a sardine can. Wife had the monkfish which she said was spicy. Daughter had the seared salmon and I had the Orecchiette with sausage and rabbi pesto I found the dishes to be okay nothing special, Definitely nothing spectacular to give this restaurant some of the stellar reviews. I don't even think the prices are in line with the final product, it's definitely not worthy the price for the portions. Regards, Yelp Support San Francisco, California My response: I beg the differ. The review and the photos is for this location and I did check in on the app after I ordered my meals. Pictures of the dishes was taken right after they were set down on the table. I have the dinner receipt to back my visit there and every dish that I posted. So if this is how you want to to censor my review, I have proof that it was indeed a legitimate and actual post. Sent from my iPhone read more

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Our waitress was so lovely. But the restaurant is not for me. I felt as though we were on a time crunch, and when i asked if they were closing they were open for a few more hours. Portion sizes are rather small for a Italian restaurant. I will say the Focaccia bread is amazing but that was really all. We got calamari to start and again i've had much better. The 4 of us were not impressed with our meals. read more

Locanda - calamari - Italian Near Me - Saunderstown, Rhode Island

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A new hidden gem. This spot opened at the end of 2019 but has weather the storm of COVID. The food is delicious!!! I've only had the take out but the inside of the restaurant is tasteful and COVID safe. I had the shrimp scamp which was flavorful and a generous size. The shrimp were huge and local. All meals come with fresh focaccia bread which was so yummy. I also had a side of meatballs which were tender and the sauce was very rich. The meal was slightly more expensive but the food was worth it! The quality and portions were worth the price. The spot is a little odd but definitely a contender for a nice celebratory meal. Lots of parking. It can be hard to spot from the road so simply turn when you see the Holiday Inn hotel. Accessible restaurant with table and booth options. You can call ahead to order for pick up. read more

Not my favorite and I eat out A LOT! I also try to give the benefit of the doubt due to covid... Food was sub-par. We ordered appetizers, but they did not bring them all out at the same time because "the table Isnt that big." Oh I would of made room. So I watched my husband eat his appetizer while I waited until he was done so I get mine. Not a good feeling when you are hungry! Food wasn't great. read more

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Locanda was ok - 3 of our 4 meals were very good however the fourth arrived cold. Service was average. As an Italian restaurant there is a lot of competition in RI and Locanda is average at best. read more

We have eaten here a few years ago and the food was very good but then it started to fall off and then we heard they hired a new chef so we decided to head back in and give them another try AND THABK GOD WE DID as they truly hit it out of the park! From the moment we walked in the decor was up to date, we were greeted pleasantly and sat right away. Our server was extremely knowledgeable on the menu and made some great suggestions for us to try which we did and everything we ordered was a HUGE HIT! The new executive chef certainly knows his way around the kitchen and as you can see from the photos everything was a hit. read more

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Wonderful!!!! The food is soooo fresh and home made! Delicious bread which is freshly baked right there along with the freshly made pasta! The deserts were Delicious too! The service was superb! Our waitress, Michelle was above and beyond attentive. Excellent food, service and atmosphere. We'll definitely be returning! Prices were very reasonable! I love this Restaurant!!!! "Tagliatelle Pasta", try it you will LOVE IT! We were a party of 5 and everyone enjoyed their meal. By the way the TOMATO SOUP WAS ALSO OUTSTANDING!!!!! read more

Don't let the location fool you. It's in the same building as the Holiday Inn but is a totally independent operation. The servers are first rate in every respect. We've loved every dish we've tried. The raviolis in particular are delicious. The pasta is definitely fresh and home made. If you give this place a chance, you'll be glad you did. Spacious dining room. Great place to dine at the bar as well. read more

Locanda is truly a gem waiting to be discovered. Adjacent to the holiday inn, its location is not well-known (or prime), but the food makes up for the lack of real estate. The staff was attentive and friendly. Overall, the ambience/decor could definitely be updated and trendier. We ordered an orange honey whipped ricotta crostini and metballs stuffed with fontina cheese to start. Both were delectable. The meatballs literally melt in your mouth and are dosed in a delcious marinara. We all ordered pasta plates for dinner- and all were superb. In particular, the tagliatelle with pork stracotta had a deliciously braised pork sauce on ribbons of fresh pasta. The bucatini all'amatriciana was equally impressive. All the pasta is fresh and the sauces were all prepared perfectly. Overall, could have a better ambience/location but the food and the friendly service is worth a visit. Prices are comparable to up-scale Italian restaurants. read more

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Weren't expecting much from a hotel restaurant but dinner was delicious!! Excellent food and service for dinner. The ambiance is pretty. Would definitely recommend. read more

I really thought I was going to love it here. It was mentioned it to me by an acquaintance whose son said it was the best restaurant in Rhode Island so I was dying to try it. I had sent a friend who had gone and said it was good but very small portions. We were not impressed unfortunately. I got the braised short ribs with the polenta. There was an absolutely scant amount of polenta. Literally just a smear on my plate as you can see in the picture. I couldn't even really get a taste of it. The short rib was OK but honestly it didn't have much flavor and kind of just tasted like it was cooked in a crockpot. My husband got the steak dish what he ordered medium well and it came out medium rare, had to send it back. He said it was just OK. The arancini appetizer was good I was happy with that. Got the Sidecar for a drink, good flavor but it was gone in about four sips. The place has tons of five star reviews so I guess was worth a shot, just decide for yourself. But there are a lot of great restaurants in Rhode Island. For me this was not worth it and I won't be back. read more

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We are seasonal residents of RI and have been coming here to dine 2 to 3 times a month May through October for several years. We always bring at least one other couple with us. Unfortunately, that ends today. We had a 6 PM reservation and arrived at 5:50. There were 10-12 other tables available but they seated us at a booth right by the front door. I requested that we move away from the door to avoid the draft. I was told that is not possible as all tables were reserved. I persisted that they could just swap us with someone who had a later reservation and I was told "that's not how it works". Strike one. We ordered our drinks, appetizers and the main course. While eating our appetizers we ordered a second round of drinks. After a long wait our main courses arrived. We told the waiter to cancel the drinks as we also had wine and did not want cocktails at the same time as our main course. He told us the drinks were already made and he could not cancel them. If they were already made then why were they not served to us? Strike two. My meal was a Veal Parm. In past years this was a double veal chop butterflied and pounded. Today it was a premade breaded veal cutlet. It was dry and tasteless and served with an absolute minimum of sauce. I had to request additional sauce twice before I had enough. Strike three, your out. In addition to the above there were 2 tables next to us that remained vacant the entire time we were seated. So the hostess , if she were not so lazy, could easily have changed our seating when we first arrived. read more

Server worked hard to make things happen. Gluten free friendly. I was very happy with our family meal

Awesome food and service. I'll certainly try to come back! We both had spaghetti based meals. Top notch.

My husband & I went to Locando with our friends for Mom & Dad's dinner out. Service was good. Our waitress was super friendly, which I always appreciate. Food was just ok. Definitely not the best Italian I've had, but also not the worst. Just ok. Not sure I'd return. read more

Some hits and misses....first course was just not good. Octopus was over cooked. Calamari was super overdone, dry and chewy- we didn't eat it. Angliotti was delicious as was the monkfish! The bread was the best. Service was great. read more

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Great Italian restaurant attached to the Holiday Inn near Narragansett. Been there 3 times in the past few months. Food is always delicious and fresh. Dined there last night and have nothing negative to say. Waitress was friendly and attentive. Had the chicken scallopini special and the veal Milanese which did not disappoint. Definitely going back for a 4th, 5th, 6th, etc time. read more

Wonderful food next to the Holiday Inn hotel. The location is nothing glamorous, but the inside has a soft ambiance, excellent service and delicious food. Visiting from Miami, we wanted to grab something to eat and searching through Yelp this place caught our eye. My husband and I sat at the bar. The bread and butter sauce is heavenly. We tried the shaved Brussels sprouts salad, and I seriously could have that everyday of my life. (Yum) we ordered the Fontina meatballs (3 normal size meatballs) delicious in what resembles an Italian grandmother's homemade marinara sauce (luckily we have had the privilege of trying a homemade sauce in our trips to Italy). I ordered the special of the day, local swordfish and my husband tried the Braised short ribs. Size of the entree seemed perfectly normal to me ( had read some previous reviews commenting on the portions), we were stuffed and even had left overs to bring home. We definitely recommend this place if you are just looking to have a great meal and not care about scenic views. read more

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Don't let the "Holiday In " fool ya. This is a very good Italian restaurant. We've eaten there numerous times and have not been disappointed yet. read more

My husband and I had our rehearsal dinner and welcome drinks at Locanda. They provided such delicious food and ambiance for our party. We got so many compliments from the day, and our guests greatly enjoyed it. Elise was very easy to work with, and we always enjoy their homemade pasta. Thank you! read more