Besos Tapas & Wine Bar — Restaurant in East Greenwich

My friend and I arrived at Besos at about 5pm on Friday night. Parking was very easy with the lot in the back of the building. Our reservation was for 5:15, but our table was ready and the very gracious hostess brought us over to it. We had requested to sit inside the dining room. Our party was a group of 4 and the other two ladies arrived within minutes. The tables were nicely spaced. The hostess showed us the contact less table tent menu- there is a bar code on the table tent that you can scan with your phone and it brings you to the Besos menu on their website- what a great idea. Our server was Gary and he promptly arrived and answered any questions about the drink menu and we ordered our cocktails. I had a glass of dry Rose and my friend tried a glass of the sparkling Rose, our other two friends opted for "The Common Cure" cocktail. This was a pretty pale pink beverage made with vodka, muddled cranberries and hibiscus syrup. A very refreshing floral cocktail for a warm summer night they said. We ordered two pizzas to start. The special pizza for that evening was made with a garlic and oil base, asparagus, fontina, Yukon gold potatoes, prosciutto, and drizzled with truffle oil. This was a great combination of ingredients! You would think that the potatoes would make the pizza heavy but this pizza was surprisingly light, we really enjoyed this. We also ordered an Athenean, this pizza had a delicious, creamy Alfredo sauce with grilled chicken, feta cheese, spinach, fresh tomatoes and kalamata olives. The pizzas were so good that we decided to order one more. I know- we lost control- what can I say! We decided on a classic. The Margherita pizza was simple and delicious, from the quality tomatoes to the fresh mozzarella and basil, a big hit at the table. All of the pizzas were really good, we all agreed that the pizza crust had a great flavor and chew to it. We had also ordered a bottle of Collusion Cabernet, which went very well with our pizzas. Our server Gary, who was fantastic by the way, was always nearby. Needless to say we were all quite full after the pizzas so we did not order anything else, we just couldn't fit it! Before the Pandemic hit, our group of ladies, which can range from 3-6 of us, would go out every other Friday after work for drinks and appetizers.This was the first time we got together since early March and while going out is a bit different now with masks and some restrictions, it is certainly an appreciated experience. Thank you so much Besos for a clean, safe and delicious experience! We will be back to try more items in the very near future. Sorry, I was so excited to be out with friends again that I was busy talking and forgot to take...

This review is for Friday 7/24/2020. I have never left a restaurant without finishing a meal, but there is a first time for everything. I have been to Beso's multiple times, and I chose to go tonight because it had always been very good. First off, for the COVID pandemic era, I felt we were seated way too close to the bar. My wife could have reached behind her and touched someone sitting at the bar. There are also signs posted everywhere stating temperatures were supposed to be taken, staff would be wearing/switching gloves, etc, but I did not see any of this happening. We assumed maybe the signs were old and outdated? We ordered the first thing on the menu - the French Cheese Plate, 6 oysters, a pizza, and a salad. When the cheese plate came out, it immediately caught my eye - the general presentation was just sloppy. The board also had old food on it - crumbs and something wet. The cheese itself looked like it had been left out for a while. Overall, the board looked like the quick creations I whip up when my 3 year old son asks for cheese, however I would never serve my son old cheese on a dirty plate. My wife and I both felt a little grossed out - when we got the pizza, we immediately dug in and planned on sending the cheese board back - we would have stayed and continued our meal, however before my wife could even take a bite of her pizza, she discovered a large hair stuck to the bottom of the slice. At that point, we had lost our appetite and we left... hungry and feeling grossed out. The waitress was very apologetic/polite and did not charge us for our meal - which we very much appreciate, but wow what happened to this place??? New ownership? Subsitute kitchen staff? Maybe short-staffed? I dont know but I will not be returning...

Where do I begin? I went yesterday, Monday, and it started bad then got worse. I’d heard great things about about this place, too! I ordered iced tea but the waiter said they didn’t have any white sugar when I asked for some. Finally he brought me some in a little dish but I soon found it to be salt. I ordered fish tacos with a side garden salad. It came with no dressing and there was no salt and pepper on the table. The fish tacos were loaded with coarsely chopped raw red onion instead of pickled red onions as per the menu. My aunt ordered a poached pear salad with grilled chicken and fries. The chicken was over cooked and tough and the fries were covered with a heavy dose of black pepper. Afterwards I ordered a gelato that came without the espresso sauce or biscotti as per the menu. When I questioned it they said they had no biscotti. Period! So I went back to my table and the chef came out with a brownie sundae which he said was complementary, but we’d already eaten the gelato. The dish was dirty and had a black hand print on the wide top edge. I asked for a box and they brought me a cardboard one! For ice cream! I asked for a plastic one and we left. We had to laugh it was so bad. Throughout this adventure, I had to keep getting up and going up the stairs to the entrance because the waiter kept disappearing. I did that at least 5 times. They mentioned repeatedly that they’d had a killer weekend, but we’re we to pay the price for that? I wish I had taken photos. Lucky I was in great company. Never going...