Rosa's Tavern — Restaurant in East Providence

Atmosphere: Upon entering this small restaurant, prepare to be serenaded by the sweet symphony of... silence. Yes, there's no music here, folks! It's like dining in a library except when a woman (Rosa?) decided to rearrange chairs and tables for a good eight minutes like it's a competitive sport. Misophonia sufferers, brace yourselves for the unexpected screeching sounds. We also found the chairs and tables are so small that we had limited space for our personal stuff.

Food: We started with the Cajun crabcakes which were good…but very salty. Too salty. It seems that nowadays, many restaurant dishes are leaning more towards excessive saltiness rather than embracing exquisite flavors.

Our main course was the Smokestack Burgers which were YUMMY and juicy packing a flavor punch that made us forget about the lack of table space. Topped with bacon, an egg (no egg for me), lettuce, tomato and a delicious barbecue sauce all in a generous portion size and served with the de rigueur golden, crispy French fries. Five stars for the burgers.

Service: attentive until the end when we waited…and waited for the check.

Overall: Smokestack Grill may be small in stature, but it was big on...

From the moment we walked into Rosa's Tavern, we knew we were in for a treat. The service was truly excellent, and our server, Toni, was an absolute gem. She was so friendly and welcoming that we instantly felt like part of the family—it made our evening incredibly enjoyable. We decided to make our meal an appetizer tour, and none of our choices disappointed! The calamari was a standout, perfectly tender and bursting with flavor. The clams were also fantastic, cooked just right with a wonderful texture. And let me tell you about the shrimp in the shrimp Mozambique—they were huge and cooked to perfection. Even the mozzarella moons, a classic, were great. Here's a pro tip: definitely ask for the Mozambique sauce for dipping with your mozzarella moons instead of the marinara. While their marinara is delicious, the Mozambique sauce takes it to a whole new level! We can't recommend Rosa's Tavern highly enough. It's a must-visit for anyone looking for amazing food and service that goes above and beyond. We're already planning our...

Other than being a little outdated, I found my time at Rosa's to be quite enjoyable.

With sandwich month in full swing, I was happy to find another new spot (new to me at least) to grab something tasty while out and about.

Their offering was a chicken parmesan sandwich and fries, to which we added a Caesar salad and a few drinks. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the food. The dining room looked like it had been decorated in the 80s and never updated, the menus were like any other 90's RI Americana restaurant with a heavy emphasis on seafood. However, the delightful service and warm welcome did a lot to get me into the mood.

The salad, bread with dipping oil, and the chicken parmesan sandwich itself were all quite delicious. So many places that give off that homey "old-school" vibe have gone down in quality, but Rosa's still delivers.

I'd happily go back again for a quick bite if I find myself in the area at...