Union Square Bistro — Restaurant in East Providence

Usually restaurants don't have patios that a bicyclist would see as interesting, however, Union Square Bistro resides on the side of a widely used bike path. For some, it may look like a restaurant for the locals, but you are missing out on being a part of the transformation of the Riverside area.

A few years ago, it may have been just a coffeeshop that claimed a certain kind of "avocado toast" feel to it. There seemed to be a feel that the neighborhood and its residents still carried a strong sense of pride and love for the area, but that it was still struggling to find its soul. Union Square Bistro seems to be an interpretation of that soul, a restaurant that is adopting the bike path as a transit route for health- and climate-conscious individuals, and a meeting center for locals who don't want to drive too far to experience an upscale atmosphere.

Here, you can get some light fare while in the middle of a bike ride, or a nice meal after a 30 miler. I ate outside in the patio area and enjoyed the sounds of the outdoors. The restaurant staff were very accomodating with food allergies, displaying a kindness and recognition of allergy needs. I also ate outside cause bicyclists don't have an "indoor" smell, sometimes.

There are places to rest your bike so you can eat comfortably. The meal was delicious. I will be back here to get cocktails on a late Friday afternoon. Please check this place out, it's nice to see businesses and economy centered around a bike friendly transit route. We can see so many more third spaces of this kind when we all support it.

Also, Union Square Bistro is located in an area of the East Bay Bike Path where, in the right conditions, is one of the best stretches, in my opinion. The tree canopy reaches over the bike path as if the plants are trying to claim every last inch of solar cover. On the right time, the sun is covering that area in a way where rays of light pierce through the leafy cover. When combined with the wind in your face, the visual splendor of this long stretch should be considered. If you have any luck at all, a Union Square Bistro customer will have ordered a meal that fills the air with delicious food smells....

I stumbled upon Union Square Bistro on IG & couldn’t resist checking it out after seeing their mouthwatering food posts. This new spot in Riverside, RI, caught my eye, especially with their exclusive brunch menu available on Sundays until 3:00 p.m.

So, I gathered a few friends, and we decided to give it a go. I gotta tell ya, we were all pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and the friendliness of the staff!

I ordered the Blueberry Cornbread Waffle, which came with maple butter syrup, blueberry puree, and three (maybe four?) buttermilk chicken tenders. I also added a side of eggs, bacon, and hot honey buffalo sauce for the tenders. While the waffle was a bit dense and dry, the flavors were on point. Overall, I’d give it a solid 7.7 out of 10.

I also tried their Riverside Square mocktail, which was fruity and packed with flavor!

My friends ordered the Crispy Chicken and Waffle Snacker—a fried chicken sandwich with eggs, cheese, hot sauce, and a side of potatoes. They devoured it in no time and rated it a 7.6 out of 10. Another friend got The Union Brunch Burger, which was a hit with two patties, a fried egg, bacon jam, cheese, and potatoes on the side. However, the bun was a little too small for the burger patty, which made it a bit messy to eat. Despite that, he rated it an 8 out of 10.

Others also had the Mac and Cheese & Lobster Mac and Cheese. The regular mac was good, though a bit generic (7/10), while the lobster version added a nice touch. Both portions were a bit small.

Lastly, my brother tried the Shredded Beef Melt on Toasted Rosemary Focaccia Bread, which came with a side of onion rings. He said the bread had a slightly odd texture but tasted good with the rosemary. The beef lacked a bold flavor, with the au jus being the only saving grace. The onion rings were just "meh" according to him. He gave it a 6.5 out of 10.

All in all, we enjoyed our meal and would definitely return to explore more of their brunch & dinner options! FOLLOW ME ON...

My bestie and I came for my birthday dinner based on the raving reviews. It was a Thursday at 5:30pm and we were the first patrons. We were greeted by Teri, who provided excellent customer service during our entire meal, and owner, Monique. After letting them know we were here for my birthday, Monique brought us over shots of our choice, on the house. The restaurant under Monique’s ownership is just a few months old and doing well! The place filled up by the time we left. We started with cocktails: Carousel, Summer Day, and Cedar Grove. I mentioned to Teri I thought the Carousel could be sweeter and she came over with simple syrup right away. We loved all of our drinks. As an appetizer we had parmesan fries with special sauce (mayo & hot sauce). Yummy and straight from the fryer! For dinner we ordered the Hot Honey Chicken (with cornbread waffle) and Build-Your-Own Mac-N-Cheese (with fried chicken and sweet chili sauce). EVERYTHING WAS DELICIOUS. The best mac-n-cheese either of us ever had. The chicken was melt-in-your-mouth good. From the customer service to the food to the ambiance, we were sold.

There is outdoor seating on the bike path and even though it was raining, a family with a kid in a stroller and dog pulled up just as we were leaving.

I would be remiss not to add that another waitstaff, Izzy, seemed to win over customers with her charm. She stopped by a few times (seemingly flirting) and eventually asked for me to take a picture of her and my bestie. While very friendly, and it didn’t take away from the excellent customer service overall, it bordered on unwelcome/uncomfortable. My bestie and I both commented on it afterward.

OVERALL: Highly recommend. I even told my family about it...