Providence Bar & Kitchen — Restaurant in New Providence

Admittedly, I think that the major reason for my meh experience here was because I came in a group. We had a (pre-planned and reservation made) party of about 20 people. I'm not sure if they underestimated how much staffing they'd need or what, but service-wise this was a difficult lunch to have.

Started with appetizers. They were fine. The calamari was actually pretty good. Arancini and the meatballs were not my favorite. Mussels are just not the most shareable appetizer. The waiter went around and asked who wanted a caesar salad. In the end, maybe 70% of the people who asked for one were given one the first go-round and then probably 85% of those who asked ultimately got one.

While the apps came out fast, the mains took an exorbitant amount of time. We were really the only party there so I'm not sure what the place is like if things get busy. But non-exaggeratedly they probably took about an hour to 75 minutes to come out. At that point, I had really had enough calamari to call it a day on a meal and took the salmon home. This salmon was fine, a fairly nice piece of fish. The seasoning and sauce were fine. Do I think it was particularly "parmesan-crusted" as advertised-not really but I didn't mind that. But do I think it was a skosh expensive for a lunchtime dish? A bit.

Ultimately I think maybe they were just overwhelmed. A solid example is asking for lemons for the water three times to two separate people before getting it-which isn't a big deal but when you're waiting there for so long waiting for food it does weigh in.

The parking lot in the back is a very nice option. So maybe it's better for smaller meals, who knows. But I wouldn't recommend having a...

If the food at this place wasn’t totally incredible this would be a one star review. I don’t understand what happened during our experience but the service was terrible. We weren’t greeted coming in, our server didn’t take our order, and we had to wait 20 minutes at an empty table to be given our check. We went on a Tuesday late afternoon. Not busy at all and plenty of staff and management hanging around. The managers and waitstaff were chatting up with locals at surrounding tables which is great and they should, but they shouldn’t be so engrossed that they are not noticing the other customers. This paired with the loud ringing of the restaurants phone in the middle of the dining room was just too much. For the amount of money you’d be spending here you could go to a nice byob place and not feel unseen by your server when your bill is going to be $100 for two people to eat dinner and have sodas. I don’t think I’ll ever be back and I feel bad making such a review but it really was awful. I understand the restaurant game is struggling right now but incompetent servers AND managers/owners should not be happening in such an...

Social distancing outdoor dining disaster. So disappointed to give this place a downgraded review, as we really liked it, loved it, pre-pandemic. Went last week for outdoor experience, craving a relaxing martini, appy, and dinner for 2. Sadly, we were placed just inside the entryway at a 2 - Top, and suffered through several groups not wearing masks, hovering right by our chairs. The final straw was a group of 4, who were not wearing masks, talking loudly, standing directly by my daughters chair and food , talking loudly to the host (again, no masks), where they remained until their table was ready. We were so uncomfortable that we had to ask for the check and leave abruptly. One martini, almost finished appetizers, but couldn't even stay for dinner and another drink. (really wanted a pear martini!) The spacing between chairs was too close for my comfort level, having recently lost a (local) family member to covid 19. I'm sorry to say we felt rushed, and crowded out, but that's exactly what happened. We did speak to the owner, he apologized, but had no solution to our plight other than a sympathetic ear. So...