Mill's Tavern — Restaurant in Providence

No thank you.

I don't know what the hype here is - all my experiences have been subpar for this place.

Driving in, you may get lucky with street parking, but there's complimentary valet - so it was a no brainer for us to just use that instead.

Inside it's well lit with small tables seating throughout the main dining space, and then a more private area to the back right. The decor is done like a high end steak house with nautical vibes - lots of dark wood utilized.

I've been here before for a work event and was recently here for a birthday celebration. For this most recent experience, we were seated in the more private area. It was set up for our party of 10, but there were also a few other smaller groups seated in the area as well. It's a nice ambiance, with large windows to with a view of the city however, it was mighty cramped for our group considering how small the space is and they still squeezed other tables in there.

Their drinks list is fairly extensive with a nice list of seasonal house drinks to also choose from. For the food they had their fall menu out. I ordered their pumpkin and cream cheese wood fire flatbread with pomegranate and arugula as the topping (I removed the bacon to make it vegetarian.)

Overall the food was just not tasty. I tried to season it up with black pepper and red pepper flakes, but I wasn't really feeling any of it. The dough was chewy rather than crispy and I don't feel the use of the pumpkin/cream cheese as the sauce was done well. The sauce should've been worked with additional seasonings (cinnamon? cumin? - something to add a little oomph.) I also wasn't too happy about the lack of veggie friendly options to begin with on the menu. It would've been nice to have choices rather than have to modify their glorified pizza so I could eat something satiating. They did have a salad on there - but that's something I can just make at home for free.

I ended up just packing the pie up to go in hopes of reworking it at home.

I thought the service was pretty good - our water glasses were filled constantly and the staff were readily available for any requests. I also liked that they were able to discreetly bring out the surprise cake to celebrate our friend's birthday!

In the end, I won't be rushing back here. It didn't really have too many food options for me and what I did end getting was not to my...

My family and I celebrated our daughter's graduation at this restaurant this past weekend. We were a party of 11 people.

The staff is warm and welcoming upon arrival. The place is beautiful with a wood/ rustic look. It was very busy that night but I found our waitress, Katie, to be super attentive and accurate throughout the night.

Our dining experience started with bread/ butter and fried calamari. Very good. I ordered the almond crusted swordfish with saffron sabaton which was not enjoyable for me. I did not see or taste the almonds at all and the combination of flavors was not impressive. The plate was however plated beautifully.

I tasted my Mom's and husband's dish and will say that I wish I had ordered one of their options. My Mom had the beer braised corned beef short rib. It was outstanding! Flavorful, tender and satisfying. My husband ordered the rack of lamb which was also delicious. The lamb is served with a citrus spinach hummus that created a nice flavorful food experience.

After our main dish I ordered the bread pudding for dessert. I also tasted a few other desserts on the table that we were sharing.

Here's the breakdown: Portuguese Bread pudding was warm but thick and bulky. Flavor was there but texture was off for me. I didn't find it comforting as I expect bread pudding to be.

Vanilla crème brulee was good but not great. It was served with rhubarb jam and lavender shortbread which was a nice touch.

-Flourless chocolate cake was okay but nothing to write home about. This dish was also plated beautifully and had lovely flavor combinations in its accompaniments but overall was just okay.

Along with my food I had one drink from the Libations menu- the Roselle. It was great!

Overall, I found this place to be okay. I'd give it a solid 3.5 based on my personal experience and the feedback I gathered from around our table. As stated previously, the service, ambiance and presentation of everything was well done which is why I gave it 4 stars. Some of the food lacked flavor or had flavor combinations that did compliment each other.

I would recommend this place if you're not a "foodie", willing to explore menu items and come to your own conclusions, and/or value the other strong characteristics...

I am so disappointed. I have known of Mills Tavern for 20 years or so and have never dined here. With having been locked down for 3 months due to covid-19, then reopening my business and working non stop for 3 months, I sought a special evening with my partner. The evening was sublime. Samantha was our waitress. Even with a mask on, you could tell she was smiling and was happy to be back at her craft. We ordered oysters to start and then the calamari. Of course RI oysters are perfection this time of year and they went down so easy. When she came back to clear round 1 , I asked... Did you fire the calamari yet? She already knew. We wanted more oysters! The calamari eventually came and was delicious! Cajun inspired I believe and very unconventional for RI. Yum! Steaks, fillet and the like are an art and science. I was craving the rib eye, and this night they had an offering of Point Judith day boat scallops with a strong sear... This sounded too good to pass up, so I got 2. One for me and one to share with my partner. Rib eye. Oh that rib eye! Words and the English language fail to express how beyond perfect it was. We got 2 sides. Asparagus and Mac n cheese. Now for the disappointment. Disappointed. Disappointed in myself for not coming here sooner. Disappointed for all the money I've wasted at other restaurants over the years, looking for a great steak cooked to perfection. All of it a waste! My 401k would be so much bigger in fact had I just come here all along! This restaurant has solidified itself as a leader in RI and as far as I'm concerned, well beyond lil Rhody! To add to this review, if you had any questions on the level of detail they may have missed. I left my email address on the receipt, to be signed up for their rewards program. Before I got to the highway, I had an email welcoming me to their rewards program. Good food and an elevated experience is everything to me. This was exceptional food and service. Kudos! You have reopened after Covid-19 hiatus at the top of the game! Your team is to be commended! Thank you for all you do for those of us who appreciate the...