Chelo's Waterfront Bar and Grille - Warwick — Restaurant in Warwick

So, I haven’t dined here in over 5 years and I went last night for a family members birthday with a group of 20. We were told there wouldn’t be any issues with the amount of guests as our table was reserved days in advanced, but when we gave our name to the many “hostels” at the front desk, we were told they could only accommodate 18 and they were trying to get a table ready for us. We all went outside to the bar to grab a drink and wait; I saw 2 empty seats at the bar and the bartender told us that they were reserved, I replied and said that’s okay, I just want to order a drink. 10, 15 minutes go by and I’m not getting served, I walk away to check on the table, and I come back to see 2 people sitting at the “reserved seats”. The bartender tells them that those seats were already taken, but where were these people? Well, it turns out to be her friends and they were across the bar.. from my understanding, bar seats aren’t reserved seating. At this point, I still haven’t got served. It took for a couple of my family members to grab her attention, and the attitude was ridiculous & astonishing. I completely understood that it was a Saturday night, and a busy one. But that doesn’t excuse the behavior. We finally sat down for dinner and our waitress was the best part of my night. Welcoming smile, very nice and attentive.

Here comes the icing on the cake, I had my car valet & I handed the young gentleman my ticket as my car was literally the last one in the lot. He gave me a face and asked if my car keys had a specific key chain, I said yes, and I was told that my keys were “misplaced” and another young gentleman told me that my keys were with someone who called in earlier.

Okay, I understand things happen, but WHY wasn’t this person told to come back with the incorrect keys?? Not only did I receive a bunch of excuses, their Supervisor wasn’t any better. A man by the name of “Adonis” basically told me over the phone that there wasn’t much that he could do and he would need to talk to his employees. While this is happening, one of the younger employees took his personal car to drive to Cranston to get my keys. The restaurant is already closed at this point, so it’s not like I could wait inside and maybe get a complimentary drink. Nope, I’m stuck there patiently waiting for my keys. About 45 mins later I finally received them.

I NEVER leave reviews, but I’ve never had something like this happen to me. There was ZERO accountability.

Safe to say I won’t...

Food was good, especially the clam cakes, which were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside with relatively large chunks of clams. Chowder was also pretty good, and they have a good deal where you can have a combo of cakes and chowder for $10. The kids fish sticks we're actually breaded pieces of fish, which was a refreshing change from the previously-frozen fish sticks we found at other places.

The negative from the visit came in the service and unexpected charges. My kids were very excited about the unlimited refills of fountain soda with the kids meals (they don't have soda often, and only when it is included on a kids meal, as the menu indicated). Our waitress was at the table to take our order when my kids expressed their excitement and asked what sodas they have. She listed a number of Pepsi products, including root beer, which my kids love and immediately selected. When it came out, however, it was IBC root beer in the bottle, not the fountain drink. When I inquired as to if it was part of the kids meal, she said no. At that point they were already open and at the table, so I didn't know what to do other than keep them (at $3/each). My son did get a kids meal and after he finished the root beer he switched to a fountain drink, of which he had refills. The waitress was also rude when I asked her about the clam cakes. We had been traveling around New England for a week or so, and had many varieties. When I asked about them to figure out what theirs are like, she commented that we, "must not be from around here," in an annoyed way.

When the food came out we enjoyed it and had a nice time. When the bill came out, in addition to the extra $6 for the root beers, my son's kids meal was listed as $8-something, which was $2 more than listed in the kids menu. So we basically had an appetizer-worth of extra charges, which was annoying. I would have rather had an extra appetizer.

The marina and setting is pretty, though, and they had live music while we were there, which was a fun treat...

My recent visit to Chelo's Waterfront and Grill left much to be desired. The evening began with a glimmer of hope as we were seated promptly at 6:29 pm. However, that glimmer quickly faded as we anxiously awaited our main course meals, which were finally served at a disheartening 7:22 pm.

We started the meal with the white chowder with crab cakes, but unfortunately, it lacked the expected flavors that I had come to associate with Chelo's. My wife opted for the fish and chips, my daughter had the Mac and cheese with a grilled cheese sandwich, and I chose the ribeye sandwich. Regrettably, none of the dishes lived up to our expectations.

One of the most disappointing aspects of this visit was the noticeable upcharge in prices at this waterfront and grill location compared to other Chelo's branches. It was disheartening to see that a burger, which would typically cost $12 elsewhere, was priced at a staggering $18 here.

The ultimate disappointment was my ribeye steak sandwich, which arrived overcooked and distressingly soggy. The culinary letdown left me unsatisfied and questioning the quality of the food being served.

To add to our dissatisfaction, we never received a refill on our beverages despite attempting to get the attention of the waitstaff multiple times. The lack of attentiveness only further dampened our experience.

As if that weren't enough, we couldn't help but notice that 5 tables, which were seated after us, were already finishing their meals while we were still left waiting for our order to be served. The stark difference in service between us and those around us left us feeling overlooked and undervalued as customers.

While I have always been a fan of Chelo's, this particular experience has made me hesitant to return to this location. I will opt to visit other Chelo's branches where the service is consistently top-notch and the food lives up to expectations. For now, I'll have to pass on revisiting Chelo's...