O'Rourkes Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Warwick

We had our Son and new Daughter-in-Law’s Wedding rehearsal dinner for 40 people upstairs in Brefany’s at O’Rouke’s Bar & Grill last Thursday evening. The Wedding and reception we held at the newly renovated & now so beautiful Rhode on the Pawtucket which is less than half a mile down the road. The Brefany room was just freshly painted and updated with new floors and window treatments allowing you to see the Pawtuxet river from this lovely upstairs room. The owner Laurie O’Rouke & Amy were wonderful from the moment we stepped into O’Rourke’s for the first time back in July when we were in town looking for venue’s for the rehearsal dinner. We recently relocated down south after living in RI but had never been to O’Rourke’s before so we did not know what to expect but we sure made the right choice and we will for sure make it a go to spot whenever we come to RI to visit our family and friends. Laurie was fantastic to work with throughout the planning process which was done over the phone. I just know we would probably be good friends had I still lived in RI. She sure made me fell like we were friends and so did Amy. I know for sure that we would be regular customer’s since the food and service was excellent. The Food was abundant and delicious- every single dish! Amy ran the party as Bar Tender, server and she did just about everything, she even served the cake. She was a delight and was on top of everything. The food was excellent and we are all very picky. My friends were there from Ny and they own a very popular Italian restaurant and they said that the food was great! Big compliment! The Brides family and the majority of the Bridal party were from NJ and the rest were from RI. Every single person said it was the best time and the food was great. They were all talking about it the next morning and they all said that they had the best time and said that Amy was great. The locals will all be back for sure! I was nervous because we had never eaten there before but I will say that we were so pleased with how everything turned out and thank Laurie, Amy and the entire staff at O’Rourke’s for a wonderful rehearsal dinner. We would highly recommend for a rehearsal dinner or any event! Thank you all for a great time. We highly recommend O’Rourke’s and The Brefany room- a...

O'Rourkes is not the sort of place I'd usually go. While I like pub type fare, I don't drink alcohol, so a certain part of the appeal of a bar and grill is lost on me. However, their food is still pretty good.

The interior is very pub-like, but given the nice weather, be decided to eat outside. The chairs and tables are plentiful but could be better spaced apart. Sitting there, talking with my dinner companion - the day was perfect.

Then they turned the music on.

Blaring, loud - a sonic bazooka directed right at us. We went in and lodged a complaint, and the music was turned down, but I found it odd that they would just turn on the music cranked to full volume and not check to see what it sounded like foe the diners. shrug At least they turned it down with minimal conflict.

I ordered the Corned Beef Reuben with tater tots on the side and was not disappointed - at least for the most part. The sandwich's rye bread was well toasted, there was a generous portion of perfectly sliced corned beef between the slices of said bread, a good amount of dressing... but the saurkraut was where they found defeat. There was nowhere near enough, and it did not have enough flavor, in my opinion.

The tots were good, but aren't tater tots always good?

Overall?

The meal was average. A good but not great sandwich and good tater tots don't make the hour-ish trip to O'Rourkes worthwhile. I'd go back if I were in the neighborhood, but I'm never really in the neighborhood. I'd like to try out a few other things on the menu (Irish Nachos, Pretzel), but I don't see myself going back any time soon, as it is kind of a long trip, and the parking in the area is...

As longtime Village residents and loyal O’Rourke’s regulars, we were genuinely disheartened by our first experience under the new ownership. The warmth and charm that once defined this neighborhood staple have vanished, along with the menu favorites we used to love.

What replaced them was a disappointing, overpriced meal that fell far short of expectations. My Bangers & Mash arrived lukewarm and bland, with vegetables that were both greasy and undercooked. The dish felt mass-produced, like it came straight out of a Sysco recipe card. My wife’s fish tacos weren’t any better and left her feeling unwell for the rest of the night and into the next day.

We don’t mind paying $100 for dinner when the quality is there—but this simply wasn’t worth it. Even the appetizer, mozzarella moons, while fine, didn’t do much to redeem the experience.

The only bright spot is the staff, who remain kind and attentive. But the empty bar, once reliably bustling, said it all. In the six years we’ve lived here, we’ve never seen it so quiet, no matter the time or day.

The irony of the new owner parking her home staging business van outside the entrance, while the restaurant itself remains completely undecorated and empty was a humorous dichotomy.

It’s hard to watch a place that meant so much to the community lose its identity. We truly hope they can find their footing, but sadly, we won’t be...