The Cooked Goose — Restaurant in Westerly

Short review: A+ Longer version: To begin, I am disappointed in myself for taking so long to get here. I found myself driving to Mystic on a very soggy Friday morning, in search of a nice breakfast. I was in the middle of downtown Mystic when it hit me. I had been told on several occasions to check out the Cooked Goose. Onward I went. October rain has caused some serious puddles and flooding all over the area, and I arrived mid downpour. The lot was packed, which gave me pause as to whether I should brave the possibility of being swept out to sea to go inside and wait for breakfast of uncertain quality. I trusted my instincts and did my best 100 ..... ok maybe 20 yard dash to the front door. I was pleasantly surprised both by the fact that there was ample seating hence no wait, and that the layout and decor were fantastic. The upside of frequently dining alone is that I typically get to choose where I sit, and for my first experience I chose the counter so I could see exactly how things worked here.

As soon as I was seated the gentleman manning the counter offered me a coffee, or more specifically my own carafe of such. I found myself salivating over the menu in almost no time, and then the specials were pointed out to me. Being in possession of epic consumption abilities I didn’t limit myself to one choice this day. Moderation would have to take a backseat to indulgence bordering on decadence. “I’ll have the porchetta and egg sandwich please, and the caramel apple French toast”.

As I waited what seemed like a very reasonable time for my food, I observed the goings on around me. The staff interacted with each other pleasantly, a cut above mere professionalism certainly existed between the crew members. There seemed to be earnest concern for each other, and all who were there to enjoy the food, the people, and the fantastic decor which perfectly reflected the high end nautical themes ubiquitous in the surrounding area. I also came to observe the owner (I asked) participating in service, cleanup, and even making a bee-line to bring a family a high chair immediately on seeing them head towards a table.

Then, there was food. It couldn’t have been any better unless someone cut it for me and fed me each delectable morsel while simultaneously reciting classic texts providing a neck and shoulder massage. I mustered all of the civility I could but in the end my excitement tipped the scales slightly, as I impressed myself and the staff with the voracity and velocity of my consumption.

I am constantly seeking inspiration from any and all business I patronize, specifically in the areas of branding and customer experience, and The Cooked Goose has...

My partner and I took a small trip to Westerly for Memorial Day. The place we were staying was kind enough to provide us with gift cards for the restaurant and we liked it so much we flocked to the goose even when the cards were well gone!

I was caught off guard by their latte's. I'm a big coffee lover and fairly picky. The hazelnut latte was phenomenal. Huge and robust flavor. Great hazelnut flavor without being too sweet, and the perfect amount of foam on top. We each ordered a new meal each day and ordered their cinnamon roll pancakes to share the final day just so we wouldn't miss out! We loved almost everything we got with just a few caveats.

By far out favorite meal was "The Breakfast Goose" sandwich. It was flavorful, tasty, and HUGE. I was worried their homemade sausage would be a bit chewy or dry because it was made from chicken, but I was WRONG it was juicy, tender, and packed full of flavor. My second favorite dish was the porchetta & egg sandwich. The porchetta was robustly flavored and cut super thinly, it just was a tad less tender than I would have liked. My partners second favorite was the vanilla almond french toast.

The service was good. Every day someone from management would ask how the meal was.

Suggestions / dislikes - My complaints aren't that major. All in all we loved the place. Loved the HONK HONK of it all. We would just choose to order some things instead of others in the future.

The breakfast club was a miss. It was just a little too messy and the flavors didn't go together too well. Something about shredded lettuce and hot eggs didn't sit right for me.

The home fries weren't very good. They seemed to be just boiled red potatoes that were very lightly seasoned. They weren't crisp in the slightest. Not a huge deal because the portions were so big.

The hot chocolate wasn't great. It tasted like Swiss Miss made with water.

Move your specials board! It's tucked around the corner. We didn't even know it was there until the last day we visited.......

28 October 2023 I wrote the last paragraph of this review three years ago, pre-pandemic and was impressed with Cooked Goose. I have returned to the restaurant multiple times to assess the quality of the service and food because I have had some concerns in a couple of visits.

Today we ate breakfast in house and ordered take out for a family member at home. We waited 10 minutes for a beverage and twenty minutes more for a bagel with lox and a cheese omelet. We also ordered a skillet breakfast "with" bacon and cheese for takeout.

EVERYTHING at Cooked Goose was TERRIBLE! Service was horrific and the food plunged in presentation and quality. The bagel was ice cold, the omelet was cold, and the takeout was merely literally a PILE of boiled half potatoes topped with scramble egg absent bacon, sausage, and cheese.

It's a beautiful October weekend and the Goose was filled with tourists. We live about 5 miles from the Goose and I would not hesitate to drive by it if I was interested in a meal. The Goose is off the list, but frankly it was teetering on the fence a long time, it fell like Humpty Dumpty,...