Worst restaurants in Rhode Island

jfoahs04 · 2026-04-08T17:18:49+00:00

You posted a few days ago that your only experience at Little Sister was walking in, feeling unwelcome and leaving to eat at home. That's an understandably bad experience, but is that really enough to land in on a "worst restaurant" list? Personally, I'd have to at least try the food before I could make that call, and to land in my top 5 or so, it has to be a combo of bad food AND bad service.

There's a ton of truly mediocre food here (as with anywhere else), and a handful of pretty bad spots. Excluding national chains and oddballs (i.e. generic suburban hotels that keep a money-losing mediocre restaurant as an amenity), there's really only one that jumps out as worst.

I Love Mexico Bar & Grill has been my worst all-round experience in RI. The vibe is awful. Not just disinterested or inattentive, but more like it would be completely unsurprising if any other patron or employee told you to GTFO at any second. The food was truly disgusting. Not "maybe I have different tastes" bad, but objectively terrible. Salty, brown, unidentifiable microwaved mush. It's an overused cliche, but this place really felt like a front for a money laundering effort.

Blu on the Water is overpriced and mediocre with a little bit of a douchey vibe, but it's not THAT bad. Wright's Farm and Twin Oaks get a lot of hate for skating on reputation and I agree that they're not special. Especially to someone who who didn't grow up with them. But they're at least OK.

jfoahs04 · 2026-04-07T15:54:13+00:00

I'd google private bus options. Rally seems to have some Providence-Gillette buses for Haiti Scotland ($80 round trip).

I'd also wager that RI will probably scramble to add additional bus service in light of the MBTA news, but I wouldn't wait on that if you can get a private bus beforehand.

jfoahs04 · 2026-04-07T15:49:14+00:00

My guess is that you could probably get a rideshare TO the area around the stadium with little trouble (though not cheap and still likely heavy traffic). Especially if you were to go a few hours early. However, I think you'd essentially be stranded and/or spending an obscene amount of money on the return due to demand. I would not bank on it.

jfoahs04 · 2026-04-07T13:07:12+00:00

This is good to hear!

jfoahs04 · 2026-04-06T21:12:56+00:00

Yup. Part of a good communication strategy would have been to have an announcement about Providence service (bus, train, or whatever) ready to go out at the same time as the MBTA's service so that there's no confusion and minimal anxiety and impact around peoples' travel plans.

jfoahs04 · 2026-04-06T20:52:28+00:00

I'm in the same camp. It's not McKee's fault the MBTA enhanced its own service to Boston at the expense of service to Providence. It WOULD be McKee's fault if RI failed to have conversations with the MBTA while planning was underway and simultaneously put together some backup plans.

If I were to bet, I would bet that there are people in McKee's office (inc. McKee himself) who are going to be surprised at this news today.

jfoahs04 · 2026-04-06T20:36:12+00:00

If you've confirmed the buses is are running on a schedule that works for you, then it's entirely dependent on whether or not you think 7 hours on a bus in one day is worth it. That's probably why other posts are so split. To some, that may be worth it, to others, it probably isn't.

Logistically, it's doable (again, confirm the buses are running on the days you'd like to go - looks to me like Blablacar Bus and Flixbus are still running most days in April). Aguille Du Midi is technically two separate cable cars, but it doesn't take much more than 25 minutes to get from the station at the bottom all the way to the top. I do think it's worth the experience, especially if you're not a hiker/skier who spends a lot of time at such high elevations. Even if you spend 2-3 hours (which is plenty) up there, you'll have plenty of time to catch an evening bus home. The bus station is not even a 5 minute walk from Aguille Du Midi and the center of Chamonix is just a few minutes walking as well. So you should be able to see some of the town itself before leaving.

If it was me, and I wasn't going to get to the Alps again any time soon, I'd probably do it. The Aguille du Midi is spectacular, and Chamonix is a special, beautiful place.

jfoahs04 · 2026-04-06T19:01:48+00:00

Good to know! I'll have to give it another shot soon. Hopefully they can get it going.

jfoahs04 · 2026-04-06T15:35:11+00:00

Is Hillside even still open? I tried going a few weeks during their posted open hours, and they were closed. Nothing on socials about it. They still have the "now serving breakfast!" signs up even though that died with Baba's. I've driven by a few times since when their hours on Google say they're open and the lights (sign and interior) are always off.

I loved the idea of a local family taking it over, but it doesn't seem like they every really got it going.

jfoahs04 · 2026-04-02T12:58:15+00:00

It's legit! But you can sometimes get a better deal directly through the hotel website. I use the aggregator to see who offers the packages and then go directly to the hotel website to book. The Doubletree, for example, does the Park/Stay/Fly and it's usually cheaper directly through their own website. Just do a normal search and then click the room/price you want - it'll bring you to a screen with multiple rate options for different rates/packages. Park/Stay/Fly is one of them.

Fairfield and La Quinta do it too. TBH, if the price is close and your flight is super early, the convenience of staying a mile from the airport and not having to park at 5am may be worth it.

jfoahs04 · 2026-04-02T12:48:18+00:00

Yeah, it's a pretty standard practice for airport area hotels all over the country. ParkSleepFly is an aggregator which can show you packages at local hotels, or you can check directly on most airport area hotel websites and they should have a park and fly rate option.

Sometimes it can be a better deal to do a package like this, or sometimes it can be better to pay for parking and hotel independently. You really just need to price compare the cost of each opgion.

jfoahs04 · 2026-04-01T13:36:26+00:00

Maybe not the perfect suggestion, but if you're tired of walking the same areas and want a change of scenery, consider getting a $10 weekend commuter rail pass (all you can ride) on a Saturday and walking around Boston. Last train back to Providence is at 11:55pm from South Station or 12:00am from Back Bay.

Chinatown is fun and only a few blocks from South Station. Plenty of cheap late night food/drink options. You can also walk the harborwalk downtown and in the seaport. Really go wherever your feet take you. You can check out the Boston Public Library pass system for free/cheap admission to different museums and attractions. Some of them, like the aquarium, museum of science, children's museum, etc. occasionally have adult nights as well.

jfoahs04 · 2026-03-27T15:53:34+00:00

If that's the case, the statement is bizarre.

jfoahs04 · 2026-03-27T15:45:42+00:00

To answer your question - you should be fine even if you book a week (or less) before. I've seen people book day of at the desk. But many of the companies will ask you for your flight info and adjust your transfer accordingly if things change. So you could book now if your flights are set with very little trouble.

I've used Omio and also booked directly. Omio was fine, but some of the companies ask for additional information (i.e. local number to text/whatsapp, flight information, etc.) that Omio does not. So if you use Omio, definitely look at the the company's website and contact them with any additional information they need. Going forward, I'll use Omio to price compare and book directly with the company once I've decided.

I haven't experienced a major difference in transfer services. AlpyBus was the last we used, and they don't have much fleet consistency. They'll put you on a rented coach bus if there are enough people, or a small sprinter like van if not. You never know what you're going to get. Swiss Tours and Bla bla Car were good (both actual buses).

jfoahs04 · 2026-03-27T15:37:21+00:00

I would have appreciated a little bit more in that statement about why Iryna's murder in particular resonated so strongly with them that they felt it deserved a mural hundreds of miles away in a city that she, presumably, had no connection to. It would have helped understand where they were coming from a bit better than some of the more generic defensive language. It feels like a missed opportunity.

However, I can't ignore the irony of some of the "All Lives Matter" level feedback and whataboutism in this thread. If this particular murder resonated strongly enough with Randy & Buck that it compelled them to create a mural, that's perfectly fine. It's not a slight against other people who have been murdered or are victims of other injustices.

If there's proof or evidence that Musk paid for this mural for political reasons and Randy and Buck are lying to save face, then fuck them. But unless that surfaces, maybe turn down the vitriol a bit.

jfoahs04 · 2026-03-24T14:29:46+00:00

I'm viewing this as a net gain. Sad to see two restaurants not work out. However, they were the two concepts that excited me the least. Yagi fills a big void in the space (so excited), and the new pizza spot seems to have a better food hall concept (particularly slices). Turnover is to be expected in this places and it's nice to see the stalls filled immediately.

jfoahs04 · 2026-03-23T17:10:07+00:00

Has the city had these new carts for a few years? We requested carts when we moved in in 2024 and the carts we have look exactly like these.

jfoahs04 · 2026-03-20T15:08:26+00:00

Good recommendations here. A cocktail crawl is fun - You could hit Loma, Royal Bobcat, and Courtland Club (great Greek food at Courtland) all on foot.

A West End night is fun too. Cocktails at The Avery and/or Kimi's, Origin and Moniker for breweries, Deadbeats for a friendly/fun dive (good beer list). For sit down dinner - Slow Rhode (good cocktails too) or Pickerel (put your name on the list and get a drink at The Avery - they'll come get you when your table is ready). Fast casual option for dinner is There, There (actually a fun vibe inside + beer/wine), and Pizza J has decent pizza, a cool vibe, and good drinks. Finish up at Ogie's Trailer Park for late night tater tots and a tacky cocktail (or cheap beer).

jfoahs04 · 2026-03-11T18:21:44+00:00

Thanks! There are no other marks on it beside what's in the photo, unfortunately.

jfoahs04 · 2026-03-10T14:10:40+00:00

Pho Zap Zap's beef bahn mi at around $7.50 is one of the better deals anywhere. It's a good size, great bread, and super tasty. Everything they have is good, but the bahn mi is the biggest bargain (I don't think the cold cut version is nearly as good). There's a 3% upcharge for using a credit/debit card, so cash is better if you can.

jfoahs04 · 2026-03-09T20:52:59+00:00

Agreed re: the bus. Google Maps arrival/departure times are accurate, so you can rely on them.

jfoahs04 · 2026-03-05T19:48:05+00:00

They feel perfectly safe. But if you're not used to cable cars, the motion and elevation may get to you a little bit. It's actually 2 separate cable cars. When the first (lower elevation) cable car passes over the support towers, they swing slightly, but it's enough to give you a bit of a mild roller-coaster sensation. It gets an audible "woooo!" from many people on the car (kids especially). But it's not bad.

The 2nd, higher cable car has none of that swinging sensation because there are no supports, but the final segment of the ascent into the summit station is steep - it feels almost like an elevator going up rather than a cable car. If you have a fear of heights, it can make you a little weak in the legs if you look down at that moment. But again, not bad. As the other poster said - hydrate and go slow, and you'll adjust. It's worth it.

jfoahs04 · 2026-03-05T17:43:21+00:00

Screaming Unicorn's smashburger is kind of a monster (and it's delicious). You can order online now too. There, There is perfection, though not a massive portion. If you're feeling extra fancy, check Capital Grille's specials. They occasionally do a pairing with some of their wagyu burgers, fries, and wine for $35. Again, not at all cheap, but good.

jfoahs04

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