Bywater

Edit: Bywater reached out to us and refunded our meal. We are now in contact with them in order to help avoid issues like this in the future. We appreciate their effort in trying to correct this mistake. This is a bittersweet review. We’ve chosen Bywater before for our anniversary dinners and other special occasions and have always had great experiences. We love to support local food and stand by quality. We always recommended it to our friends and family. Unfortunately, I cannot overstate my disappointment at the Valentine’s dinner “for two”. The meager portion in the photos speaks for themselves. To my utter surprise upon arriving home, a small container of pasta, a salad with seven large leaves (we counted), and garlic bread smaller than a regular piece of toast were supposed to be a meal for two. We thought this surely must’ve been a mistake, called, and drove back to check. Nope; that’s our romantic meal for two. We didn’t expect massive portions; but we expected similar portions to when we’ve eaten at Bywater before. For $60 this is just ridiculous. Truly put a damper on our Valentine’s and we had to buy additional food elsewhere. We sadly can’t say we want to give Bywater our business any longer, which is a real shame.

Sat outside by a fire pit on New Year’s Eve. Wasnt too busy. Service was pretty slow. Waited 30 min for my drinks. Outdoor ambience was nice with fire pit. Buck-a-shuck on Monday’s only. Overall, can’t give 5 stars for service. But a good place. I would rank Trafford and Square Peg higher depending if you want fancy or low-brow. But a good place to mix it up.

This review is for the Bakeshop @ Bywater. Today I had my first spice roll. It was Dionysian delight with high quality cinnamon, subtle notes of peppery adjacent bite and the tang of citrus. The naturally leavened pastry dough is flaky lightness without the heavy doughy texture of flour and chemical enhancers. You close your eyes and dream of that morning along the Seine in your imagination as you peel it apart and slow yourself down while eating. Like many things Bywater, it is the best cinnamon roll in the East Bay. Order using their square site via the Insta account. Order early. This is a special treat not to be missed!

Amazing seafood and dishes prepared with obvious care. Definitely a limited menu, but when the food was this good you don't feel like you've missed out on anything. We actually ended up ordering more dishes because of how good our initial orders were. Very cozy inside and super friendly staff- see if you can sit near the raw bar to watch the food get prepared right in front of you. One of the best meals, start to finish, I've had in a long time.

To say that this little restaurant is magical would be an understatement. My husband and I stumbled upon Bywater about five years ago and it’s held a special spot in our hearts (and bellies) ever since. The food is outrageous and many things I’ve had here are on my “best I ever had” list. The menu is a wonderful assortment of local and seasonal items that regularly change so there’s always something new and exciting. That being said, god bless them for always keeping the littlenecks and duck tacos in rotation because they are truly heaven sent (and what I’ve declared would be my last meal- with a slice of their gluten free chocolate cake). The staff are some of the loveliest people you’ve ever met and make you feel so welcomed. They’ve gone out of their way on numerous occasions to make our night extra special. Katie clearly prioritizes her staff and it shows! Throughout the pandemic Bywater has become even more beloved to us. They have made sure everyone’s health and safety are paramount and continue to make sure that staff and diners alike can enjoy a safe and clean surrounding. They’ve found innovative and delicious ways to protect their staff while still keeping them employed when indoor dining wasn’t feasible. Their weekly family meals have been a treat in our house that we so look forward to. The extra measures they’ve instituted as case numbers continue to climb is the reason that it’s the only restaurant we’ve dined inside of in RI in months. We have the exact same measures in NYC and appreciate having them when we dine at Bywater as well.

Amendment: I have been in contact with the staff since my last visit, and has since been a positive experience. The staff at this restaurant are very helpful, professional, and are willing to help you if things go wrong with your visit. Overall, this is a beautiful restaurant with a nice view and location. I enjoyed the food and I confirmed with my friends that went with me that they enjoyed the food as well. Be sure when you make a reservation or call ahead that you plan in advance as there is limited seating inside. I am updating my review, as a result. Thank you Bywater! We were out spending the evening in Warren with a buddy from out of town and found this place online while looking for food. We called ahead and asked if there were any tables open. The lady on the phone told us to come sit outside, as there were plenty of tables. We got there, sat outside, and ordered food and drinks. We waited for a long time for our food, and it started raining pretty bad. I went inside and told them to just give us our food to go, as there were no tables available inside. The waiter decided to tell me that it was not a good idea to sit outside and he would have advised against it as he knew it was going to rain. I said, “sir, we were told to come sit outside when we called ahead”. He had a bit of a snarky attitude. The food that was brought back with us was decent, despite the price tag for the small amount of food. That’s the only reason this place didn’t get 1 star. If you guys are booked and the weather is bad, you are booked. No need to tell your guests to come sit in the rain. It was quite the embarrassing experience. Needless to say, we won’t be back.

**EDIT** Our meal was refunded after this and my partner's reviews. I do appreciate the gesture very much, and I will say that the make-good is much more than I could have asked for. I can't in good conscience give this place 5 stars now for that because of the service and treatment we received while there, but I can very much say that their after service was nice. I still strongly doubt I will be back, but the whole experience has been salvaged somewhat by that treatment. Thank you to the management for trying to make this right. **Original Review** I called ahead to confirm that there was seating for myself and three friends, and was told that while indoors was reserved, there was space outside. We had checked the weather before going out a few hours prior, and it looked clear when we headed out. We arrived to a fairly empty restaurant, and while it didn't look fully reserved... I gave them the benefit of the doubt. We were greeted by a rather rude server who questioned immediately why we were there and berated the person we'd spoken to on the phone to the point where I was forced to apologize to him on her behalf. First red flag right there, and had I just listened and changed my mind there, we would have been saved 2 hours of waiting for drinks, food, and being rained on in the cold while we waited for the most expensive joke portions I've ever seen. We waited for service, then drinks, and then when it started to rain and we decided instead to take our food to go, it took a small age to get done. Our server was on his phone about as often as he was serving tables, came to check on us exactly once throughout the whole experience to bring drinks, and berated us for even choosing to dine outside. We were okay with it, if not a bit cold, but it was okay until the rain started... And then his snark came in full force and us deciding to leave seemed to cement the fact that we were 'beneath' him. It was infuriating, and while I decided not to engage... I know for a fact he was a big part of what made our experience so terrible. The small portion size for the very large price also hurt, especially when I had time to take a 30 minute work call, bring our car around, finish the one drink we were allowed to order which was the one and only good part of the experience, and chat with our out-of-town friend to repeatedly apologize for not going to somewhere we knew was good and daring to take this chance. Top that off with a nearly 200 dollar bill for 4 small drinks and 4 'meals'... And needless to say, I will be avoiding this place like the plague. Save yourself the trouble and go anywhere else; there are many, many better food options. Or just do what we did and order pizza once you've made the same mistake we did.

Service was quite good, ambiance very good. We found the menu very unsatisfactory and the portions ridiculously small. An order of sourdough bread yields two moderate slices at a whopping price. We try to support local restaurants on a regular basis and surely expect to pay a bit more in these trying times. To charge the prices that they do and deliver mediocre food in portions to small to satisfy the average diner is disappointing.