Wilcox Tavern - Charlestown

I live just behind the restaurant, and the area is absolutely beautiful with breathtaking views.

First of all, I’d rate the food 4 stars. However, there were several issues with presentation and service. I requested my meal without gravy, but it came covered, and everything was stacked on top of each other, which caused the entire dish to be affected. My husband and I prefer not to have our food piled like that. For me, there was mostly stuffing with just a little potato, while my husband had the opposite situation. The mashed squash was served in large 1-2 inch chunks. To top it off, the pumpkin pie was so hot that I burned my tongue on it. Who serves hot pumpkin pie?? When I mentioned this to the server, she said she didn’t know what had happened, but she didn’t remove the pie from our bill. Also, soup or dessert weren’t included with the turkey dinner, which was unexpected. Additionally, when I asked if the meat was all white, I was told yes, but my husband received mostly dark meat. I wasn’t sure if the waitstaff were regular employees or just filling in for the day. And unfortunately, my Manhattan cocktail was undrinkable.

We ordered a steak and fish dinner, and after half an hour, they informed us that they had run out of both options! Can you believe that? Half an hour later! We also asked for ginger ale but were served tonic water instead. The service was really disappointing, and for the prices they charge, you’d be better off going to Spain's in Narragansett. My parents had a bad experience there as well, so as locals in Charlestown, we won’t be returning to this place.

Following the signs from the large parking lot to the tavern was an interesting entrance experience to a rather charming, rustic environment. The bartender was most congenial but interestingly hadn 't mentioned on the phone when I called, that there was only one working fireplace in a small room off the bar with gas instead of real firewood. (perhaps codes were in order? Our drinks were very good and the service continued to be attentive and friendly with appetizer portions which were small but fresh and nice. The seafood bisque was tasty but had shredded pieces of different fish and no actual chunks of what was advertised on the menu. We liked their eclectic selections, and opted for the 1730 menu with meatloaf and Chicken Marsala as our choices. We were beginning to consider making Thanksgiving reservations and shared our feelings with our waitress. However, the tides turned immediately with our terribly disappointing tasteless entrées. The vegetables were hard, briefly broiled, shriveled and bland. One could barely decipher the mushrooms, gravy or Marsala one would expect on a typical dish. When I asked for more gravy, I was told the chef would whip some up, and after about a 10 minute wait, a tiny dish with about 2 tablespoons of au jus was delivered. I was too shocked to even think about asking to speak with the owner or chef, but relayed my extreme disappointment to our waitress. The meatloaf was like a dried hamburger . . . totally flavorless. It was an unhappy and embarrassing experience . . . one for which we were charged full price . . . probably because we were eating out of politeness, rather than sending our dinners back after one bite. I hesitated to post a review, because the negative ones I 've read received a very blasé response. I 'd suggest the Chef, Owner and Manager all try the Chicken Marsala at Vetrano 's in Westerly for the real mccoy . . . meanwhile, please remove it from your special! We left with a feeling the chef was very inexperienced, and would have enjoying speaking with him and the owner if they 'd been open to receiving our feedback.

I’ve tried it twice both times very disappointing! I even politely expressed my disappointment this time with the owner and waitress about our terrible meals but still no remorse. This is why they get bad reviews they need to pay the price for an experienced chief. It’s sad the atmosphere is great and the food is gross. To stay in business one would think the locals should be listened to and their opinions should mater.