Trying out a New Providence Italain Restaurant: Amici Bar and Grille
We decided to check out Amici Bar and Grille in Providence’s Federal Hill neighborhood for a quick dinner before heading over to the WaterFire event. I found a great Groupon deal for $30 worth of food for only $15! Providence Groupon often has deals available to many of the restaurants in this neighborhood.
The restaurant is located on a very busy street and parking is hard to find, which makes the dining experience a bit frustrating.We had to drive around for a while before we could find a spot to park. You could also find a parking garage, but I just don’t feel like it is worth it just to go out to dinner.
I was a bit dissapointed in this restaurant. First off, it was a very hot day outside and they had no air conditioning on! We were hoping to cool off in the restaurant, but for some reason it felt like a sauna inside. There is outdoor seating, however, with all the noisy traffic, heat, and no views it just doesn’t make for an inviting atmosphere.
The decor inside is a bit bland. They really need to do something to spice it up more. It almost looks like it is trying to be fancy and a sports bar at the same time, which really just doesn’t work.
Service was just blah as well. Also, I expected the servers to be more knowledgeable about the menu if they are going to charge absurd prices. For example, I asked our waitress what type of noodles they used for the gluten free pasta, and she said wheat! Not sure I would trust anything here to be alright for food allergy sufferers! I would think that the waiters should know what food they are serving, and pretty much everyone now knows that wheat is not gluten free!
The food was good, but nothing to write home about, and way overpriced for the type of food we got. Luckily, we had a Groupon so the price didn’t matter as much. I ordered the Margherita Pizza and Mike ordered the Grilled Chicken. We also ordered a few scoops of Gelato for dessert, which was good, but way overpriced – $5 for 2 tiny scoops of ice cream! And, it took at least 15 minutes to come out.
I would probably skip this restaurant, as there are dozens of others lined up down the street. I felt that the service and atmosphere were lacking. The restaurant was also completely dead on a Friday night if that is any sign.
Amici Bar and Grille
Address: 242 Atwells Ave. Providence, RI 02903
Hours: Monday – Thurs: 5pm – 1am, Friday: 5pm-2am, Saturday: Noon-2am, Sunday: Noon-1am
If you liked this post, then check out my review of another Providence Italian restaurant, Mediterraneo
