We are so fortunate to have such a huge variety of restaurants in the 16 square miles that is East Greenwich. Casual, sophisticated, ethnic, trendy, basic, national chains —we’ve got them all! EG’s own Mystery Diner is planning to try them all and let you know how they measure up to her standards. If your restaurant is within our 16 miles, Mystery Diner will be visiting soon.
Mystery Diner is not a food critic but she is a person who loves to eat out. She enjoys tasty food well-prepared, polite service, a pleasant atmosphere and overall cleanliness.
Mystery Diner promises an honest unbiased opinion of all her dining experiences. Let’s see which restaurants will please her.
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We begin in alphabetical order, at a 40-year-old East Greenwich institution:
The Beacon Diner
2939 South County Trail
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ATMOSPHERE: You just have to love the quaintness of this diner both inside and out. From the kitchy lighthouse on the roof to the tiny little juke boxes at each booth (would be really awesome if they actually worked), this place exudes old diner charm and makes you want to order up some coffee and pie. The charm has even been noticed by movie moguls because Beacon Diner has been featured in TWO movies: Hard Luck in 2006 and 27 Dresses in 2008. Customers can choose to eat at the long low inviting counter or in a comfortably worn-out booth alongside the authentic knotty pine walls. It’s just a little like the time warp of visiting Grandma’s house (in a good way!). It’s a comfortable place to relax. Cars always fill the parking lot here so that is a sign they are doing something right.
FOOD: All the right selections for a hearty diner breakfast or lunch are on offer. American chop suey, chicken noodle soup, homemade muffins or rice pudding anyone? Mystery Diner chose blueberry pancakes, a house specialty. Her partner is an omelette lover who tries to eat healthy so he had a veggie omelette with no cheese. We also shared a cup of oatmeal. The pancakes were the huge plate-sized variety, chockful of blueberries. The omelette was a pleasing steamy generous mound of tasty seasonal veggies. Home fries were a bit on the bland side. We especially enjoyed the old-fashioned oatmeal — a generous portion of creamy comfort food cooked just right. Hot strong coffee kept appearing in our cups and we left full and happy.
SERVICE: Pleasant friendly waitresses quickly took care of our every need. Within 10 minutes, we were sipping hot coffee and eating oatmeal.
CLEANLINESS: Even though the overall décor is a bit tired and shabby, cleanliness is not a problem. Floors and eating areas are well-scrubbed and bathrooms are squeaky clean.
Atmosphere
Down home comfortable
Food
Casual home cooking
Service
Attentive and friendly
Price
Very affordable
Would Mystery Diner eat here again?
You betcha!