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A & W Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Burgers Restaurants Hot Dogs Burgers, Hot Dogs [Edit]
460 Putnam AveSmithfield, RI 02917
(401) 949-9892
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 9 pm
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Drive-Thru:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
20 reviews for A & W Restaurant
20 reviews in English
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Review from Ryan D.
9/6/2011
If you live in RI and southeastern Mass, you have to come to A&W. Most of us up north don't get to experience drive-in restaurants, so when one exists, it is one heck of a luxury experience.
Have to go with a chili cheese dog. I mean why else would you go to A&W? Oh that's right their root beer. Go with the floats on this one.
The only slight downside I have to A&W is that it appears that it is pricey. However compare what you just bought to what you would pay at a fast food joint and it would be pretty comparable.
I'd love to go at least one more time before it closes for the winter. -
Review from Mandy D.
4/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
Nothing super special about the food or the service. The three stars is pretty much for the root beer alone.
The last time I went, I waited in line for 20 minutes only to be informed that they don't accept credit cards, and that there is no ATM on the premises. Great.
However, the prices are very reasonable, especially if you order the daily special. The burgers and weiners are pretty... meh. But you get what you pay for. It's a better alternative to McD's across the road. -
Review from Bethany E.
Providence, RI
4/25/2012
Awful, not what it used to be - would have been happier if we went to BK :(
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Review from Erin B.
Woonsocket, RI
9/19/2011
I'm very sad to report that A&W has gone downhill in the last few years. It's still an experience worth having for the carhop and the root beer/floats but not for much else.
The burgers are blah. There's absolutely nothing special about them and there are lots of fast food places that do them better.
The wieners, my usual favorite fare in days gone by, are horribly plain. There is no flavor whatsoever now. What happened? There was not even a hint of celery salt nor anything savory about the meat. This was probably my biggest disappointment.
The place does have small redeeming qualities though. The onion rings are great and notably light on the grease. The cheese curds follow suit. I personally love the root beer as well. It's not traditional hop-infused, spiced root beer but if you love the idea of a sweet root beer float, this is the best place around. Carbonation seems to vary by the batch though, tending to be light universally.
The fries alone are nothing special but the chili cheese fries are a surprisingly light take on the concept. The chili is whole bean and not salty; this allows the cheese to provide most of the saltiness. I recommend mixing them up and digging in with a fork.
I almost felt bad for the carhop girl this last time around. She was clearly alone and was very rushed everywhere she went. I'll give her a pass on not having a smile plastered on her face but her overall demeanor wasn't what I'd call great service. I've had great service here in the recent past though.
Prices are up there so don't buy food piecemeal; the combos are where you'll find the most reasonable (but still a bit pricey) deals. Also, it's still cash only. WHY?!
Bring the family for the carhop experience, root beer floats, and maybe appetizers but get a full meal elsewhere. It's very sad to see how far this landmark has gone downhill! -
Review from Alex T.
Riverside, RI
4/13/2012
Went here after hearing about it from a friend. Waited a long time for service and my food, despite only being 2nd in line. Burger was somewhat mediocre, fries were okay but a very tiny portion, and my root beer was flat. It was all way overpriced as well. I wished I had opted for fast food elsewhere as it would have been cheaper and tasted better.
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Review from Kimberly S.
Cranston, RI
1/25/2012
Blehh. Stopped here on the way back from a park in CT and I wish I didn't. What a waste of money. Supposedly they are supposed to come out to your car and take your order like the good ol' days, they did not, so we got out of our car and ordered and then ate at one of the picnic tables. The food was actually kinda gross. Total waste of time and money.
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Review from Aaron M.
Providence, RI
6/16/2011
Yet another dingleberry on the ass known as the town of Smithfield (where two other horrendous eateries I have soundly thrashed on here are located). This place is spoken of by native Rhode Islanders like eating there is some kind of epic, iconic experience. Unless you consider Wendy's an epic and iconic dining experience, I assure you nothing could be further from the truth.
So here's what I waited 30 minutes and paid $11 for. A double cheeseburger that was limp, soggy, flavorless and on par with THE WORST fast food burgers out there. I was not aware that the quality of the food here was so horrendous, but it hardly warrants the amount of time and money you have to invest in it. I also got a chili cheese hot dog that was awful, and regular, generic fast food style skinny fries.
Finally, their "home made" root beer was horrendous. It was WAYYY too sweet and syrupy, not to mention extremely weak on carbonation. It had almost no semblance of the actual "natural" ingredients found in root beer (wintergreen, hops, vanilla, etc.) and had basically no other flavor but overpowering sweetness.
Also, the rude little snot nosed suburban teenagers working there didn't score any points with me either. "Hello", "Here you go", Thank you" and "Sorry for the wait" go a LOOOONG way guys. I wouldn't waste valuable urine on this place if it were on fire. Seriously, how the hell do they get away with sucking so bad and charging so much? Oh yeah, that's right, because they're in RI- aka the home of "Waddaya want buddy? It's good enough theah kid!" -
Review from Erin N.
8/17/2011
A&W has been a family favorite since I was a kid. Now that I'm an adult I can't help but swing by for a fizzing cup of freshly made rootbeer.
A&W still offers drive in service. Park in front -turn on the head lights, that's it ... they come to you.
They offer everything from burgers to fries, hotdogs and floats.
On designated evening you can swing by for their car show. People show up from all over to see the cars, listen to the DJ and reminisce about the good ol'days.
I take my pup here all the time because it's a take out, or eat out only locations, a picnic table will do just fine! -
Review from Julie A.
6/9/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I've been going to A&W since I was a little kid!
Much like the Rustic Drive-in, it's one of those RI staples that you have to experience.
The food is alright, but it's the "style" that I really like. It's a nice place for a pit stop if you're riding on your motorcycle through Rt. 44 or want to get old timey car service. Just turn on your headlights and a waiter/ess will be over to take your order.
You must come for the Root Beer (Floats). I'm not sure what they do, but the root beer is especially delicious. They make it right on the premises which is pretty neat!
So, if you feel like taking in a little bit of old flavor, stop on in. You may even catch a cruise night on Tuesday. -
Review from Heather C.
Harwinton, CT
Root beer is the bomb.
Cheese curds are the bomb too.
Onion Rings, delish.
Chili Cheese fries, epic.
Bacon cheeseburger was good, but nothing exceptionally amazing.
FYI, in keeping with the old time-y theme...cash only. -
Review from Cassie B.
7/6/2011
I love this place based on the good memories i have of it as a child, but as an adult the food isn't all that great. The root beer is a true delight most of the time. Occasionally it is somewhat flat. I have a friend who swears by the clams here, but the price to portion ratio is a little skewed. Also i think that some fast food restaurants make better burgers than A & W. Despite this i keep going because its a fun experience, and a R.I staple (in my head at least).
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Review from Jonny C.
4/14/2008 1 photo
I wanted to like this place, it has so many kitschy, 1950's touches that the stars earned are for those and those alone.
Located near Smithfield Commons on Rte. 5, this a is the classic American drive-up. There is a sign reading "Flash lights for service", and the A&W chicas will actually run out to your car. There is a two boothed order counter, a series of picnic tables, and a "Ring the bell of the service is swell!" cowbell. The service was pretty good. Unfortunatley, the food was pretty shitty. When you go to a place like this, you know what you want. It fell short.
On this glorious, early-summer-feeling Saturday, me and the fam trekked it out to this place. The missus is a Rhode Islander, and has fond memories of the joint, and it sounded pretty cool, so we went. First flaw, cash only. Now, I have seen modernized A&W's all over the country, and they are Root Beer robber barons, so get a fucking card machine. So, we went and got cash, lost our place in a monster line and then the sun started to hide. But we wnet back, got a table and waited for the grub. Tons of Rhode Island people watching: some bikers, some hicks, some Gino's with their skanks, some obese aunts eating fried foods with their balooning nieces, you know what I mean.
We got burgers, onion rings and root beers, and a kiddie chicken finger and fries for the lil' man. His food was good, the fries were bomb. My burger was a Jr. Whopper with stale bread and no condiments. It was also $6 dollars. The onion rings (up-sized, mind you) had only 4 rings total! Fuck me, that was weak. Her burger was identical. So, for $20 or so, we got $5 worth of worse than Burger King value menu food. Ehhh, disappointing. The root beer was tasty.
The ambiance is pretty cool, except that while this was once probably a by-the-side-of-the-road place, it is now an in-the-middle-of-a- parking-lot place by a dry cleaners, optometrist and law office or some shit.
Good for sentimental kitsch, but stick to a root beer floatListed in: Avoid the Noid
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Review from Ray V.
Cranston, RI
12/26/2009
As I was driving past this landmark of a restaurant yesterday, my memories of my last trip there still stand out, despite the fact that it was months ago.
Now I must mention that as a teenager, I spent many, many nights eating there and the place will always hold a fond memory for me. But that was then.....
So to say I have had better burgers at a bowling alley is not a lie. I don't know what happened but the hot dog, cheeseburger and fries I ordered were all crappy and if I ever stop by again, it will be for a Root Beer Float only. -
Review from Jess Z.
Providence, RI
3/25/2011
I just wish they were open year round. This is where I get my favorite burgers! I just don't like the rootbeer, for some reason it's always flat. But everything else is awesome.
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Review from Orlando R.
North Providence, RI
2/2/2010
I have no idea why people are rating this place 2-3 stars when this place is downright good...but hey, that's just me.
Last time I went to A&W was back in the Summer and I went there often with my folks. Despite the horrible traffic of Smithfield, it didn't change my cravings and good thing they didn't. I ordered a chili cheese dog with onion rings, chili cheese fries, and a root beer float. That was the best damn Root Beer float and chili cheese fries I've ever had. You just can't beat the classic A&W Root Beer, you just can't. Not to mention at the time there was an Auto Show going on right on the property so I had not only a delicious meal but a sneak peak at some pretty sweet 40's/50's rides! Atleast my experience expectations were met.
As an honest critic, I'm giving this baby 5 stars reguardless. -
Review from Andy P.
Fitchburg, MA
7/25/2011
Food was good, but a bit pricey for what I endedup with. I would probably make this place a "once in a while" establishment. Overall, not bad!
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Review from all seeing E.
Los Angeles, CA
4/20/2008
A&W is a classic unfortunately the food is mediocre. The food here has always been only okay nothing special. It is the establishment itself that is worth the trip. It was a beautiful warm spring day and we were hungry and wanted to eat outside. We headed to the hell that is Greenville. The traffic in this town is dreadful. We got to A&W and decided to eat at one of the picnic table that are set up outside. There is car hop service but we voted against eating in the car as it was so nice out. The burgers were so so and the milk shake was okay. The experience was fun though. I would do it again sometime; not soon but I would do it again.
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Review from Frank L.
7/17/2010 3 photos
I really like this A & W. The root beer is made fresh here daily. I love the weiners, onion rings and cheese curds here. Great place for fast food.
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Review from Chris R.
Providence, RI
10/1/2010
This is supposed to be the place with the best root bear floats? Can I have some ice cream in mine next time. There was barely one scoop in a large... booooo
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Review from Jack W.
Oakland, RI
6/24/2010
Great place for quick and delicious food.Here, you can get car window service... Meaning they come to your car and give you the food!
