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Up River Cafe - CLOSED
Category: Restaurants American (New) American (New) [Edit]
37 Main StWesterly, RI 02891
(401) 348-9700
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
10 reviews for Up River Cafe
10 reviews in English
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Review from Jessica C.
New London, CT
Updated - 5/26/2010
The Up River Café has officially CLOSED.
Sad day.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/23/2010
Glass of wine. Appetizer or Salad. Glass of wine. Meal. After dinner drink. Dessert.
Recommendation:… Read more »
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Review from Blake N.
St. Petersburg, FL
4/21/2008
I have now been to Up River Cafe twice... and I must say. It is SOOOO GOOD it is worth driving 45 minutes from Newport, RI to Westerly, RI to have dinner there.
The manager of this place used to work at Plumpjack in San Francisco. Plumpjack is one of the best dining establishments in the San Francisco bay area and has a stellar reputation.
Ambiance - you can sit right up against the windows overlooking the river next to a fire place. There are huge windows all along the place over the river. It is beautiful.
Food - There is nothing on their menu that is short of amazing.
Value - Again... outstanding. They have a tasters menu of smaller items which is great if you want to do something like tapas.
Wednesday is HALF off wine by the glass or bottle!
I cannot wait to go back. -
Review from Dave L.
12/19/2009
Six of us had a fantastic meal here last night. We started with an order of the Asian Fried Calamari and a grilled pizza with white bean paste, asiago cheese and house-made sausage. Both apps were delicious, especially the calamari, which were perfect. The light, tempura-like batter was not at all greasy and the calamari were so tender.
For my entree, I had one of the specials, which was venison wrapped in bacon on a bed of pureed parsnips and barley with braised venison. It was amazing! I've had venison a number of times before, and in some very good restaurants, but this was easily the finest. The tenderloin of venison was wrapped in bacon and served in perfectly medium-rare sliced rounds. The meat was tender, delicious, and not in the least gamey.
Also at the table we had a superb braised lamb shank, which I tasted and loved. Someone else had the pan-blackened sea bass which got great reviews, another had the wild mushroom Bolognese which was also delicious. Everyone thought their food was excellent.
For dessert I had a chocolate cake with pot au creme with salt caramel. The cake was a small, dense wedge that had a hard chocolate shell. The inside was moist, delicious chocolate cake. On top was a mound of chocolate mousse sprinkled with crushed pistachios. Outstanding! Others had an ice cream sundae that they raved about.
The service was very nice. Our waiter Brandon was very knowledgeable about the dishes, and knew how to appear and disappear at just the right times. We never wondered where any of our dishes or drinks were, and he made excellent suggestions about wines. This was my first visit to the Up River Cafe, and I can't wait to go back. It was excellent. -
Review from Traci L.
Bronx, NY
9/24/2008
Had dinner here last night, thanks to Yelpers who pointed it out. We were so pleased! The food was great, the dishes were very unique, and very tasty.
It wasn't as expensive as I was expecting, and while the next table over to us had fancily dressed people with men in 3 piece suits and ties... there was another table in the room where a man was wearing a t-shirt. We were a bit worried about our outfits, since we hadn't packed anything dressy for a trip to the beach. But I didn't feel uncomfortable at all in my plain pants and top. :)
Go! It's yummy! -
Review from Andrew K.
Rochester, NY
10/28/2008
Was having trouble deciding on a nice dinner place in the Mystic, CT area and took the recommendations posted on yelp. Overall we were happy we did. After some great wine recommendations from our waiter, we started with the Asian Fried Calamari. This was simply delicious and I am pretty picky about calamari. But this calamari was crispy on the outside, not chewy on the inside. Good combination of spice and flavors - would recommend this as an appetizer.
For entrees, I had decided on the strip, but only to be told they had replaced it with a sirloin cut. I went with it and it wasn't a bad choice. The reduction it was served with was complimenting but not overpowering. It was served with a blue cheese and potato mixture. My wife went with the cider-braised short ribs from the "small plates" menu. These were the perfect melt in your mouth short ribs. Turned out to be the perfect portion for my wife - although I think I could have had a full portion myself.
For dessert, she picked the apple raisin spice cake, and I got the carrot cake. The carrot cake was moist, rich, and huge. I couldn't even finish the piece, but satisfied my craving for carrot cake. The spice cake was decent, served with ice cream. We both would have probably enjoyed them more if we were not stuffed.
Good atmosphere and good food. We would return if we are ever in that area again. -
Review from Traci A.
Saint Michael, MN
7/1/2007
LOVE the Up River! This is the fancy spot to go for dinner in Westerly (not stuffy, just nice). All of the items on the delicious. They have some unique dishes (lobster nachos for an appetizer, an almond encrusted salmon that I'd drive an hour for) and the menu changes regularly. Desserts are wonderful, too, and they have an impressive wine list. If the weather is nice you get a table on the deck overlooking the river. The bar is also great, so you won't mind waiting for a table if you didn't make reservations. Parking can be tight, but there's a bank parking lot across the street that people park in after hours. HIGHLY recommend, and a good choice for taking out guests or for special occasions.
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Review from Elly C.
Hingham, MA
7/16/2009
This is one of the best meals I have had since leaving San Francisco for New England. The menu was inventive and creative, with some fantastic Asian fusion combinations. The calamari was delectable, and the scallops in a miso soy glaze were seared to perfection. The crispy asparagus were fried, but not greasy, and incredibly tasty. The soup of the day was a spicy sweet coconut with crab and scallops, I believe -- so delicious.
Also, our waitress was great. She was pleasant and attentive, but not overbearing. At one point, when we confided in her that we thought we had over-ordered, she even went back to the kitchen to check on our entrees, and when she found out they hadn't been prepared yet, she offered to cancel the order for us! The food was so good that we couldn't bear to miss the entrees, but we were impressed that she had made the offer to us, even though it could have meant a smaller tip for her (since it would have decreased the cost of our meal substantially).
I know I am raving, but seriously, this meal was amazing. Go. You'll be glad you did. -
Review from Nicole D.
Westport, CT
9/2/2008
My boyfriend and I went here on a weekend trip to Rhode Island based on recommendations from Yelp and a local friend. It did not disappoint.
I had the spinach and rocket salad to start along with a gin fizz to drink, while he had the ham and melon and a glass of red wine. Both delicious.
For dinner I had the "brick" chicken and he had the steak. Again, both extremely well done dishes, well-spiced and well balanced.
For dessert he had the carrot cake, which he said was good (I don't like it in general so I didn't try it), but we both LOVED the summer berry shortcake (probably not the exact name). The biscuits were delicious, the whipped cream was fresh, the berries were perfect.
I would recommend it to anyone in the area. -
Review from ronald s.
9/7/2008
we had a small group here the night after our wedding, and everyone was extremely pleased with evertything. it wasn't crazy fancy or casual, just comfortable with great food and service. lots of local grown vegetables made the menu really impressive to me. its not really a vegetarian restaurant but there were multiple choices and they were all good. i just checked out the menus on their site and now i want to go back, soon!!
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Review from Mammlet M.
Sammamish, WA
4/8/2010 3 photos
THE RESTAURANT SITS ONTO OF THE PAWCATUCK RIVER ON THE CT/RI BOARDER ON RT 1. BEAUTIFUL AND YUMMY WITH PERFECTLY EXECUTED COCKTAILS. We've been going to the Up River regularly for at least 5 years... We almost always sit at the bar to enjoy the views of the river and the excellent service. A year or so ago they had this special "bar menu" only for the people actually on the bar stools (I MISS THAT MENU). Local, delicious oysters are generally available and you can taste the care and thought that goes into each menu item....LOCAL, often ORGANIC, always beautifully presented dishes are punctuated by to-die-for desserts. SERIOUSLY THE BAR SERVICE IS THE BEST AROUND. They host BEER DINNERS with special dishes paired with fancy beer, HALF PRICE WINE WEDNESDAYS, MUSIC ON THURSDAYS, and a BEAUTIFUL DECK on the river---in warm months. *currently closed due to flood damage* I am sure they'll reopen ASAP. I'll be at the bar when they do.
