Restaurant Guide · 2026
The 15 Best Restaurants in Watch Hill & Westerly
A local's honest ranking of every restaurant actually worth your time — from the 110-year-old Olympia Tea Room to the only Forbes Five-Star kitchen in Rhode Island, plus the beach bars, breakfast spots, and gourmet markets that round out a real week of eating.
Watch Hill has fewer restaurants than you'd expect. The village proper has six. Stretch to Westerly and Misquamicut and you get to about twenty. So a ranked list of fifteen — which is what this is — covers nearly every restaurant in the area worth knowing. This guide is opinionated, locally biased, and updated annually. If you disagree with the order, write your own list.
Quick Lookup
If You Just Need to Know Where to Eat for…
Breakfast
- The Cooked Goose
- Sift Bake Shop
Lunch
- Olympia Tea Room
- St. Clair Annex
- Bridge Restaurant
- Sandy's
Dinner
- Coast at Ocean House
- Olympia Tea Room
- Weekapaug Inn
- Bridge Restaurant
Beach Day
- Paddy's Beach
- The Andrea
- Two Little Fish
- Sandy's
Drinks
- The Bistro at Ocean House
- GreySail Brewing
- Olympia Tea Room bar
The 15 Best, Ranked
Ranked by a mix of food quality, atmosphere, and the honest test of "would I send a friend here." Number 1 is the heart of the village; number 15 is worth a 20-minute drive.
01
Historic · Bistro
Olympia Tea Room
74 Bay Street, Watch Hill · $$$
The soul of Bay Street. Operating since 1916 — first as an ice cream parlor, now as a bistro — with the same antique mahogany booths, pressed tin ceiling, and original soda fountain. The kitchen is genuinely good: Portuguese baked haddock, lime chipotle shrimp, a lobster roll on a croissant that locals fight over, and a wine list that's better than any 80-seat restaurant in Rhode Island has any right to have.
What to Order
Paella when it's on specials. Avocado carpaccio with grilled chicken. Whatever the kitchen is pushing seasonally — they update the menu often.
Local Tip
No reservations, no exceptions. Show up at 11:30 AM for lunch or after 2 PM if you want to avoid waits. For dinner, sit at the counter rather than waiting for a booth — service is faster and the bartender is genuinely the best in town.
Closed early November through early April
02
Fine Dining · Tasting Menu
Coast at Ocean House
1 Bluff Avenue, Watch Hill · $$$$
Rhode Island's only Forbes Five-Star restaurant. A multi-course tasting menu rooted in coastal New England ingredients, served in a candlelit dining room with views down the bluff to the Atlantic. This is the special-occasion meal: anniversary, milestone birthday, you-finally-got-engaged celebration.
What to Order
Trust the chef's menu. You're not coming to Coast to make safe decisions.
Local Tip
Reserve at least 6 weeks ahead in season. Smart casual minimum — jackets aren't required for men but make you blend in. The wine pairing is worth the upcharge; sommelier here is excellent.
Year-round, closed Tuesdays in shoulder season
Reserve on OpenTable →03
Casual Refined
The Bistro at Ocean House
1 Bluff Avenue, Watch Hill · $$$
Ocean House's accessible alternative to Coast. Same kitchen team, same ingredient sourcing, but a more relaxed menu and atmosphere — and far easier to book. Best lunch on the property; the verandah-adjacent dining area gets the same ocean view without the formality.
What to Order
The burger, surprisingly. Also the seasonal flatbreads. Don't sleep on the cocktail program — Ocean House's bar staff are properly trained.
Local Tip
Non-hotel guests can dine here, but in season reservations are essential. Best play: lunch on a weekday, sit on the verandah, order a glass of wine, watch the boats.
Year-round
Reserve on OpenTable →04
Refined New England
Weekapaug Inn Restaurant
25 Spray Rock Road, Weekapaug · $$$
Tucked inside the Weekapaug Inn, ten minutes east of Watch Hill village. The dining room overlooks the inn's private pond, which sounds boring until you're sitting there at golden hour with a glass of something cold and watching herons stalk the shallows. Kitchen leans into the inn's working garden — vegetables you've actually never had before, locally caught fish, and a quietly excellent dessert program.
What to Order
Whatever's been pulled from the garden that morning. Ask the waiter — they know.
Local Tip
You don't need to be a guest of the inn to dine here, but the dining room is small. Reserve a week ahead minimum in season. Sunday brunch is the local secret — most tourists don't know it exists.
Closed January through March
Reserve on OpenTable →05
Seafood · Oysters
Bridge Restaurant & Raw Bar
37 Main Street, Westerly · $$$
If you want the best seafood in Westerly proper — and the best raw bar within thirty miles — this is it. The room is bright, the bar is long and well-staffed, and the oyster selection rotates daily from sources across the eastern seaboard. Sits right by Wilcox Park, which makes it the natural post-parade lunch on Memorial Day weekend.
What to Order
A dozen oysters from the rotating selection. The bloody mary if it's daytime, a martini if it's not. The lobster roll is genuinely competitive with Maine.
Local Tip
Bar seating gets you the full raw bar experience without needing a reservation. The Sunday brunch crowd is intense in season — go before 11 or after 1.
Open year-round
Reserve on OpenTable →06
Breakfast · Brunch
The Cooked Goose
92 Watch Hill Road, Westerly · $$
Best breakfast in southern Rhode Island, full stop. Five minutes outside Watch Hill on the road in, this is where everyone — locals, weekend visitors, Ocean House guests skipping the hotel buffet — actually eats in the morning. Cinnamon roll pancakes, lobster eggs Benedict, a crab cake sandwich at lunch that's somehow $18 in 2026.
What to Order
Lobster eggs Benedict. The cinnamon roll pancakes if you're hungover. Their iced coffee is the only iced coffee in town that's actually good.
Local Tip
There's almost always a wait at peak hours; go before 8:30 AM or after 11. They do takeout — call ahead and pick up a breakfast sandwich to eat at the beach.
Open year-round, 7 AM to 3 PM
Reserve on OpenTable →07
Ice Cream · Lunch Counter
St. Clair Annex
141 Bay Street, Watch Hill · $
The Nicholas family has run this counter for over 135 years — older than the carousel sitting next to it. Small-batch ice cream is the headliner (coffee flavor is the move), but the Italian grinder is what locals come back for. Lunch runs 11 AM to 4 PM, after which the line is purely ice cream.
What to Order
Coffee ice cream, two scoops, on a sugar cone. For lunch, the Italian grinder.
Local Tip
Cash only. The line looks daunting but moves faster than it appears. The ATM up the street gets crowded too, so bring cash before arriving.
Seasonal, roughly May through October
08
Beach Bar · Casual
Paddy's Beach Restaurant
159 Atlantic Avenue, Misquamicut · $$
The opposite of Coast at Ocean House. Open-air bar directly on Misquamicut Beach, live music most summer afternoons, sand on the floor, drinks that are stronger than they need to be. The food won't change your life, but the atmosphere genuinely will if you arrive at the right moment of a summer Saturday.
What to Order
Whatever's grilled. The clam strips. A frozen drink that's somehow $14. Don't overthink it.
Local Tip
Best between 3 and 6 PM in summer. After dark it turns into more of a club; in season they often have a cover. Off-season it's much quieter and the food is better.
Roughly May through September
Reserve on OpenTable →09
Seafood · Casual
Two Little Fish
346 Atlantic Avenue, Misquamicut · $$
A small, family-run seafood spot that punches above its weight. The kitchen does fried clams, lobster rolls, and clam chowder at a level that justifies the wait, which there always is in summer. Nothing here is fussy. Everything here is good.
What to Order
Fried whole-belly clams. The lobster roll. The clam chowder is among the best in town and people don't talk about it enough.
Local Tip
Call ahead for a wait estimate — they're honest about it. BYOB, which makes the pricing more reasonable than it first appears.
May through October
Reserve on OpenTable →10
Beach Bar · Family
The Andrea Seaside Restaurant
89 Atlantic Avenue, Misquamicut · $$
Directly on the beach, with the most ocean view of any restaurant in the area. The Andrea is the family-friendly counterpart to Paddy's — same casual energy, fewer late-night-club vibes, more space for kids. The menu is exactly what you'd expect: salads, sandwiches, seafood, drinks. The view is the actual product.
What to Order
Anything off the salad menu, surprisingly. The jerk chicken salad has a real following.
Local Tip
The parking situation is unusual — you pay to park but get a portion of it back in 'Andrea Money' to spend at the restaurant. It works out fine but read the signs before you complain.
May through September
11
Italian · Casual
Maria's Seaside Café
132 Atlantic Avenue, Misquamicut · $$
A Misquamicut institution that does honest red-sauce Italian and casual seafood. Family-run, lived-in, the kind of place where the same waitress has been working summers for twenty years. The pizza is genuinely good. The clam pie is a thing here and worth ordering.
What to Order
The clam pie. The chicken parm. A glass of house red.
Local Tip
Less hyped than the more touristy spots on the strip, which is exactly why locals quietly prefer it. Reservations not required but not a bad idea on summer weekends.
Roughly May through October
12
Brewery · Taproom
GreySail Brewing
63 Canal Street, Westerly · $
A craft brewery in a repurposed macaroni factory in downtown Westerly. Launched their flagship cream ale on 11-11-11 and has anchored the town's craft beer scene ever since. The taproom is small but well-run, the beer is consistently good, and there are usually food trucks on weekends.
What to Order
The Captain's Daughter Double IPA if you like hop-forward beers. Flagship Cream Ale if you want their original. A flight if you can't decide.
Local Tip
Check their event schedule before going on a weeknight — sometimes they're closed for private events. Saturdays in summer usually have food trucks and live music.
Year-round
13
Gourmet · Takeout
Sandy's Fine Food Emporium
15 Post Road, Westerly · $$
Less a restaurant than a small gourmet market with a serious sandwich counter. Locals use Sandy's the way Manhattanites use a good bodega: call ahead, pick up two specialty sandwiches and a bag of prepared sides, and you've solved beach lunch. Charcuterie, cheeses, wines, and a rotating prepared-food case round it out.
What to Order
Whatever sandwich they're featuring that week. Their grain salads are unusually good.
Local Tip
This is your secret weapon for beach days. Way better than the concession stand at Misquamicut, and you're not stuck eating beach food.
Year-round
14
Pizza · Sandwiches
Bay Street Deli & Pizzeria
112 Bay Street, Watch Hill · $
The casual sandwich-and-pizza option on Bay Street itself. Honest food at honest prices in a village where neither is guaranteed. Best for a fast lunch between the beach and the carousel without committing to a full restaurant experience.
What to Order
A slice of plain cheese — it travels well to the beach. The Italian grinder if you want something more substantial.
Local Tip
The closest thing Bay Street has to a 'normal' food option. When the village restaurants are full and the wait at Olympia is two hours, this is the answer.
Seasonal
15
Bakery · Coffee
Sift Bake Shop (Mystic)
5 Water Street, Mystic, CT (20 min west) · $
Worth the drive. A serious James Beard semifinalist bakery in downtown Mystic — coffee, croissants, breakfast pastries that look like they belong in Paris, and a small menu of sandwiches and salads at lunch. Most Watch Hill visitors don't know it exists; the ones who do work it into their day-trip planning.
What to Order
An almond croissant. A cortado. Take both to the boardwalk and eat them looking at the Mystic River.
Local Tip
Originally had a Watch Hill location that closed; only the Mystic shop remains. Combines beautifully with a Mystic day trip — pastries in the morning, aquarium midday, dinner back in Westerly.
Year-round
Building a Whole Trip?
Where to Stay Affects Where You Eat
Three of the restaurants on this list — Coast, The Bistro, and Weekapaug — are inside Ocean House Collection hotels. Stay at any of the three properties and you get reservation priority, late-seating flexibility, and a smoother experience overall. If you're still deciding where to stay, the full breakdown is in our hotel guide.
Read: Where to Stay in Watch Hill →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best restaurant in Watch Hill?
It depends on the meal. Olympia Tea Room is the best traditional sit-down on Bay Street with the most character — and the only Watch Hill restaurant besides Ocean House that serves both lunch and dinner. Coast at Ocean House is the best fine dining in Rhode Island. For breakfast, drive five minutes inland to The Cooked Goose.
Do Watch Hill restaurants take reservations?
Some do, some don't. Olympia Tea Room famously doesn't — you walk in and wait. Coast and The Bistro at Ocean House require reservations in season. Weekapaug Inn restaurant and Bridge Restaurant in Westerly take reservations and need them on weekends. Beach bars and casual spots like Paddy's and The Andrea are walk-in.
Are Watch Hill restaurants open year-round?
Most close from mid-October through April. The Ocean House restaurants operate year-round with reduced winter hours. Bridge Restaurant in downtown Westerly stays open all year. The Cooked Goose is open year-round. GreySail Brewing is open year-round. Most beach restaurants are strictly Memorial Day through Labor Day.
What is the dress code at Watch Hill restaurants?
Coast at Ocean House is the dressiest — smart casual minimum, jackets recommended. The Bistro and Weekapaug Inn lean smart casual. Olympia Tea Room is whatever-you're-wearing-after-the-beach, but no swimwear. Beach bars are explicitly come-as-you-are. There is no Watch Hill restaurant where you cannot wear nice shorts to lunch.
Where do locals actually eat in Watch Hill?
The Cooked Goose for breakfast, Olympia Tea Room for lunch or dinner, GreySail for beer, Bridge Restaurant when in Westerly proper. Sandy's for beach lunch. Honestly, locals go to Ocean House less often than tourists do — not because it's bad but because it's where company dinners and special occasions happen, not weeknights.
What's the best restaurant for kids in Watch Hill?
The Andrea Seaside Restaurant is the most explicitly kid-friendly — beach access, casual menu, no one minds if your three-year-old is loud. The Cooked Goose for breakfast handles families well. Olympia Tea Room is family-friendly at lunch (less so at dinner). Avoid Coast at Ocean House with young kids; it's not the room for it.
Is the food at Ocean House worth the price?
Coast is genuinely some of the best fine dining in New England, full stop. For a special occasion meal, yes, it's worth it. The Bistro is more accessibly priced and still excellent — better value than Coast for most diners. The verandah cocktails and small plates are worth doing once for the view alone, even if dinner isn't in the budget.