O’Rourke’s Bar & Grill

Check out this restored 19th century building with its patio overlooking Pawtuxet Cove! At O’Rourke’s Bar & Grill you find Rhode Island flavor with an Irish accent. “Pub food” describes the cuisine. Here you eat wings and pot stickers, shepherd’s cottage pie and prime rib. Or, hoist a hot dog or what the menu bills as a “Fresh ‘not frozen’ burger.” Kettle chips form the foundation of Irish nachos.

If you seek Rhode Island flavor, you have come to a good place. Start with creamy clam chowder and a stuffie. Garlic butter glistens on a plate of crisp-edged calamari. Have it with either Thai chili or marinara sauce. For a knife-and-fork main course, tuck into a plate of lobster ravioli in vodka sauce. O’Rourke’s lobster roll comes in a cumbersome torpedo loaf. But who cares about the bread when it overflows with sweet, pink hunks of tail and claw meat veiled in mayonnaise?

Live music is part of the fun in this place. Performers range from Irish folk singers to nostalgia bands and mellow jazz. On Wednesday night, customers come to play trivia. There always is a good variety of beers on tap. The tavern’s motto is “It’s a wonderful life.”