Over the past 80 years, Twin Willows has matured from a URI hangout and post-beach party spot to a family-friendly, seafood-first establishment. With more than 22 years at the helm, husband-and-wife team Phil and Pat Durigan must be doing something right.
Give it a Google, though, and you may stumble upon “honest customer reviews,” in which a few culinary arbiters questioned, “What happened to Twin Willows?” We decided to toss aside these claims, and take the ride south to “the Willows,” as the locals say. Having visited during a handful of entertaining evenings a few summers ago, we recently returned for a late afternoon lunch.
The well-worn red and black checkerboard tile floor surrounds the enormous bar (with 22 high-back chairs and plenty of elbow room), flanked by two dining areas with access to their famous seaside deck out back. The interior has seen recent upgrades with simple, clean hardwoods that further accentuate the sunny views of Bonnet Shores provided through large pane windows.
Tom, our bartender, was as cordial a server as could be, attentive and eager to provide some history behind the Narragansett institution, such as how his mom worked there in the 1940s.
Draft choices, ranging from Blue Moon (properly severed with an orange slice) to Newcastle, go great with any of the hefty number of land and sea platters, not to mention two full pages of grinders, burgers, and wraps from which to choose, and a blackboard of daily specials posted on the dining room wall.
Such standard starters as baked stuffed mushrooms, calamari, and French onion soup are highlighted as house favorites. I was also intrigued by some blackboard app specials, including snail salad (6.95) and a mussels and steamers combo ($10.99), both at surprisingly inviting prices. Another special includes the Willows’ third chowder choice — “South County” style. While the red and white varieties were deemed satisfactory, my choice turned out to be uneventful, with a noticeable lack of the star component, leaving a cup of cubed potatoes in what could have passed as a salty chicken stock. Bland stuffies were also a letdown, particularly at $3.50 apiece, and the snail salad, a generous mound of sliced snails atop romaine, lacked the fresh and briny flavor we anticipated.
The calamari ($9.95) here, however, is always a no-brainer. It’s lightly dredged, resulting in the crisp yet tender texture contrast. Our shellfish combo stole the show early on with a heaping black bowl of mussels and steamers so good that we ignored the hot water bath accompaniment.
The menu is sectioned off for sandwiches and burgers, with bib-worthy platters aplenty for lunch and dinner. Twin Willows, for the record, has a surprisingly tasty marinara recipe, but we steered our wayward pal Scott back toward the sea with the mention of surf and turf.
The Point Judith Shore Dinner is a perennial hit here, a classic, juicy platter of lobster over steamers, accompanied with stuffies, a cup of chowder, and corn on the cob. An alternate tavern-style preparation on the requisite fish and chips (available everyday; small $10.99/ large 12.99) has a lighter, crunchier texture that utilizes a simple breadcrumb batter. For an extra $2, the special adds a cup of chowder and three clam cakes.
