After walking on a hot humid day and starving, I was eager to head to an establishment that served good ol' American grub. Â I saw Spats and decided; this is definitely an American grub joint. Â
We first had the mozzarella balls but they were more like tiny gross mozzarella  pancakes.  I mean I'm a bit of a mozzarella stick addict and despite being essentially the same thing, these were some of the worst I've tasted.  (I thought they were easy to make?)
Then we had the buffalo chicken wrap and a burger. Â The burger wasn't so bad until about 25 minutes later when I felt beyond sick. Â The buffalo chicken wrap was flat out the grossest one we've ever tasted. Â I'm not even sure it was chicken?
While the waiter was super nice and cool, he was inattentive and SUPER slow. Â We were one of the only patrons here and we had to wait quite a long time for him upon any request. Â I will avoid Spats next time. Â My stomach and tastebuds will thank me.
I recently bought and used a Groupon for this establishment.
Why you ask?
In looking back at my 11/22/2009 review of this place, I was feeling a bit nostalgic. Â The date I spoke of was the 1st of many many more to come... why not return to the place where it all started (good or bad) to relive old times and get a quick bite to eat. Â Unfortunately the experience was so poor that it is unlikely we will return in the future except for a drink or two to relive old times in another fit of nostalgia... if that.
Having never eaten there before, I was unsure what to expect. Â I figured a bit of pub grub would be satisfying enough... though this turned out not to be the case. Â First came the warm Magner's Cider's. Â Next, the overly cheesy and not enough spinach and artichoke dip on limp Greek pitas. Â Onwards, to the mediocre burgers. Â Lastly, the gelatinous New York Cheesecake. Â I wasn't expecting a gourmet meal... but at least one in which I don't have a complaint about each and every portion of it.
... at least give me a cold beer on a hot day... thats all I ask...
And the service, my god the service. Â Sooooo sooooo sooooo slow. Â The bf and I started trying various strategies to catch and elicit the attention of our waiter, who always seemed to happen upon us, seemingly surprised by our presence at every turn. Â The final straw came when he stated he would "be right back" for my Groupon number in order to receive the check... then proceeded to flirt with a patron at the bar, take an extended trip outside, then finally return for my phone before disappearing behind the scenes for another long period of time before finally returning. Â Ughhhhh. Â Painful.
Not worth it in my opinion.
Food was good, service was TERRIBLE. Yes, it was a crowded night (trivia night), but there were only a few waitresses on duty. They literally ignored my table for an hour as we were trying to pay our bill and GTFO. To get their attention, first I waved my arms, then I stood up from my seat, THEN my friend had to leave the table to chase down a waitress so we could give them our money and leave.
I will NOT come back here if I can help it
Mehh. Been to spats a couple of times. First time just for drinks. Last time for drinks and food. We went in the late afternoon early evening on a Saturday. The noise level of the college crowd was ridiculous. Very annoying, drunk college kids. Food was mediocre and the drink prices are not that good. So dealing with that atmosphere was not worth it.
Review Source:We came as two separate groups on bingo night (Wednesday), and we won two gift cards towards our next visit!
Food:
I ordered a Spats burger (your standard mushroom swiss melt), snickers cheesecake, and a $20-100oz beer tower. They were all pretty generic fare, but one thing that stood out for me was the hot sauce they give you. It's not Srircha with the rooster on it, it's some weird brand with a dragon on it. Not spicy at all.
Atmosphere:
It's a small place that seats maybe 40 people at different heights. There were a lot of people playing bingo trying to win free stuff (probably Brown University students). It's a little loud if you're looking to take someone out on a date.
Staff:
Staff is pretty attentive, even if it looks like they're understaffed. They probably have more people working in the back than they do in the front. Nothing too out of the ordinary.
Final Thoughts:
There are plenty of places to eat on this street, but I'll give this place another shot if I'm ever bar-hopping in the area.
We went here with a Groupon or a Livingsocial gift certificate that had to be used. I wasn't really looking forward to going, I'd given him this GC thinking that he'd take his friends or Gf here and that never happened. So we went together neither of us really planning on going on our own.
It looks like a tavern inside and is a typical Thayer Street (yeah it's on Angell St.,) bar that college kids hang out at. Still the food we got was much much better than what I was expecting and that's why we came here.
He ordered Spats Garlic Cheese Bread (Fresh baked garlic bread served with a gorgonzola fondue dipping sauce $6.99) as an appetizer and a Chili Palmer Burger
(Monterey Jack cheese, chili and onion strings, $9.25) while I got a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich (Sautéed onions, peppers and American cheese on French bread $8.99.) The appetizer came as a Jenga styled stack of about 8 pieces of lightly toasted bread (I believe it is the same buns that they served our sandwiches,) cut up, toasted and placed on top of a very light Gorgonzola sauce. It was nice. Kind of weird but good. I wish the sauce had more Gorgonzola in it (because I like a strong cheese sauce but I am sure that others would be offended by my preference for strong flavors,) and that they had used bread with a stronger tooth to it. I like a hearty bread and in a fondue you'd use a bread that is hearty like a rye or pumpernickel. Okay maybe only I would but I am not a white bread person.
His burger was AWESOME! The bun was that soft toothed type also but the burger was cooked just right and juicy. Delicious. The chili on it was okay, nothing to write home to Mama about but I don't care for more than vegetable accoutrements on my burger anyways, usually. He especially enjoyed the onion strings on it.
The Philly Cheese Steak deserved a hearty bun like a Calise bun, maybe a Ciabatta or a hard roll. It sould have had more Au Jus in it too but I'm glad it didn't with this bun. It wouldn't have absorbed the juices, the juices would have dissolved it. Good steak, though and nice amount of cheese.
We came about 5pm on a Saturday night, just before the college crowd came rolling in. It was pleasant and not loud. There were televisions with sports on them and a sweet little bar in the back on the top level of this place. I'd go here for lunch but I wouldn't come back during football season or when the drinki8ng hour had raised it's ugly head.
The food does not taste like it's processed except for the lame buns. He had 2 $25 GC so I am assuming we may come back here again if he doesn't taking anyone else.
I only rated this with 3 stars because it's not a place I would recommend to people to go to anytime unless they were college students. Other than that I was impressed with the food, our waitress was prompt and responsive and the prices were okay for the area. This is a good place for a student to take their family or parents for lunch. The decor is dark wood and dark lights and old tavern. This place has narrow aisles so be aware. The bathrooms were clean for a drinking hole/tavern. It used to be next to Paragon back when it was a Brown College bar back in the days. Now it is part of the Paragon & Viva, Andreas, Kartabar owner umbrella.
I have mixed emotions about spats. While service was decent and the owner gave everyone a round of shots during the USA men's soccer game, I'm not sold on everything else. Its a cool hang out spot if you want to grab a beer with friends but its usually pretty crowded so intimate conversation might be difficult. Â Expect college age patrons. Beer selection is extensive both on tap and bottled. We watched soccer there and they had big screens which had good quality pictures. The nachos are weird...its a strange white cheese. But it comes prepared in a cool chip bowl. I hear the pizza is pretty good but ours was soggy. They were really busy so maybe they were in a rush. Not too sure.
I say if you want a beer and a quick snack go for it.
A few friends and I went here with a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> certificate and while it wasn't awful, I don't think we'll go out of our way to go back. Â The food was just ok. Â The siracha burger that my fiance got was probably the best out of all our meals. Â I got the chicken parm which came out with overcooked grilled chicken, which I have never seen, and frankly, didn't really care for. Â The majority of patrons were college age guys and the music was loud enough that you had to yell to the person sitting immediately next to you if you wanted to talk. Â They did seem to turn the music down a notch so finally towards the end of our meal we were able to chat with eachother across the table. Â Overall not a terrible joint and I'm sure they have some decent choices on the menu, but not a place to go out of your way for
Review Source:Eh. Spats is ok, if you are going out for a night of drinking with your friends and want to be surrounded by newly 21 year olds drinking large amounts of alcohol served in giant tubes and you don't enjoy your service with a smile.
Ok. I'm laying the sarcasm on pretty thick here but that's really what Spats is.
I tried to go for lunch during the day with a friend and the food is just mediocre. I had the ahi tuna sandwich and it is much better at Paragon. Also, our waitress disappeared for a good 15 minutes with our dishes sitting on our table and us waiting for refills on our drinks. The bar had a bunch of people but we were the only table in the place. She also wasn't super friendly when she was around.
Overall, this place is mediocre. I probably won't go back.
Spatz is a great place to go for a drink earlier in the night before it gets to crowded.
We ended up there, as my sister embarrassingly admitted that she had only visited once during her time as a Brown student. We wanted a place to drink and catch up with friends during our time at home for the holidays. We were just looking for a chill night.
We went around 9pm, and there was a lot of seating. Therefore, you can have a drink, order some decently-priced food, and talk with friends. I went with a group of six, and we waited only about 2 or 3 minutes for them to get a table ready for us (granted the captivating Brown students were away for winter break).
What I really like about this bar is its huge screen TVs. They were showing basketball  and I'm definitely a huge fan of ball (Go Celtics & Syracuse!), so I enjoyed being able to watch a game and have great conversation at the same time.
As our night at Spatz came to a satisfying end, the music was turned up a notch to high for my liking. I was no longer able to hear everyone at the table. The rowdy bunch sitting next to us began doing what I'm assuming they think is dancing, as well as belching the wrong words to the music. This was our signal that it was time to go (although the choice of music was on point - a Top 40 mix).
Spatz will definitely be a go-to when I aim to catch up with friends during holiday visits back home to my beloved Rhode Island.
Nice little joint. Frequented this place after a movie on a Sunday evening. Lively crowd, not obnoxious. Good, fresh food served by pleasant server who seemed very tired. Nice number of TVs to watch the games, too. Absolutely will return.
Had the fish and chips. My son had the pulled pork and my wife had a dinner salad. All were excellent.
I have been to this place three times. Â When it first opened, it was always packed and really good. I think the food was very similar to the Paragon across the street which is my fave place on Thayer. Â It has gone down hill since then. Â It is always empty! Â Perfect example, this past Saturday night, it was the only place on or near Thayer that had no wait. Â The food and drinks are average, nothing to die for, the menu is sparse, and the wait staff is pretty rude and could care less about your experience. Â
My husband and I ordered the Chicken Finger BLT Wrap. Â It came out with grilled chicken. Â So I told the waitress I don't think this is what we ordered, since chicken fingers are universally known to be FRIED. Â She said, no this is how it comes, and sorry, it does often confuse people. Â I'm like, yeah no kidding! Â So I sent it back and ended up with a ceasar salad instead, not exactly what I wanted on a Saturday night for dinner, but I also didn't want to hold up the rest of my party by ordering something else that would take awhile.
If you want a drinks and appetizers bar type experience, this place is fine, otherwise don't bother.
We had a very poor experience here last night. We had a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> which brought us to Spat's in the first place. I live nearby but tend to avoid this restaurant and now I know why. The service was bad. Like, real bad. It took our waitress 15 minutes to even bring over menus, refused to give us a pitcher of water (even with the ridiculous beer tubes on every other table) and only refilled once, rushed us through our orders and when she finally came to check on our food, 15 minutes after it had been brought out, I had to send mine back. I ordered the Pesto Ciabatta sandwich which sounded great in theory and I thought would be a pressed, melty, delicious sandwich. I double checked that it was what I thought prior to ordering but when it came out it was cold and sloppy. No biggie, I just asked for it to be heated in a wrap. It came back out 20 minutes later, exact same plate and exactly the same as before except this time they left out all of the cheese but one slice. No thank you. Sent it back and munched on my friends fries and what was left of the appetizer. The waitress could not have been less interested in helping me to find something else or apologize for the misunderstanding. She was mad at me...? Anyway, we needed to order one more item to use the <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> so we decided on dessert. OMG seriously? $6.99 for a piece of "cake" that had to have been sitting in the fridge for days, waiting to be ordered.
All in all, I would not suggest it unless you're interested in beer tubes. Best item we ordered were the onin rings and you can get those anywhere.
"Whenever I meet someone who does not consider chili a favorite dish, then I've usually found someone who has never tasted good chili." - Jan Butel, author of "Chili Madness,"
If you don't like chili, it must be because you ordered the Southwestern Beef Chili at Spats. It tasted about as unappealing as it looked. Flavors were severely lacking in this dish.
I debated ordering a dessert, but learned that the majority of the desserts there are frozen pre-ordered treats. Two thumbs down.
The bartender was really nice. That is my takeaway point from Spats. She was sweet and nice to us on Saturday afternoon, totally friendly and real, and even asked my friend to help her open a jar of bloody mary mix - it was just that casual. Love.
Otherwise, this place is okay. It's in a college neighborhood, so they sell silly "beer tubes" and other things co-eds enjoy, but whatevs. It was Memorial Day weekend, so the kiddies were mostly gone, and we got to enjoy a down to earth lunch (excellent veggie burger and fries, btw, at a totally decent price) in a relaxing atmosphere. I'd come here again to nurse the previous night's hangover, sure.
I don't really know what else to say. Huh.
In a word - cheese-ola. I felt a little old for this place, which is OK. The fact that they are known for their ginormous beer tubes should have told me something. We went for a pint and sat outside, which was fine. The indoors was a bit scary as it was semi-bar, semi-club; and just not my scene at all. Â Our server was inattentive; we were the only table outside, but we did not see her again after we ordered our beers. Won't rush to go back.
Review Source:This is where I am going to have to bring any visiting drunks for the novelty alone. They have "tubes" of beer as well as "vessels" of beer. Â Also, the black and tan onion rings were tasty as well. Other than that, just a fun neighborhood spot. We sat at the bar and drank beer shots more beer. The bartender was personable, and apparently has quite a green thumb. Thanks Spats for a fun Thursday. I was drunk and in bed by 9:30 PM.
Review Source:I don't know why I've eaten here so much. Â The food is ok, the prices are a little high, and the atmosphere is decidedly bro-ish (giant tubes of beer and lots of sport on lots of tvs), which I don't much care for. Â Once upon a time, I bought a discounted coupon for this place, and now I seem to keep going there despite the fact that every time I suggest it, my dining companion rolls his or her eyes and I have to insist. Â
Why do I insist?
I would never call this place a favorite. Â Their beer selection is adequate. They used to have a pizza that had a salad on top of it, and I liked that, but they don't have it anymore. Â Everything I've had there has been merely fine, but I keep going back. Â
In my head, Spats is a good standby restaurant on par with an Applebees or TGI Fridays, but less gross and with better decor. Â But I would never go to Applebees or TGI Fridays, so why the hell does that thought comfort me? Â Somehow I convince myself beforehand that it will be good, but it rarely is.
Spats is under my skin, and I don't know why. Â It probably has something to do with my childhood.
Spats is definitely A-OK.
I went for trivia the other night with some people in my graduate cohort. We had a nice time overall. Let me be fair, for a sports bar, Spats is well laid out, clean, and not so loud that you can't hear other people talking. But the service is so slow. Sooooo slow. I had eaten, so I got there later than most people sitting down already, but it took at least 20 minutes for the server to acknowledge us for another round (or, for me, my first). When she got there, she was very nice, but the service is so freaking slow. The bar/restaurant was small and nowhere near full, either! I didn't have any food, except I stole a few curly fries, and they were definitely good. :)
Trivia was also slooooow. They have one person announcing/collecting points. This process takes forever. There were five rounds and each round had at least ten minutes in between - the whole thing did not flow and felt rather tedious, at least in terms of timing.
I agree with what's been posted before. The service is great. Servers are friendly. I've never had a bad experience. The food is very good. Surprisingly good, actually. I'd expect less quality from a college pub. The place has a great atmosphere. It's loud, always filled with people.
What's not to love? The prices. I have no idea why they charge so much. $10 for a wrap and some fries? It's good, don't get me wrong but fantastic. I always feel like I've paid too much.
Now, if you're coming with a group of friends, Spats does offer some good deals on pitchers/tubes/vessels of your favorite alcohol. Ideal for every college student.
Stopped here for drinks withs friends and it was a pretty cool place. Was there on a Wednesday and it wasn't crowed at all, so we were able to grab a table and just hang out for the night with our drinks and card games.
Now the best thing about going in on a Wednesday is $20 craft beer tubes!!!!!!!!!! I was able to get a beer tube of Harpoon UFO for $20 which is awesome! They also had some other great beers to choose from and I didn't get to try the Sangria but I've only heard hood about it and will be back to try it!
This was the second bar I tried in Providence. I came with the intentions of just a drink but decided to try one of their appetizers to compliment my decent $19 pitcher of Harpoon UFO.
I tried the Mediterranean calamari which is fried calamari with diced tomatoes, feta cheese, caper berries and, what makes it, the balsamic vinegar. I liked that this dish was unique and had a lot different flavors and textures that came together well. I would recommend this to someone that doesn't feel like eating your typical pub fair.
The service was great. The restaurant itself was spacious but I was happy to enjoy the outside seating on such a nice day. I think that pleasant experience allowed  for Spats to earn an overall 4 stars.
Bartender is from MAINE! WOOO HOOO!
Bouncer is a Pats fan! Woo hoo again! gave him a high five on my way out.
I really like this place.
GREAT for single girls to go and scope out guys. *youre welcome ladies*
Sports are always on and place usually is pretty full.
They have drink towers too- so make sure to bring a group to pre game here.
Sangria is awesome and they carry a wide selection of beers.
Dinner: I had the avocado sandwich with a salad. Pretty good. Typical pub fare and decent enough. Rest of the menu looked good too. Not much of a date place but def come here with friends to watch the game.
Kinda dark inside and be prepared to show your ID about a million times. I guess they think I must not look my age or they think Maine is a made up state who knows...
Casual place to hang out. good for small groups. I like it and if youre in college you will too.
Have you ever had a love/hate relationship? Outside of college?
Well, this is mine. Here's why:
The food is great, never had a bad meal. Their pizza is the best I've ever eaten, hands down. Their buffalo quesadilla is awesome, and I love their burgers and wraps. I'm also a fan of the bartenders and servers.
What I can't figure out is how they get away with charging so much for beer and food. Almost $5 for a pint of beer, while Cuban Revolution only charges $3. Shame on you, Spats. Also, $13 for a pizza? C'mon.
I'd break up with you, Spats, but I just can't distance myself from the great food, service, and multitude of flat screens.
You had me at 100 oz. beer tube.
In my mind there's two different Spats experiences. Go any Sunday through Thursday night or any afternoon and it's a quiet location for some decent food (good burgers, wraps), large cheap beer tubes (about $20 for 100 oz. of most of the cheaper beers), and a good amount of TVs. Go any Thursday through Saturday night after 11 and expect a crowded college crowd with sub par service.
Pros
- Sam Adams Cherry Wheat on tap
- Great location (right off Thayer st.)
- Affordable prices
- Have I mentioned the beer tubes???
Cons
- Generally sub-par service
- Expensive well drinks and shots
While Spats won't blow you away, there's still something about this place that will likely have you coming back.
Every college town needs at least one of these bars.
Spats is one step up from a dive bar-- you won't find trash on the floor or names carved into the wood, but its definitely dark, noisy, and full of college students after about 8pm every night of the week.
Their food isn't that great, so I'd recommend grabbing dinner somewhere else on Thayer street. But grab a few friends and order a beer tube, and sit down to watch a game for a couple of hours.
The waitresses (and yes, I believe they are all female) are pretty good looking so its clear they know what audience they are catering to. The place has a great atmosphere-- everyone here is looking to have a good time; no sketchy old dudes etc.
Plus, you can walk home at the end of the night so no drinking and driving necessary.
We were hungry. We were in the neighborhood. Â We found Spats and ate here. Â It was a rainy Tuesday afternoon and it wasn't packed at all.
I ordered a Chicken Finger BLT wrap. It was good, but it was missing a key ingredient- bacon. Â I ate it as was served to me, and it was still pretty good.
The service was ok. Â The waitress seemed a bit frazzled and her hairstyle was very distracting. Â
Decent pricing. Â Decent food.
I generally find myself at Spats 2 to 3 times a month. Being able to stop in to catch a game and grab some great pub food and a cold one with some friends, spats is perfect for that.
Posts in the past have said the service has been below par, yet I have only had nothing but A+ service. We are quick to be attended to and seated. Waitstaff is quick to check if a our food is OK and if we need a refill on our beverage. this past Friday I met some friends who were already sitting down for dinner. If in a packed house the waitress attended to me promptly, grabbing my drink and food order, as well as expediting it so it came out at the same time as the rest of my table.
If you enjoy great pub food and a quick place to grab a bit to eat on the east side, you won't be disappointed by Spats.
I second Graham's note on Spat's complete failure. The staff not knowing how to work the TVs is not a one-time thing. It happens constantly. During March, we wanted a place to watch some daytime games, but not only did no one know how to change the channels, but it turns out Spat's does not have the satellite sports package.
Even if this grievous error gets corrected, there are still those nachos. Incidentally, I too have also been faced with a plate of surprisingly bad, cold, fake-cheese-drenched nachos. It's not even the disgusting but awesome liquid orange "nacho cheese" you get at the fair. Boo!
This place failed in several large ways yesterday. Â
My friend was down in Providence for the weekend so I went down and met him. Â He and I had never seen the Brown campus and we wanted to go see the Sox-Yankees game. Â We found Spat's pretty early, and then came back around 3:30. Â
First problem, the service. Â It was slow with a slight attitude. Â I'm sure the girl was frazzled or thinking about student loans or worried about Rhianna and Chris Brown, so I won't harp on that. Â
Second, we ordered nachos. Â How do you screw up nachos. Â Well, the cheese that they used looked like Fontina. Â It had an odd thick consistency to it, but at the same time tasted like paste. Â I love cheese, so this was very sad. Â And if a bar can't do nachos, then it really shouldn't be a bar. Â
Finally, we went there because they had around 7 TVs in a small space, so we figured it was a sports bar. Â Until, 4PM came and went and 6 of the screens are showing adventure fishing on NESN. Â Now, I know the game has started, and if NESN is showing fishing that means it's probably on Fox. Â So we asked the waitress and got "None of us know how to work the equipment. Â The guy who does is coming in soon." Â Are you kidding me? Â
Its a remote. Â If you own a TV, you have one of these, unless you're 85 years old. Â I didn't understand the issue. Â Finally, one of the bus boys showed up and saved the day, in the middle of the first. Â
You fail Spat's in every way possible, except that you had Sunset Wheat on tap, but even that is not enough to lift you above one star.
My friend said that Spats was one of his favorite places on Thayer. He hadn't been there in a while, I suppose since before the beer tube came into practice.
These being the beer tube days, loud obnoxious birthday boys drinking until they puke were seated next to us. While I'm up for a good time, I remember being like that and not wanting to be around myself then either.
The decor and name hearkens to a jazz club. The cuisine is basic bar food and the beer tube is college all the way. I think they are having a kind of identity crisis.
Fine for college binging. We were looking for something a little more sophisticated like my friend had remembered and were let down.
Spats is pretty much what the name sounds like...nothing. Â It's not all that it's cracked up to be. Â The food is typical "bar food," and is slightly over-priced, and the waiting staff/bartenders are pretty slow and rude.
Granted, if you're a college kid on the hill, this is a great place to get a table, grab some drinks with friends, and watch the game. Â It's located right off of Thayer on Angell St., so it's a pretty central location on the East Side. Â The drinks, however, are expensive (15 dollars for a pitcher of Coors Light? Â Come on.). Â
Though the drinks and food are both pretty expensive, the atmosphere can get pretty fun on Thursday-Saturday nights. Â Be sure you have an ID though, or just make sure you're a girl, because if you don't have an ID/aren't a girl, then they won't let you in past certain hours. Â Not to mention, the place is a lot cleaner (in terms of facilities and crowd) than the likes of other bars on Thayer such as Viva, Kartabar, and Liquid (see my other reviews).
If you don't mind shelling out some cash for drinks, and want to get rowdy College Hill style, then Spats is a great place for you.