The Common's Lunch

Nice restaurant for lunch. We had the French onion soup, fish and chips, and chourico and chips. All we’re very good.

The best fish sandwich I have ever eaten. The batter lasso light. All the food was delicious. So happy we had a nice cc e lunch there. Only takes cash so plan ahead.

I used to come here with my grandma when I was younger. Awesome food! I got the whole belly clam plate!

Lovely little Southern New England village cafe at the main crossroads of the extremely picturesque hamlet of Little Compton. The home fries are among the best in the region, and the johnny cakes are not to be missed! Very friendly and attentive staff, and a good place to chat with local farmers and villagers.

Even though they claimed they were understaffed during lunch, the waitress made sure everyone was taken care of and happy. Food came out fast and was excellent. 👌

We've been at this restaurant 3 times. Food is very good. Service is fantastic. There is no credit card or atm card accepted as a way of payment but there is an ATM machine inside. Bank Of America is next to the restaurant. I love the idea of selling accessories and art crafted in the restaurant. My kids loved it

The restaurant looks like it needs a deep cleaning with a cluttered and neglected feeling. The food is mediocre at best. Having eaten there several times over the past few years the quality has steadily deteriorated while the prices have risen to ridiculous levels. They have a near monopoly which allows them to get away with less than mediocre offerings at noteworthy prices. . The owners show an increasing disinterest is producing a quality product and the amount of business they do has clearly decreased over recent years resulting in what one would expect- a “for sale “ sign on the property. Very sad! Stay away. Find a cozy place in Fall River offering decided higher quality at half the price.

Got hash browns and oatmeal this morning to go. My “cup” of oatmeal was only 3/4 full. No maple syrup included in the bag. Got uncooked white hashbrowns...no salt which perhaps is because you can add to taste and that was not included in the to go bag either. We also asked for ketchup and got 4 packets for a bucket of uncooked hash browns. Poor service, abysmal food.

The food was good and the order came quite quickly. The person who took our order was kind and accommodated our slow order. The restaurant was popping and giving peak diner vibes. Also the frappe was soooooooo good y'all should get one.

The perfect beach diner that serves the best Johnny Cakes in the state, I dare say. This was my first actual visit in the 5 years of living in the Ocean State to Little Compton outside from a quick drive through town. A charming place! The restaurant staff are delightful and the food is delicious. By the way - bring cash or check. They do not take credit cards but there is an ATM on site. After you eat, pop into the general store that is so much more than that and the church thrift store fir some serious deals.

This is the kind of New England small town restaurant you read about in Yankee magazine. Breakfast is a full house and a mouthful, with huge, full plate sized pancakes. Plenty of elbow room in wide booths that look out onto the town common and its historic white steepled Congregational church. A few stools at the counter point you toward the kitchen. Outdoor deck dining under large umbrellas on nice summer days. For lunch or dinner, try the "dry" style fish & chips. Dredged in corn flour, your fish comes out golden crispy and light, not heavy and greasy like most places. Wash it down with one of their huge glasses of iced tea and finish off with American pie. Next door is Wilbur's, a classic New England general store that sells everything, including takeout food. Thrift Shop across the corner sells castaways from Little Compton closets and is worth a look for cool finds.

Looking for classic local diner vibes ? This is your place. It's got all the small town charm and solid food at reasonable prices. Breakfast is the best. Classic hearty breakfast menu. I believe this place has the best johnnycakes in RI (thin style!) but we also love to get a comfort food lunch here too. It's nothing fancy, but if you're looking for simple good food it's perfect. Great chowder & clamcakes! Inside there are big squishy leather booths, a rotating dessert case, a breakfast bar with shiny barstools, and local art on the walls. Outside, a pleasant little patio to sit on warm days. The servers are so great, friendly and nice, always there to fill your coffee. They make you feel right at home. It's just a great local place, I hope it never changes!

Great food for breakfast, excellent service (thanks Austin!), well-priced, clean, and centrally located in Little Compton.

I wanted to try this place because I saw it had decent reviews. I'll just straight out say do not go. Service was horrible and food was horrible.

Great place to go for lunch. Good food, good service. There really isn't anything else to say.

Great to sit outside in the back porch. Food was good but nothing special, maybe because we arrived 1/2 before closing? Had a Reuben, a salad and shared some chowder. Just ok.

My brother and I had a wonderful breakfast this morning. Plentiful and timely coffee refills, friendly service, perfectly toasted toast, perfect over-easy eggs, crusty hash and thin johnny cakes with that corn taste!

Good food , nice little breakfast spot , the pancakes are amazing , will be back someday.

The Commons serves my favorite lobster roll because they make all the components perfectly. The lobster is sweet, chunky, and plentiful. It is lightly dressed which means it is moistened enough to hold together without over powering the lobster flavor. The roll is a square top that's buttered and toasted. I've been coming here for decades and I am pleased that they have not trifled with their lobster roll, rather continued the tradition of a job well done. The price is reasonable, the service is attentive without being fussy, and the place is authentic.

Good food Tasty Bring cash or Check Outdoor deck Dog friendly Their fries are the best

Absolutely have always loved this place!!! I've summered in LC for over 20 years now & we always frequent this establishment!!! It's NOTHING fancy but I LOVE their burgers!!!!!!! If your new to the area check it Out. If you have summered in the area I'm sure your familiar with this place & must love it... if you don't u must be CRAZY!!!

We heard the johnnycakes here were out of this world...we found them to be, in fact, very much in this world, and not that great. Also, the "homefries" were obviously the frozen shredded potatoes from a bag, totally tasteless. And the maple syrup was from California (???) and they charged an extra $2 for 1.6 oz bottle...it's not even local, and there are plenty of local options around. The lunch arriving to the other tables didn't look much better. We saw a waitress microwaving someone's soup in a very obvious microwave. That's not cooking, that's just sad. Service was extremely slow and blunt, it wasn't even busy. I'd pass on this place.

Thanks for the perfect small town breakfast! My husband and I were driving back to NJ from MA and were looking for pancakes...and these were spot on! Loved how the staff knew just about everyone who walked in the door. We had our dog, and wanted to sit outside, but being hot and early September, there were bees everywhere and there was no outside seating. So we took turns walking him while we each ordered, and they had our food out pretty quickly. Were able to find a nice shady spot outside for our dog to sit while we ate inside. Lovely people there and our pancakes were delightful!

There's a very poor selection of restaurants in southeastern RI. Maybe this is the best of what's around, but I have a full country of comparisons against which this place fails. So, I went for a dish of seafood chowder and clam cakes, with a side of hot orange beets. 1) The seafood chowder advertised crab, clam, and something else. It never approached crab at all. It had a few strips of pollock. The soup otherwise tasted okay, but the menu lied. One strike. 2) The clam cakes were not clam cakes. As written on the check, they were clam fritters. I did not want clam fritters. I would not have ordered them. I wanted clam cakes similar to crab cakes. Two strikes. 2a) The clam fritters were all dough. I counted about 12 pieces of clam amongst the three fritters. That's pretty crappy. Three strikes. Already out. 3) The orange beets were in a goopy sauce and were delivered lukewarm, definitely nowhere close to hot. Four strikes. What kind of game is this? The service was good enough. The place looks like a standard small-town dining establishment. It's not 1 star. I didn't get sick, I wasn't cursed at, no one spit in my food. But I'm going to give Commons Lunch a wide berth on any future visits to the area.

Dependable comfort food where the locals eat. Excellent seafood. Healthy servings. Reasonable prices. Be sure to check the hours as they may close early. We refer to it as our favorite diner, without the chrome.

I'm so glad I stopped in here for lunch in Little Compton before hitting the beach with friends. Service was fast and friendly - Commons Lunch is a sit-down place, but our food came within five to ten minutes of ordering. It's also relatively inexpensive. For a little windy weather, you can get a grilled cheese with fries and a housemade pickle for four or five bucks. Not too shabby. I ordered the chowder and clam cakes, which really hit the spot. It was my first time having Rhode Island clam chowder, so I was initially a little quizzical about the clear broth, but it turned out to be delicious. The clam cakes were fried up perfectly, with just the right amount of crunch on the outside. Commons Lunch doesn't take cash, although there is an ATM inside, as well as a Bank of America right next door. I noticed they offer a whole selection of cakes for dessert that we might have to come back to try after catching some waves and building our appetites back up!

Food was subpar. At best. The service was awful. The waitress was the worst I've experienced in a long time. She never looked at us or greeted us when we got there. Her first interaction with us, was to abruptly remove the spare chair from the table, with out asking if we were expecting another guest. She, not once announced herself or said excuse me before placing our food or drinks on the table. She almost spilled multiple dishes as well as dropping things on our table off her tray while serving our drinks. The worst part was the patrons (or maybe he was someone who worked there) were just as rude. One gentleman walked up to our table and without a word to any of us. Removed the ketchup, that we were using, from our table.

I really enjoy coming here I was there yesterday morning with friends and we ordered our food waitress was really nice to us food was excellent we definitely have to come here for lunch

As the only restaurant in this small town that has has been around forever, I am very forgiving. However, they can do better than burnt bacon, horrible coffee and super grumpy service.

Depends on which day go; sometimes the food will be really good! It's warm and the menu options are awesome. But I've definitely had my fair share of experiences where the food has left me wanting more even though some of the portion sizes are quite substantial. I definitely recommend a couple items on the menu, Like the split pea soup and the chicken cranberry salad wrap. The prices are moderate not too expensive and if you're in town for a short visit it could be just what you're looking for; a small town vibe, fairly priced and decent food.

As we walked in, we were greeted kind of abruptly by a lady...asking how many.....as she placed two menus on a table inside the restaurant....we had to ask.....can we sit outside? She quickly pulled the menus off the table and walked us outside (to the patio) and placed the menus on a table outside. After being seated for about 5 minutes, a waitress asked what we wanted to drink. We ordered drinks as we looked at the menu. She came a bit later for our order. The order came fairly quickly but our drinks had not arrived yet...we had to remind her. I had the broiled scallops with fries. The scallops were chewy and not very tasty. The fries were crispy. My BF had the fish melt and he liked it a lot. Overall OK, but I've experienced better.

Lots o' bland food. The place was empty on a Sunday at 1 PM. The menu was mostly entrees with a hand full of sandwiches. There was a long list of specials. All of the food ranged from $6-10. The plates coming out of the kitchen was were huge (the fish and chips was big enough for any two hungry people). I had the quahog chowder (thin broth) and the Angus burger. The chowder was tasteless (lots of potatoes and quahog bits). The burger was grilled on the flattop but almost tasted streamed. The service was good: prompt and friendly. The place was cold but it was unseasonable cold (snowed in October). There was an outdoor area that would be great in the warmer months.

I dislike reviewing a place because I have had a bad experience for a lunch but I have one more review for another spot that is absolutely marvelous. The lunch I had today I wish I hadn't paid $18.99 for, a total waste of money. I got the clam roll with whole bellies. Instead of Cole slaw I asked the waitress if I could substitute with a garden salad that is on their starter menu. She to.d me that I could substitute with what the called California veggies - carrotts, cauliflower and broccoli. Sound a good sub. The meal came out, not many clams for this price and way over fried mi could not even taste the clams. I was in Falmouth only a few weeks ago having clams (not a roll) for $16.99 quite enough for a meal. Oh, that delicious sounding California veggies? Perfect if I had dentures the vegs were so mushy. The staff were friendly and welcoming as I was by myself so that was nice.

I have always wanted to try this quaint little place & after taking my Mom for a backroads ride, we did. Best decision of the day! First off, it is larger inside than I thought. The waitress was terrific, the food even better, and the homemade dessert display was tempting. We were so impressed we will be going again in the near future. * Hint: we had the fish & chips, and it was outstanding. The homemade coleslaw is a must try. Being from New England it is a rare treat when someone makes this dish so well. And we were too full to try the dessert this time. But there will be others...:)

Simple menu in local spot. Staff was friendly. Food was average. Had the veggie omelet found it to be very watery. Husband had ham and cheese omelet and said it was good not great. Not a fan of their home fries either. Not very tasty.

A true staple of LCRI. You can't possibly go wrong with the chowdah and fritters! Great meals at fabulous prices. Gives the true small town diner feel.

I'm given this place only two stars because they do have good food. However, some of the waitresses are not friendly at all and even rude! I've been here several times as it is the only place local to get breakfast and lunch and like I said the food is good. Today, all I came in for was an iced coffee and the older woman who waited on me was not friendly and very rude that the gentleman next to me even reacted to it! I will finally not be coming back and I'll drive a little further and pay a little more at The Barn where the food is also better!!! It's too bad

Stopped in for a bit of a snack. Got the clam chowder and the coffee milk I've heard so much about and I was not disappointed. Quite delicious local specialities. They served my soup stone cold for some reason, but replaced it with nice, hot soup quickly enough. Cash only, with ATM inside.

I freaking love it here. Little Compton might only have two restaurants, but luckily one of them is really really good. This place has a huge menu, the prices are very reasonable. I'm super fond of the fried chicken and the French onion soup, I've been here a few times and the food has never disappointed. The prices are super reasonable, but do keep in mind that it's cash only. They have an ATM inside but be sure to bring cash if you come eat here. You really can't go wrong, everything is delicious!

Great food. Got the lobster Roll with a white Zinfandell. Great friendly service. Place not high end but good patio, service and food.

If you're at The Commons then you're basically in the middle of nowhere so there are some exceptions to be made when reviewing such a place. Food is basic diner style but they do have some good fresh seafood options in the summer. The grilled swordfish was very fresh and and came with an overwhelming amount of sides. Prices are decent and portions are hearty. Service is a little laid back but still friendly. The restaurant isn't the cleanest and has some gnarly wall-to-wall carpet which skeeves me out in restaurants and the bathrooms are pretty gross as well. But faults aside, like I said, you're in the middle of nowhere so it's good to be able to use a restroom and fuel yourself up for the journey back to wherever you came from.

This place is a classic breakfast joint. Not surprised the place was empty for the last reviewer at 1pm... you go here for breakfast. Johnny Cake breakfast, specifically. I don't think there's a place out there that makes better Johnny Cakes. I mean, the place has been written up in the NY Times for the Johnny Cakes. Really. You get a huge stack for $5. The other breakfasts are good too, although someone at your table better get Johnny Cakes. My only gripe is the coffee is weak.

Great fried clams! Can not believe someone had the gall to leave a single star in June because they were not allowed to bring in drinks they purchased from another establishment. Who knows what was in them? Not to mention how rude it is to do that. Giving this restaurant a single star for their own tacky behavior kind of points out the obvious, but this business does not deserve it. I was going to leave four stars, but upped it to five to try to level out this ridiculous one star from June.

My family has had a home in LC for years, so I've been coming to this place for as long as I can remember. Great breakfast & lunch place. Modest prices. Good service. I personally love the lobster rolls!

Good, fast, and cheap - exactly as I hoped it would be. I hadn't been here in over 20 years and decided to check it out. It is nice and cozy - a combination of spinny stools at the counter, booths and tables in the dining area, and some outdoor seating. Breakfast was hearty; three pancakes, 4 strips of bacon, and a glass of cranberry juice, all for $10. Service was great. The food came out quickly and it was pipin hot. I picked up a paper copy of the lunch/dinner menu; I hope to try that out soon.

A great afternoon with my mother here. There was a superb Shepherds Pie and an astonishingly huge bowl of onion rings which was only $5. Great service and superb food.

It's slim pickings in Little Comptom so we had little choice but to stop here for lunch. It's essentially a local diner where the neighborhood probably gathers on weekends and everybody knows your name. Johnny cakes end at noon but they were nice enough to serve them up to us at 1PM. I've never had a Johnny Cake. In fact, I didn't even know what a Johnny cake was and now that I've eaten my first Johnny cake, I'm not sure I ever need to eat one again. Johnny cakes are dense, flat, coarse, and lacey. They don't have the fluffiness of pancakes and the texture is much more grainy. They're made out of cornmeal and turns out, they're also entirely flavourless. Its sole purpose is to act as a medium to sop up maple syrup. I also had the clam chowder with three fritters. The clam chowder is thin and had decent flavour...a little on the salty side. The potatoes are in large al dente chunks and the clams are chewy quahogs. The fritters are doughy with imperceptible bits of quahog inside. The pluses? Cheap eats and you feel like you've stepped back in time.

Was excited to eat here until the manager on duty told us we were not allowed in the restaurant with our lattes we had just purchased down the street. She assumed we had alcohol in them. It's 10 o'clock on a Sunday mind you. She told us to go outside and chug. Not the best customer service to say the least.

Cute little place in town, but veggie patty made me sick. not my favorite idea that the condiments were in a plastic bin on each table. Quaint and had a cute gift shop on back deck.

Great place for breakfast. The scrambled eggs are fluffy and the cakes amazing. I do also like the Commons for lunch-although the fair pretty much seems like it's out of the fifties. That's not necessarily a bad thing because I cant get enough Commons' cheeseburgers! Sunday at 1 is always dead - everyone has breakfast or brunch at 11ish and then heads for home or the beach.

Yeah, I know. I gave another old classic Tiverton/Little Compton eatery two stars. Maybe I was just expecting better from what I heard of it for so many years. Maybe it was on "off day" for the waitstaff when I came here for breakfast. Who knows. All I know is, I was very disappointed and will sadly not be going back to the Commons Lunch. Just to clarify with everyone, although I am a born and raised Rhode-Islander, I absolutely HATE Johnny Cakes. To me it's like eating bland sand briquets. So I am fully aware of how many people rave about the Johnny Cakes here, but I don't like Johnny Cakes, so obviously I was not planning on getting them. I do have to say, this place is very inexpensive. I think I paid six and change for a large OJ and my Belgian waffle combination breakfast. But alas, the positives for me end there. Though that is a very good positive. I currently have a bun in my own oven so I am not a great critic of coffee at the moment, though I have read from another review it is rather weak. The customer service definitely left something to be desired as the waitress just did not seem to want to be there at all. Yeah, I realize it's not a great job, I did it briefly years ago myself, but customer service is key. You can hate your job all you want but when you ask me in an exasperated tone "what do you want today?," don't bother smiling or checking on me until after my food is already finished, don't expect a big tip from me. Also, the menu is very basic and much smaller compared to some of the other places I have had breakfast at in the area. The Belgian waffle I ordered was good, and the eggs were cooked nicely as well. However, the sausage links had the consistency of rubber. Although I had high hopes for this place, I was not impressed at all. The low prices just cannot make up for the poor service and mediocre food I got.

This place is horrible. Waitress was boring and rude. Would not recommend this place nothing organic and it still tastes like garbage

I never miss a chance to have the Commons' fried clam dinner when I'm in town. Best taste and value around. But call ahead to be sure the kitchen has them.

Fun lunch spot, seems like a locals place. I had the blue fish which was great - super fresh and not oily. Both the pickled beets and sweet potato fries were awesome. Linda had the lobster blt which was amazing. Tons of lobster - big pieces. All on its own that would have been the best lobster roll of the summer! We weren't thrilled with the cole slaw, but everyone has their own idea of what cole slaw should be. Just a great lunch in a neat little out of the way spot. And if it were a nice day, they have a great little outside deck too!

I can truly say that I had a pleasant experience here. There's nothing quite like sitting outside on a nice aft ernoon while you eat your meal. Wait service was excellent, I think her name was Sarah? Fast and efficient. Believe it or not, (and this is coming from someone who knows), it is tough to make a veggie burger that doesn't fall apart when you eat it. I hate that. But here it stayed together. I would not however say that this place was anything to write home about. It is literally located in the middle of nowhere, and there is nothing that stood out as "let's take the drive out to the middle of nowehere to get that________". I live fairly close to here and it still takes me the better part of a half an hour to get here. However, if you have never been to Little Compton, RI, I supposel you shoud take the trip out. Also, from the reviews, I have heard their Johnny Cakes are to die for. I will be back.

This Dinner was Delicious I had a cheeseburger was delicious and the Fries was good I also had the eggplant Parmesan Fries it was So good I also had the Vanilla Frap it was one of the best milkshakes I had overall People come eat here if your in Little Compton.

I have eaten here three times this week and enjoyed each meal. Breakfast here is the best. I have been coming to Little Compton all my life and have always looked forward to the Commons Lunch. I hadn't been in a few years so took a chance on the churico omelet and it was delicious. My mom always gets the johnny cakes every time she goes. The Quahog Chowder for lunch and the fish and chips on their lunch menu are also great!

I travel a lot for business and feel pretty good about giving this a 5 star rating. I had the littlenecks over pasta, and a side of spinach with garlic. So fresh and sweet, nothing was overcooked. Although I was not starving, I was eating more for pure enjoyment at this point, when I noticed a few others had stuffies (Quohogs) and clam cakes. Ordered one of each. Quick, very hot and delicious. It was comfort food at it's best.