The Dish
DINING REVIEW
River Bar A riverfront restaurant in Westerly features oysters, seafood and global comfort food with a touch of history.
RIVER BAR, WHICH SITS ON THE THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM edge of the Pawcatuck River, lives in a
LEFT: Stuffed haddock; Rhode Island cherrystone clams and Sea Smoke storied location. The brick building at oysters; pan-seared Stonington scallops.
37 Main St. in Westerly is the century- OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE
old remains of the old Solway Mill, FROM TOP: Interior of River Bar; tuna where the bar room once housed a water crudo; warm chocolate chip cookie; lobster roll and macaroni salad. wheel that powered electricity for the mill. Since then, it’ s housed several restaurants, a handful of cuisines and one central community. Now in the hands of Aaron Laipply and James Wayman, who own the nearby Nana’ s pizza and bakery, that neighborhood— not just of diners, but fishermen and farmers— continues to be the driving force in this seafood-focused restaurant.
The restaurant has a sprawling, slightly haphazard layout, an imprint that feels a bit like walking through history. The bar conjures a vibe even older than the building’ s age, supported by brick walls and massive beams that conjure Revolutionary-era cocktails doused in twinkle lights. The romance of the room is matched only by its aged patina, and one would be hardpressed to think of another bar that manifests the spirit of Colonial Rhode Island better( even though it sits several paces from Connecticut).
There are several adjacent dining rooms with no prevailing aesthetic other than wide-planked wooden floors that pay homage to the building’ s origins and wide windows to the water outside. One room pairs brick walls with white chair rails and floral
104 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I JULY 2026