Old Grist Mill
Imagine a place where lobsters come in pairs…
Where prime rib is served 7 days a week…
And where the bread service is so good…
You’ll also want it for dessert
Now stop imagining
And head to the Old Grist Mill Tavern
Located in Seekonk, Old Grist Mill Tavern is more than a restaurant, it’s a local institution with a history that owner Karl Pelletier says dates back not just generations… but centuries.
“The Grist Mill Tavern is a historic building set on a waterfall. It's been here forever. It's a 300-year-old mill building, river running through it. You’re actually sitting on the dam that's holding the pond back. And so we kind of create this really magical pond that we're sitting on. And it's, it's picturesque. It's an absolutely beautiful, beautiful site.”
And the beauty of the Grist Mill extends far beyond the mill itself…
From the meticulously landscaped gardens…
To the quaint general store…
To the live music playing inside and outside…
Everything about the Old Grist Mill Tavern screams “ambiance”
As for the vibe of the restaurant, the deep cypress walls and long wooden bar offer a traditional New England feel that mirrors the traditional New England menu.
“The menu is a traditional-style New England Steak and Seafood Restaurant, prime rib is our game, lobsters is our game, and some other things mixed in as well.”
That’s right. Here, prime rib is not just a special. It’s part of the daily menu, meaning you can order it… whenever you want.
“We serve our prime rib every day. We sell a ton of prime rib. People come from all over just to get it because it's seven days a week. How great is that, you know? So 22-ounce cut is absolutely delicious. You know, fit for a king. It's absolutely, it's absolutely huge.”
Believe it or not “huge” may still be an understatement.
At the Grist Mill, they definitely don’t skimp on portions, not when it comes to the prime rib, and not with the lobster, either.
“Our lobsters come in, you know, every few days we bring lobsters in. The tank is stocked all the time. We sell a ton of lobsters. We're selling five to 700 lobsters a week. It's a great experience.”
As for what that lobster experience looks like, exactly, the Grist Mill has a few options.
There’s the lobster roll, served on a buttery brioche with crispy steak fries…
But for a true lobster indulgence, the twin lobsters are a must-order.
“If you're craving lobster and want to go big, the twin lobsters are absolutely delicious, especially the two-and-a-half pounders.”
Five pounds of lobster…
22 ounces of prime rib…
And that’s just the main course!
We haven’t even talked about the starters that are included with every order, one of which is the Grist Mill’s famous cinnamon bread.
“The cinnamon bread, it's a cult following. If it's not around or we're out of it, people are very upset. It's absolutely delicious. We make it daily. It tastes like dessert and bread all in one for me. It's like a cinnamon roll mixed with a really nice almost like a sourdough-type bread flavor. It’s delicious. It's absolutely delicious.”
In fact, the cinnamon bread is so popular here, they sell it by the loaf in their retail shop and have even turned it into cinnamon bread pudding, which they serve as a dessert with ice cream and whipped cream.
“I think that when you, when you take the warm cinnamon bread, maple syrup flavor, and the cinnamon sugar with the cold ice cream. It's absolutely delicious.”
But the cinnamon bread isn’t the only noteworthy starter here. There’s also the salad bar, which Karl says also carries a bit of a reputation.
“Salad bars are lost art, and I feel people do come for them. And it's a cult following. It has a little cult following as well. Starts with greens, moves to just fresh vegetables, dressings, and then made-up salads like potato salad, pasta salad, giardiniera, noodle salad, croutons, all the fixins.”
While the Old Grist Mill Tavern loves to carry on traditions, like steak, seafood, and salad bars, they aren’t afraid to mix things up, either.
Other items on their menu include the Rhode Island calamari topped with crunchy peppers and drizzled with garlic butter…The orange ginger ribs rolled in crunchy sesame seeds…
And the year-round Thanksgiving dinner.
“If you're craving something comforting and it's not Thanksgiving, the turkey dinner is absolutely delicious. It's, it's really good traditional stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, all the fixings, it’s a huge portion. It's really good.”
And if you’re dining with a Thanksgiving dinner’s-worth of guests, they also offer the so-called Grand New England Feast that can feed everyone at the table.
“The Grand New England Feast is a dinner served family-style. You can have the land option or the sea option. And then it's served with these sides as well — mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and served with a dessert to finish, family-style as well. It's really, really an experience to sit there with your family and share, you know, food together. It’s, it's, it's unbelievable.”
At the end of the day, there’s a lot to be impressed by at the Old Grist Mill Tavern, from the stunningly beautiful grounds to the shockingly generous portions.
But Karl says that underneath all the wow factor, the goal of the Grist Mill is really quite simple.
“The Old Grist Mill is a great place to meet with your friends and family and really, really feel comforted. Between the service and the atmosphere, the food, it really is a place for you to get back to basics with your family and friends.”
