On busy Douglas Pike in Smithfield, Rhode Island, sits a restaurant built entirely on one love story. 🍺
Laura’s Bar and Grill is not the product of a corporate test kitchen or a franchise playbook; it is the creation of a hometown girl and the husband who followed her right into the restaurant business.
This is the story of how Laura and Jay Dunlea turned a passion project into one of Smithfield’s most beloved neighborhood restaurants.
How Laura’s Bar and Grill won Smithfield’s hearts
Laura Dunlea grew up in Smithfield, worked in restaurants through college, and never quite let the industry go.
She teamed up with her husband Jay to open Laura’s Pleasant View Diner first, building what the couple calls their “PVD Family” of regulars over seven years.
When that original diner started outgrowing its space, the Dunleas opened Laura’s Bar and Grill nearby, this time designing a spot that reflected their own interests as sports fans and casual diners who wanted somewhere fun to go out themselves.
The restaurant’s motto, “eat, drink, be family,” is not just a slogan hanging on the wall, it genuinely shapes how the couple runs the place, treating both employees and customers like extended relatives. 🏈
What truly cemented Laura’s Bar and Grill as a Smithfield institution is its deep community roots.
The beloved Laura’s Wrap, invented by Laura herself during her early diner days, still donates fifty cents from every order to the restaurant’s scholarship fund.
That kind of hometown generosity, paired with a menu built around genuinely creative comfort food, is why Rhode Island Monthly named the restaurant Best Locally Owned Family Friendly restaurant statewide, along with Best Restaurant and Best Neighborhood Bar for the Blackstone Valley region.
It became the kind of bar and grill where locals do not just grab a quick bite; they build entire nights around it. 🎉
Food Highlights
- Lobster Mac and Cheese: The restaurant’s four-cheese blend tossed with cavatappi pasta and loaded with fresh lobster meat.
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Tenderloin Steak Tips: Ten ounces of marinated tenderloin, served with a choice of potato and vegetables.
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Chicken Milanese: Panko-breaded chicken pan-sautéed and topped with baby arugula, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and pickled red onions in a balsamic vinaigrette.
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Short Rib Risotto: Slow-cooked braised short rib served over a creamy Parmesan truffle mushroom and pea risotto, finished with crispy onion strings and brown gravy.
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Sesame Salmon: An eight-ounce North Atlantic salmon fillet coated in sesame seeds with a teriyaki drizzle, served over vegetable fried rice.
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Tuscan Chicken Rigatoni: Panko-breaded chicken over rigatoni pasta in a creamy garlic sundried tomato sauce with fresh spinach and cherry tomatoes.
- “Cheat Day” Burger: An eight-ounce premium beef patty piled with American cheese, crispy bacon, sautéed onions and mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and pickles on a grilled brioche bun.
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Chicken Piccata: Panko-breaded chicken pan-sautéed and topped with a lemon butter caper sauce, served with mashed potato and asparagus.
Atmosphere
Laura’s Bar and Grill leans into its industrial-style, brick-lined dining room, giving the space a lively, modern pub feel without losing its neighborhood warmth. 🏠
It is built for sports fans and families alike, with a full bar pouring specialty cocktails and twenty drafts on tap.
The energy stays casual and welcoming, whether tables are filled with regulars catching a game or a group grabbing $5.99 sliders on Monday night.
It genuinely feels like the kind of place where the staff already knows your order.
Bottom Line
Visit for a menu built on real comfort food, from short rib risotto to lobster mac and cheese, backed by a husband-and-wife team who treat every guest like family.
Add weekly food and drink specials, a scholarship-funding house specialty, and multiple Best of Rhode Island wins, and this Smithfield restaurant delivers every time. 🍽️✨
Address:
945 Douglas Pike, Smithfield, RI 02917
📞 (401) 349-2842
🕔 Open Sun 9 AM–10 PM, Mon 11 AM–10 PM, Tue-Wed 11 AM–11 PM, Thu 11 AM–12 AM, Fri-Sat 11 AM–1 AM