Beehive Cafe is the kind of place one might forget to mention when asked where to go for dinner in the Bristol, RI area. That’s not because it isn’t good or worth the trip, but simply because it’s small and unpretentious. Locals might find themselves going there regularly without thinking twice, but those of us who aren’t from the area need a little bit of inside information to make sure we know to visit.
Entering the Beehive cafe is like stepping into a mom and pop bakery set in a Victorian country store. The first floor offers baked goods, bread, sandwiches, and beverages for patrons looking for a snack, lunch, or a dessert to take home. There is a communal table where people can sit and eat as well.
Upstairs, is where Beehive seats people for dinner on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The seating area is very small and cozy as if the restaurant was set up in the upstairs of someone’s home. The service is friendly, helpful, and will try to work with you to make sure you order what you like.
While Beehive does serve delicious entrees and sandwiches, it’s important to point out that they are a bakery. That means you’ll only get the full experience if you try some of their breads along with your meal.
Hot Lebanese Flat Bread with Hummus – As a starter, we decided to give the fresh baked bread a try by ordering the Lebanese flat bread appetizer. I’m a bit of a stickler for hummus and yogurt dips, so even though I wasn’t blown away by the dips, the bread itself was fantastic. It was so good in fact that I found myself just eating the bread without the hummus or the herbed yogurt at all!
Mushrooms On Toast – We found another excellent example of Beehive’s baking skills in the mushrooms on toast. It was such a simple dish and yet the buttery house-made toast really went well with the creamy herb mushroom sauce.
Pesto Grilled Chicken – It’s easy to mess up grilled chicken by overcooking it and drying it out, but Beehive nailed the chicken. The melted Atwell’s gold cheese and pesto somehow worked really well together with the chicken even if it isn’t a very common pairing.
Chicken Sandwich – Unfortunately, when I visited Beehive, they were out of the scallop special that I wanted, so I went with the chicken sandwich. The sandwich came with my choice of side and I opted for the fried chickpeas. They sounded interesting when the server explained them to me, but overall, I wasn’t crazy about them. Luckily, the sandwich itself was really good. The sweet and savory chutney played off of the bacon, which in turn added smokiness to the Vermont cheddar that smothered the perfectly cooked chicken.
Bread Pudding – As a dessert, we took a piece of bread pudding to go. It had a typical cinnamon spice taste that is common for bread puddings, but I expected a little bit more from Beehive’s version. Overall, it was a nice, comforting dessert, but a little on the dense and drier side for bread pudding.
I very much enjoyed my dinner at Beehive Cafe and I would easily return to try more of their dishes. This is a great spot to drop in for a pastry, sandwich, or even just some delicious fresh baked bread. Many small towns and cities could stand to have a few more restaurants like Beehive cafe to break up the monotonous landscape of chain cafes.
I’ve always wondered how this place is. Good to know that it got a glowing review! I’ll be adding this to our ever growing list of places to eat!