The Guild Comes to Warren

As if Warren’s burgeoning culinary scene wasn’t already sufficiently eclectic, The Guild has joined the pack, adding to the waterfront town’s foodie hub. Founded in Pawtucket, The Guild is a beloved Rhode Island brewery and beer hall. They’ve planted their more recent location firmly along the Palmer River at the newly developed Tourister Mills property, accompanying the likes of Waterdog Kitchen & Bar, Bywater, The Revival Craft Kitchen & Bar, and more.

The atmosphere inside is perfect for a relaxed Sunday. The enormous windows along the back wall create  a casual, inviting environment for a drink, a meal, a chat. To look out the windows at The Guild is to experience peak East Bay scenery. Over a dozen beers flow from the tap, including the newest brew Warren G – a double IPA with a flavor as unique as the town itself.

Though an obvious choice for beer lovers, the food was the real draw for me. First up is their exceptional charcuterie board. It comes with smoked gouda, bleu cheese, and the sweet surprise of cranberry Wensleydale (paired perfectly with their fig jam). Salami, hot capicola, naan, and the impeccable addition of an olive tapenade round out this excellent starter.

The Guild takes subtle liberties to elevate pub offerings, like the Pork Belly Flatbread. You would expect a flatbread of this nature to feature barbecue pulled pork, but The Guild serves up pork belly (a very welcome alternative texture) with jalapeños on a bed of garlic and herbed cream cheese. Choices like these left me confident in this beer hall’s ability to get creative beyond brews.

Sliders are a natural focus of the menu, including roast beef, pulled pork, and the like. Meanwhile, creamy mac and cheese is portioned in three miniature skillets, not dissimilar to mini sliders. The gruyere in this surprisingly decadent dish gives it an earthy tone, and the pork belly is savory, with thick bread crumbs and sauce.

Finally we get to the cheeseburgers sliders. I scribble some quick words while I eat to remember my impressions: “sloppy, delicious, pickle chips, tomatoes, woooo!” I think this would be a wholly appropriate description for this dish. The meat is exactly what you want – a nice crispy edge with a buttery, smooth middle. The tomatoes and housemade pickle chips were the perfect accompaniment to the sauce and cheddar. They come with your choice of crunchy parmesan herb fries or thick sweet potato fries (or the delicious half-and-half option). This is your perfect burger, reconstructed into multiple, smaller-sized models. They’re so rich and filling that one slider absolutely will be enough for some people – not me, but some people.

With the perfect backdrop for lovers of New England scenery and an incredibly welcoming, spacy room for eats over craft brews, The Guild, simply put, is killing it over on the waterfront.