Timothy Killilea
Standards Jamestown is competing with a bunch of other restaurants on an island with a limited population, but is considered a tourist destination. Jamestown, the island Standards is on, is in a precarious position because the neighboring island is Aquidneck Island, home of Newport. Newport is a city with a long history as a colonial town active during the Revolutionary War, and a center of commerce and wealth for the coastal New England region. This legacy of history, tourism, and beaches drags a lot of tourists past Jamestown and on towards Newport.
However, Standards is a part of a grander story of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island. The restaurant gives it’s own unique take on the staples of Americana cuisine, plus a few other additions.
The first thing I noticed from the menu was Standard’s statement that everything used in the menu is all natural. The second was that they have comparable mocktails such as “La Paloma.” This requires a second visit to confirm that mocktails are worth a third visit.
What I didn’t see on the menu was the two different sizes of side for French fries. You can get a small, and you can get a large for $5 dollars more. If there are two people with small appetites, the small is enough. On my second visit, I will be getting a large fry. The French fries were salted to perfection and slightly larger than traditional shoestring style, tasty, warm, and proper.
Specials included two seasonal salads, one of which was a salad of spinach, candied walnuts, peaches (or some kind of stone fruit?), and goat cheese, topped with apple cider vinagrette. Their chicken Caesar salad was quality and the chicken was delicious, tender, and not too dry.
Standards’ prices are comparable with many other restaurants in the area. Some may be more expensive than that. I do like that they had labels on their menu items. Gluten-free and vegan options are available. Parking is side street, with a local parking lot located down hill from there.
I have to give them a thumbs up on some of their sustainability practices. There are not a lot of advertised elements, but the paper straws and the all natural ingredients are good indicators of a business that wants to keep it’s waterfront where it is.
… moreStephanie Ketner
We chose this place for our Thanksgiving celebration. When we arrived the place seemed like it was cozy and that you would be welcomed. We sat down and it wasn’t super busy. The waitress we had Sabrina was supposed to be doing our table a large table and a table of 4 next to us. We ordered our drinks and the soda we got were little glass bottles for $4 each where the large bottles were the same cost as was the iced tea. The drinks alone cost $34. I wouldn’t have minded this if we had a waitress that wanted to take care of us. After our initial drinks which took a long time to get she pretty much disappeared to the other tables. A very nice bus boy brought out our food and a very very nice lady that was blonde with glasses helped us as well. The waitress we had didn’t come check on us. Didn’t interact or anything. We had to take our ticket up to her with our card because she never came back to get it. The other waitress could tell we were getting very irritated and went and found our ticket and card that was just left on the counter. I wish I had gotten her name as she was wonderful to us and talked to us. The meal was overall good. The steak dinner was amazing! Came with French fries and asparagus. The turkey dinners were $65 each and came with either soup or salad as the appetizer. The meal itself consisted of one small piece of turkey breast a little piece of dark meat on one of ours, a small scoop potato and corn pudding and about a tablespoon of stuffing and cranberry sauce. Desert was supposed to be either apple crumble or pumpkin pie . When we got the desert the topping which was ice cream was full liquid and instead of pumpkin it was all apple. A bit high priced for the food and venue . My daughter wanted extra sides because it was so little and each was $6 for about a serving spoon size. I could have handled all the issues with the food had it not been for the bad service we received. However, we still did a large tip hoping it is shared with the bus boy and the blonde. They are the ones who deserved it.
… moreJerilyn Gagnon
We’re locals (Aquidneck Island) and love to dine at Standards…especially when we’re not “feeling” the Newport food scene. Standards ALWAYS delivers amazing quality and consistent deliciousness! The lobster bisque is absolutely to die for!
… moreNicole Carstensen
Ainsley is a great bartender-she makes great martinis and cocktails. We have had great service every time. Their pizza is excellent, bolognese is the best I’ve had in the state-reminds me of my grandmother, my husband loves the burger and the atmosphere is cozy. It’s our go to in town and for takeout now. Make a reservation when you can.
… moreJonathan LaFleur
Food was great till I saw basic food safety and sanitation go out the window while there. One person in the kitchen did not have hair restraint while making food and saw him go to more than one station. Saw another person go use. The bathroom the go put his aprons back on and did not wash hands after touching his dirty apron. Food items being put on top of equipment and stay out of refrigeration in the temperature danger zone 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This same person also playing and tieing nots in his coworkers apron. Also my server also saw touching his hair before grabbing my food from kitchen.
… moreJonathan Whitney
Our second dining experience at Standards and it was great again. Food was great once again. My wife loves their Ceasars salad and kitchen made real dressing. Burger tasted great and was cooked exactly to medium rare. Fun to look into the kitchen and watch the attention the chef gives to each plate, arranging everything just so. Great to have a great midrange family restaurant back in Jamestown.
… moreClay Hendricks
From Wisconsin on vacation so we just stumbled in by happenstance. We were just looking for late lunch and quite possibly got the best meal of the trip! All across the board Standards exceeded any and all expectations. Best lobster bisque I’ve ever had (came with two lobster tails). The bbq burger with fried onions was cooked perfect and the French fries are awesome also. A slight bit on the spendy side but we certainly got our moneys worth. Our waitress Emma was super attentive and helpful. Would recommend to anyone in the area.
… moreMichelle Esile
Went for the pizza and it was good!!! The ingredients are quality and it makes the difference. The menu offers nice options for meals and a delicious burger. The environment is comfortable and the servers are friendly and attentive. Excellent addition to the dining options in Jamestown.
… moreRan Ranalli
We have been to Standards now several times and have found it to be very enjoyable (atmosphere, food, and service). The only thing I have to say poorly about it is the price of drinks, a little steep. Have your cocktails when you get home. But to be fair, this is true in most restaurants today.
… moreBill Wood
After many years, we finally have Standards in Jamestown. This is a wonderful new restaurant recently opened by the Fire Station in the old “Chopmist Charlie’s”location.
They currently are having a soft open with a limited menu and open 4pm to 9pm every night through Christmas. Food is simple and basic as they get their processes down, but the atmosphere was energetic and very friendly
It very much has the old Chopmist Charlie vibe with a hopping bar and table seating throughout. The decor is very pleasant with painted brick and scenes of Newport and Jamestown.
I look forward to revisiting many times in the future.
… more