Lunch and Brunch with a View

Mare Rooftop

229 Waterman St., Providence, 401-336-6273, marerooftop.com
The view: The East Side of Providence, India Point Park and the Providence waterfront.
The Details: The Wayland Square restaurant, which opened a few years ago, sits on top of the old United Way building that’s now mixed-use condos and retail space. On Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 3 p.m., Mare serves a menu of upscale lunch classics like craft burgers and sandwiches like a sliced filet mignon steak bomb, chicken torta and veggie pocket. The Cure For What Ails You burger is stacked with smoked bacon, fried egg, avocado, cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce, spread with roasted garlic aioli on a sesame seed bun. Choose from the bubbles bar for a bucket of splits of Champagne or go for cocktails, wine and beer.

Boat House Restaurant

227 Schooner Dr., Tiverton, 401-624-6300, boathousetiverton.com
The view: Mount Hope Bay, and the restaurant’s private docks that offer boat dockage for guests.
The Details: Boat House Restaurant isn’t one that you’ll drive by on your way somewhere else. The tucked-away spot in Tiverton is just off Route 24, and down a few side streets. But once you get there, all of Mount Hope Bay opens up in front of you. In good weather, Boat House has two patios and enormous windows in the main dining room that look over the bay. The lunch and dinner menu is served Sun.-Thurs. from 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Fri.-Sat. from 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. and features lots of local seafood, salads, steaks, sandwiches — note the many items that start with ‘s’ — and local flavors infused into every dish.

Trafford

285 Water St., Warren. 401-289-2265, traffordrestaurant.com
The view: The Warren River, and Barrington across the water.
The Details: Even if you can’t pull up to the dock at Trafford, you can still enjoy the sprawling water views. The location and windows at this Warren restaurant (which recently reopened after being closed for a few years after a kitchen fire) capitalize on the scenery with a newly redesigned interior from Kyla Coburn Designs. The lunch and dinner menu is served Tues.-Sat. from 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday from 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., and includes classic New England items like chowder, stuffies, calamari, fish tacos, burgers and fish and chips, plus vegetarian options. The outdoor patio is also equipped with an open-air bar.

Waterman Grille

4 Richmond Square, Providence, 401-521-9229, watermangrille.com
The view: The Seekonk River, which is usually busy with all-season boaters and competitive rowers.
The Details: Providence doesn’t have so many waterfront restaurants, especially outside the WaterFire basin, but Waterman Grille might just have the best view of them all. This restaurant, in a quiet corner of the farthest reaches of the East Side, sits directly on the Seekonk River. In season, waterfront patio tables are hard to come by, but even when you’re sitting inside, the views can’t be beat. Then there’s the brunch, served Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with menu choices like eggs Benedict, omelets, challah bread French toast with roasted apples, granola and maple bourbon caramel, a banh mi sandwich and the grass-fed burger with American cheese, red onions, tomatoes and pickles on a sesame bun. Wash it all down with a bloody Mary
or mimosa (or both).