Judge Roy Bean Saloon

When ever we’re in town we have to go to our favorite restaurant in Bristol RI and that’s Judge Roy Bean. The food is always the same and that’s more than satisfying! The wings are our appetizer everytime because they are the best and we have tried countless other restaurants wings. All of the food is so tasty and we cannot say enough about this place. The service is always friendly and great. 5 stars only because that is the maximum allowed.
We highly recommend this place to all.
Vic Resto
President
Showroom Partners online

Wish I could give more than 5 stars!
Being only about a minute walk from my apartment the JR Vean has become my favorite place since moving to town last fall.
The atmosphrere is rustic and cozy with some modern touches and still fits wonderfully into a seaside town.
The staff is amazing and one of the big reasons i love this place
But now to the obvious, the food and drink.
The dirty pickle martini (their pickles are the best), espresso martini and redneck sangria (comes with candied bacon: D) are absolutely amazing
The food is amazing. Anything on the menue is perfect and there is something for everybody.
The JR Bean burger is probably one of the best burgers I have ever had.
If I have one compmaint it would be they HAVE TO BRING BACK THE DUCK POUTINE!!!

I am happy to say I had a really great afternoon at Judge Roy Bean Saloon. I visited on a beautiful warm RI afternoon, and they open the windows to let in the water breeze. It is a saloon atmosphere with dark wood paneling, but with the high ceilings and open windows it feels so airy. It seems service is hit or miss, after reading reviews from other Unilocalers. I had a great experience. My waitress was friendly and helpful. I ordered a mule from their drink menu and I have to say it was truly fantastic. Blueberry and pomegranate I think. It was so refreshing and not too strong. My short rib sandwich was a little fatty and not my favorite, but the sweet potato fries were cooked nice as crispy as I requested. Next time I will definitely try an appetizer though, and the burger selection looked delicious.

This is a great place. Love the wood décor and the food is delicious. Servers are always attentive. Try the buffalo wings

Being a regular here since the opening I’m sad to say things have gone downhill. Unfortunately the person who made this place such a great experience Barry the bartender is no longer here. Anyone who was or is still a regular I’m sure knows what I am talking about. One bartender can no longer handle the bar itself and the service end. Drinks go unfilled unless you grab a bartender’s attention, we put a food order in and it was forgotten, bottle neck of waitresses all gathered at the end of the bar waiting for drinks. Too bad, once a weekly stop is now just an after thought. Gave it sometime before writing this update to see if things improved but sadly it seems to be getting worse.

Came for a quick dinner on a weeknight. Definitely exceeded expectations! My server Erin was great and the oysters appetizer (forget the name) was amazing. Bacon and oysters are separately two of my favorite things, so to have them combined made for a mouthgasm.
I tried the bean burger and it was so so good. Juicy, sweet, and salty which is a perfect combination. It’s a little greasy and heavy but cmon guys, we’re at a saloon — not your friend’s mom’s healthy-​dinner-​and-​yoga-​night.
Can’t speak for the drinks yet but the drinks menu looked great. Gives me a reason (aside from the food and service) to come back again!

Unplug the kid! This place too small for live music.
Allll the food is delicious and the atmosphere is great! When PrettyGirl go out to lunch, PrettyGirl doesn’t want a teenage boy screening in her ear.
PrettyGirl suggests you call ahead to avoid, what PrettyGirl can only assume, is the owners kid.

You won’t find anyone at Jude Roy Bean complaining about being there. Mostly because they’ve got a good buzz. And rightly so. It’s a good spot to get a reasonably priced beer. There’s always some regulars in there. Pretty good spot to watch a game.
I’ve been told there is or was pool upstairs but it’s never open while I’m there. Haven’t had the food other than the wings on Wednesdays and those are pretty good.
And they’ve had good live music on several occasions which I’ve enjoyed.
I like this spot for what it is. No frills. Just a nice bar and good service.

Didn’t know what to expect but we were happily surprised! Cool, fun atmosphere and delicious food. Loved the cheese curds. Never thought I would ever say that. Looking forward to returning!

We came to JR Beans for a late dinner with 7 people after a holiday event across the street. It certainly turns into more of a college/20’s hangout after 9/​10pm. I was super weary about the beet sliders since I’m new to beets… but let me tell you, they were awesome! I also had their signature burger which I would highly recommend. Parking can be a pain in the butt, but once you get there, you’re in a place with traditional tavern/​pub fare and seems like an ideal place for a cool autum or winter evening. I have no qualms and will certainly come back for a bite if I’m in Bristol!

Loved the Roy Bean. Definitely will be back. A lot. We had a party of 5. We were seated right away in one of the front windows. 3 party members ordered the fried chicken sweet potato waffle sandwiches. They were huge and tasty. Great draft beer selection. Finally, our service was excellent. Super friendly and helpful. And that makes all the difference.

Thanks Judge Roy Bean for a tasty late Friday night dinner. We were a table of 7 and a kind patron moved tables, so that we could all sit together. (Naturally, he was treated to a beer.)
A variety of beers, both on tap and in bottles and a signature cocktail list of 7 or so options. The candied bacon on the margarita was a nice touch. I’ve been wanting to try the Dogfish Namaste — and it did not disappoint.
The cheese curd app — mozzarella sticks taken up a serious notch. Get them. They are worth the calories — for a group of 7, we got 2 orders. This was enough for a taste for each of us.
Dinner, for me, was the beet sliders (with goat cheese, tomato and mixed greens) and fries. A really great option for someone that didn’t want the heaviness of a beef burger for a 9pm dinner. However, the burger selections were NO JOKE and not for the faint of heart. (Think sweet potato waffle as a the bun with fried chicken…) There are 4 or 5 other entrée options outside sandwiches, which all sounded quite tasty.
Started to get busy about 10pm for the Friday night pub crowd. Upstairs had a private party, so we were all on the main level.
A really solid spot — I can definitely see myself there again in the future.

Wonderful upgrade since reopening. Great fresh food, good sized portions and a nice beer selection. Friendly staff and good service.
The beer battered cheese curds are DELISH– definitely recommend. I had the roasted beet sliders topped with goat cheese, seasonal greens and homemade sauce which was also amazing. My boyfriend had a seasonal salad with apples and candied walnuts that was very fresh.
4 stars pending a second visit to confirm.

Burgers
salads
and
hangings
The real Judge Roy Bean was definitely an interesting character. The type of historical figure that is so distorted and embellished by popular books, movies and folklore that it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction. Even though Bean was commonly known as a hanging judge, it’s unlikely he actually even hung anyone and was probably confused with a very real hanging judge, Isaac parker. Judge Bean seemed like a pretty nice if rough sort of a fellow that seemed to be a lot of different places all at once.
This restaurant actually has very little to do with Roy Bean. A few movie posters and some vaguely western themes, the great old building doesn’t need the judge to be impressive.
The wonderful and historic building was constructed around 1884 and is pristine condition. Nice views of the bay across the street and they keep the windows wide open in the warm weather so you can feel and smell the sea breezes. Hard to find a more pleasant place to eat and drink on a lazy summer’s day.
Fortunately the food here just happens to be excellent. The burger are huge and properly cooked and shows the difference between a average burger and one that is special. Plenty of other interesting things on the menu besides burgers including some very creative salads. Not a gourmet restaurant but one that has some exceptional food and drinks that don’t require names in other languages.
I’m not sure how or why they came up with the Judge Roy Bean name. It seems out of place in this nautical location. But it doesn’t really matter. This restaurant is a unique and cool no matter what you call it. Excellent and creative food and wonderful atmosphere and location never goes out of style.

Gorgeous building. Gorgeous.
I can’t recall now what we ate, I for sure remember the cheese curds, which were very yummy, and some sort of steak/​stinky cheese/​salad deal. Very good. Really wanted the kim chi dog, but filled up on other things.
The Old Fashioned was STRONG. The Whiskey/​ginger was perfect.
A lovely place.

Fun restaurant, great drinks and good food. Downtown Bristol is great, this is right downtown. Near the water and also by other shops and restaurants in historic Bristol! Very nice open atmosphere with 2 levels and a wide drink selection!

Trifecta of food, ambiance and service at this cozy «saloon» in terrific historic building in the equally quaint town of Bristol.
Creative menu featured a New England sampler with local flavors, such as the Little Neck and Chorizo Corn Chowder. A creamy, kicky flavor with clams-​on-​the-​shell. Neat to eat and perfectly sweet.
Both the spinach/​cranberry and the grilled romaine salads were generous and tasty. So filling, we thought there was no way we would stuff down the triple Short Rib Sliders W/​Boursin Cheese, Pickled Onions & *Fabulous* Hand Cut Fries. Managed to do so, though the sliders were adequate but not outrageous.
Kudos for a creative menu and friendly, accommodating service in this fantastic old building across from the harbor. A solid choice for casual ambiance and a decent meal. Judge Roy would approve.

Been back 2 – 3 times since first visit. Really nice atmosphere and even better food.
On most recent visit this week, my wife said the pesto, corn red pepper and cheese flat bread was brilliant and the Eggplant meatballs with polenta and pomodoro sauce was fantastic.
Great beer selection, open windows and view of the harbor tops it off.

Recently, I came into the Bean and a wedding party showed up. Needless to say the the bartender, Barry, was very far behind. The wait for drinks was long. That being said I have never seen so many drinks made in so little time.
This place has a very hard working staff and I hope the business owners know what great people they have working for them.
Read my past reviews for more info on the Bean. This place is really great. They also have new menu options which I have not been able to try.

This certainly isn’t the old Roy Bean. Gone is the general grunginess, exposed wires and just run-​down looks. The place has been restored to look as it did before it went down hill. We were told to sit anywhere we wanted and we chose a high top right near the large open front windows, better to see the sights on State and Thames street.
The menu certainly has changed as well. It’s not your typical bar food. It’s slightly more upscale than that.
Generally after I go to the doctor’s and get a clean bill of health, I go on a few day fat, sugar and carb fest before going back to my «normal eating». Having been to the doctor that morning, I was looking for a fairly unhealthy meal. I started with the redneck sangria. It arrived garnished with a piece of bacon. Seriously? Unhealthy score! It was a white sangria. It could have benefited from just a smidge more alcohol.
For an appetizer we went with the fried Narragansett Creamery cheese curds, which were served with a ranch dipping sauce. Delicious! For my entrée I had the skirt steak sandwich, with cheddar and caramelized onions, served with fries. It was certainly tasty enough and they obviously used fresh ingredients, but for $ 13 the amount of steak was kind of skimpy.
Service was good and very attentive. Why aren’t I giving a higher rating? Really, it’s the value. I was surprised how little steak I had for the price and the $ 7 charge for my husband’s 16 oz draft beers was a bit of sticker shock when the bill came.