Lunch at the Flats

I’ve always been a fan of Tortilla Flats. It’s the perfect neighborhood hangout — great crowd, super laid back vibe, drink prices even a starving artist can swallow. When I lived on the East Side, I found myself perched on a stool there maybe once a week (with friends, of course). I went through a Pacifico phase, followed by a Negra Modelo phase. Then I was all about their sangria.

I hadn’t been back in a while (moved, drinking buddies all have kids), but yesterday I went to a rollout of their new lunch menu. Yes, the Flats is much more than just a watering hole. It felt good to be back. I got a “you look really familiar” from bartender-turned-co-owner, Joanne Everett, and I got to enjoy a strawberry margarita in the middle of the day. As Courtney says, when in Rome, right?

Thankfully, the place hasn’t changed much. But it has gotten better, in the form of expanded offerings from the kitchen; the lunch menu is packed with burritos, wraps, combo plates and salads. Everything is south of ten bucks, and they’ll get you in and out before your lunch hour is up. Unless, of course, you start sampling their tequila selection. 

355 Hope St., Providence, 751-6777, tortillaflatsri.com.