I’ve been living in the West End of Providence for a few years now and one of my favorite things to do is to explore the neighborhood for small adventures and good eats. Fortunately, it is not a difficult task to find some good food to enjoy, since there are quite a few culinary offerings within walking distance of my home. Cuisines ranging from exceptional pub food to Mexican to good ole diner fare. But, you put a tasty bread product in front of this broad and I’ll call it good. But put a thick piece of bacon on the perfect biscuit sandwich, well that would be a little slice of heaven. And that, my friend, is exactly what happened on a recent visit to one of the best biscuit-making places in Rhode Island.
Irregardless Biscuit is coming up on its one-year anniversary on Carpenter Street in the West End of Providence. In March 2024, it opened its doors to long lines of biscuit-loving neighbors, and it hasn’t slowed down since. I first learned about them through social media posts, and last month decided to grab a few of their biscuits on my way home with a promise to myself to return for one of their crowd-favorite sandwiches.
There are many things that strike me as irresistible at Irregardless. One is apparent the moment you open the door: they are damn happy to see you. When I stopped by recently to have a conversation with the owners, we didn’t complete many sentences since there were so many greetings shared with folks who came in to enjoy some food. This is not by accident. The owners are hell-bent on making each visitor’s time there not only a delicious one, but a delightful experience all around.
This is a very good thing. Another very good thing are the biscuits. Lead Baker, Erin Richer, is a key ingredient in making thousands of tasty biscuits. She started out as a line cook in the early days of the operation and now oversees the creation of 1,500+ biscuits each week. Why biscuits? Founder James Dean had a vision for a side hustle to his full-time job as a technologist at Rhode Island School of Design, while also running another food business, The Slow Rhode, a restaurant on the West Side serving Southern comfort food. His original concept was a pop-up sandwich shop, after participating in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program here in Rhode Island, but after launching it soon became apparent that the biscuits were the main star.
I recall lamenting over my missed opportunities to enjoy their biscuits as I read social media posts that the baked beauties were selling out within hours. It was clear he had a winning idea, so he talked with his buddy of more than two decades, Joe Hafner, about a brilliant idea to open up a shop to sell one thing and one thing only: biscuits. Joe also knows a thing or two about the food business, since he once served as Gracie’s head chef a few years back and also owns a business as a personal chef, which included working with filmmaker Wes Anderson. By the way, I implored him to drop some other big names he has cooked for, but alas, he wouldn’t spill the beans.
Did I mention the thick bacon yet? The Howard’s Biscuit is stacked with extra thick maple and pepper bacon, a fried egg, and cheese. It is a sandwich created in honor of the late Howard Crofts who owned and operated the beloved breakfast spot, Kitchen, that once occupied the space. Other goodies include The South Philly, a winning combination of pork roll, fried egg, and Cooper sharp cheese topped with a housemade hot sauce. You can even pick up just biscuits that come with different kinds of toppings, like hot honey, to drizzle, or strawberry butter to spread.
Irregardless Biscuits is only open three days a week – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – from 9 am to 3 pm. That is, unless they sell out of those biscuits, which is more often than not. On one occasion, they were gone within 2 ½ hours!
The menu holds a few signature sammies, but they also offer specials like broccoli rabe with overnight tomatoes, a fried egg, and whipped goat cheese. An assortment of soft drinks are available, too, including a NOLA cold brew, which is a New Orleans-style chilled coffee drink made with chicory syrup and milk. There are even some goodies for visiting pooches who love baked goods and bacon as well. At this point, the fellas are not looking to open up another location quite yet but they are going to open up an hour earlier. There is even talk of adding another day of business, too. So, in the meantime, get on over there to pick up some biscuits. They even cater.
Oh, did I already mention how much I love biscuits?
Dennise M. Kowalczyk is a multi-passionate, second-act creative, creating a big life one small adventure at a time. As an aspiring author and filmmaker, Dennise also acts and loves making new friends by sharing stories about her adventures. Connect with her on Instagram at @ TheAdventureBroad.