Ice coffee (or tea) on the water. A terrific indie book shop. And a classic soda fountain that’s still going strong.

I’ve got three superb places to scope out in this breezy (cue the George Benson tune, will ya) little town in the East Bay.

Cafe Water Street

We first happened on this lovely cafe overlooking the water a few years ago. Plenty of outside seating and a nice menu of casual coffeeshop style drinks and eats. It’s an ideal spot for an iced coffee or London Fog and a muffin or scone break along with a side of meditative water views. I mean, if not now, when?

Check out their IG Cafe Water Street for daily specials and such.

Ink Fish Books

Warren resident Lisa Valentino opened Ink Fish back in October of 2018. This indie book shop features both new and used, best sellers, classics and everything in-between with a big emphasis on food-related and cookbooks. It’s open Wednesday thru Sunday for browsing and they even have online shopping, so you can support local next time you’re surfing the net and find a book you can’t live without.

Check out her Insta @InkFishBooks and site for the latest.

Delekta’s

Now for a bit of old school Warren….

Delekta’s Corner Store is the one and only place where you can still get what used to be a wildly popular Rhode Island treat made with the Ocean State’s official drink. I’m talking about what was commonly referred to around these parts as a Coffee Cabinet, not furniture (although some say it may have been named for the cabinet that the mixer machines were stored in) but a rich blend of coffee syrup, milk, and ice cream.

Not sure if they use Autocrat, the coffee syrup that made its debut during the 1930’s and whose operations continue to be based in Lincoln, RI. (The original company had been family run and had even bought out their biggest competitor — Eclipse Syrup — in the 1990’s before being sold to the British James Finlay Limited.)

Please let them know you found out about them HERE via Patty J & PattyJ.com.