Downtown Tilly is East Greenwich’s Deli Destination

“On Facebook, I asked the East Greenwich Moms group what they thought the downtown area needed, and with a unanimous vote – a deli was desired,” says Grace Bramhall, an entrepreneurial new resident of the town. A pastime of Zillow house-hunting brought Bramhall and Ty Cosgrove to Tillinghast Road from Massachusetts two years ago, where they fell in love with their now home – and soon set the wheels in motion to curate a space for tasty sandwiches and brunch.    

Living out Cosgrove’s dream of owning a restaurant, the couple opened Downtown Tilly as a family-friendly spot with something for everyone. “We are very community oriented and want our menu to showcase that,” says Bramhall, listing off the nearby farms they source from, including Pat’s Pastured in East Greenwich and Exeter-based EMMA Acres and Our Kids Farm. “Our chef, Carlos Farrell, is extremely talented and strives to win a James Beard award one day; he makes almost everything in house, including our fan-favorite house-made seasoned chips.”

Favorite brunch eats include New Day, New “Mi” (an egg sandwich with pastrami and sriracha cabbage), Huevos Ranchero, and the Toast Board, featuring a slice each of their many fancifully topped breads. For lunch, there’s plenty of creative sandwiches, including local homage Goddard Steak Park, with thinly shaved sirloin, pepper jack cheese, mushrooms, red and green peppers, and caramelized onion on a ciabatta roll. Having recently been approved for a liquor license, Farrell keeps things interesting with their Deli After Dark dinner options that rotate monthly.

On the side, Bramhall hopes to one day convert the circa-1825 barn at The Tilly House (the name affectionately bestowed upon their home) into a small-scale event venue. She relays, “We moved without planned jobs, or idea of what we would do when we arrived, but knew this is where we wanted to call home.” And now they get to delight their neighbors with wholesome bites, too. DowntownTilly.com