Layali Cafe, Lincoln: fifteen minutes from Providence

This is Layali Cafe in Lincoln, Rhode Island, on Front Street, not the restaurant of a similar name on Custom House Street in downtown Providence. We are a dessert cafe, fifteen minutes up Route 146 from the city, and we do nothing but dessert, coffee, cold drinks and a savoury tray to start.

Why make the drive

Providence has excellent restaurants and a thin dessert scene once the kitchens close. Fifteen minutes up Route 146 there is a cafe that does nothing but dessert, stays open until midnight and until 1 AM at the weekend, and does not require a reservation. It is worth the drive for the things the city does not have: crepes and waffles dressed to order, fruit salads with ice cream folded through, a tray of Eastern sweets that is genuinely made rather than bought in, and a mocktail bar with no alcohol on the premises, which matters to a lot of the families and groups who come up.

The route

From downtown, Route 146 north to the Lincoln exits is a straightforward evening trip, and the cafe is at 259 Front St, a few minutes from the highway. There is parking on site, which Federal Hill does not have. From the East Side, Route 95 north to Route 146 is the same fifteen minutes; from Pawtucket and Central Falls it is less.

What to order on a first visit

Warbat with pistachio and a Turkish coffee if you want the thing you cannot get in the city. A Kinder crepe or an Oreo waffle if you want the full dessert. The Azaan fruit bowl if there are four of you and you want the table to look at something. A Mix Berries Mojito with any of them.

Booking and ordering

Small tables can usually walk in. For six or more, or a specific time on a Friday or Saturday, use the booking page and we confirm by text. If you would rather collect, build an order on the menu page and pay at the counter when you arrive; nothing is charged online.