The Chicken Roma entree, in back, and the Littlenecks Italiano appetizer at The Atwood Grill in Johnston.

The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo

If you’re looking for a friendly, neighborhood kind of place with good food, superior portions and reasonable prices, the Atwood Grill in Johnston is that place.

Here you’re still offered soup or salad with your entree. Side dishes, too — pasta or potatoes and vegetables. The portions are huge. The service is cheerful. Those things, plus the fact that most entrees run from $11.95 to $15.95, are why this unpretentious spot right at the end of the Atwood Avenue exit off Route 6 always seems busy.

Owner Vincent Di Raimo said this family-run business has been serving customers for 11 years with an extensive menu that ranges from familiar fare — chicken Marsala, baked scrod, veal Parmesan, fried calamari — to slightly more adventurous fare — Calamari Naples, breaded and served in a balsamic reduction with tomatoes, hot peppers and butter; Gnocchi Sorrento, with marinara, basil, Romano and mozzarella; New York Sirloin Giuseppe, with Portobello mushrooms and roasted peppers. The kitchen, run by chef Danny Leone for the past eight years, has 65 items on the menu, so it’s not surprising that DiRaimo said in a later phone call that The Atwood Grill has “a lot of regulars. Some of them eat here four or five times a week.” And no wonder. The restaurant has “customer loyalty cards.” Have one stamped six times and you’ll get a free meal — “$7.95 at lunch; $13.95 at dinner . . . and that’s pretty much everything on the menu,” said DiRaimo.

The main part of the dining room, with pale green walls and a tile floor, reminds me of an old railroad car with its slightly vaulted ceiling, overhead fans and the kind of wide Venetian blinds you see in ’40s and ’50s movies that are set on trains. The dining room wraps around one side of the restaurant opposite a big square bar. Near the entrance is a smaller dining room that’s used for private parties or the weekend overflow.

On an earlier visit we’d raved over the fried calamari and the snail salad. This time we wandered into fresh territory once we had a Golden Margarita ($7) and a Burgundy Sangria ($6) in hand, each served in a tall glass and a little sweeter than expected.

We were all set on appetizers — the Littlenecks Italiano Red ($7.95) and the Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms ($5.95) — when my dining companion spotted the flatbreads. The Garlic Chicken Flatbread ($7.95) sounded tempting with its grilled chicken, sauteed onions, roasted garlic, roasted peppers and mozzarella. It was a tough choice … so we ordered all three.

The two large mushrooms were topped with a vegetable stuffing that was a mix of bread crumbs and chopped mushrooms and broccoli, according to DiRaimo. It was exceptionally moist and delicious. The flatbread had been baked in a square shape, then cut into six rectangular pieces that sat in a pretty, high-sided serving dish. With a spread of cheese on top, the vegetables on this pizza were very fresh tasting, with just a hint of spiciness.

Much as we liked both those appetizers, however, we were bowled over by the Littlenecks Italiano. Ten clams simmered in a robust red sauce made spicy with slices of pepperoni, onion and garlic. Although garlicky, it was not overwhelmingly so, and we happily dunked pieces of the very good crusty Italian bread into the sauce to sop up its rich deliciousness. What with all that food on the table and the entrees still to come, we were startled to discover that we’d also get a soup or salad with our entrees. The soup — chicken and rice — was thick and hearty, brimming with pieces of shredded chicken and sliced celery. The salad — an enormous portion that spilled from a large bowl — had mixed, very fresh greens; a cucumber slice and the biggest cherry tomato I’ve seen. The house dressing — honey balsamic — added a touch of tangy sweetness. Although I knew the size of our entrees would be impressive, I finished every bit of the salad.

At first glance, my Scrod Italiano ($12.95) appeared to be the same sauce served with the Littlenecks Italiano. But one taste proved that it was quite different, what with all the minced clams swimming in it. They gave a nice body to the dish whose main component was the moist and flaky scrod. Surprisingly, despite the sauce’s richness it did not totally overwhelm the taste of the delicate scrod, which also is available here in a more traditional version with a light crumb topping.

On the side, the slices of sweet potato had been steamed to fork-tender perfection. The vegetable side was a mix of broccoli, green beans, red peppers and yellow squash that was perfectly fine and not overcooked.

The Chicken Roma ($13.95) filled the serving bowl with three pounded-thin chicken breasts, fresh spinach and sun-dried tomatoes in a mild cream sauce. It had a rustic, woodsy flavor that was very pleasing. On the side, the penne pasta with marinara rated nothing more than an “okay;” most of it went back to the kitchen at the end of the meal.

With such a wide variety and large number of menu items, one wouldn’t expect the desserts to be house made. And in that, one would be correct. Nevertheless, the dessert menu’s color pictures made everything look very tempting and so we wound up sharing a Coppa Spagnola ($4.95). This very light and refreshing concoction of cherry and vanilla gelato was sprinkled with sliced cherries.

With all those good choices on the menu, it’s easy to see why The Atwood Grill keeps its customers coming back.BILL OF FARE

Dinner for two at the Atwood Grill might look something like this:

Golden Margarita…$7.00

Burgundy Sangria…$6.00

Littleneck Italiano…$7.95

Chicken Roma…$13.95

Scrod Italiano…$12.95

Coppa Spagnola…$4.95

Total food and drink…$52.80

Tax…$4.22

Tip…$11.00

Total bill…$68.02

The Atwood Grill, 1413 Atwood Ave., Johnston. (401) 943-3331, atwoodgrille.com. Casual. Wheelchair accessible. Reservations for eight or more. Child seats. AE, M, V. Parking lot. Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon. to Sat.; dinner 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mon. to Sat.; from 11:30 a.m. Sun. Appetizers $2.25 to $8.50. Entrees $8.50 to $18.95. Wines $2.50 to $7.50 by the glass; $11.95 to $29 for a bottle.

mjanuson@projo.com