Littlenecks Damiano, in the foreground, with fried ravioli and artichoke casserole appetizers and the restaurant’s specialty drink, the “Papa D’Martini.”

The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

CRANSTON — Several times when visiting nearby restaurants we’d looked in on Tony Papa’s, which has been in the little Phenix Plaza for nine years, always meaning to try it, but never quite getting there. But fate intervened, and happily so, because of a last-minute change in plans.

Tony Papa’s, on Knightsville’s “Restaurant Row,” is a charming, cozy place where the owners and staff make one feel at home. It was as though one had walked into the Cheers bar “where everybody knows your name” (and indeed, many of the other diners seemed to be on a first-name basis with the staff, and vice-versa) … or maybe into the home of some big Italian family where “mangia, mangia” is the house rule. Certainly that seemed to be the case at Tony Papa’s, where enormous portions of good and imaginatively prepared food is served at reasonable prices. You almost certainly will leave carrying enough leftovers for a meal the next day. And you might even be served by Tony himself or his wife, Suzanne. As we left, our cheerful waiter urged us to come back soon. We couldn’t argue with that invitation.

An L-shaped restaurant with a large bar fronting the kitchen, there are tables at the front and several booths on the side. The raspberry chiffon-colored walls give the room a warm glow, as do the wall sconces — large angels holding candles — and the wallpaper border on which cupids frolic amidst pink roses and fluffy clouds. In a later phone call, Papa credits Suzanne with the décor. Before opening in Phenix Plaza, they had a pizzeria on Rolfe Street; before that he was chef at the Warwick Country Club for nearly nine years.

Papa said all the bread served is made in the kitchen, along with the fresh meatballs and all the fixings. “We try to do as much of it as possible,” he said. Most of the menu is fairly down to earth — Buffalo wings, three kinds of calamari, pasta puttanesca, shrimp scampi, chicken parmigiana, baked stuffed shrimp. But several dishes reveal that the kitchen is willing to try something out of the ordinary, which often becomes something special.

There’s a specialty drink list along with a large selection of traditional wines and beers. The Papa D’Martini ($9.95) was a yummy mix of Stoli vanil vodka, Kahlua, amaretto, Frangelico and a splash of Jack Daniels, a treat for anyone who loves vanilla. It made for a smashing presentation in a little conical glass (don’t try sitting it on the table) set into a little bowl filled with ice to keep it cold. Papa said the martini was invented here because “a couple of our customers wanted something out of the ordinary” and the unusual glass it’s served in underscored that point. The martini became so popular that the recipe was featured in Bartender magazine. The Italian Margarita ($8.95), which included amaretto along with tequila and sour mix, was an even stiffer mix, though the requested salt on the rim seemed unnecessary.

We started with fried ravioli ($8) and the artichoke casserole ($9). The six ravioli had been lightly fried to a golden turn. Not greasy at all, they were near to bursting with mild ricotta cheese, Italian parsley and a hint of fresh basil. To top them off, a thick and deliciously rich tomato sauce is served on the side.

Just as delicious was the casserole, which was filled with sliced artichoke hearts that had been tossed with a wonderfully fragrant garlic butter, a hint of lemon juice and mozzarella cheese to make it nice and gooey and cracker crumbs for a bit of heft. This was a dish to savor and order again.

The House Specialty Michaelina ($18) resembled a tall volcano spewing Italian plum tomato sauce lava all over the platter-sized plate. A breaded and sautéed chicken cutlet had been layered with fried eggplant, fresh chopped spinach — a lot of spinach — ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. Topped with oven-baked peppers, it was a mouthwatering array of flavors. A side order of gnocchi ($2 extra) was large enough to make a meal-sized portion all its own. The surprisingly fluffy puffs of dough were smothered in tomato sauce that was much lighter than the one that came with the Michaelina.

Clam lovers would be heartened by the sight of the 11 very fat and tender littlenecks that were the focal point of the Littlenecks Damiano ($20). The succulent clams rested on a large serving of linguini, which was not apparent at first because there were so many other things atop the pasta: mild Italian sausage, shredded prosciutto, thin strips of onion, fresh spinach, peppers, hot pepper rings and diced tomatoes. It was swimming in a generous serving of a light sauce they called “XVOO” and white wine with garlic — a lot of garlic — and Pecorino Romano cheese. “What’s XVOO?” I asked our waiter, wondering if it were some fancy liqueur. With a twinkle in his eye he replied mischievously, “X-tra” virgin olive oil. Papa later said it’s del Papa olive oil (no relation), which he fell in love with, from the Umbria region of Italy.

Although there are often several homemade desserts, on this night there was only the tricolored spumoni ice cream ($6), which had been made in the kitchen. Two big slabs of chocolate, pistachio (with bits of pistachio nuts) and vanilla ice cream (with big chunks of cherries) had been married in a rainbow of richness. Topped with chocolate sauce and cherry juice, the spumoni was flanked by two big dollops of whipped cream that had been drizzled with more chocolate sauce. It was a serving enough for two. Fortunately there were two of us divvying up all that melting goodness and vowing to be back, just as our waiter had urged.

Tony Papa’s, 39 Phenix Ave., Cranston. (401) 946-4140. tony-papa.com. Casual. Wheelchair accessible. Child seats. Reservations during the week; there’s a call-ahead waiting list on weekends. AE, MC, V, DIS. Parking lot. Open Wed.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sun. noon to 9 p.m.; M: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Appetizers $6 to $10. Entrees $13 to $29. Wines are $4.95 to $7.95 by the glass; $17.95 to $84.95 for a bottle. BILL OF FARE

Dinner for two at Tony Papa’s might look something like this:

White zinfandel…$5.95

Chardonnay…$5.95

Artichoke casserole…$9.00

Chicken Michaelina…$18.00

Littlenecks Damiano…$20.00

Spumoni…$6.00

Total food and drink…$64.90

Tax…$5.19

Tip…$13.00

Total bill…$83.09

mjanuson@projo.com