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The hard part about dining in Providence is choosing among its many superb restaurants. If you're in the mood for Italian, take a stroll through Federal Hill on Atwells Avenue; Downtown is home to excellent fine-dining establishments; and the East Side has great neighborhood and upscale-casual restaurants, as well as an assortment of spots with a hip ambience and an international menu.
When it opened in 1980, Al Forno put Providence on the national dining map as the originator of its distinctive grilled pizza. Still consistently good, the restaurant retains a loyal following for its thin-crust pizza, handmade pastas, and wood-grilled or roasted entrées.
The scents and flavors of Italy surround you at Costantino's as you peruse the amazing selection of homemade pastas and imported foods. The convivial banter between customers and employees adds to the atmosphere. While here, grab lunch, dinner, an espresso, or gelato at Venda Bar & Ristorante on the opposite side of DePasquale Square. Patio dining in the summertime is a true taste of la dolce vita.
The city's best spot for a romantic meal is Table 21 in a private alcove at Gracie's, across the street from the Trinity Rep theater. Owner Ellen Gracyalny mixes sophistication with whimsy in the main dining room, and executive chef Matthew Varga sources many of his ingredients from a local Rhode Island farmer; Varga's tasting menus are a standard setter for fine dining in Providence.
For two decades Derek Wagner has earned a seat at the table among Rhode Island's top chefs by helming this amped-up diner on Providence's West Side (the namesake "Nick" was the owner of the original diner at the site). Breakfast features classic comfort food like pancakes and egg dishes composed with all-local ingredients, like eggs from Baffoni Farms and potatoes from Schartner Farms, and pasture-fed Blackbird Farm Black Angus beef shows up in the Bolognese sauce and slow-cooked BBQ, while all of the plated fish entrees at dinner were swimming in local waters a short time before. Grab a seat at the counter to watch the culinary magic happen.
This intimate neighborhood bistro seats only 38 patrons, so reservations are essential on summer weekends. Neutral walls, white table linens, and simple but elegant china focus attention on the artfully composed dishes of chef and co-owner Champe Speidel, a four-time semifinalist for a James Beard Foundation Award. The meats, bacon, and sausage on the seasonal menu come from the restaurant's own butcher shop. Pan-seared Hudson Valley foie gras is an excellent appetizer, well followed by bread-crusted Atlantic halibut—if available—which is accompanied by a ragout of Brussels sprouts, celery root, mussels, and clams. The wine list isn't huge, but it is impressive.
You'll find some of the best southern Italian food you've ever tasted at this cozy, family-run Italian restaurant tucked away on a Providence side street. The chef also serves up delicious grilled swordfish, whole branzino, and NY strip steak, but be sure to have the antipasto, fried dough with Pomodoro sauce, or eggplant parm appetizers—all great for sharing.
Locals come to this third-generation, family-owned restaurant in the heart of Federal Hill for the chicken or eggplant Parmesan, veal with peppers, and braciola like (your Italian) grandma used to make. The prices are reasonable; the atmosphere, warm and casual.
The informal first floor of this two-level Italian restaurant has a deli case stocked with cured meats, cheeses, olives, and traditional Italian-style small plates; upstairs is a more traditional dining room with impressive views of the Providence River. Every table receives a separate checklist of the cured meats, cheeses, and accompaniments, which are then arranged as a beautiful charcuterie board.
On the city's increasingly gentrified West Side (which fringes Federal Hill), this convivial bar and restaurant occupies a single-story redbrick storefront with a handful of sidewalk tables. A mix of students, artists, and neighborhood locals find their way here nightly for fair-priced, deftly prepared bistro chow and imaginative salads.
Rhode Island's pizza universe has expanded in recent years—you can get a decent slice of New York, New Haven, or Detroit style—but the more things change the more they stay the same at Caserta, the landmark pizzeria on Federal Hill. Homemade sauce, fresh mozzarella, quality toppings, and a thick but crispy crust combine to create a unique Rhode Island-by-way-of-Sicily pie. A pizza pilgrimage site since 1953, Caserta still draws crowds despite its limited menu and no-frills dining room; walk it off with a stroll around Federal Hill and Atwells Ave. afterward.
Chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and African and Asian artwork adorns the walls (everything is for sale) at this restaurant-antiques store. The menu is extensive—seafood is particularly, but not exclusively, featured—the food is rich in flavor, and the ambience, occasionally augmented with live music, is full of personality. Brioche toast is the house specialty for weekend brunch.
A tiny Warren restaurant known for offbeat beers, hot chicken sandwiches, and a burger stacked 10 inches tall has blossomed into this second location with more expansive indoor-outdoor seating and an equally enticing menu of decidedly adult, made-from-scratch comfort grub. Pair zesty Mozambique chicken tenders that are definitely not your kids' chicken nuggets with frozen sangria on a summer's day.
One of the area's most popular gathering spots, the Coffee Exchange is the place to come for pastries, a coffee (hot or cold), and a chat. Family-run, the coffee shop has been an East Side landmark for nearly 40 years, adopting socially conscious sourcing long before that was common or trendy. If you don't have time to sit a spell, stop by the to-go window on the deck.
Rhode Island isn't top-of-mind when you think of great barbecue joints—this ain't Texas, Memphis, or the Carolinas, to be sure—but it's hard to find fault with Durk's succulent brisket, moist pulled pork, and smoky ribs. Savory sides like skillet cornbread and mac & cheese provide the right flavor balance on the plate, and drinks draw heavily from the collected "whiskey wall" behind the bar—you can't go wrong with the barrel-aged Old Fashioned on draft.
In a city where culinary newcomers tend to garner all the attention, Hemenway's continues to be one of the state's best seafood restaurants. The high-ceiling dining room's huge windows look out on Providence's World War II Memorial; in warm weather, dine outside on the front patio. The raw bar here is superlative.
Handsome brick walls and vaulted casement ceilings lend a cozy New England vibe to this contemporary, French-influenced American restaurant. The menu includes selections from both land and sea, mostly cooked in the open kitchen's wood-fired oven, as well as an extensive wine list.
Fun and kitschy Ogie's bar and restaurant fuses trailer-park chic and colorful (maybe even garish) 1950s-style decor. The "Granny Boo's Kitchen" menu emphasizes "gourmet comfort food," which translates into the likes of tater tots with white truffle oil, grilled peanut butter and jelly, and mac 'n' cheese croquettes. The restaurant's backyard is one of Providence's best outdoor dining and drinking spots.
Portions are big in the Rhode Island comfort-food tradition at this southern Italian ristorante on Federal Hill; count on fresh ingredients presented in a simple, straightforward way. Share a pasta if you dare, but keep in mind that the veal chop could probably topple Fred Flintstone's footmobile; gluten-free dishes are also available.
Even omnivores can get behind this chic vegan food hall, positioned near the waterfront and the city's new Providence River Pedestrian Bridge. On two floors and cascading outdoors, you'll find three restaurants, a bakery, a coffee bar, and a market offering familiar fare like tacos, pizza, lasagna---even burgers---all made exclusively from plants. Arrive early to snag one of the limited seats in the 345 speakeasy, tucked away next door.
In a neighborhood where Italian food dominates, this spirited seafood restaurant offers a refreshing alternative. Oysters—and clams, lobster, and shrimp—are the main attraction, of course, but landlubbers will enjoy a steak or rotisserie chicken.
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