Al Forno
Order A grilled pizza Margherita and the baked penne with tomato cream sauce.
Al Forno on South Water Street invented grilled pizza in 1980 under Johanne Killeen and the late George Germon. Wood-fire kitchen, baked pasta.
The restaurants worth the trip in Providence: bistros, neo-classics, neighbourhood favourites, and the rooms locals book first.
Our picks in Providence
21 places
Persimmon
Order Whatever Champe is plating from the Rhode Island shellfish run.
Champe and Lisa Speidel's Persimmon on Hope Street runs four-night seasonal French-leaning cooking. Foie gras, RI shellfish, the city's special-occasion room.
Nicks on Broadway
Order Whatever the chalkboard's running for the week, plus the brunch hash that built the room's reputation.
Derek Wagner's Nicks on Broadway in Providence is a 2026 USA Today Restaurant of the Year. Seasonal locally driven cooking; Wagner a 2025 Beard finalist.
Italian tours and tastings in Providence
8 of the restaurants on this list serve italian.
Bacaro
Order A round of cicchetti at the downstairs bar with a glass of Lugana, then a pasta upstairs.
Bacaro on South Water Street has a Venetian-style enoteca downstairs and a full Italian dining room upstairs. Cicchetti, salumeria plates, Italian wines.
Mill's Tavern
Order A wood-grilled fish of the day, with a glass off the deep Italian section of the list.
Mill's Tavern in the old Pilgrim Mill building on North Main is downtown's regular business steakhouse. Wagyu, wood-grilled fish, award-winning wine list.
Oberlin
Order A pasta from the day's chalkboard and a half-dozen Rhode Island oysters from the raw bar.
Ben Sukle and Bethany Caliaro's Oberlin on Westminster runs hand-rolled pastas and a small raw bar. 2025 James Beard Outstanding Restaurant finalist.
Hemenway's
Order The signature Shellfish Platter from the raw bar, or a one-and-a-quarter pound Maine lobster.
Hemenway's on the Providence River reopened March 5, 2025 after a refresh of the bar, raw bar and lobster tanks. Anchor downtown seafood since 1985.
Massimo
- ★ 4.3
- Italian
- $$$
- Federal Hill
Order Whatever pasta is being run as the regional special, with a glass of small-grower Italian red.
Massimo on Federal Hill's Atwells Avenue runs contemporary regional Italian under the DeQuattro family. Gluten-free menu, all-biodynamic Italian wines.
Pane e Vino
- ★ 4.3
- Southern Italian
- $$$
- Federal Hill
Order Veal Milanese with a glass of Aglianico, or a tasting of the daily pasta specials.
Joe and Esther DeQuattro's Pane e Vino, on Federal Hill since 2002, runs Southern Italian cooking with a 120-bottle all-Italian wine list. Half-price Mondays.
Sarto
Order A regional pasta off the rotating section, with a pour from the small-producer red list.
Sarto returned to its downtown Dorrance Street room in 2024. Regional Italian with a 2024 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence list; weekend live jazz.
Where to stay in Providence
A sample of Providence hotels from our booking partner, who list 864 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.
WoodSpring Suites Providence
A stay at WoodSpring Suites Providence places you in the heart of Providence, within a 5-minute drive of Be...
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Omni Providence Hotel
Omni Providence Hotel is in the heart of Providence, within a 5-minute walk of Rhode Island Convention Cent...
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Courtyard by Marriott Providence Downtown
A stay at Courtyard by Marriott Providence Downtown places you in the heart of Providence, within a 5-minut...
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Graduate Providence
A stay at Graduate Providence places you in the heart of Providence, steps from Providence City Hall and Al...
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Compare for next weekend: Holidu in Providence from USD 153/night · Expedia in Providence
Stays are listed by our booking partners, not editor picks. We earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Bayberry Garden
Order Half a dozen New England oysters from the raw bar, then the grilled Caesar and steak frites.
Tom and Natalie Dennen's Bayberry Garden in the Innovation District has a plant-filled dining room, sustainable raw bar, and a Pedestrian Bridge patio.
Andino's
- ★ 4.3
- Italian
- $$$
- Federal Hill
Order Snail salad, RI calamari with cherry peppers, then a veal scaloppine.
Andino's on Federal Hill's Atwells Avenue is a longtime stalwart. Veal scaloppine, snail salad and the canonical Rhode Island hot-pepper calamari.
Cassarino's
- ★ 4.1
- Italian
- $$$
- Federal Hill
Order Lobster ravioli or veal piccata, finished with the house tiramisu.
Cassarino's, on Atwells since 1988, is the candlelit Federal Hill room locals book midweek. Northern Italian classics, marble bar, polished service.
Camille's
- ★ 4.2
- Italian
- $$$$
- Federal Hill
Order The veal chop, with tableside Caesar to start.
Camille's, in a Bradford Street mansion since 1919, is the oldest continuously operating Italian dining room on Federal Hill. White-tablecloth.
Den Den Korean Fried Chicken
Order An order of double-fried drumsticks with sweet-and-spicy glaze, plus tteokbokki.
The Den Den group's Korean fried chicken counter on Angell Street. Double-fried wings and drumsticks in plain or gochujang glazes; small dining room.
Apsara
Order Nime chow with peanut sauce, plus the Singapore noodles or a Khmer curry.
Apsara on Public Street is Providence's longest-running Cambodian kitchen, with a pan-Southeast Asian menu running through Vietnamese, Thai and Lao classics.
Los Andes
Order Lomo saltado and a round of anticuchos; salteñas if they have them at lunch.
Los Andes on Chalkstone Avenue is Providence's Peruvian and Bolivian destination, with a waterfall and koi-pond patio. Lomo saltado, anticuchos, salteñas.
Rooftop at the Providence G
Order A flatbread off the brick oven, oysters, a cocktail at golden hour.
The G Hospitality rooftop on Dorrance has a retractable glass roof, fire pits and the city's best State House view. Brick-oven flatbreads, raw bar.
Gracie's
Order The seven-course tasting menu with pairings; ask for the chocolate dessert flight to close.
Ellen Gracyalny's Gracie's on Washington Street has been Providence's special-occasion room since 1998. Five- and seven-course seasonal tasting menus.
Pizza Marvin
- ★ 4.5
- Pizza and Raw Bar
- $$
- Fox Point
Order A pepperoni pie and a dozen of the shucked clams, washed down with a Pepperoni Negroni.
Chef Robert Andreozzi's Pizza Marvin on Wickenden runs New Haven-inspired pizza with a small raw bar; the Pepperoni Negroni is the house cocktail.
Costantino's Venda Bar and Ristorante
- ★ 4.2
- Italian
- $$$
- Federal Hill
Order Whatever ravioli is being run from the market downstairs, with a pour from the Italian wine list.
Alan Costantino's Venda complex on DePasquale Square pairs the 1938 pasta market with a full restaurant. Hand-pressed ravioli, the prettiest Hill patio.
Nothing matches.