Consistently recognized as an interesting and exciting city for food—from Four-star to French to Food Trucks, Providence offers a variety of appealing cuisine with varying price points both in immediate proximity to the Providence Biltmore hotel and within a short walk or ride.
Any given area of the city will have plenty of offerings to satisfy your appetite, taste buds, and wallet. Keep in mind that many upscale restaurants offer an affordable lunch menu, including all those steakhouses near the statehouse. While Rhode Island law prohibits Happy Hour-style drink specials, many restaurants offer appetizer specials in the early evening hours.
Yes, there will be a guide for conference attendees but start salivating now…
Downtown (often called “DownCity”) offers a dizzying array of dining destinations all within a five-minute walk:
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Directly off the Biltmore lobby waits McCormick & Schmick’s seafood and steaks—and Starbucks! And opening at the Biltmore Garage: Ellie’s Bakery (open), Fratelli’s, and Figidini (“prickly pear cactus” in Italian… certo!).
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Cross Burnside Park and you’ll be at the historic Union Station, now home to the Rhode Island Foundation. A handful of restaurants—Union Station Brewery, Luxe Burger Bar, The Capitol Grille steakhouse, Bar Louie, and Rí Rá Irish Pub—sit one level down along the river below in the same complex along Exchange Terrace, with Jacky’s Waterplace (upscale Pan-Asian restaurant and sushi bar) across a footbridge and offering fantastic views of downtown and the Providence River.
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Straight up from the Biltmore is Providence Place Mall. In addition to an extensive food court, find familiar restaurants that include P.F. Changs, Cheesecake Factory, Pizzeria Uno, Melting Pot fondue, Joe’s American Bar & Grill, and Fire + Ice Grill + Bar. Along the way you’ll spot both Fleming’s and Ruth’s Chris steakhouses.
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Pressed for time? Food Trucks to the rescue! Just walk out of the hotel and look to the right to spot food trucks parked along Kennedy Plaza that include Poco Loco tacos, Fancheezical, Plouf Plouf Gastronomie, and Mama Kims Korean BBQ. If it’s late (and you’ve been imbibing with hipsters at nearby Salon), don’t miss Haven Brothers Diner right at the steps of City Hall! Having doubts? Watch the video.
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Continue south along Dorrance another block to… The Dorrance. A former Federal Reserve serving meticulous farm-to-table dishes, the surrounding is simply spectacular. Above your price point? Splurge for dessert or simply go for wine or cocktails.
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You could then continue on Dorrance to Veggie Fun (Kosher-certified Pan-Asian Vegan) or veer east and wind up at Circe Restaurant and Bar or Pot au Feu (think Julia Child) in the historic Custom House or even the eclectic Red Fez, but you’ll probably be lured into turning right onto pedestrian-friendly Westminster and find yourself in the heart of DownCity shopping and dining with restaurant after restaurant… after restaurant. Standouts include: Flan y Ajo tapas, Sura (Korean and Japanese), stylish Tazza Cafe, Small Point Cafe, upscale Aspire Seasonal Kitchen and its fabulous interior and courtyard, Providence Coal-Fired Pizza with the only coal-fired oven in Rhode Island, and—one block further south from Tazza—Gourmet Heaven market and deli. At the end of Westminster, turn right on Empire and make your way to must-see AS220 gallery and FOO(D) & THE BAR. At the corner of Empire and Washington, find Bravo Brasserie French-American Bistro, then turn right along Washington (back toward the Biltmore) and come to Gracie’s fine dining (sadly, the attached too-cute TINI appetizer and martini bar was a recent casualty of a still-wobbly local economy) and Cuban Revolution around the corner. Continue along Washington to find Viva Mexico and Local 121 (another local-ingredients must).
East Side (literally just across the river) offers many options along North and South Main Street in the oldest section of Providence and through the heart of the RISD campus, all within a five-to-ten minute walk.
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Start east along Steeple Street to find Fat Belly’s (best pub name *ever*) and New Rivers American Bistro on different sides of the same historic building.
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Continue to Main St. and turn left to come across Cafe Choklad, Mill’s Tavern in the historic Pilgrim Mill’s Building, Olive’s Martini Bar, Harry’s Bar & Burger, and XO Café. Or turn right to head south toward Parkside Rotisserie and Bar, Hemenway’s seafood, Cablecar Cinema and Cafe, Pákarang Thai, Bacaro, and the newly reopened Mile & A Quarter along Providence’s historic gangways. The famous Al Forno that launched Providence’s dining scene in 1980 beckons from the very end of South Main.
Federal Hill, aka Providence’s Little Italy, is west from the Biltmore and can be reached in ten-to-fifteen minutes by foot (not unsafe, but crossing past the convention center and over I-95), a very short taxi, or the public trolley. With back-to-back restaurants lining both sides of Atwells Avenue (striped down the middle in red, white, and green), it is one of the largest intact Italian neighborhoods in the US. Resisting gentrification where you’re as likely to hear Italian as English, Federal Hill is still more Sinatra than “Jersey Shore”. With too many restaurants to cover here, visit the Federal Hill website and mouse over the Dining tab to begin to understand why tourists and residents alike stroll under the La Pigna archway and savor menus transported from and inspired by the old country.
Need more?!? A budding restaurant and bar scene is springing up in the nearby Jewelry District (15-minute walk south of the hotel) with best-restaurant contender CAV; Thayer Street near Brown University (20-minute walk east *up* College Hill or trolley) offers more restaurants including Andrea’s (Greek), Soban (Korean), Cafe Paragon, Meeting Street Cafe, and arguably the best tea and coffee in the city at both Tealuxe and Blue State Coffee; and Wickenden Street (25 minutes by foot) at the base of College Hill boasts some of the best pizza at Fellini Pizzeria, great suds at The Point Tavern where you can have dinner delivered, A Taste of India, Angkor (Cambodian), Z Bar and Grille, Sakura Japanese and Sushi Bar, Abyssinia (Ethiopian), and The Duck & Bunny snuggery (look it up).
For further impressions or Foodie-level research, check out Yelp’s interactive restaurant guide based on the location of the Providence Biltmore.
