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Restaurants
Home » Rhode Island » Rhode Island Restaurants and Activities » RestaurantsDining in Rhode Island can be a culinary delight. Throughout the state you will find menus with items such as native clams, quahogs, lobster, Indian pudding, and johnnycakes which are a corn cake cooked on the griddle. There are wonderful dining opportunities all over Rhode Island but this article will feature a few of the better choices in Newport and Providence.
Newport is known for its wonderful French cuisine along with a mix of other international cuisines. The seafood and regional fare in Newport just can’t be beat. The following are just a few of the more popular dining spots in Newport:
• White Horse Tavern – If you are looking for a romantic dinner for two or a restaurant to dine at for a special occasion, you will want to try the White Horse Tavern. Newport’s most famous restaurant has been feeding the locals and visitors since 1673 where it began as a meeting place of the Colony’s General Assembly and Criminal Court and City Council who dined there and charged their meals to the public treasury. The menu is modern with choices like beef Wellington, duck with a dried cherry sauce, shrimp, and scallops. For dessert you won’t want to miss the bread pudding with rum sauce. Be aware that this restaurant is quite expensive but worth the price for a special occasion. A dress jacket and tie are required at dinner.
• Newport Dinner Train – The train leaves the station every Friday and Saturday evening for a 2 ½ hour ride that takes you along 22 miles of the beautiful Narragansett Bay. Along with the beautiful scenery you can enjoy out of your window, you will be served an elegant four course dinner served on fine china, along with silver, crystal, and the warm glow of candlelight. Entertainment has included barbershop quartets, murder mysteries, and much more. To ensure a reservation, get your request in two weeks in advance.
• The Newport Creamery – A New England tradition for over 70 years, the Newport Creamery is a casual, child-friendly diner that serves the standard burgers and sandwiches. The real treat at the Newport Creamery is their ice cream, sundaes, and their own special concoction called the Awful Awful. An Awful Awful is a wonderful mix of ice cream and syrup into a milkshake. There is also an Awful Awful with Attitude and the Outrageous Awful Awful along with the Frappe and sundae choices too numerous to mention.
• Newport Blues’ Café – Housed in a former bank on Thames Street, the Newport Blues’ Café is recognized as a world premiere blues club. Enjoy a mix of eclectic flavors from around in the world at dinner and then sit back and enjoy the best live music in Newport. Some of the best blues performers are featured at this New York City style café and nightclub. Open Wednesday through Saturday, dinner is served from 6 – 10 p.m. with the music beginning at 9:45 p.m.
• O’Brien’s Pub – Located on Lower Thames Street in the heart of Newport, O’Brien’s is open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., closing only for Christmas Day. There is an outdoor patio where you can enjoy the nightlife of Newport while dining or having a Grasshopper cocktail. The Grasshopper is O’Brien’s specialty drink that is more like a frozen dessert. Inside the pub you will find a dining area along with several pool tables and loud music. On some weekend evenings you may be asked to pay a $5.00 cover charge.
In the city of Providence you will find a lot of the same wonderful fare offered in Newport, such as the johnnycakes, clams, and quahog. The Federal Hill neighborhood offers several dozen fine restaurants including some incomparable Italian eateries.
• Al Forno – In Italian “Al Forno” means from the oven. From the oven at Al Forno you will get wonderful wood-grilled pizza such as the Grilled Pizza Margarita and the Grilled Pizza Pumpkin. Also on their menu is a bistro steak along with roasted clams and many other mouth watering choices made from the seasonal and local ingredients used. The upstairs dining area features a rustic feel while the downstairs has white marble flooring. The restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays and you cannot make reservations at Al Forno. Prices range from $12.00 to $28.00.
• Providence Oyster Bar – Located in historic Federal Hill, this upscale yet casual seafood restaurant is a treat you wont want to miss if you like oysters. The raw bar serves more than a dozen types of oysters along with other choices such as fried calamari and coconut shrimp. The dining room features wood floors, brick walls, and a tin ceiling where they serve entrees such as soft shell crab po boys for lunch and lobster ravioli or Hawaiian grilled swordfish for dinner.
• Snookers – A billiard hall located in the Jewelry District of Providence. Snookers hosts live bands almost every night. Food is served in a 50’s style lounge.
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