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Food & Dining

In Rhode Island

The Rhode Island restaurant scene is bustling, and we're here to help you find the hottest new spots, the coolest hidden gems, and the best places to satisfy your cravings for great food and drinks.

We're serving up the best food news in Rhode Island as well. Sign up for our weekly newsletter, The R.I. Food Club and we'll deliver it directly to your inbox.

Bristol’s new flavors: There’s a fresh energy in this culinary community, still deeply rooted in its history

“There’s sort of a big influx of a lot of things in Bristol right now,” and accordingly, the culinary scene has expanded, restaurateur Jeff Hirsh said. “People like to go and try the new places, but they like your standards.”

What foods scream summer to you?

Three new restaurants in R.I. for when you’re trying to stay cool this summer

We mapped more than 130 great spots to get ice cream in Rhode Island. Find a new favorite.

‘James Beard loved to eat... And he was always broke’: Jacques Pépin remembers one of America’s most influential food figures

The Guides

Three new restaurants in R.I. for when you’re trying to stay cool this summer

Try beating the heat at a new food hall in Narragansett, get creative ice cream in Portsmouth, or savor seafood along the river in Westerly.

Tasting notes from the 2024 James Beard awards in Chicago

The traditional awards ceremony, which is known as the “Oscars of food,” is only part of the celebration. Here’s what the culinary elite ate and drank at the post-awards celebration.

Where to eat to celebrate your college graduate in Rhode Island

It’s nearly graduation season, and open tables will soon be hard to snag. Here are a few places in Providence to consider.

A food tour of New York, Mexico, or Spain — with your favorite chef as your guide

Some of Rhode Island’s most popular chefs and food professionals are offering intimate tours to discover different cuisines and vineyards around the world

‘No one should be able to trademark something so ingrained in a culture’: R.I. chefs on the Momofuku chili crunch controversy

Celebrity chef David Chang has apologized for sending cease-and-desist letters to small companies and restaurants that sell chili crunch. But the damage to his brand may have already been done.

8 things to buy at Providence’s new Japanese grocery store Maruichi

Chirashi, onigiri, gyoza, and a whole lot of choco pie.

Where to eat and drink on Wickenden Street in Providence

From gourmet pizzas to one of the state’s only Uyghur restaurants, these places to eat along Wickenden Street are worth a visit.

Seeking comfort food? Here are some delicious dumplings to try.

The beauty of dumplings is that they come in all sorts of variations, and from all over the world. And you can find some great ones in Rhode Island.

16 Rhode Island restaurant and bar openings to watch for in 2024

This year, some big names and long-anticipated plans will finally come to fruition.

A guide to East Providence: Because what else can you do?

With westbound traffic still limited on the Washington Bridge and continued gridlock on city streets, here are some things to do while you’re stuck on the east side of the Seekonk River.

‘More than a slice of heaven’: Mystic, Conn., is emerging as a culinary-driven destination

Nationally recognized chefs and restaurateurs are rewriting the village’s culinary narrative that was once only known for the famed Mystic Pizza shop.

Some of the best things I ate in 2023

Truffle ravioli, molé sauce, raw scallops, and much more.

Drinks

Some progress ‘but more work still needs to be done’ to diversify industry, says ‘Brewing Up Diversity’ host

This Providence, R.I. bar is doubling down on its whiskey

It’s always tea time at Yucoo

Le Mari opens on Newbury Street; Mamaleh’s plans another deli location, with pickles and pickleball

Behind the scenes

In R.I., an unconventional New England clam shack is doubling down on sustainable seafood

After Lil Rhody Clam Cake Crawl No. 9, the “Clamarati” -- friends who embark on a daylong journey to sample and rank the best clam cakes -- may have reached local celebrity status.

Here’s what’s moving into the former Oberlin restaurant space in Providence

Get ready for a new Mexican kitchen in downtown.

‘Not your typical train station cafe’: Cafe La France is a staple for Providence commuters and locals

The troubles of retailers like Christmas Tree Shops and Bed Bath & Beyond can be a boon for Ocean State Job Lot, a closeout operation. And they're involved with tons of other businesses.

‘The Hotline hype is real’: Why a tough-to-score pizza is all the rage in R.I.

Despite its name, the only way to get a Hotline Pizza is to slide into their Instagram direct messages once a week when ordering opens. Only some will make the cut.

At Providence restaurant Dolores, James Beard-nominated Chef Maria Meza knows what she’s doing

“Everything is homemade. Everything comes from the original,” says Meza, recently named a James Beard Foundation finalist for Best Chef: Northeast.

‘We tried everything’: Anchor & Hope winery in R.I. files for bankruptcy

But the founders won’t be going far: They’ll be the new stewards of Sakonnet Vineyard, a winery owned by Alex and Ani founder Carolyn Rafaelian.

Cooking

‘The Bear’ is back. Celebrate the new season with these tasty Globe recipes.

Looking to switch up your festive sips? Here's some advice from the pros.

Recipe: When there’s heat and humidity, watermelon feta salad is just the thing

Recipe for Watermelon Feta Salad

Recipe: Individual puff pastry shells, filled with pastry cream and topped with strawberries, make you look like a pro

Recipe for Individual Strawberry Tarts

Recipe: Pancakes with matzo meal and cottage cheese

Recipe for Angel Hair with Pistachio-Mint Pesto

Recipe: An elegant Parisian dessert layers frangipane (almond cream) in a buttery crust with spring rhubarb

Recipe for Rhubarb Frangipane Tart

Recipe: This version of Hillstone’s famous Emerald Kale Salad adds chickpeas to the bowl

Recipe for Kale Cabbage Salad with Peanut Vinaigrette

Recipe: Apricot and peas garnish this slow-cooked lamb

Recipe for Lamb Tagine with Apricots, Peas, and Lemon

Recipe: Reach the pinnacle of popsicle heaven with these icy strawberry-lime treats

Recipe for Strawberry-Lime Popsicles from the Food section of The Boston Globe.

Meet the Rhode Island Team

news

Rhode Island Food & Dining Headlines

FOOD

What foods scream summer to you?

We asked 10 food folks what they crave this time of year, because, as Jeremy Sewell puts it, "In New England, we earn things." Here’s what they said.

FOOD & DINING

Bristol’s new flavors: There’s a fresh energy in this culinary community, still deeply rooted in its history

“There’s sort of a big influx of a lot of things in Bristol right now,” and accordingly, the culinary scene has expanded, restaurateur Jeff Hirsh said. “People like to go and try the new places, but they like your standards.”

RI FOOD & DINING

We mapped more than 130 great spots to get ice cream in Rhode Island. Find a new favorite.

There are more than 130 ice cream shops to explore in the Ocean State, where you can find ice cream therapy, gelato, frozen lemonade, and other treats to beat the heat.

THE FOOD CLUB NEWSLETTER

Three new restaurants in R.I. for when you’re trying to stay cool this summer

Try beating the heat at a new food hall in Narragansett, get creative ice cream in Portsmouth, or savor seafood along the river in Westerly.

FOOD & DINING

Rhode Island’s oldest dairy farm continues its legacy

Wright’s Dairy Farm has been pasteurizing and bottling its own branded milk since the 1930s, and now boasts an on-site market with more than 500 dairy products.

THE FOOD CLUB NEWSLETTER

‘James Beard loved to eat... And he was always broke’: Jacques Pépin remembers one of America’s most influential food figures

The man for whom the awards and foundation are named was considered the foremost American food authority. But ”he wasn’t a chef, and he would be the first one to tell you," Pépin told the Globe.

PODCAST

This season is bittersweet for the Mr. Lemon family

On the Rhode Island Report podcast, Janice, Colleen, and Joe Rao talk about the love that their mother, “Mama Lemon,” poured into the Providence lemonade stand, which opened 50 years ago.

RI POLITICS

No ‘calamari comeback’? The R.I. chef from Democrats’ 2020 convention roll call says he’s a Trump supporter.

Iggy’s Boardwalk Executive Chef John Bordieri stood, wordlessly, clad in black, holding a platter of sautéed squid during a video roll call of states that formally made Joe Biden the party’s presidential nominee in 2020.