Restaurants in Rhode Island

Food Culture & Dining Scene in Rhode Island

Rhode Island may be the smallest state, but its food scene is remarkably concentrated and influential. Providence anchors the dining culture, with Federal Hill's Italian restaurants rivaling Boston's North End and a creative restaurant scene fueled by graduates of Johnson & Wales University, one of the nation's premier culinary schools. Stuffies, baked stuffed quahog clams, are the definitive Rhode Island appetizer, served at clam shacks, restaurants, and family gatherings across the state. Coffee milk, the official state drink, blends coffee syrup into cold milk and is available at every diner and school cafeteria. The state's Portuguese community, centered in East Providence and Bristol, contributes linguica, malassadas, and Portuguese sweet bread to the local food culture. Newport's waterfront offers upscale seafood dining and the historic White Horse Tavern, claimed to be the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the country. Del's frozen lemonade, a slushy lemon-ice institution, is the taste of Rhode Island summer. Narragansett and the southern shore provide beachside clam cakes and chowder. With roughly 2,800 restaurants and one of the highest per-capita rates in the nation, Rhode Island proves that great food culture has nothing to do with geographic size.