Driving from one end of Rhode Island to the other takes less than two hours, which means that a person looking to dine out will likely consider options in many different towns or cities in the state on any given night. This makes it reasonable to discuss restaurants throughout the state in a single article. Here is a look at some local Aquidneck Island favorites.
For the Island's Best Pad Thai: The Salvation Café
This Newport restaurant has an eclectic menu ranging from truffle Mac n’ cheese to BBQ Braised Brisket to Bouillabaise Marseilles—all of it is good, but the pad Thai is superb. Recent media interest in the restaurant, including a visit from Rachel Ray and a note in Cosmopolitan, has raised prices, but portions are generally large enough to share, and the flavors are worth occasional indulgence. T. 401.847.2620
For the Island’s Best Pizza: Gold’s Wood-Fired Grill and Café
This family restaurant in located in an unassuming building across the street from a YMCA and a few yards down from the Middletown, RI DMV. The menu offers standard steak, mashed potato, roast chicken, and pasta dishes, but the pizzas are above and beyond. Order one with kalamata olives, procusitto, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, garlic, provolone, and Parmesan cheeses, or try the mushroom pizza, with layers of shiitakes and portobellos over garlic cloves and fontana cheese. The atmosphere is low-key and casual and the prices are reasonable (10.00 for a mushroom pizza, 8.95 for a pasta dish.) T. 401. 849.3377
For the Island’s Best Clam Chowder and Quahogs: Flo’s Clam Shack
This place has all the elegance of a plastic lawn chair, but locals know it’s the place to come for a bowl of clam chowder or a steamy, spicy quahog. Wear something old and be prepared to pay cash. Choose from Manhattan red, classic clear, or creamy white chowder. A bowl of chowder and a quahog is under seven dollars, and will fill you up. T. 401.847.8141
For the Island’s Best Selection of Beer on Tap: Yesterday’s
Yesterday’s is the only full restaurant in Newport County to serve over 30 beers on tap. The menu features typical pub-style appetizers, like Santa Fe nachos and Fried Calamari, as well as excellent pasta, sandwiches, salads, and desserts. Yesterday’s is the most versatile restaurant on the list, equally suitable for a casual family dinner, a drink with a friend, or a fancy meal for two. T. 401-847-0116
Eva Gordon - Eva Sage Gordon
Join the Conversation