New and coming soon: 27 new restaurants and bars in R.I. to try this summer

Summers in Rhode Island mean sand in your clothes while eating an ice cream cone, slurping briny oysters, or sipping cocktails at a rooftop bar. This summer, owners of new restaurants and bars are flinging open their doors across the state.

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From a swanky new French place in Newport to a new steakhouse on Block Island, to a family-owned taqueria in Providence, here are a few places that recently opened or are coming soon. Check them out while playing hooky on a beautiful day, or while you’re visiting the Ocean State on vacation this summer.

Hotel Viking, one of Newport’s most iconic properties, reopened in May after a multimillion-dollar renovation. The hotel boasts four new restaurant and bar concepts: a French Riviera-inspired restaurant called Pescadou along with cocktail bar Skoal Room, coffee and pastry café Tuck Shop, and rooftop bar Cap Club. They are the brainchildren of Littleneck Hospitality Group, founded by restaurateur and chef Robert Andreozzi and his business partner and local beverage leader Jesse Hedberg, owners of Pizza Marvin and Club Frills in Providence, known for their local sourcing of ingredients and innovative programs. They’ve recently hired chef Will Rietzel as chef de cuisine of Pescadou. Rietzel most recently served as the executive chef of Giusto in Newport, and previously as the chef de cuisine of COAST at Ocean House in Westerly.

Pescadou, a playful, 110-seat restaurant inspired by the coastal cuisine of southern France, has bright pink booths and ceilings, with mint green chairs reminiscent of Palm Beach. The raw bar offers oysters and clams, while some of their signature dishes will include fresh pastas and bouillabaisse.

One Bellevue Avenue, Newport, R.I., hotelviking.com.

Purslane, a popular neighborhood restaurant inWakefield known for sandwiches and seafood, has launched St. Charbel, a new oyster bar next door. Its decor leans into a vintage feel, featuring paintings of old ship captains and schooners. At St. Charbel, expect a raw bar offering massive seafood towers, tons of crudos and local oysters, deviled eggs, karaage topped with caviar, a smoked salmon dip, and confit calamari from Point Judith. They’re open Wednesdays through Sundays and host a happy hour every day from 4 to 5 p.m.

254 Robinson St., South Kingstown, R.I., stcharbel-ri.com.

Sometime this summer, La Fe Taqueria will take over the space long occupied by country-style breakfast joint Blue Cottage, which closed last year after a quarter-century in business. La Fe is co-owned by Jason Vargas, who has worked in the food industry across Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut in hotels, casinos, and event spaces like Gillette Stadium; his wife Melisa Sanchez, who has a background in mid-century furniture restoration and will be managing the restaurant; and Thang Huynh, the co-owner of Lotus Pepper, a Vietnamese spot next door that serves banh mi, noodles, and salad bowls. La Fe will be a fast-casual Mexican concept with a menu featuring tacos, burritos, bowls, and tortas, focusing on slow-cooked meats, homemade salsas, and house-made aguas frescas. They are still in the middle of renovating the space — both the kitchen and the dining area — and are aiming for a June opening.

“The goal is to keep it clean, welcoming, and upbeat, with the kind of feel you’d get walking into a taqueria in Mexico,” said Vargas.

748 Hope St, Providence, R.I., lafetaqueria.com.

Alessandra Pallozzi, the owner of mobile and vintage-inspired beverage bar Bevi e Vivi, plans to open Bevi Bar later this year. Pallozzi and her brother, marketing guru and photographer Lucio Andreozzi, vacationed on the coast of Italy during their childhood summers. After bartending for years, Pallozzi found a 1991 Piaggio Ape, and she and Andreozzi stripped it down and redesigned it from scratch to officially launch the mobile bar in 2022. Now the duo is opening the brick-and-mortar location in the former Tiny Bar space this summer. They’ve stripped the bar down to the studs, and they say their design and cocktail menu is meant to transport guests to Italy.

377 Richmond St., Providence, R.I. Updates will be posted on their Instagram.

In late 2025, Durk’s Bar-B-Q, which had been a barbecue staple in Providence for eight years, shut down for good. The restaurant’s building had a ton of very Providence history: It was housed in The Satin Doll, a problematic strip club that was shut down by city officials after it was caught allowing prostitution. Since Durk’s closed, the building has sat empty. But now, chef Robert Andreozzi and local beverage leader Jesse Hedberg are at it again, and just recently opened Rollers in its place earlier this month. Rollers might be the modern sports bar that Providence needs: where you can get a beer and a smash burger, but also grab a well-thought out cocktail while catching a World Cup match.

33 Aborn St., Providence, R.I., rollerspvd.com

Gardiner Provisions is a new hotel bakery run by the swanky Gardiner House and its executive chef Miguel Somoza, who previously worked in the Royal family’s kitchens. The bakery opened earlier this year amid a worldwide hotel bakery trend – an amenity beyond hotel bars and restaurants – including at the famed Claridge’s hotel in London, and the Marbella Club in Spain. Gardiner Provisions offers a rotating selection of house-made baked goods, and its signature in-house sourdough serves as the foundation of the baking program. Somoza recommends some of his favorites: pain au chocolat, banana bread, and creations like The Bomb, a raspberry and cream cruffin finished with a pecan-apricot glaze.

429 Thames St., Newport, R.I., updates are posted on their Instagram.

Phed Phed, a new Thai restaurant from the owners of ramen shop Wara Wara and Japanese restaurant Tori Tomo, officially opened in downtown Providence in March. Chef X Premwat, locally known as X, came to America from Thailand, and has created a menu that features dishes such as tom kra zaap chicken, crispy papaya salad, and jeaw steak. There are a range of gluten-free and allergy options, and dishes are available in a range of spice levels. For dessert, order the fried ice cream with raspberry burgundy sauce and fresh berries, or the mango sticky rice with sweet sticky rice, coconut milk, and mango.

71 Washington St., Providence, R.I., phedphedpvd.com.

Siren Spirits is Rhode Island’s newest distillery, and it’s exclusively specializing in gin. The owners — Erik Mikkelsen, Tim Eagan, and Christopher Musella — opened the distillery in March in the Harrison Steam Complex in Providence’s Olneyville neighborhood. There, a former boiler room has been transformed into a speakeasy-like tasting room. Their signature gin is Pieces of Eight, which features cinnamon, star anise, citrus, and grains of paradise.

41 Troy St., Providence, R.I., sirenspirits.com.

Chef Kevin Matos and his family have long owned Matos Bakery in Pawtucket and previously owned JC’s Butcher Shop in West Warwick, where he specialized in sausages that were hand cut, seasoned, and smoked in house. Matos Bakery, which has been in business for more than two decades, started after Matos’s parents immigrated to the United States from Portugal, working in factories before opening the bakery. Matos remembers sleeping on bags of flour at the bakery at night as a kid while they worked. Earlier this year, Matos opened his own restaurant, Cafe Alma in East Providence. It’s split between a café and a 30-seat dining room, with a non-traditional menu. This is “New England Portuguese,” said Matos, who said the menu reflects how Portuguese cooking has evolved in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts, two hubs for Portuguese populations.

227 Warren Ave., East Providence, R.I., updates are posted on their Instagram.

The Martucci Group opened the upscale One BI Steak & Oyster House midway through last summer, before closing for the winter. This year, they’ve reopened with Michael Achille as their executive chef, previously the chef of Bar and Board Bistro in Newport. He’s developed a new menu and the restaurant tapped general manager Taylor Brogan, formerly the wine director and sommelier of The Capital Grille in Hartford, Conn., to revamp the wine list. Brogan told the Globe they’ll offer a bottomless rosé on Saturdays during “golden hours,” which is 6 to 8 p.m. And they’ll transform from their fine dining concept to vibrant nightlife Thursdays through Saturdays starting at 9 p.m., on top of hosting themed party events.

212 Water St., New Shoreham, R.I., 212bi.com.

Thermia recently opened in the historic Rising Sun Mills complex in Providence, specializing in rotisserie-roasted meats and Mediterranean-inspired dishes. It’s the latest restaurant from a group led by chef Jaewoo Choi, who also runs Sott and PVD Noodle Bar, two downtown restaurants rooted in Korean heritage and izakaya-style dining culture, respectively. At Thermia, expect Argentinian shrimp, grilled shrimp, truffle mushroom pasta, a signature burger with a short-rib patty, and lots of rotisserie chicken options.

166 Valley St., Building 10, Providence, R.I., thermiapvd.com.

Michael Lester, the former owner of The Dorrance, has finally opened Mémère’s, a French-Canadian inspired bistro in downtown Providence. Known for its Gilded Age-era building and for being a launchpad for talent, The Dorrance had a great run downtown from 2011 to 2020, when it closed amid the pandemic. With Mémère’s, Lester has honored his grandmother. It’s inside Neptune, the hip Providence hotel previously known as The Dean.

The menu tends to turn over, but reach for anything with foie gras (they recently served a terrine de foie gras with kumquat jam and brioche) and any gnudi dish (in late April, they prepared a gnudi Parisienne with a citrus brown butter, pickled ramps, morsels, and peas).

There are also classic entrees, like coq au vin blanc with oyster mushrooms and pommes hollandaise, and a ratatouille de saison dish that’s served with a root vegetable medley, cranberry beans, and Parmigiano Reggiano.

122 Fountain St., Providence, R.I., memeresri.com.

Newport Vineyards opened Farm & Barrel Bistro in May, a farm-to-table dining concept that celebrates the connection between their vineyard, brewery, and on-site farm. Serving lunch, dinner, and a Sunday brunch, guests are seated in one of two unique settings: with vineyard views or overlooking the winemaking process. Leading the culinary team is Executive Chef Kyle Johnson, a Rhode Island native and Johnson & Wales University graduate. Johnson previously worked at Townsman in Boston, which was run by chef Matt Jennings, and then was a line cook at Pammy’s, a wildly popular restaurant in Cambridge. For dinner, expect crudos, a cast iron milk bread with a honey butter, sandwiches and burgers, and entrées like a chicken fricassee.

909 East Main Road, Middletown, R.I., farmandbarrelbistro.com.

For years, Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown has been a Rhode Island staple, perched on the edge of Potter Pond, where oysters are harvested for diners, and boats tour the oyster farm there.

Last summer, the restaurant was damaged in a fire. Earlier this summer, owner Perry Raso opened Matunuck Atelier. Think of this as a the elegant sister restaurant to the original, located in a strip mall. Of course, grab some oysters – even without a view of the pond. This restaurant is more concentrated on fresh pasta made in house, like the signature ravioli stuffed with saffron-braised fennel and lobster, or the seafood ravioli with scallops and Jonah crab, sweet peas and shaved almonds, served with a limoncello cream sauce.

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151 Old Tower Hill Road, South Kingstown, R.I., matunuckatelier.com.

Finally, some music is coming back to downtown Providence. Murmur HiFi Lounge is opening this month in downtown Providence, on the ground floor of the WIT building at 276 Westminster St.

For years, downtown Providence was known for its intimate music venues, such as Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, which brought acts like Wu-Tang Clan, The Pretenders, Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, and the Dave Matthews Band. Most of those music venues have been shuttered for years.

Murmur will be a high-fidelity, analog listening lounge, inspired by Japanese jazz kissatens from the 1920s, which were jazz coffee shops designed to enhance music listening and appreciation while providing a space for guests to enjoy music, drinks, and food. The space previously held Providence Black Repertory Company, Roots Cafe, and Aurora — all popular music venues.

Murmur’s co-owners Robert Troutman and Allison Johnson were inspired by this concept after Troutman’s visit to Tokyo decades ago. The cocktail menu will be created by Parker Luthman, Murmur’s bar manager and beverage director. He previously worked at Gift Horse and Oberlin. The bar will also have a Toki Highball machine, common in Japan, that makes a perfect, ice-cold whiskey highball each time that drinks more like a beer or glass of Champagne than a mixed drink with liquor. Guests should expect a nod to Asian influence throughout the cocktail menu, Luthman previously told the Globe, as well as low-ABV and non-alcoholic beverages.

276 Westminster St., Providence, R.I., murmurhifi.com.

Husband-and-wife duo chef Luke Mersfelder and local beverage leader Brittany Simons are planning to open a new restaurant called Kingfish in the former Bywater space in Warren this summer. Mersfelder previously ran Bywater’s kitchen and Simons previously managed Providence cocktail bar The Eddy. Kingfish will have a locally sourced, seafood-driven menu with a rotating selection of oysters from Rhode Island and Massachusetts, bright salads topped with local fish, and a beef program with different cuts of steak and a burger, sourced from the Rhody Butcher. There will also be a chicken cutlet dish with braised greens and cherry peppers.

As young parents, they’re also focused on creating a better children’s menu with more to offer than hot dogs and buttered noodles. While the menu is still being finalized, their ideas include fish sticks made with scup, a fish commonly known as porgy found in the Atlantic; fresh pasta from Prica Farina; and a raw fish plate (kids are loving sushi nowadays).

“We want to be able to accommodate everyone that we possibly can within our means, and part of that is allowing young families and children to be part of the experience however they choose to be,” said Simons.

54 State St., Warren, R.I., updates are posted on their Instagram.

In Newport, Bóru Test Kitchen recently opened Tea on Marlborough St., a western-themed tea shop that specializes in boba tea and other tea drinks by Aliah Gipaya, a local Newporter. They combine teas with brown sugar boba, house made flavored syrups and whipped toppings. For instance, their carrot cake matcha is topped with a cream cheese whip with cinnamon sprinkle. The “Macadamia Cloud” is a golden milk bud oolong tea with chocolate sauce, oat milk, and a dairy free mascarpone. The “toasted strawberry tart” drink is a bright pink drink that uses a caffeine-free crimson berry tea with Honey Graham cracker syrup, a splash of whole milk, and fluffy cream cheese whip topping.

51 Marlborough St., Newport, R.I., updates are posted on their Instagram.

Ciao Ciao is a new Italian restaurant in the former KG Kitchen Bar space on Hope Street in Providence, which officially closed in early 2025. They offer daily house-made pasta with an extensive bread and dessert program. Adam Stabile, a longtime bartender for Providence Oyster Bar and the Spring House Hotel on Block Island, teamed up with CJ Correnti, the corporate manager and executive chef of the Atwells Restaurant Group, to open the restaurant.

771 Hope St., Providence, R.I., ciaociaopvd.com.

In Newport, Ocean and Fifth Cafe opened this spring by Kevin and Nikki Garabedian. They’re serving specialty lattes, pastries, bagels, smoothies, and larger bites. For breakfast, snag a spicy sandwich with a fried egg, linguica, pepperjack cheese, with peppers and onions on a toasted bolo slathered with sriracha aioli. For lunch, they have wraps, sandwiches, salads, soups, and grab-and-go options, such as a tortellini Greek salad or lemon orzo.

7 Carroll Ave., Newport, R.I., oceanandfifth.com.

The Yellow House in Tiverton Four Corners, a book shop in the historic Benjamin F. Seabury home first constructed in 1840, this spring opened the “Corner Bar,” a new bar and cafe space in the back of the shop. Their menu, which is currently hand-written and ever-evolving, offers a selection of rotating wines, beer, a cider and non-alcoholic beverages, along with some pre-packaged snacks. At some point this summer, they plan to expand with pop-ups.

3842 Main Road, Tiverton, R.I., theyellowhouseri.com.

Miso Mozza is a new Itameshi-style restaurant in Providence that opened in late 2025. Itameshi fuses Japanese and Italian flavors, a hybrid cuisine that has been evolving for more than a century, after Italian-style spaghetti first appeared in Japanese cafes in the early 1920s. Around this time, Italian-American GIs in the country were also eating Italian red sauce.

At Miso Mozza, pasta is one of chef-owner Wanchai “Tom” Intawong’s specialties. Order the pappardelle al ragu, which leans meatier than most traditional Bolognese sauces. It’s got braised beef, veal, lamb, and pork with foie gras butter. If you want to explore the Itameshi category, order the spaghetti uni cream carbonara with uni butter, ikura, and nori flakes. Split some small plates with the table, such as the toro truffle crispy rice with avocado, truffle kabayaki and spicy mayo. It’s one of their best sellers.

279 Atwells Ave., Providence, R.I., misomozza.com.

The family behind Sunset Beach Oysters has been harvesting oysters off Jamestown since 2012. They had expanded to bring lobster boils and raw bars on the road, delivering their fresh oysters, steamers, little necks, and other seafood to someone’s house or party. This year, owner Antonio Pinheiro opened Sunset Beach Oyster Bar in a space that previously held Tallulah’s Taqueria until it closed last year.

35 Narragansett Ave., Jamestown, R.I., sunsetbeachoysters.com.

Sorelle “Off the Lane” is a new restaurant in Warren by chef Michael St. Angelo and Mary Beth Ryder, the husband‑and‑wife team behind Spaghetti Lane in Barrington. The concept was born from his love of old‑school “Rhode Island” Italian cooking and her passion for exceptional wine. Expect shareable plates like zucchini flowers, cheese boards, and a crispy eggplant caprese; a spicy blue cheese flatbread with pistachio and hot honey; and all sorts of pasta dishes and larger entrees.

437 Main St., Warren, R.I., sorelleoffthelane.com.

Chef Jake Rojas, a native of El Paso, Texas, who previously ran the popular restaurant Tallulah on Thames and then Tallulah’s Taqueria (now closed) launched another venture, Snackbar Royale in Jamestown. The restaurant was named and designed with the help of his two children. Expect a Euro-style clam shack inspired by coastal Spanish and Portuguese flavors. There’s a raw bar, battered seafood, cold beer, easy drinking cocktails, and — like any good summer clam shack — ice cream.

1 Ferry Wharf, Jamestown, R.I., snackbarroyale.com.

In late 2023, Jason Sugarman opened Maven’s Delicatessen in Pawtucket to much fanfare, serving massive pastrami sandwiches, matzo ball soup, noodle kugel, and fresh bagels with house-made schmear. Earlier this year, Sugarman opened a smaller version of that delicatessen, Maven’s Jr., on Thayer Street in Providence. It’s designed for students, with a more fast-casual atmosphere rather than for a sit-down lunch. You’ll still be able to get matzo ball soup, sandwiches like their signature reuben, and lox plates, but it will be a more limited menu.

231 Thayer St., Providence, R.I., mavensdeli.com.

If you’re in Warren this summer and in the need for brunch, sneak into Crescent Moon Cafe. They make their own sourdough for toasts (like the “Rico” with ricotta cheese and blueberry jam, or “Morning Coast,” which has avocado, smoked salmon, olives and seeds), as well as sandwiches, and some of their plates. Snag some sourdough pancakes or a slice of bundt cake, or some cookies or muffins to go.

520 Main St., Warren, R.I., updates are posted on their Instagram.

For years, Scales & Shells was a staple on Newport’s Thames Street. Last year, it was acquired by Heritage Restaurant Group, a large hospitality group run by wealthy entrepreneur and investor Nicholas S. Schorsch, who has spent the last few years purchasing all sorts of family-owned restaurants around Aquidneck Island, and beyond. In April, the group reopened the space as Claw & Hammer, which specializes in stone crab and other seafood. There’s plenty of traditionally-prepared dishes on the menu that tourists will want to reach for in Newport this summer: breaded and fried calamari with cherry peppers, crab cakes, lobster bisque, New England clam chowder, lobster rolls, and more.

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527 Thames St., Newport, R.I., clawnhammer.com.