Motif’s Top Eatery Picks

RI is home to a staggering number of restaurants – it’s sometimes hard to figure out where to start. As always, Motif is here to help. We gathered our crack team of food writers (who, frankly, eat entirely too much) and asked them to list their favorite local dining establishments, whether they’re in the mood to sink their teeth into a juicy burger or into a secret rendezvous.

There isn’t room to include everything great, so here’s a curated but still slightly random selection of our top picks. Bon appetit!

Lobsta roll (top 5)
Quito’s; Bristol
Kay’s; Woonsocket
Monahan’s Clam Shack; Narragansett
Matunuck Oyster Bar; S Kingston
Parkside; PVD

On the water dining (top 7)
Ocean Mist; Matunuk
The Lobster Bar; Newport
Hot Club; PVD
Lola’s Cantina; PVD
Waterplace; PVD
The Boathouse; PVD
Castle Hill Inn; Newport

Vegetarian (top 5)
The Grange; PVD
Garden Grille; Pawtucket
Ken’s Ramen; PVD
Fertile Underground (includes Cafe); PVD
South County Food Co-Op (includes Cafe); Wakefield

Gluten Free (top 5)
Veggie Fun; PVD
Wildflour ; Pawtucket
Rasoi; PVD
Mima’s Gluten Free Nut Free Baked Goods; Warwick
Eva Ruth’s; Middletown

Localvore (top 5)
Metacom Kitchen; Bristol
Gracie’s; PVD
Nick’s on Broadway; PVD
Local 121; PVD
Julians; PVD

Vegan (top 5)
Wildflour; Pawtucket
Garden Grille; Pawtucket
Rasoi; PVD
Raw Power; Newport
Like No Udder Food Truck; PVD

High-end Dining (top 5)
Siena; PVD, Smithfield
Bacaro; PVD
Persimmon; Bristol
The Revolving Door; Newport
10 Steak & Sushi; PVD

Burgers (top 5)
Crazy Burger; Narragansett
Chomp; Warren
Newport Creamery; everywhere!
Harry’s Burger Bar; PVD
The Abbey; PVD
Breakfast / Brunch (top 7)
Atlantic Grille; Middletown
T’s; Cranston, East Greenwich
Modern Diner; Pawtucket
Nick’s; PVD
Ocean House; Westerly (Watch Hill)
Julians; PVD
Eli’s Kitchen; Warren

Wings (top 5)
Wings To Go; Johnston
Providence Coal Fired Pizza; PVD
Rocco’s Pub & Grub; Smithfield
Wings over Providence; PVD
Doherty’s East Ave Cafe; Pawtucket

Seafood (top 7)
Midtown Oyster Bar; Newport
Stadium Fish and Chips; Cranston
Providence Oyster Bar; PVD
Flo’s Clam Shack; Portsmouth, Middletown
Parkside; PVD
Wicked Fish; N Kingstown
Matunuck Oyster Bar; S Kingstown

Desserts (top 7)
Pastiche; PVD
Sweet Indulgences; Cranston (Pawtuxet Village)
Decadent Designs by Jean; Cranston
Wildflour; Pawtucket
Gregg’s; N Kingston, Warwick, East Greenwich, PVD
Scialo Brothers; PVD
Easy Entertaining; PVD

Ice Cream (top 7)
Lincoln Creamery(Winner of RI food fights Ice Cream Throwdown); Lincoln
Daily Scoop; Barrington,
Inside Scoop; North Kingston
Three Sisters; PVD
Gray’s Ice Cream; Tiverton
Ice Cream Machine; Cumberland
Brickley’s; Narragansett, Wakefield

Old World RI (top 7)
Brick Alley Pub; Newport
Twin Oaks; Cranston
Perella’s Ristorante; Warren
Camille’s on the Hill; PVD
Joe Marzilli’s Old Canteen; PVD
Al Forno; PVD
The Grist Mill; Seekonk, Mass

Spiciest (top 7)
Ken’s Ramen; PVD
El Rancho Grande; PVD
Rasa; East Greenwich
Not Just Spices; PVD
Boneheads; West Warwick
India; PVD
Masala; North Providence

Authentic Mexican (top 5)
Perro Salado; Newport
Cancun; Smithfield
La Hacienda; PVD
Chilango’s; PVD
Taqueria Lupita; Central Falls

Authentic Asian (top 7)
Bangkok City; Middletown
Thai Orchids; Cranston
House of Wu; West Warwick
Asian Bakery; PVD
Mumu Cuisine; PVD
Gourmet House; PVD (Hope)
Phoenix Dragon; PVD (Broadway)

Authentic Italian (top 5)
Pasta Beach; Newport
Marchetti’s; Cranston
Guido’s; PVD (East Side)
Antonio’s Trattoria; Cranston
Angelo’s; PVD

Sushi
Ye Express; West Warwick
Haruki; PVD (Wayland)
Tokyo; PVD
Ichiban; Cranston
Clarke Cooke House; Newport

Other Ethnic Flavors (top 7)
Los Andes; (Peruvian) PVD
Ebisu; (Japanese) PVD
Rasa; (Indian) East Greenwich
Faust; (German) PVD
Abyssinia; (Ethiopian) PVD
Not Just Spices; (Indian) PVD
India; (the name’s kind of a tip-off) PVD

Places to eat after midnight (top 5)
Olneyville NY System; Cranston, East Providence, PVD (Olneyville)
IHOP; PVD, Warwick, Attleboro
Haven Bros; PVD
Seaplane Diner; PVD
Firehouse Hot Dogs; Johnston

Greasy spoons (top 5)
Betty’s; North Providence
JP Spoonem’s; Cranston
Louie’s Family Restaurant; PVD
Modern Diner; Pawtucket
Plouffe’s Cup N Saucer; Pawtucket

Theme restaurants/bars (top 5)
Faust (German themed, not sell-your-soul themed); PVD
Olde Theater Diner; Coventry
Ogie’s Trailer Park (it’ll take you back); PVD
Justine’s (Think speakeasy hidden in a lingere shop); PVD
Rick’s Road House; PVD
Pizza (top 10. We like pizza a lot)
Twin’s; North Providence
Piemonte; PVD
Nice Slice; PVD
Uncle Tony’s; Johnston, Cranston
Felinni’s; PVD
Flatbread; PVD
Catanzaro’s; North Providence
Trinity Brew Pub; PVD
Casserta’s; PVD
Bobby and Timmy’s; PVD

Interactive dining (Top 5)
Oki’s; North Providence
Birch; PVD
Fire & Ice; PVD
The Melting Pot; PVD
Lucky Garden; PVD

Romantic (Top 7)
XO; PVD
Nick’s; PVD
Cafe Nuovo; PVD
Pot Au Feu; PVD
Gracie’s; PVD
CAV; PVD
Bravo: PVD

Romantic on a budget (Top 5)
Red Fez; PVD
Sakura; PVD
Abyssinia; PVD
Yama Fuji; PVD
Den Den; PVD
Secret romance spot where you won’t get called out (top 7)
Duck and Bunny (cozy); PVD
Faust (the adjoining boombox has private karaoke rooms. And in a pinch, there’s a hotel upstairs); PVD
Loie Fuller; PVD, West Side
La Masseria; second floor (corner table); East Greenwich
Mills Tavern (everyone else there is doing it); PVD
Back of Olneyville New York System at 1am; PVD
Nowhere – it’s RI