Courtland Club is known for highlighting up-and-coming chefs and interesting pop-ups. Drawing from his time growing up in Fiji and in the Monterey Bay region of California, he combines bright and fresh ingredients with savory flavors for arguably the best fried chicken in Providence, or lighter fare like a recent raw fluke aguachile dish with spring onions, cilantro, and radishes. He knows most of the local farmers by name, and uses their seasonal produce in creative ways.

Slow Rhode is a Southern-inspired small plates restaurant where the menu is made of bar-friendly foods. Try their hot fried chicken with pickles on white bread, mushroom tostado with creamed corn and queso fresco, and pork belly with sweet chili glaze and summer succotash. While Providence is certainly the city that sleeps, Slow Rhode is one of few places in town where the kitchen doesn’t close until 12:30 a.m. each night they’re open.

More than two decades ago, chef Derek Wagner was a young, recent culinary graduate of Johnson & Wales University and bought Nicks on Broadway from its former owner. He focuses on high-quality, hyper-local ingredients for his crowd-pleasing dishes for dinner — including his daily crudo plate, cheese boards, fresh pasta, and risotto dishes. But his brunch menu stands on its own.

Situated within the Federal Hill neighborhood boundary but close to both downtown and the West End, owner Angel Winpenny said the restaurant caters to that clientele, including by providing vegan options for former patrons of The Grange, which was a vegetarian restaurant with plant-based options.

The restaurant, opened in 2016 by Esther and Joseph DeQuattro, is a spinoff of the DeQuattros’ Pane e Vino, a longtime staple of the hill that leans more toward traditional rustic Italian. Massimo’s general manager CJ Kellum told me the short rib gnocchi is the most popular dish. He also recommends the pork chop, which is both sweet and savory. You can still get the classics, too.

Angelo’s has the classics, which they execute well and for a value price (most of their pasta dishes are between $14 and $19 each). Their Gnocchi Pravati is a rich, fresh potato gnocchi dish sautéed in homemade pink vodka sauce. Their Tuscan White Bean Pasta is a fettuccine pasta sautéed with caramelized garlic, cannellini beans, basil, tomatoes, and fresh spinach with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. But their lasagna is what they’re known for.

We started going for the “Appy Hour” (traditional “Happy Hour” is banned in Rhode Island), which takes place every day between 3 and 6 p.m. They have $1 oysters, littlenecks, and cherrystones, but also discounted appetizers and sushi rolls that you can make a meal from. After slurping some oysters down, we move onto the main menu: We both get linguini and clams, but mom orders white sauce and I reach for the red.

Camille’s has the best zuppa di pesce. Unlike other versions, there is no whitefish, just the good stuff, including mussels, shrimp, scallops and, for a little extra, a lobster tail. It also comes with linguine and a choice of red or white sauce. Pro tip: Stay for the dessert. It’s one of the few places in Rhode Island that still has homemade spumoni.

After discovering his affection for miso ramen during a trip to Japan, Scott LaChapelle worked under ramen master Keizo Shimamoto at Shimamoto Noodle in New York City to hone his craft. By the time the pandemic shut down most dining operations in 2020, he launched a pop-up with Spencer Smith, a friend and talented bartender. Pickerel is serving intricate ramen dishes, creative cocktails and local beers, and some seriously good ice cream.

For a few years, chef Brandon Teachout successfully ran a food truck selling French dip sandwiches that had a quarter-pound of roast beef, and then decided to open his first restaurant in a tiny building that used to be a beloved fried chicken sandwich spot. There, There comforts you with carbs and a rotating selection of delicious wines and local beers.

The demand for this Detroit-style pizza is well deserved, where cheese melts for a crisped edge surrounding softer dough that serves as a platform for toppings like crispy pepperoni cups holding salty, flavorful oil; dollops of ricotta; or hot honey. Their roni and (nut-free) pesto margherita are easy go-to options, but keep an eye out for specials.

With its large, New York-style slices, Napolitano’s offers an affordable ($24 for a cheese pizza) no-frills dinner with a near-guarantee that there will be leftovers for a late-night snack or even breakfast on Saturday morning. The pizza’s a little garlicky, so it’s probably not perfect for date night. But if you’re already planning on having a few slices, you might as well order the garlic knots as an appetizer.

The Gaviria family has run Don José Tequilas, a Mexican cantina, since 1996, but found the restaurant’s permanent home on Atwells Avenue in 2000. Chefs Raquel Diaz (from the Yucatan Peninsula) and Maria Hernandez (from Veracruz, Mexico) have worked at the restaurant since it opened, and have incorporated their own family recipes into the signature dishes such as Cochinita Pibil and Brazo de Reina from Yucatán, and Aguachiles from Veracruz.

Irregardless is Slow Rhode’s sister spot, where co-owner James Dean makes his grandmother’s biscuit recipe using flour from mills in his hometown in North Carolina. Dean and partner Joe Hafner transitioned the former (and very tiny) Kitchen space into Irregardless’ permanent home earlier this year, where residents have been enjoying variations of egg sandwiches on those delightful biscuits.

If you are looking to have brunch on the weekend, be prepared to wait. Unlike other area restaurants, it doesn’t matter who you know or who you are, you will wait with everyone else. Order the Florentine Benedict and they’ll hand you a steak knife. Unlike standard Benedicts that use English muffins, Julian’s uses a thick Italian bread. It’s served with a generous helping of home fries. Be sure to ask for the homemade ketchup.

Venda has been owned by the Costantino family since 1971. Alan and his family are still working in the store and behind the scenes. Venda opens at 8:30 a.m., ready for all the people looking to buy their fresh pasta, bread, sauce, and snail salad. Before grocery shopping, sit and have an espresso, along with ricotta on Italian toast with a touch of honey or fig preserve.

Tony’s works to keep its established customers happy with its “classic” offerings, like the Italian grinder with capocollo, salame, soppressata, banana peppers, lettuce tomato, oil and vinegar, or the porchetta, provolone, and grilled eggplant sandwich. Tony’s introduces specialty items via a seasonal menu to appeal to newer, often younger customers whose tastes run to burrata, hot honey or fig jam: The Ciao Bella is a sandwich of prosciutto, burrata, arugula, and fig jam with a balsamic glaze.