FOOD AND DRINK

GREEK FOOD: Estiatorio Fili George Potsidis’ Greek restaurant is an homage to his late mother and the perfect antidote to summer weather. Seasoned chicken skewers, roasted lamb and plenty of fresh tomatoes and feta are the draw, but don’ t overlook stellar cocktails. Providence, estiatoriofili. com

MEXICAN, FORMAL: Cielito Cielito’ s dishes shimmer with so much heart that you’ ll feel like dinner is an awakening. Leave room for dessert; the chocolate tres leches cake is good enough to celebrate your birthday every day of the year. Providence, @ cielitomexican kitchen

MEXICAN, CASUAL: Maiz Maiz is a family-friendly staple on the East Side and in South Kingstown— with everything from Mexican pizzas to enchiladas and micheladas. Providence; South Kingstown, hellocalaveras. com

MEXICAN, TAPAS STYLE: Sombra Eatery & Lounge If you don’ t know where to start when selecting items from Sombra’ s Mexican-inspired menu, any of the flights will satisfy the whole table, including guacamole, papas fritas and four different types of dip. East Greenwich, sombralounge. com

FUSION FOOD: Brasa y Chifa Brasa y Chifa blends Peruvian and Chinese cuisine in a fast-casual dining setting, serving menu items like twentyfour-hour marinated pork ribs and chaufa de pollo— Peruvian wok-fried chicken rice with scallions, eggs, ginger and soy. Providence, brasaandchifa. com

LAOTIAN FOOD: Haus de la Vie Go with the papaya salad— Lao style— with green papaya, carrots and green beans in a sweet and savory sauce with chopped peanuts, followed by some Lao sausage, nime chow or khao jee, sticky rice battered in egg and fried. Pawtucket, hausdelaive. com

AFRICAN FOOD: Suya Joint Dishes at Suya Joint are often stewed and meant to be shared— each one an exuberant amalgam of culture and cuisine. Providence, suyajoint. com

JAMAICAN FOOD: Ja Patty This quick stop satiates lovers of Jamaican jerk chicken, curry and oxtail with takeout rice bowls that come with a side of plantains. Patties are stuffed with various fillings, including traditional beef, jerk chicken and curry vegetable. Providence, japatty. com

BAKERY: Brown Bee Coffee Brown Bee is largely known for two things: its unparalleled croissants in flavors like caffe latte, chocolate strawberry and pistachio crunch, and its spot-on merchandising. Providence, brownbeecoffee. com

DETROIT-STYLE PIZZA: A Guy and His Pie Detroit-style is having its day and Brian Cauti is the delivery man. We can’ t get enough of his chicken cutlet, bacon and ranch pie or the Bee Sting( pepperoni, jalapeno and Mike’ s Hot Honey). Pawtucket, aguyandhispie. com

MEDITERRANEAN: Salty Housed in the Village Hearth Bakery, Salty brings the best of the Mediterranean to Jamestown. From marinated lamb skewers to scallops with Tunisian salsa verde, the menu suits the gorgeous surroundings. Jamestown, saltywinebar. com

ADDICTIVE SNACK: LaSalle Bakery LaSalle’ s pizza crisps might be our favorite snack ever; if pizza and potato chips had a baby, this would be it: crunchy, addictive and coated in sauce and cheese. Providence, lasallebakery. net

FOOD HALL: Track 15 Developer Chris Marsella and family chose a defunct train station to bring some of the state’ s best food together in a single location called Track 15. Mexican, Middle Eastern, Indian, pizza, seafood, burgers and sandwiches all sit under one roof with a central bar. Providence, track15ri. com

GLOBAL EATS: CHOP Housed in the Providence Public Library, CHOP has a lot of stories to tell. Working with culinary students at the Genesis Center, the sprawling restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving food from around the world. Providence, culinaryhubpvd. com

BREAD: Serenity Sourdough Bakery It’ s true that Serenity is more a shack than a store, but the bread is just as good no matter where it’ s housed. Place your order online and your loaves will be waiting for you on the weekend. Hope, @ serenity _ sour dough _ bakery

HIGH TEA: Fairy Tea Room Fairy Tea Room is all about a hefty dash of sweetness to transform a small meal into something magical. Perfect for grown-up or kid parties, there are age-appropriate versions of tea sandwiches, pastries and various types of teas. Warren, fairytea room. com

CHARCUTERIE SPREAD: Bar Lazio Bar Lazio pulls from its Italian identity to create the best boards in the state. Aged Asiago and pecorino picante are right at home next to piles of mortadella, speck and finocchiona. Cranston, barlaziori. com

LOCAL FISH: Dune Brothers From mammoth potato-chip-encrusted fish sandwiches to the delicate crudos, Dune Brothers does fish like nobody else in the state. Treat yourself to a classic buttered lobster roll from the fish shack— the very essence of summer. Providence; Riverside, dunebrothers. com

BRUNCH: CRU PVD The fun of brunch at CRU is there’ s always something unexpected. A croque monsieur comes with the combo of mortadella and Cooper sharp; also get a scallion pancake with kimchi and eggs, or French toast with orange-rosemary custard. Providence, crupvd. com

GRAPHIC: GETTY IMAGES.

58 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY’ S NEWCOMERS’ GUIDE l 2025