Diners' Choice: Contemporary American restaurants in Rhode Island

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Contemporary American cuisine in Rhode Island? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

The Restaurant at Weekapaug Inn

4.8

4.8 (662)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Westerly

About the restaurant

As the main venue for guest and community dining at the Inn, The Restaurant is an intimate setting for memorable meals from morning to night. In all seasons, you can expect the best of fresh, local ingredients. Our menu offers a modern interpretation of New England coastal cuisine and utilizes local produce, and the ethical use of the sea to create a unique and unforgettable dining experience. Dress code is resort casual, collared shirts required for men during dinner service. Cancellations within 24 hours and no-shows will be charged $5 per guest.

Top review

LisaVIP

Dined on May 20, 2025

We've had the great pleasure of breakfast and dinner at The Restaurant. Every dish manages to be local, seasonal, nourishing, delicious, and beautiful. The ingredients are of the highest quality. The cuisine is refined, inventive, and always appealing. The Restaurant has the most welcoming, charming, and efficient staff. The room is beautiful and serene. A view of the Pond is its own repast. Thank you !

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Experience

Chef's Signature Tasting Menu

Cafe Nuovo

4.8

4.8 (3332)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Providence

About the restaurant

Casually elegant Cafe Nuovo, at the Gondola Landing on Providence's famed Riverwalk, has been hailed by the New York Times and singled out by the Providence Journal as "RI's contribution to world class dining." The scenic waterside setting is matched only by the "fresh, seasonal flavor of Cafe Nuovo's contemporary American cuisine and heavenly dessert creations." Through glass curtain walls or while dining al fresco on the piazza, patrons enjoy attentive service and commanding city views while the river and gondolas roll by. Free valet parking evenings. **Sunday Open for Waterfire, Graduations, some Holidays or private functions

Top review

george

Dined 4 days ago

Every visit to Cafe Nuovo is a special treat. From the moment you walk in you are greeted with a warm genuine welcome by Sean. The entire staff is incredibly attentive and accommodating. The food is incredible, with great care to detail. Cafe Nuovo will always be our special place. Highly recommended!

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4.8

4.8 (1171)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Warren

About the restaurant

YOU'LL LOVE OUR AMERICAN RESTAURANT IN WARREN, RI Are you craving Rhode Island seafood? What about a juicy steak cooked to perfection? When you're in the mood for delicious food and uncompromising service, visit us at Palmer River Grille LLC. Located in Warren, RI, our American restaurant is a picturesque place to order lunch or dinner while enjoying the beauty of our town and the Palmer River. Palmer River Grille is part of the Gorman family of restaurants, which include the Sakonnet River Grille and Four Corners Grille in Tiverton, RI. Our family has been running these restaurants since 1998 and 2015, respectively. From the cooks to the wait staff, our entire crew is dedicated to providing the highest quality food and fast, friendly service. There's something on our dinner menu and lunch menu for everyone. We also have a full bar serving your favorite cocktails, mixed drinks, beer and wine.

Top review

JoeVIP

Dined on Jun 3, 2025

Staff friendly and attentive. Gluten Free items were discussed and delivered. This restaurant is run like a well oiled machined.

Jo's American Bistro

4.8

4.8 (3023)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Newport

About the restaurant

A fresh take on American cuisine using the finest ingredients, served in a classy yet casual setting with a family-friendly atmosphere. We prepare delectable seafood, numerous gluten-free options, and natural meats raised without hormones or antibiotics wherever possible.

All reservations will only be held for 15 minutes. Please call if a later arrival is needed and we will tell you our next available reservation.

We are unable to honor more guests than made on the original reservation due to limited seating. Please call the restaurant directly to see if changes to your guest number can be accommodated. We apologize, but guest number increases will not be able to be accommodated upon arrival to the restaurant. We also are not able to honor additional numbers left in the notes.

Carriages cannot be taken into our dining room. We will place them at the host area while you dine.

Top review

LaurelVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Great food as usual and service was excellent! Consistently delicious!

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Duck & Lobster Quesadilla

The Red Dory

4.8

4.8 (647)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Tiverton

About the restaurant

The Red Dory is a casual fine-dining restaurant located in the Stone Bridge village of Tiverton, Rhode Island, overlooking the Sakonnet River. Chef/owner Aaron DeRego offers his personal versions of Mediterranean-style seafood dishes and sources most of his ingredients from the area’s farmers and fishermen.

Top review

ShannonVIP

Dined on Jun 4, 2025

We love the Red Dory. The food and service are always excellent.

BlackStone Coventry

4.8

4.8 (57)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

West Warwick

About the restaurant

Now OPEN ! ✨ BlackStone Herbs and Martini Bar is a locally owned Martini Bar, Cafe + CBD shop Originator of “Food Flights” a concept where family style is encourages and why pick one meal when you can pick all 3! Our espresso martini flight is a 10/10! Egg roll flights Taco flights Nacho flights Fry flights Wing flights Slider flights Latte Flights Coffee Flights Matcha flights Martini Flights Espresso martini flights Sandwiches Dessert Flights

You can find Specialty Drink creations & our Farm-to-table CBD in our shop or on our website.

Top review

Emma

Dined on Jun 1, 2025

the food was amazing and so were the drinks but unfortunately the server didn’t come in to check on us other than one time in the entire 1.5 hours we were there. i finished my flight of drinks and waited over 30 mins until i could order another one because our server was nowhere to be found.

Parkside Rotisserie & Bar

4.7

4.7 (2283)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Providence

About the restaurant

The Parkside Rotisserie and Bar is a Manhattan-style bistro centrally located in the heart of Rhode Island"s capital city, Providence. One of the best restaurants in Providence since 1994. Serving lunch and dinner daily, the Parkside is surely a fantastic choice anytime. The Parkside offers a wide array of upbeat foods ranging from spicy crab cakes to grilled tenderloin and portobello salad. There are also several innovative pasta dishes as well as the Parkside's signature rotisserie meat items and daily specials. The Parkside's unique atmosphere is accented by an open kitchen where guests can enjoy watching our talented culinary staff prepare all of the enticing entrees found on the menu. Join us at the Parkside for a relaxing dining experience that is "casual elegance."

Top review

MaureenVIP

Dined on Jun 7, 2025

We love Parkside. The food, drinks and service were wonderful

Red Stripe

4.7

4.7 (2695)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Providence

About the restaurant

Red Stripe is an American brasserie, a modern take on the traditional French café. True brasseries are lively spots to enjoy quality lunch, dinner and brunch entrées or cocktails at affordable prices. We take great pride in the breadth of our menu and are passionate about providing fresh, high quality, and affordable offerings for each and every guest. There is something for everyone at Red Stripe.

Established in 2005, Red Stripe was designed by award-winning architect Judd Brown. The restaurant was expanded in 2018 and offers private rooms for catering and events for any occasion.

For a more formal experience, explore our sister restaurant Mill's Tavern, recognized by
Yelp as Rhode Island’s Best Steakhouse for 2023.

Top review

Lu-Ann

Dined 5 days ago

Great place to celebrate a graduate. Did the Tuesday aoecial, 3 course for 2, set price. Could choose from anything on menu!!

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4.7

4.7 (2666)

$50 and over

Contemporary American

Providence

About the restaurant

Our goal here at Mills is to create as elevated an experience- in food, service and atmosphere- as you will find anywhere in New England. Our menus are created with relentless intention and amended seasonally to take advantage of the wealth of the region around us. Recognized by Yelp as Rhode Island's Steakhouse of the Year in 2023, we offer more than just premium, aged steaks from filet mignon and ribeye to our one-of-a-kind flight of Wagyu cuts. Our Executive Chef Ed Bolus and Chef de Cuisine Mert Sunnetcioglu take great pride in the seafood dishes we offer as well as local favorites and vegetarian offerings.
Recognized by Wine Spectator for the twelfth year in a row in 2024, our beverage program is also a source of great pride; both our wine and cocktail menus are changed seasonally as well. Our historic property provides a warm, classic environment, and the care that we take in each detail of your dining experience speaks to the pride we take in what we do. Please, enjoy!

Top review

Christine

Dined 6 days ago

It is a great place to celebrate a special occasion.

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Popular dish

Oysters Caviar

Popular dish

14oz Prime New York Strip

Popular dish

Portuguese Bread Pudding

The Dining Room at the Vanderbilt

4.7

4.7 (600)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Newport

About the restaurant

Pull back the portico curtains and step into the historic downtown Newport mansion once owned by businessman Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt that has been reimagined as a glamorous social hub with a culinary secret to discover at every turn. From an intimate dining room with an intriguing menu of savory local dishes to the sun-dappled Conservatory and dining al fresco in The Garden, the dining scene at The Vanderbilt is crackling with alluring eccentricities just waiting to be explored.

Important Notes: Reservations are held for 15 minutes beyond the scheduled arrival time, and during peak service hours you may not be seated until your entire party has arrived. Once your party is assembled, we will offer you the next available table for a party of your size. Also, we do our utmost to accommodate all guest requests upon check-in, but unfortunately cannot guarantee any particular seating preferences.

Top review

Alyssa

Dined on Jun 7, 2025

Excellent food and very enjoyable ambiance. The service was also wonderful. Highly recommend.

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Experience

Sunday Roast at the Mansion

Experience

Weekend Brunch at The Vanderbilt

Experience

Martini Mondays at The Mansion

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