The Dorrance

The Dorrance is a beautiful restaurant with upscale historic charm. Even on a Wednesday night the bar was full, which kept the noise level comfortable . The cocktail menu is unique and delicious. For dinner, the chef was very helpful making replacements for my dietary restrictions. The food was delicious, just expensive. A great place for a special occasion.

The cocktail list is out of this world. I went for restaurant week and the food was OK. Nothing earth shattering. The ambiance is one-of-a-kind, really fancy enjoyable vibe.

Wonderful waiter (Adam) who made the meal so special. Amazing food and great atmosphere. Perfect for a date, and I will definitely be returning when I'm in Providence again.

Service was very slow, food tasted very good bit was quite expensive.

We had an excellent time! Food, Service, everything was just beautiful and delicious!!!!

Outstanding as always!

Don't waste your money on this place. The building and interior are beautiful, but the food has gone steadily downhill since the start. It was very good when it first opened. It now has mostly bar traffic, and I can understand why. The food is really unimpressive. My daughter and I ordered the pasta special, agnolotti stuffed with truffle and potato. There was not a truffle within a mile of this dish. It was essentially pasta stuffed with mashed potatoes. When we drew this to their attention, they agreed and did not charge us for those dishes, which was decent of them. But really, there are so any better places to eat in Providence that it's not worth going here. We would not again except maybe to have a cocktail at the bar. Our server was very kind and attentive but not knowledgeable about the food or the wine.

Our waiter was amazing. He had great recommendations and fun sense of humor. He was calm and efficient when someone in our party accidentally spilled their red wine all over the table. The food was some of the best I’ve had. Perfect for a date night or fun night after seeing the show. Cool atmosphere and beautiful building!

Beautiful, charming space, good food but somewhat limited menu. The overly casual waiter spoiled our experience. A place such as the Dorrance requires more professional staff. “No problem” is not a suitable response to any request made by a customer.

We went for dinner before a performance at PPAC and loved it! The perfect setting to begin our evening.

Food was very good. Entrees took quite a while to come. Service was generally very good but we noticed a lot of others were getting small complimentary desserts but we did not.

The setting is elegant without being overwhelming, since the building is an historic bank building with high ceilings, chandeliers, and marble. The servers were very attentive. The cocktail, oysters and main course all were very good, well presented and of appropriate quantity. We both had beef, which is an occasional food for us, and the short ribs and prime rib were delicious. The meat was served with seasonal fall vegetables.
We opted out on dessert but had espresso.

Our anniversary dinner at the Dorrance was, as usual a spectacular night. The food was cooked perfectly and full of deliciousness. And the drinks were of course on point!

I guess I should have read the menu prior to going but we went to the Dorrance for our anniversary. It is such a beautiful building that I made some assumptions about what type of menu it would be. The only two beef options on the menu were shortribs or a hamburger. There was only one fish option, halibut and then chicken. I guess I was hoping the menu would match the venue. It was just an odd menu more suited to a bar than a very nice restaurant. So if you are looking for a celebration dinner with food you don't usually cook then this is not the restaurant, but if you want good sort of regular food then this would be a good choice.

The food quality was good, the portions size on the fish was a bit small but the shortribs was fine. The calamari was not fresh, so it was really chewy. Overall if we had just gone out to dinner this would have been fine but for a special occasion it would not be my first choice.

An elegant bar with great cocktails. The food was OK, but in the future, I'd keep it to cocktails there.

Great drinks and appetizers. Beautiful restaurant and good service.

Great service by Adam! Great food...

We enjoyed our ladies night out so much. The room is beautiful and grand, but the service is very personable and warm so it balances out perfectly. We opted to share plates which is a good decision for trying a few things. The foie gras and waygu steak were stand out, but we enjoyed a variety of cheeses and a pasta dish as well. We will definitely be back!

Low key and quiet at first but became very loud when the band started playing. It was the weekend before Halloween so everyone was dressed up.

Lovely experience! Amazing good!

I love The Dorrance. That said, there were a few hiccups this time. Ordered the brussel sprout small plate and they were incredibly undercooked. Then one of my guests ordered the eggplant entree and it was incredibly OVER cooked, to the point if being inedible. I’ve never had a bad meal and while last night was no exception it certainly wasn’t the best.

The service was extremely slow! There was a mix-up on our cheese board order, instead of the 4 cheeses we selected only 3 arrived on the table. To add insult to injury, the bill had 3 orders of 5 cheeses totaling $105 worth of cheese board! Luckily I noticed it before paying.

The manager did provide free deserts for everyone at the table after realizing how long we say waiting for our entrees. But, it then took 3 attempts to bring out a cup of hot coffee for my guest. The first 2 walked up from cold to lukewarm.

What was planned as an impressive culinary experience ended up an embarrassment.

Interesting menu with small plate options. Extensive drink list. Our waiter was new and the manager was very conscientious to make sure we were satisfied in every way. My first drink order did not come out to my liking and it was promptly whisked away and replaced with something I preferred. Very gracious service, the small plates were excellent.

Great overall; a genuine, authentic Providence feeling of downtown with interior architectural ambiance.

Birthday dinner. Usually great experience here. This time, menu new and significantly reduced. Food ok but not great and not worth cost.

It's great to see the venerable Greater Providence Deposit and Trust lobby morph into a see and be seen tableau for upscale dining. The only detraction is the noise level... It's not always easy to hear your companion, or group members at a table. It was great to see people dining late and enjoying all that Providence had to offer.

Nice to see foraged mushrooms on the menu, maitake. Wish it wasn’t used so sparingly

The Dorrance is a beautiful place. The menu offerings are limited and it is well written if you are a very high end chef or super foodie. However if you are the average or even above average person you will need your phone to google much of what is on the menu. The prices are ok for an inner city venue of this caliber, however the portions are very much like the menu...somewhat limited. Fortunately however there are many other places in the city to grab a cappuccino and dessert afterward. The server was very knowledgeable and prompt and did his job well. It is not a write off, but rather an experience. The custom drink menu is definitely worthwhile and I think would pair nicely with an appetizer...which this is really the perfect place for rather than dinner.

Just outstanding on all levels. I only wish I could remember the name of our waiter. A party of 15 can be a challenge and he was beyond professional and so kind. In fact all of the staff I met couldn't have been more helpful and welcoming. It was a great evening and the food was delicious.

The restaurant is very nice inside. I was a bit disappointed in the food. We spent $165 per couple and the food was just okay. I actually left still hungry. The best part of the dinner was the appetizer, the dinner was ok and we did not like the desserts. We thought the price was high for what you got.

Terrific as always. My wife and I love the cocktail list and the seasonal menu changes never disappoint.

Great food and atmosphere

I took my girlfriend out to dinner at The Dorrance for date night and we were impressed from the moment we arrived to the moment we left! The valet service was outstanding and the texting feature they use to communicate with worked perfectly. The food was absolutely delicious and in addition to our meals we were given not one, but two surprise samples straight from the kitchen which were also delicious! The atmosphere was beautiful and eloquent. We were greeted with smiles and nothing but politeness from every member of the staff from beginning to end. 10/10. Simply fantastic!

Great food & service. Cocktails are amazing. Unique dining environment

COCKTAILS COCKTAILS COCKTAILS!
They were great and so many options to choose from. Food was good as well but drinks were on point.

Fantastic! The restaurant is great! The food was very good, though the number of items on the menu was limited to one page (not including drinks). The waiter did a great time suggesting both food and helping pick a wine that was great!

Food was great. Place is beautiful. Just found the music really out of sync with the dining experience. Trying to have good dinner conversation and horrible rap music was blaring. Really distracted from the meal. Need to decide if you are going to be an elegant dinner location or a late night club.
It's hard to be both well.

Service and food was spectacular!

The dorrance is beautiful, best way to describe its interrior. I went with my parents and boyfriend. The food was very unique, I ordered the burger and had to send it back twice due to it being undercooked. Regardless,the staff was very polite and helpful and continued to make the experience a lovely one. An owner was sitting by our table as well and was extremely attentive, and really made our table feel appreciated. The burger was quite good after the end result, and its noted that my fathers risotto was exquisite.

I have never had such great attention as this restaurant, although the food may not be as great as the decor, ambiance, and authenticity of the place, the owner really went out of her way to ensure it was a well worth evening.

Was amazing! The atmosphere in an old bank building is phenomenal! Great food & impeccable service. Would definitely go again when we’re in town!