The Dorrance

We had a great time at the Dorrance. Although the menu is limited the food is excellent and very reasonably priced. Our waiter Adam, was patient, knowledgeable and entertaining. Highly recommended.

Beautiful building, great atmosphere, food and service

A very enjoyable evening with friends in a beautiful setting. Our server was excellent.

The most outstanding feature of this restaurant is the service. Put it together with great ambience and food, The Dorrance is an experience in itself and a delightful one at that. Very classy place and a great menu. All the menu items are simple. What ends up being on the plate however is quite unique and phenomenal. We LOVED everything we ordered. Special mention to Agnolotti and the cocktail, Mezteca. Also, they gave us a taste of some items we did not order..Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Truffles. Both of these were so so delicious. Overall, a great place and our casual dinner turned out to be very special!

Have dined at The Dorrance several times and each visit has been a pleasure. Loved the scotch cocktail at my latest visit.

I was visiting Providence, and was attracted by the architecture and live music. The Dorrance is in a former banking hall with Art Nouveau windows and stained glass depicting heraldry from famous banks from centuries past. The musicians -- a jazz/funk trio backing a singer -- were first rate.

For cocktails, I ordered (I think) the Mezcal, which was something different and tasted great. Since it was Rhode Island, my appetizer was clams with preserved tomatoes and scallops for the main course, with pineapple sorbet for dessert -- all recommended.

I'll definitely come back the next time I'm in Providence -- The Dorrance is almost worth a special visit.

Our server was fantastic and the food was great. Overall it was a great experience.

The food did not match the beautiful building and wonderful service,

Awesome food! Great service! Music by Joe Davis and the Funky Autocrats!! Fabulous time!

We had one of the best dining experiences of our lives. The atmosphere was delightful. The food was excellent. The service was outstanding due to our server Adam Kelley.

Adam was our waiter and he was excellent! Adam went through the menu to answer any questions. Our appetizers, pumpkin algolinni and calamari were really good. We both pick scallops as our main meal and we’re thrilled. Desserts were really tasty too; the peach desert with ice cream topping was a perfect mix.
Great place to eat!

After somewhat intensive questioning our server we found out their ice machine was broken, therefore our water was lukewarm, the oysters were not on ice and were also warm. Very disappointing experience and we will not be eating there again. Overpriced for the portions and limited menu to have others join us.

Adam was an excellent attentive server and we had a great evening. Scallops were excellent. Beautiful space, great food, lively, will definitely recommend to others.

Came here for anniversary, and it was all-around just bad. The biggest problem was that a wedding party complete with DJ and cheesy wedding music was taking place basically in the same space as the dining room, which was way too loud and annoying. We were not warned about this before going and had we not already ordered, would have walked out. Our steak was fatty, tough, and rare instead of medium rare. Our server was very nice but new and not ready to serve on her own. She couldn't describe cheeses and brought our salads and steak at the same time. Salad was meh instead of what you'd expect at a 'nice' restaurant. Even the valet service was messed up - didn't seem like the fault of the guys working there. The manager did apologize and comp a couple of things, but we still dropped about $75 including tip for a frustrating, negative experience (didn't even order another entree because we just wanted to get out). We couldn't remember a worse dining experience at a place that we expected would be good.

An amazing night. I was nervous when looking at the menu because I had to good most of the ingredients. Even though this was a leap, the food and the service was amazing. What a perfect restaurant for our anniversary.

Our waiter, Elijah was very thorough with explaining the menu items. We loved the ambience of the restaurant as well as the details in maintaining table settings according to every course. The valet attendant was very friendly also. We had a great time!

Service was outstanding- very professional waiter. The rack of lamb, scallops, roast chicken, salmon and homemade pasta were all excellent although we do prefer a spicier Italian style calamari. Finished with fresh berry cobbler and some dairy free ice creams!! Portions were modest but the magnum of French chardonnay was an excellent value and the kitchen surprised us with a few special tastings throughout. All this plus an unusual atmosphere reminiscent of a private club with soaring ceilings and stained glass in the heart of downtown.

The Dorrance is one of our favorite date restaurants in Providence. This was our anniversary night. We were disappointed with the very limited entree selections offered on the base menu. This was supported by the same complaint from the table next to us. Our entrees were the two specials of the night and they were excellently prepared and enjoyable as was our dessert. Our waiter was busy but served us well. A drink at the bar was very enjoyable with fun and attentive bar staff. We will return to hopefully larger entree choices.

Beautiful building with ornate interior finishes. Food was average, menu choices were overall limited and prices were pretty typical for Providence.

This was our second time at The Dorrance- and yet again very impressed! From the moment your greeted to moment you leave the staff here that you like you are part of the family. As for the food every dish is well thought out, prepared and presented. As for the taste - simply marvelous.
Attention to detail does not go unnoticed- one member of our party has a severe nut allergy - our server took note of this and made sure none of the dishes we ordered would be offensive to his needs - not all restaurants give this such thought- so thank you.
We will be back.

We came on our anniversary for the Macallan and Cheese tasting. They no longer offered it on the menu, but offered to make us a custom tasting. We said we were open to other liquors besides Macallan and the bar manager and our server brought us a cheese platter and tasting and then explained everything to us and what notes to expect or how it was made. Far and above expectations, they made our night. The only ding was the live band who was playing a nice slow song and as soon as we got up to dance they switched to fast paced even though we were the only people dancing.

Friday night music! Cool spot!

This is a beautiful restaurant in downtown Providence. The food was delicious. I had a special, the scallops and my husband had the burger. Excellent chocolate sorbet for dessert. My only complaint was the noise level, which was quite loud. Service was very attentive.

We really enjoy the atmosphere at Dorrance. The food was excellent and everyone enjoyed the meal. I would definitely recommended it to my friends.

Beautiful old building downtown. Great cocktails and food. The menu is small but everything we had from appetizers to dessert was excellent. My husband said it was the best chicken he ever had. Mussels were delicious also.

Excellent and attentive service. Food presentation and quality was on point.

Great food, amazing ambiance, wonderful service. I will be back next time I'm in Providence!

We had an outstanding experience at The Dorrance! The food was full of fresh local ingredients and absolutely delicious. Our server Adam was probably one of the best we have ever had. He was well informed on all aspects of the menu, provided great suggestions and impeccable service. He was engaging and very personable. We had a great night! Thank you!

Very friendly staff, wonderful service, delicious food, they even brought us a small tasting appetizer and tiny dessert on the house, and shots at the end! We loved it and can't wait to come back.

Excellent food , service!!
Just an overall fantastic experience!

Beautiful restaurant! Service was wonderful, got free drinks and complimentary small appetizer bite and desert. Food a little pricey but all homemade and delicious! I would come back for sure next time i'm in the area.

We went on a Friday night and there was a band playing. Thet were good but it was loud and we couldnt hear each other talking. At the end it was a good experience overall

First of all, the Dorrance waiter, Adam is the greatest and you should go just for him alone. The food is delicious every time and the drinks are best in class! I wasn't feeling well halfway into the night due to vertigo and Adam had our meals out in to-go boxes with the bill within moments. My only dislike about the place we frequent is the furniture--most of the chairs are old and no longer sturdy. The chair was rocking side to side all night which started the dizziness that required an early departure.

I was visiting my daughter and since it was restaurant week we decided to try The Dorrance. Our waiter, Adam, was awesome. He was just the right amount of attentive. We had a great time and we will be back for sure! Thanks for helping me make great memories with my 20 year old.

Our waiter, Adam, was charming and attentive. Food was quite good and what a great space!

This was an incredible experience. Our server, Adam, was attentive, funny, informative and very knowledgeable of he menu and drink list. Every item we had from the oysters to the pastas, the curried chickpea and the carrot cake and strawberry shortcake was phenomenal. Cooked to perfection, great portion sizes, flavor profile on point. The drinks paired wonderfully. The service was unrushed and very enjoyable. I highly recommend this place!!

Attentive waitstaff. Flexible chef. Fresh ingredients well prepared and presented. Sweet spot and easy walk to PPAC

Treated us so well for the engagement dinner! Delicious food and amazing server. Will come back.

The meal we had at the Dorrance was exceptional, and the service equally so. The menu is more focused on a certain number of items, all if which are superb, so I would suggest looking at the menu before going to be certain it fits your tastes.
We started with their marinated olives, which are delightful. I found that the oil/garlic/olive marinate makes the best dipping oil for the magnificent bread the restaurant serves.
We had the Marcanda Promis bottle of wine with entrees, which is heavenly and highly recommended. The strawberry shortcake dessert was a perfect ending.
Great food, great service, and the place inside is just stunning.

The pasta was amazing!! And service was perfect!