5 Hidden Restaurant Gems in Providence

The G Pub, Providence

The re-purposing of historic buildings in Providence has yielded many awesome dining spots. One place that immediately pops to mind is a new casual spot called the G Pub. Located in the basement of the old Providence Gas building, the G is hip and clean and full of tempting food and drink. They have a rooftop bar area but we stuck with the downstairs. We started with the warm pretzels, which were delish, and quickly moved on to the farmhouse fried chicken and the pastrami Gansett. The fried chicken was excellent--juicy and perfectly fried--and the Tabasco gravy had a nice zing. The pastrami was among the best we've had in the area--spicy, with Narragansett ale mustard, caramelized onions and house made pickles. 61 Orange St. 632-4782,www.providencegpub.com  

 

Broadway Bistro

Some places manage to stay on "hidden gem" lists for ever. We are not sure why that is. The Broadway Bistro is one of those rare places that flies under the radar even though they've been turning out excellent fare for a long time now. This quaint spot features really good local food with a seasonal focus. The menu changes often but look for their house made gnocchi. They are our favorite dish and we at least split them every time.  The ribs and grits is another favorite. 205 Broadway, 331-2450,www.broadwaybistrori.com

McBride's Pub, Providence

One of the newer Irish pubs in Providence, McBride's is still a hidden gem among the other shops and restaurants of Wayland Square. A serendipitous trip to Ireland led two brothers to turn this former garage into a cool Irish pub and we are grateful they did! We started with the lamb sliders. The fig glaze added a nice sweetness to the earthiness of the lamb and it was perfectly cooked. Although the burgers and pizzas looked good, we wanted a traditional dinner and chose the corned beef and cabbage. It was nice and tender and the cheddar/ale sauce was a delicious accompaniment.  161 Wayland Ave. 751-3000,www.mcbrides-pub.com


 

Noodles 102, Providence

This cool little spot opened a short time ago and has been cranking out delicious and creative food ever since. Our visit found the restaurant fairly crowded but we got a table pretty quickly. We ordered some of the chicken lettuce wraps to start. They were well seasoned and the nice crisp lettuce added the right crunch. For dinner we got a noodle bowl with miso broth, Udon noodles and beef. It was a ton of flavor in a simple dish...always a winner in our books. The menu implored us to try the clay pot cooked rice. We chose the chicken with Szechuan BBQ sauce. It was delicious and the clay pot baking brings out a whole new nuttiness to the rice. 102 Ives St.383-5004, www.noodles102.com 

Succotash, Providence

CORRECTION:

Unfortunately, we got this one wrong. Michael and I frequent Rhode Island restaurants about four times a week for these columns. While we give each restaurant a call to confirm details right before we publish, we can't guarantee the folks on the other end of the phone are informed or honest. Succotash indeed closed--and we are sorry we misled our readers. But be sure to visit one of the other great restaurants on this week's list!  -- Ann Martini