The restaurant is in an amazing location for the Water Fire next to all the vendors. The restaurant…read moreis beautiful with the smell of rustic wood that transports you to Spain with classy lamps. The staff are excellent and made your dining experience amazing for our wedding anniversary. The sangria with elderflower cava is delicious with fresh fruits. The seafood stew is a must order, the stew itself is packed with amazing flavor we ordered more grilled bread to soak it up. Every bite was delicious and I recommend to spoon the contents on to get a bite of everything. The corn croquettes is my next favorite, I really loved the inside filling and the pepper jam is a surprisingly nice touch. The seasonal toast had king trumpet mushrooms and the lemon alioli really defines the dish. The garlic shrimp has a generous amount of garlic and goes nicely with the grilled bread. It just got overshadowed by the seafood stew. The tuna crudo is very light and the ajo blanco sauce is so good and the grape nicely complemented the dish with its sweetness. The staff treated us tarta de pistachio which can be seen as a spin on Dubai chocolate. Overall an amazing experience here!

We had a wonderful dinner with a dear friend. I love making memories and enjoying amazing food in a…read morerestaurant that is rustic and makes you feel like you are in Europe. We had grilled calamari, prawns, lamb chops, lamb kabobs, fish cheeks, tomato bread and oxtail. Everything was delicious! It's fun to share and experience new dishes. We highly recommend and will be back soon. Also, the staff including our server Katherine were welcoming and so very nice! They deserve more than 5 stars.

We were looking for a place to have cocktails before a show and stumble upon this bar…read more The place was small but had a great ambiance. Our server was attentive and gave us great suggestions. I tried four cocktails some from their new menu and some of their past drinks, they were all great. My favorite was the Passion Fruit Martini and the Strawberry , the Sumac Paloma was great. The most unique drink was the Saffron & Black Lime Daiquiri, a little savority. My least favorite but it was interesting to try.

We were excited to pop in for a drink at Marcelino's on a random Sunday night. The lights dim,…read moregiving it a great ambiance. The service was great the waitress came over several times to make sure everything was good. We did struggle with the menu. It did change and it took us a while to figure out what we wanted. I ended up ordering the $22 Saffron and Black Lime Daiquiri. It was ok, definitely not worth the price tag. We also order the Peach and Honey Gimlet, which was decent. The froth on the top was very good and did balance the drink quite well. Overall, I did like the drinks from the previous menu much better (2 years ago). Not sure what happened, but definitely not the same. Not terrible, but not the best in the city anymore.

Absolutely fantastic experience. I lived four years in Spain and they have really nailed it. Felt…read moreat home. Did the calamari and the croquetas to start which was perfect then a paella. The croquetas were the right amount of crispy and came with really good homemade sauces. The paella was absolutely cooked to perfection. The wine menu had a great range and variety between Spanish and Portuguese wines, they really nail that. Matthew was our server, and he was awesome. He gave me and my date plenty of space but always checked in on us and made sure to give us a time check on the paella since good paella is a slow cook. We didnt have space for dessert but the dessert menu looked really good. If we didn't do the croquetas and the calamari then we could have probably done a dessert but no regrets at all. Fantastic job, OTRA!

First of all, the restaurant is beautiful second, the bar is beautiful third the drinks were…read morespectacular. Top-notch service was fantastic and the food. Oh my God I can't wait to go back. The PAELLA A LA VALENCIANA Narragansett Bay littlenecks, chicken thighs, saffron, sweet peas, piquillo pepper was cooked to perfection. The chicken was crispy and juicy. The rice was cooked the perfection where it had that crust almost burnt on the bottom, which is the best part!!! And I almost forgot about the appetizer. SPANISH ROULETTE Shishito peppers with Maldon Salt. Phenomenal.

After making reservations at another restaurant, we drove there only to discover they were…read moreclosed--even though we had received confirmation for our 7:00 PM reservation. Needless to say, it was a disappointing start to what was supposed to be a special family evening. Thankfully, a quick call to Aguardente in Fox Point changed everything. The person who answered explained that they weren't taking reservations that evening, but they did have one outdoor table left if we could make it there in time. Despite the challenges of navigating Providence during the World Cup festivities and the Cape Verde Festival in the Fox Point area, we managed to get to the restaurant and secure that last table. We are incredibly grateful to the staff at Aguardente for helping turn our evening around. Our daughter and son-in-law were hoping to enjoy one last dinner with both families before leaving on Monday for a special assignment in South Carolina, and the unexpected closure of our original restaurant had left everyone feeling frustrated and disappointed. From the moment we arrived, the team at Aguardente made us feel welcome. The food was excellent, the drinks were wonderful, and the service was outstanding. Most importantly, they helped transform what had begun as a stressful evening into a memorable celebration with family. Thank you to everyone at Aguardente for your kindness, hospitality, and professionalism. You made our families smile and created a special memory during an important moment in our lives. We highly recommend Aguardente and look forward to returning. -- A very grateful family

Atmosphere: cute outdoor seating area for summer nights. The inside has cool decor (including a…read morebathroom that apparently won an award??), but is very small and cramped. The upper 'porch' like area looks really fun, but the table we were seated at was so close to the other tables I was uncomfortable. I get that we're in a city, but I value my personal space and privacy and felt like the whole restaurant could hear my every word - ick. Service: our server seemed annoyed that I didn't want an alcoholic drink, and was not very helpful. Half of the menu is not in English (very chaotic how some portions are in English and others are not, it doesn't seem consistent), so we had some questions, such as "what does x taste like?" and the only response we got was "not too sweet"....okay, but what DOES it taste like? She spoke very fast and I couldn't understand her listing off the specials, even though she didn't really have an accent. She left partway through while we were there so I guess she was just at the end of her shift and checked out, but it was so offputting how rude and unhelpful she was. When our servers transitioned, we offered to cash out then since we weren't getting anything else and wanted the original server to get her tips, but she started joking around that we didn't have to do that - which I appreciate, but we actually did want to get going and get cashed out, but she refused to give us our check. I asked three times and she still wouldn't 'let us do that'...very weird. Food: there were not a ton of vegetarian options that appealed to me. I went a little overboard on plantains by accident, which is my mistake. I first ordered the Rellenitos with cilantro crema sauce, which were very good and a flavor combination I wasn't expecting. The dough to filling ratio was a little off and they were pretty dry inside, so I needed a lot of the sauce. An order only came with 2 and I wish it was more. I'm glad I ordered something else - Tula Fries, which came with the same exact cilantro creme sauce as the Rellenitos, even though they are described differently on the menu, which felt lazy to repeat a sauce. The sauce didn't go well with them at all in my opinion so I did not enjoy these as much as I would've liked. My friend enjoyed her drink, but thought almost all of the meat on her meat and cheese board was either low quality or close to going bad. It was priced reasonably, which we were shocked by, but she couldn't eat a good portion of it sadly. We did really enjoy the baked flava bean snack that was a part of it. The board weirdly came with just half of one small, half rotten strawberry that looked terrible - it would've been better to leave it off. Towards the end of the night, there was so much water on the floor in the hallway that goes to the bathroom and passes the kitchen - I had to walk through it to go to the bathroom, which felt like a safety hazard. My friend was on crutches and wouldn't even try to get over there since we knew she'd slip on all the water. It just looked terrible and was dangerous, so not sure what we going on that there was such a water issue there. Their specialties and more meat based dishes are probably great, but there just aren't a ton of things for me to eat here. I'd be willing to try it again for drinks and apps if the service wasn't so unwelcoming.

Unable to get a reservation at the legendary Al Forno, this nearby Italian restaurant was alright…read more Wood-Grilled Crispy Baby Octopus: Apparently their signature dish. The octopus body was grilled to a tender tenderness, though the tentacles were slightly charred and bitter, which is normal, but the sauce was far superior. The kale was cooked until smooth and thick, with a distinct sweetness that completely eliminated any strange vegetable taste; the white beans were also soft and creamy, adding thickness and aroma to the sauce. This sauce paired perfectly with the bread served before the meal. Pizza with Sweet Corn & Spicy Oil: In Providence, you absolutely must try grilled pizza. The waiter recommended this one, saying it was his favorite. It was the first time I'd ever had a pizza like this. The crust was thin and light, with noticeable charring, and a slightly crispy texture, which inexplicably reminded me of the Indian roti that I always had at Cantonese restaurants when I was a child. The tomatoes and corn were in season, and a touch of chili oil brought out a lively blend of sour and sweet flavors. Delicious. Bacaro's "Farmer's Salad": This was the first time I'd had a salad with snow peas, and it had a raw taste. I also tasted a hint of minty, refreshing herbal flavor, which was interesting. I searched for the ingredients but couldn't find the source, and the waiter couldn't explain it either.

I can't believe this is my first time coming to Bacaro! I was very impressed with the experience as…read morea whole. We were a party of three, but it could have been a party of six with all the food we ordered. We had the first reservation at 5 PM. We parked on the street, but you can park in the lot and they will validate your parking for you. The service was a 5/5 and the ambiance can be casual or fine dining. The lighting is perfect for a romantic night out and the view of the Providence River right over your shoulder. We made our own board: Umbriaco di Raboso "Drunken Cow" - amazing cheese, very high quality, sharp, not over powering. Definitely get it! Provolone - sharp very good quality provolone cheese Proscuitto di San Daniele - sliced very thin, soft and flavorful. I was very pleased with the portion size and the flavor. A must have! Spicy Olives - assorted olives with a spicy olive oil. All of the olives were fantastic and there definitely was a good kick from the spice. They threw in the pickles, jams, nuts and honey, all were fantastic. I really liked the blueberry jam. The warm tapas came out at all different times. Fried Bolognese olives - Although these were unique and delicious, I would skip these next time. The Bolognese is just a pinch on the inside of the olive. It would be a game changer if there was a side of Bolognese sauce to dip them in instead. Eggplant - Definitely a must order. Super simple sauce packed with flavor and the buffalo mozzarella is to die for. The pork belly is also a must order. Tons of flavor and not a lot of fat, which surprised me. It was a good sized portion too. Now of the the pizza...we ordered Pizza Salumi. Very thin dough, wood fired for the flavor and the crisp. There is a good amount of sauce, which can make the crust floppy, but it's so worth it! The flavor of the sauce is so good. All fresh and top quality ingredients. The soppressata was perfect, taking this pizza to the next the level. It was cut super thin, as it should, and gave the pizza the flavor a margarita is missing. It would be tough not to order this next time. So just as we should have been walking out of the door because we were so full, we had the duck and the wood fired NY strip to split among the three of us. The duck - The duck dish came with the two legs so it was the dark meat with crispy skin. The duck was flavorful, moist, tender, and had some sort of apple based sauce to accompany it. The mashed potatoes were great and the Gorgonzola chunks were a treat, especially while sipping the sangiovese/cab red wine blend that we ordered for the table. The NY Strip was my favorite. The steak was tender and came with the flavor from that wood fired grill. The sauce was so good that I dipped every piece in it, trying to reserve some for the mashed potatoes. I ordered the steak medium rare + and it came out just how I wanted it. We ordered the lemon tart for my mom's birthday dessert. I would skip the dessert next time, but I always skip dessert. My mother loved it...very fresh and vibrant. I would have to say that Bacaro is my favorite RI restaurant, especially for a special night out. It is also a perfect spot to go and grab a snack or two with friends after work with a drink. It is affordable as you want and can find high end alternatives as well. The bottle of wine was $48 and you couldn't have asked for a better pairing with all of the food. We also ordered an after dinner cocktail, called the Call to Italy...very refreshing for a digestive type cocktail.

Cocktails were well made and tasty. Charred Snow Pea Salad…read morewas great and I'm not a salad aficionado. The wife is though and she agreed. We had a couple pizzas. I can't compare them to anything else in Rhode Island. Wood-Fired but super thin base and a fluffy, chewy crust. Toppings were delicious and generous. Quality stuff. The service was excellent as well. Ate at the bar and the bartender was attentive and all in on the place. She gave us the background on the owner and their philosophy. She enriched the experience. We shall return!

The first thing you notice is the oven…read more Not the tables. Not the bar. The oven. It sits in the back of the room glowing like a furnace that keeps the whole place alive. Every few minutes the door opens and a wave of heat rolls out. The pozza maker leans in with a peel. Wood crackles. A pizza disappears into the fire. The room organizes itself around that rhythm. Figidini is small. Smaller than you expect when you first walk in. Wood everywhere. Low light over the bar and the tables. The kitchen sits in full view just a few feet from where people are eating. You can see the entire operation. Flour on the prep counter. Dough stretching across the board. The oven door opening and closing again and again. It feels less like a dining room and more like you've been invited to sit just outside the kitchen while the night moves around you. Cozy is the obvious word. Quiet is not. The room is loud. Very loud. Concrete floors. Tile. Wood. Glass. Hard surfaces everywhere. Sound doesn't fade here. It ricochets. Conversations bounce off the walls and stack on top of each other until the whole room hums. Then the bartender starts shaking a drink. The metal tins crash together like someone using a jackhammer. The sound cuts straight through the room. At certain points you find yourself leaning across the table and yelling just to finish a sentence. Service moves through that noise with quiet efficiency. Orders taken. Food delivered. Plates cleared. No hovering. No conversation. Just the steady rhythm of the room continuing around you. Then the pizza arrives. Whole. No slices. Just a pair of scissors sitting on the plate beside it. The crust rises high around the edge, blistered and spotted from the oven. Puffy and inflated like bread that caught the perfect blast of heat. When you press into it the rim compresses easily. Chewy on the outside. Tender inside. The center stays thin and soft the way a wood fired pie should. This one is their tomato pie, which means the tomatoes carry the whole flavor of the pizza. No blanket of mozzarella covering things up. Just crushed tomatoes spread across the dough with sliced garlic, herbs, olive oil, and a little grated cheese working quietly underneath. The sauce is bright and fresh. Slightly sweet. Tomato first, then garlic, then olive oil settling into everything. Each slice bends when you lift it. The rim holds. Exactly what you expect from a fast bake in a very hot oven. Simple food. Done carefully. And done well. There is also a slightly precious edge to everything and that might not sit well with everyone. Figidini is the kind of place where a five dollar eight ounce bottle of Coke arrives at the table next to a tiny glass holding two oversized ice cubes that already take up most of the space before the soda even touches it. Small room. Warm light. Loud energy. A little over curated. But the oven keeps burning. Another pie goes in. Another one comes out. And once the scissors hit the table and the first slice makes it to your plate, most of the rest of it fades into the background. Because at the center of all that noise and dim light and careful presentation is a simple idea executed very well. A wood fired tomato pie that tastes exactly the way it should.

Gift Horse was out of this world. The scallop roll was the standout. Sweet, smoky scallops in a…read moresoft buttery brioche bun, but somehow still bright and fresh. I could have eaten three of them. We also had the crudo trio, oysters, smoked fish dip and lamb burger and everything was excellent. The lamb burger was rich and flavorful but perfectly balanced by the sweet jam, soft squishy sesame bun and thin, crispy, craggly onion rings. The smoked fish dip came with crisp nori chips that were a little intense on their own for me, but perfect with a big scoop of the creamy, smoky dip. Loved trying the three different crudos and every oyster was delicious. We sat at the bar with a great view of the whole place, great music and attentive service. Too full for dessert unfortunately because everything looked amazing. Still thinking about that scallop roll.

Gift Horse has been on my list to try for a long time and I finally made it. We sat at the bar and…read morecouldn't have been happier with the service. The drinks came out quick and they were unique and delicious. We asked the waitress about the Yellowfin piri piri and found that there were two different sized orders. We opted for the larger portion. The tuna came sliced up on a platter with piri piri sauce and two Portuguese rolls. What a dish! The sauce and the tuna was so good we didn't leave a trace of anything on that silver platter. The Crudo was to die for! Fresh fish was amazing and the olive oil was so good it just brings it to the next level. We were were not hungry after these two dishes, but we had to try a dessert with the experience so far. We opted for the cinnamon bun ice cream sandwich. Although it was good, I expected better. The cinnamon bun was a bit dry. After the quality of the tuna and crudo, I was expecting a super soft bun with the a ton of icing dripping down. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth a visit. I will be back again.

We came here for one thing and it was 100% worth it - the flaming espresso martini! Our waiter even…read moreasked if we wanted our names written on it. Such a fun experience. The music is loud and it feels like a club vibe inside so definitely not a family restaurant but super fun for date night or drinks with friends.

I went to Layali with a friend of mine. We got flaming espresso martinis.(I was skeptical since I'm…read morenot the biggest espresso martini person (has to be made right, not too sweet, etc.) I actually really enjoyed this one. The bartender was pretty cool, but the restaurant was busy but service was still great The restaurant itself sits slightly below street level, but is not exactly underground. Rather the restaurant is in the basement of one of the buildings downtown. I recommend Layali for good espresso martinis and order their cocktails

Ordered: Green Thumb Cocktail (~$13): Lustau Fino Sherry,…read moreRhum JM White Rhum, Cucumber, Lemon, Lavender, Thai Basil, Sea Salt Strawberry El Diablo Cocktail (~$13): Rejon Reposado Tequila, Strawberry Cordial, Lime, Fever Tree Ginger Beer Wood-Roasted Sesame Focaccia (~$12): with Ligurian Olive Oil Raw Scallops (~$22): with cherry blossom mayo, sesame, radish Red Shrimp Quasi Crudo (~$26): lightly roasted with Sardinian olive oil and lemon Carrot & Mascarpone Anolini (~$26): yogurt, sugar kelp, fresh bay leaf, parmigiano Wood-Roasted Basque-Style Cheesecake (~$16): with blueberries & Tuscan olive oil Aya's take: Oberlin was hands down my favorite dining experience on my first trip to Providence! Chef Ben Sukle has received many accolades including being a James Beard Finalist so I knew we were in for a treat. Everything we ordered was so fresh, had a farm-to-table vibe, and felt very intentional. 3 different dishes had 3 different types of olive oil - that's impressive! I was blown away by the Red Shrimp Quasi Crudo. They were slightly sweet, perfectly cooked with a delicate snap, and I still got some of the roasted/grilled flavor. The Raw Scallops were so simple yet so exquisite. This is a must order along with anything on their crudo menu! The Carrot & Mascarpone Anolini was such a unique pasta and was perfectly balanced and delicious. And definitely leave room for dessert because you can't leave here without trying the Wood-Roasted Basque-Style Cheesecake. It's so creamy, borderline custardy, with a beautiful char on top and the delicate blueberries and olive oil that paired so well together. They are really using their wood-fire oven to the max and I'm here for it. What an exceptional meal; highly recommend.

The good parts: the ambiance is nice, and the food was quite tasty. My partner had the pork ($40)…read morewhich was a whole tenderloin and which he thought was delicious and good quality. My pieces were tasty but a bit fatty (hard to chew). I had the eggplant ravioli which was very rich and tasty ($28) - but so heavily sauced it was hard to tell what was what. The less good parts: the cheap wood chairs are too uncomfortable to sit on very long (I moved to the banquette next to my partner). The food is overpriced. It really needed something with it - bread, potatoes, vegetables, anything. The pork came with a few bitter leaves of a salad. I have a small appetite in general - I usually take home half my food anywhere I go. I looked at the food and said "we are going to have to go to IHOP later" because it was a light snack. The only bread available cost $12. Maybe it's amazing but I just couldn't bring myself to pay $12 for bread on principle. The food took awhile to arrive. Long enough for the server to tell us she was leaving for the night and to get up and order two drinks directly from the bar myself. The servers were nice in a way that felt somewhat forced. We are finding someplace else for dessert. I really liked my espresso martini, and that was within the price range I would expect ($13).

We attended a Maison Ferrand cognac seminar & tasting the other night at Sapphire & it was such a…read morefun & unique experience for us. The staff at Sapphire (Melissa, Marc, & Shiv), as well as the guest bartender (Vannaluck), went above & beyond to make the experience interactive & memorable. We were greeted immediately with a French 75 made with cognac - Did you know that the original French 75 called for cognac, as well as many other classic cocktails? No? Neither did I. The welcome aperitif was a great lil' treat to kick the night off with. We were given a mini charcuterie selection to keep us busy until the main event, which began about 20 minutes after we arrived. Vannaluck talked us through the history & characteristics of cognac. We were given 3 small pours of different cognacs to taste as well as a serendipitous, bonus mini pour at the end. Throughout the night, the kitchen sent out a variety of tapas that UTILIZED COGNAC. Cognac glaze, reduction, brine, etc. Fascinating! I went in knowing next to nothing about cognac & left with a decent understanding of the spirit. I've always wanted to do something like this, & Sapphire made it extremely accessible. It was also amazingly affordable. I'm really looking forward to more events like this one. Sign me up, please.

My husband and I decided to come to Sapphire for a drink...I had really enjoyed the cocktails and…read morethe food during the recent Yelp Elite even, so I told my hubby to check out this place with me. I loved the Jacobean cocktail, so we both got this smooth scotch cocktail...Melissa made the drink with an expertise that few have and while she was making them, we engaged in conversation with Marc, the beverage manager. Both were very engaging and very friendly, making the visit very relaxed and enjoyable....we also got some steakhouse sliders that were outstanding...the meat was just slightly medium, keeping all the moistness and flavor.... Overall a great place for a drink and/or light bites...... The ambiance is inviting and cozy and the patio outside is great for those nice warm Rhode Island evenings....