Rhode Island's best Italian restaurant? Here are 7 reader picks
As home to one of the five best Little Italys in America, Rhode Island's Italian food scene is one of the finest you'll find outside of Italy.
With so many options, the hardest part is deciding which restaurant to make a reservation at.
The Providence Journal recently put it to readers in an unscientific poll. First, we asked readers to nominate places to include in the poll on our Instagram page @ProJoEats, which we then compiled into a true poll asking people to vote for their favorite.
Hundreds of votes later, we've narrowed it down to the top seven reader picks.
Winner: Spaghetti Lane
Whether you’re looking for a classic Italian dinner or a really good grinder, you can find it at Spaghetti Lane, 8 Anoka Ave., Barrington, which is both a restaurant and café. This reader favorite also happens to be a favorite of our sports editor, Bill Corey, who called it cozy and very friendly in a round-up of the best things The Providence Journal employees ate over the summer. He had the chicken and eggplant parmesan and loved it.
Runner up: Joe Marzilli’s Old Canteen
An iconic spot for Federal Hill diners since 1956, it’s little surprise that Joe Marzilli’s Old Canteen, 120 Atwells Ave., Providence is one of Rhode Island’s favorite Italian restaurants. Jeopardy host and Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik said it was the “best Italian food I think I’ve ever had” after eating there in April.
Third place: Mike’s Kitchen
If you’re looking for the type of Italian food your grandmother made – think baccala, fried smelts, and tripe – Mike’s Kitchen in the Tabor-Franchi VFW Post 2396, 170 Randall St., Cranston is the spot to go. Our food editor Gail Ciampa wrote that Mike’s “serves the foods that people of a certain age grew up with. You’ll find lots of Italian favorites made from family recipes that people no longer make at home. But there are also comfort dishes including meatball grinders and pastas including gnocchi,” in her round-up of the best Italian spots in the state.
Fourth place: Andino’s
This popular spot opened as a social club in 1988 and remains a crowd favorite as a casual spot for Italian dining. Andino’s, 171 Atwells Ave., Providence, celebrates Federal’s Hill’s heritage as a Little Italy. If you’re going for the first time, they recommend trying the house specialties, either veal or chicken saltimbocca with a glass of one of their sangrias.
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Fifth place: Camille’s Restaurant
For over 100 years, Camille’s Restaurant, 71 Bradford St., Providence has been serving some of the best classic Italian dishes that you’ll find anywhere. With a charming atmosphere and a food menu that is top class, it’s little wonder that people just keep coming back.
Sixth Place: Angelo’s Civita Farnese Restaurant
A “workingman’s restaurant" since it opened in 1924, Angelo’s Civita Farnese Restaurant, 141 Atwells Ave., Providence, offers unfussy, hearty, affordably priced Italian foods that are always delicious. It’s the sort of place you can get meatballs with french fries (which, by the way, started as an offering during the Great Depression so customers could get a filling meal at a very reasonable price) or something fancier. There’s pasta-bilities, as one of their menu offerings puts it.
Seventh Place: Marchetti’s Restaurant
In The Providence Journal Reader Choice Awards, Marchetti’s, 1463 Park Ave., Cranston, has become a staple, winning best Italian restaurant from 2017 through 2023. The menu is packed with all different types of Italian food and the portions are known for being generous.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: The best Italian restaurant in RI: Try these 7 reader picks
