5 R.I. spots we wish made USA TODAY's Restaurant of the Year list
The USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year 2024 list, released today, features 47 restaurants from fine dining to supper clubs to seafood shacks.
USA TODAY Network food journalists from across the country pooled their expertise to select the restaurants, which includes the places they know, love and recommend.
Gift Horse in Providence and Sly Fox Den, Too in Charlestown made the list in Rhode Island. But there are so many other restaurants worth celebrating across the state. Here are five other spots that we wish were on the Restaurants of the Year list.
How many have you tried? Check out USA TODAY's 2024 Restaurants of the Year.
Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana
59 South County Commons Way, Wakefield; pasqualespizzeriari.com
If a restaurant is good enough to make a best-of list out of Italy, it's good enough for us. Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana in Wakefield was No. 12 on the prestigious ranking of the 50 Best in the United States. The July list was released by 50 Top Pizza USA.
Here's what they wrote about his restaurant: "Pasquale’s pizza is authentically Neapolitan. It is light because it is well-leavened and masterfully baked in a wood-fired oven that was built professionally by a Neapolitan master craftsman."
The beauty of Pasquale's is you can not just enjoy Napoletana pizza, but also thin, crispy crust New York style pies and even the Grandma, a square party pizza.
Want to try one of the best pizzerias in the world? Plan a trip to Wakefield
Giusto
4 Commercial Wharf, Newport; giustonewport.com
Newport's Giusto is a newly minted James Beard Foundation award semifinalist for Outstanding Hospitality. This national category honors restaurants that foster a sense of hospitality while demonstrating consistent excellence in food, atmosphere and operations.
Who are we to argue with that description of chef Kevin O'Donnell's freestyle Italian restaurant in Hammett's Hotel on the Newport waterfront. The menu offers elegant versions of Italian classics. Think elevated fried ricotta for an appetizer and a fancy affogato for dessert that pays homage to a Fluffer-Nutter.
Tuxpan Taqueria
355 Broad St., Central Falls; instagram.com/tuxpantaqueria/
Tuxpan Taqueria in Central Falls made the semifinalist for Best New Restaurant for the James Beard Foundation awards last month. The family-owned restaurant serves Mexican street food. It doesn't get more authentic than that.
Diego Alcantar is a native of Tuxpan, a town in Michoacán, Mexico, and moved to the U.S. when he was young. Like many restaurant owners, he started as a dishwasher and worked his way up to chef, bringing traditional cuisine to Rhode Island. His mom, Maria, also cooks at the restaurant.
Shark's Peruvian Cuisine
1420 Broad St., Central Falls; sharksperuviancuisine.com
Head to Central Falls for a trip to South America. Sit right above the lovely Blackstone River and sip and savor ceviche like the Ceviche Mixto, a bowl full of a fresh-mixed selection of seafood and fish, including octopus and calamari rings. Or go for the feast of grilled meats, including ribeyes, anticuchos beef heart skewers, pork ribs, chicken, chorizo and sausage. It comes in a mini-grill.
Otra
303 South Main St., Providence; otrarestaurant.com
From the owners of Bacaro, Otra offers a taste of the Iberian Peninsula. Explore the foods of Spain and Portugal, with some Southern French influences from the Pyrenees. You can order a table full of small plates to share or dive in to larger dishes of Paella and more. Don't miss the desserts including flan. But you must start with Huevos Cabreados, a bowl of thin shoestring French fries topped with fried eggs.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year 2024: 5 spots we wish made the list
