Brick & Mortar

Are ruins romantic? Rhode Island is grossly littered with empty mills and famous failures. Reminded of great/late 38 Studios, which lasted as long as a newbie warrior in a Halo or World of Warcraft tournament, shouldn’t some sense be made out of collateral carnage among such market economy debacles? Or has the very idea of a company of coworkers working cooperatively become obsolete in an entrepreneurial/narcissistic era plagued by continuous upheaval?

This state had numerous clothing, dye, fabric and thread mills, 29 on Blackstone River alone, but spread across state in Ashaway, Centerville, Central Falls (11 closures in decade between 1997 and 2007), Cranston, Crompton, Cumberland, Lincoln, Olneyville, North Providence, Pawtucket, Providence, West Warwick, and Woonsocket. Many closed because of Civil War Reconstruction in the South, which relocated them below the Mason-Dixon Line nearer to fields where cotton was sourced. Brings into question, "Who won?" because it was a net loss for the North in jobs and lives. Another such exodus occurred during The Great Depression in the 1930's. Costume jewelry manufacturers once employed 16,000 residents, now only 7,000. Downtown retail stores fell to suburban malls. These migrations cost Rhode Island 500,000 jobs and decimated all of New England. More recently, mills nationwide were shipped to China or Mexico, where they promptly ran into counterproductive snafus. Ambitions will never be satisfied paying minimum to dedicated servants. The lure of slave labor seldom entails educated or qualified help. Meanwhile, existing buildings are left to rot or were refurbished as artist lofts or elderly tenements, though many are known fire traps or structurally unsound. Buildings may remain, but those who worked there tend to be forgotten.

Cannot enumerate every office for finance, law, or medicine that went under, just trying to identify instances where hundreds of jobs vanished. Small businesses surely come and go; only 5% last 5 years. Reasons vary, though most fit into categories of botching client fulfillments, consolidating after mergers, failing to compete, not adapting to change, offshoring for cheaper labor, or pissing off employees so badly they start unions and strike you into defeat. Sometimes business owners or principle shareholders figure they had enough, relocate to take deals that other states offer, sell out, or shut doors. High cost of electricity and gas puts a damper on local development. Rhode Island, with highest corporate tax rate in nation, ended its historic preservation tax credit, which deters from investing in piles of crumbling mud.

Seems Americans can no longer stomach the drudgery and stench of manufacture, but for someone such jobs remain sources of steady income by adding value, thereby growing through investing capital and time, whereas services don’t, so inevitably fizzle. However, many of their gains came from poor practices that merely transferred wealth by dumping wastes or raping environment, leaving costly aftermaths to taxpayers. Developers got a $200,000 government grant to clean up decades of dry cleaning chemicals before they raised historic Louttit Laundry altogether, which remains a vacant lot near Hoyle Square. In the long run, some factories, particularly refineries or utilities, aren’t worth having around no matter how many they employ.

Given voluminous cancer causing wastes industry spews, perhaps poverty appeals after all. Rhode Island harbors 2,488 (1,800 of them proven contaminated) former landfills, leaking underground storage tanks, toxic release sites, water dischargers, and whatnot including 200 EPA Superfund sites. One of the biggest harms is heavy metal sediments in Narragansett Bay, too difficult to remediate even though precious gold and silver constitute a high percentage. Heard of jewelry shops being profitably dismantled so floor boards could be cremated to recover a century worth of gold filings.

Several millionaires, formerly industrialists themselves, maneuvered most polluters out. The few who remained contributed heavily to politicians to avoid enforcement and legislation. With miles of shoreline, you’d think shipping and warehousing would be more popular, though a sustainable strategy is to fabricate where you sell. College dilettantes turn up their noses at smelly shoreline operations and try endlessly to eliminate them; they neither care nor realize that means no positions for graduates, no longer their problem once diplomas are dispensed. Rhode Island might be a great place for startups, but don’t even think about upscaling or regulators will arrive unannounced to drive you out or extract a pound of flesh.

Without spending much time, here's a short list with intentions to supplement with future input:
A&P Supermarket, various locations
Adams Drug Stores, various locations
Alcoa, Cumberland
Allen Cotton Mill, Smithfield
Almacs Supermarket, various locations
Alrose Chemical, Cranston
American Ball Company, Providence
American/Bailey Wringer Company, Woonsocket
American Emery Wheel Works, Richmond Square, Providence
American Screw Company, Providence
American Ship Windlass Company, Providence
American Tourister (formerly Warren Manufacturing), Warren
Amperex Electronic Corporation, Slaterville, North Smithfield
Armington & Sims Steam Engines, Hoyle Square, Providence
Atlantic Mills, Olneyville, Providence
Atlantic Rayon (Thurston Saw), Providence
Atlantic Tubing & Rubber, Cranston
Ballou, Johnson & Nichols, Providence
Barstow Stove, Jewelry District, Providence
Bercen Chemical (moved to Livingston Parish, LA), Cranston and Providence
Blue Coal, Olneyville, Providence
Bulova Watch, Bucklin Park, Providence
Bourne Cotton Mill, Tiverton
Box and Lumber, Providence
Brownell & Field, Providence
Brown&Sharpe, Providence, then North Kingstown (11,000 employees at WWII peak)
Buttonwood Industrial, Miner Rubber, Bristol
Caldor Department Store, Warwick
Carpenter Mill, Providence
Casual Corners Stores, various locations
Ceco Radio Tubes, Providence
Cherry&Webb Department Store, Providence
Ciba Geigy, Cranston
C.J. Fox, Providence
Clark Cotton Mill, Shannock, Richmond
Colibri Jewelry and (cigarette) Lighters, Providence
Combination Ladder, Providence
Corliss Engine, Providence
Coro, Providence
Cranston General (Osteopath) Hospital, Cranston
Cranston Print Works at Randall Pond
Davol Rubber Works, Providence
David Square Mall, Providence
D.M. Watkins, Providence
Eaton Aerospace, Warwick
Elmwood Sensors (purchased by Honeywell, 1000 employees), Cranston
Federated Lithograph, South Providence
Filenes Department Store, Warwick Mall
First National Supermarket, various locations
Forestdale Cotton Mill, North Smithfield
G-Fox Stores, Warwick
General Electric Providence Base Works (light bulbs), Eagle Park
GE Monowatt, Cranston line, Providence
Gladdings Department Store, Providence
Gorham Silver, Columbus Square, Providence
Grandberg Brothers Wallpaper, Providence
Greystone Worsted Mill, North Providence
Grinnell General Fire Extinguisher, Providence
Hadley Watch Bracelet, Providence
Hall & Lyon Department Store, Providence
Hamilton & Hamilton Jewelry, Providence
Hamilton Woolen Mill, North Kingstown
Hanley Brewing Company & Hanley-Hoye Distributing, Providence
Hedison Manufacturing, Providence, then Lincoln
Hope Mill, Scituate
Ideal Jewelry, Cranston
Lying-In Hospital, Providence
Hotels such as Colonial Hilton, Cranston
IGT (Gtech), Coventry
James C. Goff Mortar and Plaster, Providence
J. B. Barnaby Clothiers, Providence
Jencks Paper Box, Providence
Jordan Marsh Department Store, Warwick Mall
Kendall Soap, Providence
Lafayette Woolen Mill, North Kingstown
Leesona (formerly Universal Winding Company; now based in North Carolina), Warwick
Leviton (fomer Elizabeth Mill), Hillsgrove, Warwick
Lipitt Mill, West Warwick
Louttit (What Cheer) Laundry, Providence
Lymansville Worsted Mill, North Providence
Midland Mall Stores, Warwick
Miller Box, Warwick
NABsys Genome, Providence
Narragansett Brewery, Cranston
Narragansett Grey Iron Foundry, Smithfield
National Rubber, Bristol
National Worsted Mill (now Rising Sun), Olneyville, Providence
Newport Steam Factory
Nicholson File, Providence
O'Bannon Imitation Leather Mill, Barrington
On Semiconductor (formerly Amperex in Cranston, then Cherry Semiconductor on South County Trail in East Greenwich)
Osram Sylvania, Central Falls
Outlet Department Store, Providence
Peace Dale Manufacturing, South Kingstown
Perry Mill, Newport
Philmont Worsted Mill, Woonsocket
Pontiac (Fruit of the Loom) Mills, Warwick
Providence Belting Company
Providence Brewing Company
Providence Machine, waterfront, Providence
Providence Tool
Half a thousand restaurants that closed., collectively
Rhode Island Lace Works, West Barrington
Rhode Island Locomotive Works, Providence
Rhode Island Malleable Iron Works, Hillsgrove, Warwick
Royal Mill, West Warwick
Sayles Bleacheries, Saylesville
Seaconnet Coal Company, Providence
Shepard Department Store, Providence
Silver Springs Bleaching and Dyeing, Providence
Slater Mill (Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution), Pawtucket
Slater Cotton Mill, Pawtucket
Stanley Bostitch, North Kingstown
Theodore W. Foster & Brother Company Silversmiths, Providence
Tilden Thurber Stores, downtown Providence and Midland Mall, Warwick 38 Studios, Providence
Transcom Electronics, Portsmouth
Union Wadding, Pawtucket
Uniroyal, Providence
US Mill Supply, Providence
Valley Worsted Mill, Eagle Square, Providence
Vandell Jewelry, Providence
Vesta Knitting Mills, Providence
Walsh-Kaiser Shipyard, Fields Point, Providence (14,000 WWII employees)
Wamponaug Mall Stores, East Providence
Waukesha Bearing, West Greenwich
WJ Braitsch & Company Canes, Providence
Woolworth's Department Stores, Cranston & Providence
Woonsocket (Alice Mills) Rubber Company
Woonsocket Machine & Press Company

Feel free to comment with other examples of factories and industries that slipped away.

Famous For What?

As this blog is shaping up as a series of lists, followed through with another describing what Rhode Island is best known for:

Cabinets & Grinders: Not at all what you think, they mean something different to locals than power tools or wooden caseworks. "Cabinets" describe milkshakes (often coffee ice cream, syrup and milk, always blended), whereas grinders are elongated sandwiches, otherwise known as “submarines”, subs for short. During last century Italian immigrants set up shops near shipyards and assembled these torpedo shaped lunches. They called shipbuilders who ground rivets “grinders”, and somehow the name transferred to the sandwiches with which they stuffed their faces, though some argue teeth needed to eat these chewy monsters had to be the real grinders, thus the name. Lexicographers also dispute the origin of cabinet; some say it had to do with the blender being stored in a wooden cabinet at pharmacy’s fountain. But it could be a bastardization of the word “carbonate”. Rhode Islanders speak in an odd dialect, a cross between Boston and Brooklyn, that confuses an “r” with an “ah” sound and vice versa; for example, chowder, a kind of soup, is pronounced “chowdah”, whereas idea is “ideer”. So ordering an ice cream soda may have sounded like “cahbinat”. Speaking of ships, Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound reputably have more wrecks per square mile than anywhere on either coast. During WWII, Kaiser Shipyards in Fields Point hung massive signs that read, “On to Nippon”. Ironically, by the 1970’s, Field’s Point became a major port for unloading cars imported from Germany and Japan. Maybe that’s why the generation before held onto gruesome August holiday Victory (VJ) Day, only celebrated here, which commemorates ending war with Japan by the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Celebrities - Actors, authors, composers, filmmakers, rock stars, and sports people have prowled its streets for centuries. Ghosts of H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe haunt Providence’s East Side to tunes by George M. Cohan, Nico Muhly, and Talking Heads. Dozens of movies have been made here. Offspring of A-listers attend area colleges. Venues for MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL and NHL franchises and several farm teams are all within 50 miles. Yet it’s no match for New York, where such sightings are commonplace. And residents can’t claim any credit or glory by mere association.

Firsts - Given its diminutive size, you’d think staying ahead of the curve would be easy: fewer to convince and lower costs to implement. Rhode Island was first to declare independence from and strike a blow against British rule, but last to join other 12 colonies to form The United States. It was, however, the first to ban slave trade at which it formerly excelled. The Blackstone Canal was North America’s inaugural civil engineering project, though the Viking Tower in Newport is believed to be its oldest structure (est., 1120 A.D.). US-1 runs right though, built atop the Boston to New York Highway, nation’s original Post Road. Even older is Great Road, RI’s first, begun in 1683, where Arnold House (stone ender shown in pretty autumn colors increasingly harder to find) can be counted among RI’s half dozen 17th Century homes still standing having survived over 3 centuries of fires and wars. Now that's remarkable; despite modern restoration, they make history palpable along with other architecture from every era.

The industrial revolution started here with Slater’s cotton mill powered by waterwheels in the mighty Blackstone River. Before anywhere else in America, RI judge Darius Baker jailed a motorist for speeding recklessly at 15 mph. Nation's first golf open, jazz festival, lawn tennis tournament, and outdoor polo match were held in RI. United Nuclear in Richmond was the only place in America where a nuclear explosion occurred outside a controlled environment. Adjacent Massachusetts recently garnered firsts for permitting same sex marriages, something Rhode Island’s catholic majority will forever condemn, and providing state sponsored health insurance, which Rhode Island left to abundant insurers once Obama signed it into federal law. Healthcare had already been its fastest growing business sector, rivaling finance, still number one, home to banks and brokerages. Some federal pilot programs were also tried, though nobody seems to remember them. Rhody has yet another chance to be first, to complete its leg of the East Coast Greenway System from Florida to Maine before any other state; only a few miles remain, but will is weak to designate a corridor through Pawtucket and Providence, or link Coventry and Woonsocket to adjacent states, even though ECGS has proven indispensable to commuters. “Hope” heads list as USA's shortest state motto, and "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" its longest, most controversial name.

Food - Culinary schools, hospitality industry, and resultant restaurants rely mostly on meats and produce provided from elsewhere, though champion pumpkins up to a ton are still grown. Only several dozen dairies, farms, orchards, and ranches remain, and they sell out all too soon. Farm-to-table initiatives and outdoor markets are nevertheless afoot, but drawn as much from CT and MA stock. Coffee milk was made its official drink in 1993, but only 1 local craft roaster makes a caffeine free syrup, and “plantations” never grew coffee beans. Rhode Island does have a greater concentration of colleges within a one hour drive than anywhere in nation, yet illiteracy hovers around 17%, among the nation’s worst, because politicians “import” unschooled Third Worlders, presumably for federal grants and minimum wage servitude.

Huge, interminable, wasteful projects - Over the course of a half century, expensive highway constructions chewed through state revenues like locusts across arid farmlands. First it was the small Greenwood Bridge over AMTRAK, which, for some inexplicable reason, took more than a decade to repair. Similarly, the Cranston Street underpass, but that was tied to Route 10 beltway improvements, which also took nearly a decade and yet seem incomplete. The so-called Q-way between RI-4 and Quonset began as a link from I-95 to a proposed container port, but design flaws meant all overpasses had to be raised for containers to pass beneath. In the end, the 2.5 mile stretch cost more than a quarter of a billion, 10 times more than the national average per highway mile. Meanwhile, a single mile of I-way across the Providence River cost 3 times as much. Similar figures for I-95 bridges across Blackstone River in Pawtucket didn’t deter in the least starting the Viaduct Project, RIDOT’s biggest boondoggle yet. Because they failed to keep up bridge cleaning and painting for decades, those existing deteriorated into a $1 billion unfunded snafu. All key RIDOT officials have been fired and positions are being refilled. Then there were civic and convention centers, sports stadiums, sweetheart deals for business startups, and such assaults on public trust. Taxpayers will be repaying for generations to come.

Jewelry & Sliverware - Indeed, there are 1,000 factories still in existence churning out baubles, bijoux, costume trinkets and toys, but silverware is long gone. Gorham, who fabricated the America’s Cup and served as foundry for 700 notable statues across the continent, may still be in business as a subsidiary of Lennox, but products are manufactured or sourced elsewhere. Empty mills being renovated into retirement living is more typical.

Obscure directions - If asked, long time residents will give you directions based on landmarks that may no longer exist, for example, “Turn past where Almacs used to be.” Luckily, cell towers are plentiful, so mapping via GPS obviates the need to ask the hostile, ignorant or senile.

Political corruption - For decades Federal Hill was the epicenter of New England mob activity. Dozens of lawmakers and at least one mayor have gone to prison because of what they did in office, not just general crimes. However, some endured terms despite miscarriages of justice; locals joke about buying judges. It took citizen advocacy groups like Common Cause to investigate and uncover. Gina Raimondo (shown, left center), one of only six women in the country currently serving as governor, made an unprecedented attempt to end excess pension entitlements and reign in costs. Kleptocracy and the rule by thieves have consequently slowed, though not yet altogether gone. Assets spirited away in a Winnebago could be recovered, but to what end?

Potholes & Road Rage: Boats unload onto train cars. Both construction and neglect impair flow. Highway planners add lanes and eschew tolls. Towns put red lights and stop signs at every intersection after numerous accidents. Truck dispatchers plot cheapest/shortest routes. What results is an interwoven knot, a traffic nexus, that beats alternately baked and frozen pavement to rubble and regularly forces vehicles to slow or stop. Expect to see drivers rolling well below speed limit in left lane, since it may be the only one passable given abundance of damage in lanes most used. This encourages passing on right, a proven hazard that catches blind spot and causes cutoffs. Add rubbernecking tourists who don’t know where to turn and residents who only use interstates to go the few miles between malls, it’s no wonder impatience mounts and vehicles reach turnpike speeds on the few remaining secondaries which resemble phony TV car ads. Some find it faster to bike around during rush hours. Maybe all this keeps housing costs reasonable compared to states adjacent. It often takes an hour on interstate to go the few miles from Attleboro line to Providence or Seekonk line to Washington Bridge. The knot tightens upon Nibbles Woodaway, the World’s biggest bug, and The Vortex, a sci-fi auto zone made real that eats space and time.

Tourism - In the gilded age of robber barons, they built in Newport a bunch of gaudy “cottages” (really rivaling European castles). Once they came under control of a trust, visitors were allowed to enter and gawk. Long ago the state’s capital during its slave trade days, eateries sprung up along Thames Street among Newport's wharves. Airport expansion in Warwick, bridges replacing ferries, legalized gambling at Jai Alai fronton, later Newport Grand casino, and presence of a naval base resulted in Newport becoming one of the nation’s top ten destinations. Rest of state has little to offer apart from bikeways, parks, and perhaps small pockets of charming quaintness, such as Bristol and Wickford, amidst urban blight, waste treatment plants, and working ports. You’d never guess there are over a thousand practicing professional artists, six hundred squeezed in ghost town Pawtucket, because even RISCA holds artists in contempt. A Percent for Art Law exists, whereby 1% of any government project is supposed to be set aside for art adornment, but only 0.01% has actually been allocated since enacted in 1980’s. Almost every installation was awarded to insiders and resulted in controversy, such as birdsong at Kent Courthouse and fine mist at Sundlun Airport Terminal. Even traditional realist bronzes get besmirched by blood, as was Christopher Columbus, heroic explorer and imagined villain. Nevertheless, visitors throng to Waterfire (shown), a tribal celebration along Providence's renovated riverfront, where scores of bonfires are lit in braziers standing above the flow for a delightful but temporary effect, while both live and recorded music blares and buskers and hawkers bust butts for a buck.

Units of Measure: Hardly a day goes by when someone isn't foolishly comparing size of Rhode Island to some other area: Asteroids, bigger cities in other states, regions on remote planets, and whatnot. Some wag combined micron, a basic unit of small measure, with “Rho Dialin”, how residents pronounce state’s name, and so coined the portmanteau “rhodialon” to indicate any vague area, roughly 1212 to 1776 square miles (3140 to 4600 square km), depending upon whether you include Narragansett Bay, which bisects state into so-called East and West Bay. In fairness, since residents designate a loosely defined South County area, there could also be a North Bay section from Providence to Woonsocket, but, obviously, that would seem too sensible, so will never happen. Providence is too high and mighty to get lumped into the likes of “the Bucket” Pawtucket, Lincoln, or “Loony Woonie” Woonsocket, all arguably better places to live despite hype.

Parks & Recreation

People (wrongly) think of parks as shared space. The greatest shared portion of Rhode Island, over 120 square miles (10% of total area), consists of 12,915 linear miles of highways, roads and streets, not counting parking lots, sidewalks and such paved areas, as well as zones required alongside. Access by road is expected; few are private, except driveways, or require tolls, something fiercely independent residents despise. Sharing seems an alien concept considering how most motorists drive, cutting others off and ignoring traffic controls. Parks, on the other hand, are not always so accessible - you can hardly visit some - or occupy as much acreage. They range from off-limits management areas to overrun neighborhood playgrounds not listed. Cranston alone boasts of 32 fields, playgrounds, and tracks, Providence 100. The multitude of uses for parks include buffers for enterprises and estates, campsites for the homeless, common sites of protests, event venues for everything from culture to sports, family picnics, shooting galleries for junkies, and somewhere to “park” the unwanted. You can saunter nonchalantly in many - linear parks were solely built with bicycling and walking in mind - though hazards vary by location and time.

What does “recreate” even mean? Do you again create anything by visiting parks? Well, maybe. Your interest means cities and towns feel compelled to improve and maintain them. Although recessions cut budgets and volunteers, a few do accept this challenge for many reasons, some of which are self serving. Most people agree parks fill some function, though many never visit them and wouldn’t know why. Artificial surroundings are abstractly comforting yet emotionally disturbing. Parks remind humans they live integrated within nature.

While one of the wealthiest states per capita in the nation in the 19th Century, Rhode Island only spent 1% of its income on public spaces. Exploitation of resources and rivers haphazardly left swarths of inaccessible and unused land later designated as parks and reserves. Birds must have trees to roost, fauna and fish unpolluted waterways, but humans rushing to develop out of greed and need for sure forget kin of feather, fin and fur.

This represents the most comprehensive list based on maps and multiple sources, since official websites seldom get updated or skip locations based on jurisdiction or size. Consult maps or websites for grid coordinates. Entries are operated by cities or towns (unless indicated as national or state). Several state facilities remain totally undeveloped. Any distinction among entries is blurry at best. All offer natural respite, some more than others. By listing them one hopes they won’t simply disappear to relentless development or stingy neglect. Elected officials would love to sell public properties to balance budgets after raiding revenues. Taxpayers are your hosts, whether they welcome visitors or would rather not.

Beaches: Maintained by city and state taxes, you’d think only residents could visit these coastal parks, yet anyone can after a fashion. However, fees and tags for using adjacent parking lots fleece locals and inspire private competitors. Nobody owns tidal land, so, should you arrive by bike or foot, excluders cannot keep you from strolling shoreline through Blue Shutters, Bonnet Shores, Briggs, Buttonwoods, Collins, Dunes (Weekapaug), Dunes Club (Narragansett), Easton, Fogland, Gooseberry, Goosewing, Green Hill, Grinnell, Hazard’s, Jerusalem, Jim’s, Kelly, Moonstone, Napatree Point, Ocean House, Quonochontaug, Ray Carpenter, Reject’s, Round Meadows, Second, South Shore (Little Compton), Spouting Rock, Tappens, Teddy’s, Third, Warrens Point, and Watch Hill Beaches, as well as whatever overlooked patches of sand readers might complain wasn’t mentioned. Due to widespread ground water and road runoff pollution, it’s unsafe to swim in fresh water other than where listed. Salt water in Greenwich Cove and Narragansett Bay north of Patience Island is also questionable for swimming, though boaters, sunbathers and those who can’t afford gasoline to drive further do enjoy.
Andy’s Way, Block Island
Arcadia Pond (state, fresh water), Hopkinton
Aunt Carrie’s, Point Judith, Narragansett
Barrington Town, Barrington
Briar Point, Coventry
Bristol Town, Bristol
Burlingame (state), Charlestown
Calf Pasture Point, North Kingstown
Charlestown, Block Island
Charlestown Breachway (state), Charlestown
Charlestown Town, Charlestown
City Park, Warwick
Conimicut Point, Warwick
Crescent, New Shoreham, Block Island
East (state), Charlestown
East Ferry, Jamestown
East Matunuck (state), Charlestown
Fenway, Weekapaug, Westerly
Fred Benson, New Shoreham, Block Island
Fort Getty, Jamestown
Fort Adams, Newport
Frank Moody (state, fresh water), Lincoln Woods, Lincoln
Geogiaville Pond (fresh water), Smithfield
Gilleran's Pond (fresh water), Gazzaville, Burrillville
Goddard Park, Warwick
Greenlake, Slack’s Pond (fresh water), Smithfield
Hope Pond (fresh water), Scituate
Island Park, Portsmouth
Jack's Island, Tiverton
Juniper Trail, Bristol
King's Park, Newport
Juniper Trail, Bristol
Little Compton Town, Little Compton Longmeadow, Warwick
Misquamicut (state), Westerly
Mackerel Cove, Jamestown
Moonstone (state, closed to bathing), South Kingstown
Narragansett Pier, Narragansett
Navy, Middletown
North Kingstown, North Kingstown
Oakland, Warwick
Pascoag Club (fresh water), Burrillville
Pebbly, Block Island
Plum, North Kingstown
Point Judith Back, Narragansett
Quonnie, Charlestown
Roger Wheeler (state), Narragansett
Sachuest, Middletown
Salty Brine (state), Narragansett
Sandy Point, Warwick
Sandy Point, Portsmouth
Scarborough (state), Narragansett
Scotch, Block Island
Seaside, Weekapaug, Westerly
Spinks Neck, Davisville, North Kingstown
Spring Lake (fresh water), Black Hut, Burrillville
Stony, Jamestown
Union Street, Bristol
Vail, Block Island
Warren Town, Warren
Weekapaug, Westerly
Westerly Town, Weekapaug, Westerly
Wuskenau Town, Westerly

Bicycling/Walking Paths: Major bikeways are state installed but locally maintained. They run through all sorts of scenery: Industrial backsides, parks/playgrounds, pond edges, quiet forests, railroad sidings, river overlooks, suburban neighborhoods, and train trestles. Whether their roughly 70 miles are clear or not of fallen branches or snow cover depends on city/town budgets and user vigilance. Designed for mixed use, expect dog walkers (long leashes), families with kids, horseback riders, in-line skaters, potential assailants, skiers after heavy snows, and teen gangs. Parks and sports facilities often have sidewalk loops or tracks, too, but bicycling is usually excluded.
Belmont Park Loop (0.5 mi.) - Warwick
Blackstone River Bikeway (11.6 mi.) - Lincoln, Cumberland, Woonsocket
Burrillville Bike Path (1.2 mi.) - Burrillville
East Bay Bike Path (14.5 mi.) - Providence, East Providence, Barrington, Warren, Bristol
Meadow View Avenue Bike Path - Warwick
Northwest Trail (aka Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Greenway, 5.0 mi.) - Providence, Johnston
Pawtuxet Spur off WSBP (0.5 mi.)- Warwick
Quonset Bike Path (2.5 mi.) - North Kingstown
Rocky Point Path (1.0 mi.) - Warwick
Ten Mile River Bikeway (2.0 mi.) - East Providence, Pawtucket
Tongue Pond Loop (0.5 mi.)- Cranston
Warren Bike Path (1.0 mi.) - Warren
Washington Secondary (aka West Bay) Bike Path, (18.9 mi.) including Coventry Greenway and Trestle Trail - Cranston, Warwick, West Warwick, Coventry
William C. O’Neill Memorial (aka South County) Bike Path, (7.8 mi.) - Kingston, Narragansett
Wilson Park Bikeway (1.0 mi.) - Wickford, North Kingstown

Update, 2019: New, unnamed bit of bike path in Providence inspired by blog author runs from Gano Street beneath George Washington Bridge to Waterman Square
Hiking Trails: Popular paved walkways include Narragansett Pier’s Promenade, Newport’s Cliff Walk, and Providence’s Riverwalk. Scores of unpaved trails exist, some marked with trailhead signs alongside roads. They range from flat urban ambles to forbidding vertical challenges. Several combine to form the rugged 78 mile North-South Trail along the western border of state, though it also uses rural unpaved roads. Clubs facilitate segmented outings by stationing buses at day’s end to return you to your vehicle at start. Also consult Farms, Preserves, Refuges & Sanctuaries and Management Areas (below), many of which feature improved hiking trails, or these sites: All Trails.com and Trails and Walks RI.
Arcadia’s Ben Utter (3.2 mi.), Breakheart (6.8 mi.), Hemlock Ledges (3.5 mi.), and Mt Tom (4.2 mi.) - Exeter
Audobon Envrionmental Education Center, boardwalk (0.25 mi.) and trail (0.5 mi. (0.5 mi.) - Bristol
Awkright Riverwalk (1.0 mi.) - Coventry
Blackstone Boulevard (1.8 mi.) - Providence
Donald Roch Riverwalk (1.2 mi.) - River Point, West Warwick
Jerimoth Hill (0.5 mi.) - Foster
Maxwell Mays (2.3 mi.) - Coventry
Pachaug-Tippecansestt Loop (10.5 mi.) - Richmond, Exeter, West Greenwich
Pawtuxet River Trail (2.0 mi.) - Cranston/Warwick
Pettaquamscutt Rock (2.0 mi.) - Narragansett
Phenix-Harris Riverwalk (0.3 mi.) - West Warwick
Purgatory Chasm (0.5 mi.) - Middletown
Rockland Walking Trail (1.0 mi.) - Scituate
Tefft Trail (0.5 mi.) - Town Hall, West Greenwich
Tillinghast Pond Loop - West Greenwich
Wenscott Reservoir (1.0 mi.) - Lincoln
Westconnaug Meadows Trail (1.3 mi.) - Scituate
West Warwick River Walk (1.0 mi.) - West Warwick

Parks: Especially important in congested cities, they generally have ponds, sidewalks, streams, trees and/or waterviews. Ones in italics exemplify the notion and reward your attendance. Not to be confused with burial grounds, industrial sites, or place/village names, though either could be just as parklike. A visit to a cemetery can be more rewarding with greenery than some parks, scores of which only cover a block or two. Many visit Scituate with its stands of trees and vistas across state’s biggest reservoir, ironically, since fewer parks have been designated there than any other city or town, though they do have a Green Acres program to develop more and several athletic fields.
Agawam, East Providence
Albion, Lincoln
Aquidneck, Newport
Arcadia (state), Exeter
Beach Pond (state), Exeter
Beavertail (state), Jamestown
Belmont, Warwick
Biltmore, downtown, Providence
Blackstone, Providence
Blackstone River (state), Lincoln
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor (state), Lincoln/Woonsocket
Bold Point, East Providence
Booth Pond , North Smithfield
Brenton Point (state), Newport
Brickyard Pond, Barrington
Bridge Point Commons, Narragansett
Brook Avenue, East Providence
Bucklin, Providence
Bucks Horn (state), Coventry
Burlingame (state), Charlestown
Burnside, downtown, Providence
Burr Hill, Warren
Camp Meehan, Lincoln
Captain Steven Olney Memorial, North Providence
Casimir Pulaski (state), Glocester
Casino & The Towers, Narragansett
Cass, Woonsocket
Chepiwanoxet Point, Warwick
City, Warwick
Clarke Road Camp, Narragansett
Cliff Walk, Newport
Cocumcossoc (mostly undeveloped state) and Smith Grove, North Kingstown
Cold Spring, Woonsocket
Colt (state), Bristol
Collier Point, under I-way, Providence
Common Fence, Portsmouth
Conanicut Battery National Historic, Warwick
Conimicut Point, Warwick
Columbia, Providence
Crescent (has a Looff Carousel), East Providence
Davis, Providence
Dawley Memorial (state), Richmond
Deerfield, Smithfield
Dexter Training Ground, Providence
Diamond Hill (state), Cumberland
Domenic Christofaro, Narragansett
Donald Downs, Allenton, North Kingstown
Dunnell, Pawtucket
Dyerville (state), Johnston
Eastward Look, Narragansett
Esek Hopkins, Providence
Esmond, Smithfield
Evans, Lincoln
Fairlawn, Lincoln
Fell/Greystone, North Providence
Fisherman’s Memorial (state), Narragansett
Flat Top, West Warwick
Forest, North Kingstown
Forster Memorial, Coventry
Fort Adams (state), Newport
Fort Barton, Tiverton
Fort Getty, Jamestown
Fort Wetherill (state), Jamestown
Francis H. Sherman Memorial, Johnson’s Pond, Coventry
Freebody, Newport
Freedom Green, East Providence
Gano, Providence
Gazebo Park, Narragansett
George C, Narragansett
George Washington Picnic Grove, Smithfield
Glen, Portsmouth
Glenlyon, East Providence
Globe Park, Woonsocket
Glocester Memorial, Chepachet, Glocester
Goddard (state), Warwick
Governor Notte, North Providence
Guiteras, Bristol
Grassy Plains, East Providence
Green Hill, South Kingstown
Haines Memorial (state), Barrington
Heritage, Chestnut Oak, Glocester
Hope, Scituate
India Point, Providence
Jenks, Central Falls
John L. Curran (closed), Cranston
John Lewis, East Providence
Johnston Memorial, Johnston
King, Newport
Leroy Thomson Memorial Park, Narragansett
Lime Acres, Lincoln
Lincoln Woods (state), Lincoln
Lippett, Providence
Lombardi, Barrington
Lonsdale, Lincoln
Manville Memorial, Lincoln
Margaret S. Walsh, Howard, Cranston
Mattity Road, North Smithfield
McCarthy, North Kingstown
Merino, Providence
Meshanticut (state), Cranston
Mettatuxet Park. Narragansett
Miantonomi, Newport
Monastery, Cumberland
Morton, Newport
Mystic Woods, East Greenwich
Neutaconkanut, Cranston
Ninigret, Charlestown
Old Mountain Field, South Kingstown
Pacheco, North Smithfield
Paull, Chestnut Street, Bristol
Pawtuxet (state), Warwick
Pettaquamscutt, Narragansett
Peter Randall (undeveloped state), North Providence
River Point, West Warwick
Riverside, Olneyville, Providence
Riverside Square, East Providence
Rocky Point (state), Warwick
Rocky, Jamestown
Rocky Hill, North Smithfield
Roger Williams (has only zoo), Providence
Roger Williams National Memorial, Providence
Rosegarden, East Providence
Rose Larisa Memorial, East Providence
Rotary, Westerly
Rovensky, Newport
Ryan (undeveloped), North Kingstown
Sabin Point, East Providence
Sandy Acres, Coventry
Sayesville, Lincoln
Scalloptown, East Greenwich
Seaside, Jamestown
Signal Rock, North Kingstown
Slater (has a Looff Carousel), Pawtucket
Slater Grove Memorial, Warwick
Slater Historic Site, Pawtucket
Sprague Memorial, Narragansett
Snake Den (undeveloped state), Johnston
Social, Woonsocket
South Prudence Bay Island, Prudence Island
Squantum Woods (state), East Providence
Stillhouse Cove, Cranston
Ten Mile River (state), Pawtucket
Touro, Newport
Town Hall, Lincoln
Town Farm, South Kingstown
Treaty Rock, South Kingstown
Trestle, Quidnick, Coventry
Trestle Trail, Coventry
Tri-Pond, South Kingstown
Tucker Field, Cumberland
Tuckertown, South Kingstown
Upper East Woonsocket, Woonsocket
Valley Falls Heritage, Cumberland
Veterans, New Shoreham, Block Island
Veterans Memorial, Narragansett Pier
Village Way, North Smithfield
Wanskuck, North End, Providence
Washington Grove, Smithfield
Waterplace, downtown, Providence
West Kingston, South Kingstown
Weetamoo Woods, Tiverton
Wheeler Common, Little Compton
Whipple, Smithfield
Wilcox, Westerly
William Brousseau, South Kingstown
Willow, Smithfield
Wilson, Wickford, North Kingstown
Witherby, Richmond Square, Providence
Woody Lowden Recreation Area, Foster
World War II Veteran’s (state), Woonsocket

Farms, Preserves, Refuges & Sanctuaries: Provide green space for birds and fauna, though some can be hiked or visited.
Aldrich Marshall Woods, Lincoln
Ballard’s Farm, Lincoln
Bayside Field, Warwick
Beach Pond Reservation, Exeter
Bradford Preserve, Westerly
Briggs/Boesch Farm, East Greenwich
Butterfly Smith Farm, Lincoln
Canada Pond, Providence
Canochet Farm, Narragansett
Casey Farm, North Kingstown
Casimir Pulaski Memorial (state) Forest, Glocester
Cedar Swamp Wetland, West Greenwich
Chase Farm, Lincoln
Claire D. McIntosh Wildlife Refuge, Bristol
Coggeshall Farm, Bristol
Conanicut Island Sactuary, Jamestown
Dame Farm, Johnston
Davis Memorial Wildlife Refuge, North Kingstown
Dundery Brook Preserve, Little Compton
Eagles Nest Conservation Area, Lincoln
Emelie Ruecker Wildlife Refuge, Tiverton
Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge, Exeter
Florence Sutherland Fort and Richard Knight Fort Nature Refuge, North Smithfield
Foster Memorial Park Conservation Area, Coventry
Frenchtown Park and Frye Family Nature Preserve, East Greenwich
Forest Park Sanctuary, Quidnessett, North Kingstown
Galille Bird Sanctuary, Narragansett
George B. Parker Woodland, Coventry/Foster
George Washington Memorial (state) Forest, Glocester
Great Swamp Wildlife Reservation, Richmond
Hall Conservation Area, Coventry
Handy Pond Conservation Area, Lincoln
Hines Farm - Millers Oak, Cumberland
Hope Meadows & Sandy Acres, Coventry
Hopkins Woodland Town Forest, Glocester
Hunts River Preserve, East Greenwich
John H. Chaffee Nature Preserve (state), North Kingstown
Kimball Sanctuary, Charlestown
Lathrop Pond Wildlife Refuge, Westerly
Lawton Farm, Scituate
Lewis Dickens Farm, New Shoreham
Lime Rock Preserve, Lincoln
Long Pond Woods, Hopkington
Mahoney Property, Coventry
Marshmeadows Wildlife Preserve, Jamestown
Maxwell Mays Wildlife Refuge, Coventry
Merrill S. Whipple Conservation Area, Coventry
Minturn Farm, Bristol
Mount Hope (Montaup) Farm & Haffenreffer Lands, Bristol
Mowry Conservation Area, Smithfield
Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research, Patience and Prudence Islands
Neylon Property, Coventry
Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge, Charlestown
Norman Bird Sanctuary, Middletown
Olivia’s Forest, Smithfield
Osamequin Nature Trails and Bird Sanctuary, Barrington
Pawtuxet River Reservation, Cranston
Phillip’s Land, Smithfield
Portsmouth Wildlife Refuge, Portsmouth
Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, Smithfield
Queen’s Fort Reservation, Exeter
Quonochonntaug Breachway, Charlestown
Rodman’s Hollow, Block Island
Rome Point (state), North Kingstown
Sachuest National Wildlife Refuge, Middletown
Seapowet Marsh Wildlife Preserve, Tiverton
Shady Brook Conservation Area, Lincoln
Sprague Farm & Town Forest, Glocester
Sunset Farm, Narragansett
Thompson, Narragansett
Touisett Marsh Wildlife Refuge, Warren
Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, South Kingstown
Valley Marsh Conservation Area, Cumberland
Walker Farm Preserve, Coventry
Waterman (Sisson) Pond, Coventry
Watson Farm, Jamestown
Westerly Town Forest, Westerly
West Greenwich Land Trust (Racoon Hill), West Greenwich
Wilbur Woods, Little Compton

Management Areas: Patrolled by hunters in season, mountain bikers, and out-of-state all terrain enthusiasts year-round. Nicholas Farm is mostly used by Connecticut residents. Hikers report seeing amphibians, bats, bears, beavers, bobcats, coyotes, deer, fisher cats, foxes, mountain lions, possums, rabbits, raccoons, rats, reptiles, sasquatch (disputed), skunks, voles and wolves.
Arcadia, Exeter/Richmond
Beach Pond, Exeter
Beaudoin Conservation, Coventry
Big River, West Greenwich
Black Hut, Burrillville
Buck Hill, Burrillville
Burlingame Wildlife, Charlestown
Carbuncle Pond, Coventry
Carolina, Richmond
Durfee Hill, Glocester
Dutch Island State, Narragansett Bay Islands
Fry Pond Conservation, West Greenwich
Hawkings Pond Forest, Glocester
Hog Island, Narragansett Bay Islands
Moosup River, Coventry
Newton Swamp, Westerly
Nicholas Farm, Coventry
Ponagansett, West Greenwich
Pratt Conservation, Coventry
Rockville (hiking among Blue, Ell, and Long Ponds), Hopkinton
Round Top, Burrillville
Simmons Mill Pond, Little Compton
South Shore, South Kingstown
Wickaboxet, West Greenwich
Woody Hill, Westerly

Eat Dust

In a small state that prides itself on culinary arts, hospitality, restaurant startups, and tourism, the sheer number of bankruptcies, closures, failures, and locations changing hands over a half century must be meaningful. Expect many had to do with the relocation of roads and whistle stops. But imagine you couldn't attempt compiling such a list in California, New York, or Texas.

When Interstates 95 and 195 went in, Routes 1 and 6 no longer carried the bulk of traffic. The Red Bridge became extraneous, so Asquino’s and The East Side Diner (great pie, MIB pleaser) declined. Hot spots along Elmwood Avenue, like Peter Pan Diner, likewise disappeared. Amtrak had stations at Cranston and Columbus Square, but people switched to driving, anyway, so grabbing a bite after or before boarding went by the wayside.

Suspect more just lost their regular clientele due to changing tastes, foul food, health department order, lousy service, poor management, or rising costs. A sushi bar on Reservoir Avenue was closed after people got sick from ecoli; seems owner was changing diapers on prep surfaces. Recessions curtail discretionary income and free time for cooking when not otherwise working. Budget shortfalls cut food inspectors, too. Competition for dining dollars also factors in, or death of owner with no kids or none interested in continuing on.

Getting a victualer’s license and opening a dive or food truck represent a relatively easy way to be self employed and start a business. All humans must eat. Restaurant Association of America claims RI has 2,805 eating and drinking locations accounting for around $2.4 billion in sales and 50,000 full or part-time employees. [Added, 27 December 2019] The chances of succeeding are actually better than norm, since 9 out of 10 small businesses fail, but you have to deliver delicious food at good dollar value, and neglect no eating trends. Adaptations and displacements in Bristol, East Greenwich, Federal Hill, Newport, and Washington Park are legion, practically cliche.

Restauranteurs want to become regular hosts or standbys people think of at least once a week when they can’t be bothered putting own meals together. Sometimes that will be fast food, or pizza, not sit down dining. Eastside Marketplace reintroduced eating meals in a supermarket, followed by Dave’s and Whole Foods, yet it harks back to automats, where you picked packaged servings from vending machines, and cafeterias, like one long salad bar plus readymade entrées behind glass where you get to pick meal components prix fixe. Miss the Waldorf. Boston Market resembles this, though choices are more limited than cafeterias of old, which at least offered jello. Few alive remember lunch counters at department stores and Weybosett Market.

Some restaurants were successful because of their salad bars. Barnsider had a great one with a cheddar wheel. At The Red Coach, you could choose Unlimited Salad as your meal entrée, since they offered so many ingredients, some assembly required, it more than satisfied. Appealed to do-it-yourselfers and vegetarians, both of whom are underserved to this day. Yet with fears of food borne illness, Shoney’s salad bar and Showboat's smorgasbord sank. At South Attleboro’s Memphis Roadhouse, you could opt to grill a steak yourself selected from their glass front, well stocked cooler, something typical of Midwest but not Northeast region, though one questions inviting lawsuits.

Massively updated from "word of mouth" input and planning frequent additions hereafter, does not include a slew of eateries whose names have been forgotten, but might jog memories. Avoids listing fast food outlets that only changed locations. Tough to transition from extensive to comprehensive, since centuries of history have been lost. Who knew nearly 800 went belly up? Will to compile during a pandemic is low, since many establishments are merely on hiatus yet unlikely to reopen. People who don’t frequent a neighborhood can’t recall every beanery, coffee shop, pizza place, or taqueria. One on the corner of Burgess and Warren Avenues in East Providence reclaimed the first floor of a ramshackle tenement, but name escapes recall. Left are dust, new landmarks, or vacant lots. A gourmand in demand, personally ate at many below and still go to others. Rather prepare own meals; can't beat home cooking.

Clarified existing entries and expanded list by two dozen based on David Norton Stone’s Lost Restaurants of Providence (American Palate, The History Press, 2019), which claims that capitol city had 80 eateries at one time, distinguishes between those lost and missed, then mentions several joints nobody alive remembers stretching back to before Civil War. Does a nice job with details among few it covers, but someone misses every closed venue. First complied and published own list before Thanksgiving in 2015, four years earlier.

Former Nearby Diners, Pubs & Restaurants (state specified unless Rhode Island)
[Updated on 16 AUG 2024]
$3 Bar, The, Atwells Avenue, Providence
108 House, Wakefield
1149, Division Street, Warwick
1149 Restaurant, Seekonk, MA
1200 Ocean Grill, Narragansett
1854 Tap Room, Sakonnet Point, Little Compton
2 Pauls' City Grille, Waterman Avenue, East Providence
20 Water Street, on Greenwich Cove, became The Blue Parrot, East Greenwich
3 Steeple Street, Canal Street, Providence
4 Seasons, Charlestown
515 Diner, Narragansett
84 High Street Café, Westerly
A&W, root beer drive in, Budlong Road, Cranston
Abyssinia (Ethiopian), Wickenden Street, Providence
Adesso, East Side, Providence
Airfield Restaurant, 1880 Post Road, Warwick (formerly Valle’s Steak House)
Airway Diner, Airport Road, Warwick
Albert’s Diner, 50 Broad Street, Valley Falls
Albert's Ice Cream Parlor, Elmwood & Whitney, Providence
Alery’s, Providence
Alexander’s Restaurant, downtown Providence
Alex’s, Pawtucket
Alfredo's Mobile Lunch, Kennedy Plaza, Providence
Alfredo’s, 280 Thayer Street, Providence
Ama, Luongo Square, Providence
Amici Sports Bar and Grille (same location as $3 Bar), Atwells Avenue, Providence
Amsterdam’s Bar & Rotisserie, 76 South Main Street, Providence; became Parkside Rotisserie
Anderson's, in the Arcade, downtown, Providence
Andrew’s Diner, Centerdale, North Providence
Andy’s Diner, Dike Street, Olneyville, Providence
Andy’s Pizza, Atwood Avenue, Cranston
Angie's Pizza, West Warwick
Apponaug Diner, 3112 Post Road, Warwick
Archie’s Tavern, Pawtucket
Arctic Diner, West Warwick
Armand's, Westminster Street, Providence
Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips, 1599 Post Road, Warwick
Aruba Steve’s, downtown, Providence
Asquino’s, East Providence
Asterisk, Thames Street, Newport
At My Uncle’s, Wakefield
Atlantic Beach Club, Middletown
Atomic Grill, 99 Chestnut Street, Providence
Atwood Grill, 1910 Post Road, Warwick (formerly Rustler Steak House)
Au Bon Pain, Downtown and Thayer Street, Providence - 2 other city locations remain
Audra’s Cafe (became Dante’s), Main Street, East Greenwich
B.Good, Garden City, Cranston
Baby Watson (stroller sandwiches), Davol Square, Providence
Bacchante Room, The, Biltmore Hotel, 11 Dorrance Street, Providence
Bali Room Banquet Facility (at Lindy's), Park & Reservoir Avenues, Cranston
Ballard’s, Warwick
Bamboo House, Main Street, West Warwick
Bank Cafe, The, Pawtuxet Village, Warwick
Barbara’s Ristorante, Elmwood at Pawtuxet River (used to be IHOP), Cranston
Barney’s Bagels, Cranston, Pawtucket
Barnsider at Midland Mall, Warwick
Barnsider Mile And A Quarter Tavern, 375 South Main Street, Providence
Barry’s, Hoxie, Warwick
Basil’s, Narragansett
Bay Voyage Inn Dining Room, Jamestown
Beachcomber, The, Crown Hotel, 208 Weybosset Street, Providence
Bean Sprouts Restaurant, 11 Angel Street, Wayland Square, Providence
Beau May Diner, Union Square, Woonsocket
Bebop Burrito, Market Street, Warren
BeeBee Dairy, Westerly
Beef and Bun, Thayer Street, Providence
Beef Hearth, The, Pawtucket
Bell’s Diner, Chalkstone Avenue, Providence
Bentley's Bar & Grill, 1910 Post Road, Warwick
Bernardo's BBQ, East Providence
Berri, 187 Mathewson Street, Providence
Bess Eaton Donuts, various locations, though a few still exist
Bickford’s, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
Bill's Wieners, Broad Street, Providence
Billy's Mile Long Diner, Hamlin & Elmwood, Providence
Birch, downtown Providence
Bishop’s 4th Street Diner, 184 Admiral Kalbfus Road, Newport
Blackie's, 280 George Washington Hwy, Smithfield
Blaze, Hope Street, Providence
Blind Tailor Caffe, Weybosset Street, Providence
Blue Parrot, The, on Greenwich Cove, East Greenwich (became Nautika)
Blue Point Oyster House, North Main Street, Providence
Blush Wine Bar, Atwells Avenue, Providence
Bo Baggums aka Bogarts, aka Putter’s Lodge, aka Rafters, 55 Beach Street, Westerly
Bo Peek Diner, Route 6, Scituate
Boat Yard, The, Thames Street, Newport
Bob O’s Quarterdeck, Chalkstone Avenue, Providence
Bonanza Steak House, 1910 Post Road, Warwick
Bonefish Grill, Chapel View, Cranston
Bonetown BBQ and Burgers, Phenix Avenue, Knightsville, Cranston
Boston Store Restaurant [c.1920’s], Providence
Boston Submarine Sub Shop, Gansett Avenue, Cranston
Bovi's, Wickenden Street, Providence
Box Seats, River Street, Woonsocket
Bradley's, in back of PC, Providence
Bradford, The, 142 Atwells Avenue, Providence
Bravo Bistro, East Greenwich
Bravo Bistro, Providence
Bravo Wood Fired Pizza, North Kingstown
Broadway Bistro, The, 205 Broadway, Providence
Broaster House [circa 1980’s], 263 Pond Street, Woonsocket
Brook Manor, North Attleboro, MA
Brook Manor Pub, North Attleboro, MA
Brookside Inn, Coventry
Brown Derby, The, Smith Street, Providence
Brutopia, Cranston
Bucktown, 471 West Fountain Street, Providence
Bugaboo Creek, Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick
Bugaboo Creek, Seekonk, MA
Burger Chef, various locations
Burger Chief (became Pump House nightclub), Wakefield
Burgundy's Tavern, 230 Midland Mall, Warwick
Burn's Pulman Diner, 1209 Broad Street, Providence
Butcher Block Sandwich Shop, Post Road, East Greenwich
Cactus Grill, The, Allens Avenue, Providence
Cafe De Vie, Richmond Square, Providence
Cafe El Mana, Pocasset Avenue, Providence
Cafe In The Barn, Rt-6, Seekonk, MA
Cafe L'Elizabeth's, South Main Street, Providence
Cafe Luna, Garden City, Cranston
Caffe Dolce Vita, Depasquale Square, Providence
Californian, The, Mathewson Street, Providence
Camella’s Pizzeria, West Main Road, Middletown
Camille’s Cafe, Mathewson Street, Providence
Campanini’s
Canfield House, The, Newport
Cape Cod Restaurant, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
Capital Spa, Providence
Cappelli’s, 2342 Post Road, south of airport, Warwick
Cappuccino's, Middletown
Capt. Barnaby's, 325 Warwick Avenue, Warwick
Carmine’s at Twin River Casino, Lincoln
Carolina BBQ, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
Carousel Sports Pub, Armistice Boulevard, Pawtucket
Carr’s, Angel Street on College Hill, Providence
Casa Giovanna, Dyer & Park Avenues, Cranston
Casa Lupita, East Avenue, across from Midland Mall, Warwick
Casa Mia, Smith Street, Providence
Casa Rossi, Narragansett
Castle Spa, Chalkstone Avenue, Providence
Castle Theater Dinner and a Movie, Chalkstone Avenue, Providence
Castle, The, Pappasquash Road, Bristol
Cathay Pearl, Seekonk, MA
Cat Tails, East Providence
Celtic, Public House, 95 Long Wharf, Newport
Centerdale Diner, North Providence
Central Lunch, 95 Clemence Street (Pie Alley), downtown Providence
Certa by The Sea, pizza, Narragansett
Chalet Restaurant, Mineral Spring, North Providence
Chalet, The, Pawtucket
Chalkstone House, Chalkstone Avenue, Providence
Champa Thai, Mineral Spring, North Providence
Charity's Hamburgers, Village Mall (former Nyanza), 1400 Post Road, Warwick
Charlie's 404 Deli, Benefit Street, Providence, RI
Charlie's and McDermott's Diner, Newport Avenue, East Providence
Charlie's Grille, Smith Street, Rt. 44, Centerdale, North Providence
Chateau de Ville at Warwick Mall, big time wedding venue, Warwick
Cheeky Monkey Cafe, Newport
Chen’s, 124 Washington Street, Providence (became Julienne’s)
Cherrystone, Oakland Beach, Warwick
Cheswick’s in Wayland Manor, East Side, Providence
Chez Parent, Woonsocket
Chez Pascal, 960 Hope Street, Providence
Chicken Coop, 1800 Post Road, Warwick
Child's, 142 Westminster Street, downtown Providence
China Star, Newport Avenue, East Providence
Chinese Iron Wok, Benevolent Street, College Hill, Providence
Chin’s Cathay Garden, Elmwood Avenue, Providence
Christine’s, Spruce Street, Providence
Christo's Pizza, Providence Street, West Warwick
Cilantro’s, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
City Lights, Davol Square, Providence
Classic, The, Charles Street, Marieville, North Providence
Club 400 (became West Valley Inn), off Providence Street, West Warwick
Club 44, Rt. 44 past Centerdale, Johnston
Coachman, The, Tiverton
Cock & Kettle, Uxbridge, MA
Coffee Grinder, Bannister’s Wharf, Newport
Coffee’s Tavern, Cranston
Colonial Hilton, Cranston
Connie and Nikki's Restaurant and Creamery, 526 Pawtucket Avenue, Pawtucket
Conservatory at Vanderbilt Grace, The, Mary Street, Newport
Conte's Restaurant, Lambert Lind Highway, Warwick
Conti's Restaurant, 897 Post Road, Warwick (now Elizabeth of Portofino’s)
Cook and Brown Public House, Providence
Copper Galley, The, Shipyard Marina, 1 Washington Avenue, Providence
Copper Kettle, The
Corner Tavern, The, South County Trail, North Kingstown
Corrigan’s Fish, Chips & Grille, Prairie Avenue, Providence
Cosgrove’s at Narragansett Pier
Country Inn, Warren
Country Pizza and Restaurant, 1602 Nooseneck Hill Road, Coventry
County Cork Irish Pub, 50 Waterfront Drive, Warwick
Cranberry’s, Providence
Crawshaw's Diner, Taunton Avenue, East Providence
Crescent Diner, Warren & Pawtucket Avenues, East Providence
Crescent Park Shore Dinner Hall, Riverside, East Providence
Cresta Bar & Ristorante, Main Street, Pawtucket
Crestwood Tavern. 3354 Post Road, Warwick
Crickets, Rt 116, Smithfield
Crosby's, across from Calart, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
Crossroads Diner, Oaklawn & Reservoir Avenues, Cranston
Crown Hotel Coffee Shop, 208 Weybosset Street, Providence
Crystal Tap, The (Paul's), Steeple Street, Providence
Cuban Revolution, Valley Street, Providence
Culling House, The, on Seekonk River, Providence
Custy’s, near Smith Castle, North Kingstown
D’Angelos, various locations
D'Vine on the Hill, Spruce Street, Providence
Daisy Jo's, Airport Road, Warwick
Daisy May's Diner, 525 North Broadway, East Providence
Dave’s Seafood Shack, Stone Bridge, Portsmouth
David’s Potbelly, Hope Street, Providence
Davio’s, Hotel Biltmore, Providence
Deep Indian Restaurant, Hartford Avenue, Providence
Dewey's Diner, Massasoit & Waterman Avenues, East Providence
Di Mare, East Greenwich
Dimicco’s Authentic Italian Eatery, West Shore Road, Warwick
Dinty Moore’s (formerly Bob's Diner), Taunton Avenue, East Providence
Diorio’s, Chalkstone Avenue, Providence
Diversi, Rolfe Square, Cranston
Don's Restaurant, Pontiac Avenue, Cranston
Dorrance, The, Union Trust, 60 Dorrance Street, Providence
Downcity Diner, 111 Eddy Street, downtown Providence
Downcity Food & Cocktails, Weybosset Street, Providence
Downyflake Doughnuts, 27 Eddy and 173 Union Streets, downtown Providence
Downtown Tilly, Main Street, East Greenwich
Dragon Palace, Tiogue Avenue, Coventry
Dreyfus French Restaurant, 121 Washington Street, Providence
Duck Soup, Dorrance Street, Providence
Duffy's Diner, across from Calart, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
Duke’s, Middlebridge Road, Narragansett
Duncan Phyfe, across Reservoir Avenue from Garden City, Cranston
Durk’s Bar*B*Q, Thayer Street, Providence
East Side Diner, 360 Waterman Street at Red Bridge, Providence
East Side Mario’s, Pleasant Valley Parkway, Providence, and Warwick
Eastern Pearl, Oaklawn Avenue, Cranston
Eddy Arnold’s Tennessee Fried Chicken, Wakefield
Eddy Fine Food, Westminster Street, Providence
Efendi’s (became Cilantro's, now Seven Stars Bakery), Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
Egg Roll Cafe, Airport Road, Warwick
Eileen Darling, Seekonk, MA
Eli’s Kitchen, Warren
Elm Diner, Smith Street, Providence
Elmcroft Restaurant, The, 2245 Post Road, Warwick
Elwood's Diner, Eddy Street, Providence
El Meson Restaurant, 549 Broad Street, Providence
El Molino Restaurant, Broad Street, Central Falls
El Morrocco, Harford Avenue, Johnston
El Principe Restaurant, Eddy Street, Providence
El Taconaso, 500 Valley Street, Providence
El Tapitio, Atwood Avenue, Cranston
El Torito, Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, replaced Red Coach Grill
Embassy Restaurant, Havelock Street, Woonsocket
Empire, 123 Empire Street, Providence
Empress Chinese Cuisine, Park Avenue, Cranston
EP Kitchen, 250 Main Street, Pawtucket
Ernie Paddock's, Newport Avenue, East Providence
Evelyn’s Villa, Cowesett Road, West Warwick
Ever Ready Diner, Chad Brown, 50 Admiral Street, Providence
Fado at Twin River Casino, Lincoln
Faial Restaurant, Douglas Pike, Smithfield
Fairlawn Spa, Mineral Spring & Smithfield Avenues, Pawtucket
Falstaff at Biltmore, Providence
Farmstead, 186 Wayland Avenue, Providence
Fast Eddy’s, Providence
Fat Belly's, Lambert Lind Highway beside Warwick Mall
Fauci's Cafe, Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick
Federal Reserve, Union Trust, 60 Dorrance Street, Providence (became The Dorrance)
FEI Club, Carpenter Street, Valley Falls, Cumberland
Fida's Diner, Valley Street, Providence
Fidler's, West Shore & Warwick Neck, Warwick
Fields Point Clam Bakes, Waterfront, Providence (state’s first shore dinner hall)
First and Last Chance, East Avenue, Pawtucket
Flan tapas, 186 Union Street, Providence
Florentine Grill, The, Douglas Avenue, North Providence
Floridian, The, Providence
Fluke Wine Bar & Kitchen, 41 Bowen Wharf, Newport
Flyer’s, Airport Road, Warwick
Fo'c'sle, Sakonnet Point, Little Compton
Folly Landing, East Greewich (now Chelo’s)
Fontaine Dickens, Rt. 1 (near Gillette Stadium), Wrentham
Fore 'n' Aft, Main Street, Warren
Forge, The (became The Trap), Forge Road, East Greenwich
Forty-Third Diner, 270 Valley Street, Providence
Four Corner's Coffee, Warwick
Freddy’s Restaurant, 822 Post Road, Warwick
Frederick’s Restaurant, West Shore Road, Conimicut, Warwick
Friendly’s, various locations
Frosty Hollow, Centerdale, North Providence
Fusion El Rincon Cel Sabor, Dyer Avenue, Cranston
Gabriel's Italian Restaurant, 39 Phenix Avenue, Cranston
Galaxie, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston [not to be confused with Jackie Galaxie]
Galleria de Guerra, The
Gansett Diner, Broadway, Providence
Garde, Providence
Gaspee Lounge, 23 Peck Lane, Warwick (formerly Parkway Tavern, then became O’Rourke’s Bar & Grill)
Gatehouse, The, Richmond Square, Providence (Bill Clinton ate there)
Gentleman Farmer, The, adjacent to Warwick Mall and on Rt. 6A, Scituate
George’s Grill, diner, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
George Street Restaurant & Bar, Pawtucket (Now Murphy’s Law Irish Pub)
Geppetto's Pizza, DePasquale Square, Providence
GeriLynn’s Seafood
Gibson’s Lunch Counter, 81 Exchange Place, Providence
Gillian's Ale House, Post Road, North Kingstown
Giovanni's, East Providence
Giro’s, Peacedale, South Kingston (became The Flats)
Golden Ginger, Mendon Road, Cumberland
Golden Lantern, The, Bald Hill Road near Warwick Musical Theater
Good Egg, The, Newport
Goulet's Diner, Woonsocket
Governor Dyer Restaurant, Rathbone Street, Providence
Gracie’s Bar & Grill, Atwells Avenue, Providence
Great House, The, 2245 Post Road, Warwick
Great Impasta, The, 1201 Warwick Avenue, Warwick
Greene’s Inn, Narragansett
Greenville Inn, The, Smith Avenue, Smithfield
Grill on Main, East Greenwich
Griswold Tavern, Bellevue Avenue, Newport
Grotto Azzura (Blue Grotto), Atwells Avenue, Providence
Ground Round, The, North Main, Providence
Guido's, Hope Street, Providence
Guilio’s, Mineral Spring, North Providence
Gus’s, George Waterman Avenue, Johnston
Gus’s, Oakland Beach, Warwick
Gustafson’s, Tiverton
Gutreau’s, Chepachet, Glocester
Haigh’s Diner, 281 Dyer Street, Providence
Hanju Kitchen at the Royal Bobcat, 422 Atwellls Avenue, Providence
Hanson’s Landing, Salt Pond Road, South Kingstown
Happy Holiday Restaurant [c. 1980’s], Rt. 1, Westerly
Harmony Lodge, 102 Putnam Pike, Harmony, Glocester
Harry’s Burger, Newport
Hart’s Cafe, Cranston Street near St. Anne’s Cemetery, Cranston
Harvest House at Woolworth's, Midland Mall, Warwick
Hearth & Kettle, Attleboro, MA
Hearthstone, Taunton Avenue, Seekonk, MA
Helm, The, Bald Hill Road, Rt. 2, Warwick
Hideaway Grill Room & Diner, 77 Reservoir Avenue, Providence
Holland House, Warwick Avenue at Hoxie, Warwick
Homestyle Pizza, Warren Avenue, East Providence
Hometown Buffet, Bald Hill Road, Warwick
Hon Hong, Washington Street, Providence
Hooters, Airport Road, Warwick
Horton's Seafood, Broadway, East Providence
Hot Pockets, Thayer Street, Providence
Hotpoint, State Street, Bristol
Howard Johnson’s, various locations
Howdy's Beef Burgers, 325 Warwick Avenue, Warwick
Hudson's Diner, Broad Street, Valley Falls, Cumberland
Humble Pie, various locations
Hungry Sheik, The, Thayer Street, Providence (Became Andrea's)
Hunky Dory, Warren
Hut, The, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
Il Piccolo, Atwood Avenue, Johnston
Indian Club, The (became Red Stripe), Main Street, East Greenwich
Inn, The, West Shore Road, Warwick
Inprov, downtown, Providence
International House of Pancakes, various locations
Ivy Garden, Cowesett Rd., West Warwick
J&D’s, Centerdale, North Providence
Jack in the Box, Warwick
Jack’s Catch Restaurant, 1795 Post Road, Warwick (now Ozzi’s Burger)
Jackson Diner, 539 Westminster Street, Providence
Jacob Wirth Café, 4-6 Garnet Street at Weybosset Street, Providence
Jason’s, Division Street, Warwick
Jeffersson Inn (became Athen's), Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick
Jenna's Kitchen, Main Street, Woonsocket
Jennie’s Dairy Freeze, West Shore Road, Warwick
Jenny's, Elmwood Avenue, Providence
Jerilynn's Seafood, Johnston
J. G. Goff's Pub, Point Street, Providence
J. J. Newbury lunch counter, Westminster Street, Providence
J. Wales (became Legal Seafood), 2099 Post Road, Warwick
Joe's American Bar & Grill, Providence Place Mall, Providence
Joe’s Diner
Joe’s Old Abandoned Grocery Store sandwich shop, 163 Benefit Street, Providence; became Geoff’s Superlative Sandwiches
Joe's Upstairs, 66 Mathewson Street, downtown Providence
John's New York System, 326 Cranston Street, Providence
John's New York System, 827 Park Avenue, Cranston
Johnny B's Diner, Cranston & Dyer Streets, Cranston
Johnny Granata's Restaurant & Bar (s/a Post Office Cafe), 11 Main, East Greenwich
Johnny Shadow’s, near Lincoln Mall
Johnson's Hummocks Grill, 245 Allens Avenue at Public Street, Providence
Johnson’s Old Hummocks Clambakes, Hamilton Beach, North Kingstown (burnt to ground in 1926, destroyed twice more in hurricanes)
Jolly Chef, The
Jolly Cholly’s Snack Bar, Attleboro, MA
Jordan Marsh Restaurant, Warwick Mall
Joseph’s, East Providence
Joseph’s, Warwick
JP Spoonems, 1078 Broad Street, Edgewood, Cranston
Julienne’s, Washington Street, Providence
Julio's, Marieville, North Providence
Just Chillin, Park Avenue, Cranston
Kal's Steak & Beef, 325 Warwick Avenue, Warwick
Kal’s, Portsmouth
Kelley’s Hamburgers, various locations
Kenny Roger’s Chicken
Ken's Ramen, Providence
Ken Wok, Mineral Spring Avenue, North Providence
King’s Inn, across from Lincoln Mall
Kingston Diner, Post Road, North Kingstown
Kitchen, Carpenter Street, Providence
Kleos, 250 Westminster Street, Providence
Koerner Lunch, 44 Aborn Street, downtown Providence
Kojac's Restaurant and Pub, 1800 Post Road, Warwick
Kool Korner, intersection of Elmwood and Post, Warwick
Kountry Kitchen, 10 Smith Avenue, Greenville, Smithfield
Krispy Kreme donuts, Pontiac Avenue, Cranston
LaFazia's Restaurant, Elmwood Avenue, Providence
Lago Rocket, meatball sandwiches, Narragansett Parkway, Providence
Laguna, Thayer Street, Providence
L'Apogée at Biltmore, Providence
L’Antica Trattoria at St. Barts, 66 Sophia Street, Silver Lake, Providence
La Camelia, East Providence
La Moia, Pocasset Avenue, Cranston
La Petite Auberge, Newport
Larchwood Inn, Wakefield, South Kingstown
Le Bistro, 41 Bowens Wharf, Newport
Lee's Cathay Terrace, 2099 Post Road, Warwick (became Lee's China Trade Restaurant, J. Wales, Legal Seafood, now Tavolo’s)
Left Bank, The, South Main, Providence
Lefty's Diner, 12 Cherry Street, Woonsocket
Le Greque, Arcade, Providence
Leo’s, 99 Chestnut Street, Jewelry District, Providence
L’Epicureo, Atwells Avenue, Providence
Liberty Diner, 819 North Main Street, Providence
Liberty Diner, Park & Reservoir Avenues, Cranston
Liberty Elm Diner, Elmwood Avenue, Providence
Lighthouse Inn Restaurant, Point Judith
Lili Marlene’s, Providence
Linberg's Diner, Providence
Lincoln Diner, Smithfield Avenue, Lincoln
Lindy’s Diner, Reservoir & Park, Cranston
Little Falls Bakery & Cafe, Pawtuxet Village (mentioned under "Twice Rode Nice Roads")
Little Hofbrau, 1380 Post Road, Warwick (behind Nyanza)
Little Inn, The, in Centerdale, North Providence
Little Joe's Diner, Lonsdale, Lincoln
Little Place, The, East Providence
LJ’s BBQ, Douglas Avenue, Providence, and East Avenue, Pawtucket
Lloyd's Diner, 2760 Hartford Avenue, Johnston
Lloyd's, Waterman Avenue, East Side, Providence
Lobstermania, on Greenwich Harbor, East Greenwich
Local 121, at Dreyfus Hotel, Washington Street, Providence
Loie Fuller’s, Providence
Lola's Cantina, South Water Street, Providence
Lola’s Lounge & Cantina, 55 Douglas Pike, Smithfield
Lombardi’s 1025 Club, Providence
Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon, Bald Hill Road, Warwick
Lord Fox, Rt. 1, Foxborough, MA
Lorenzo Pizza, 465 Warwick Avenue, Warwick
Lotus, North Smithfield
Lucky Stations Chinese Restaurant, Elmwood Avenue, Providence
Luke's Chinese American & Luau Hut, 59 Eddy Street, behind City Hall, Providence
Lum’s, Smithfield
Lura Cafe (fake installation), Fountain Street, Providence
Luxe Burger Bar, Providence
Ma Glockner’s, Bellingham, MA
Made Rite, The, Elmwood Avenue, Providence
Mansion House at Hotel Biltmore, 11 Dorrance Street, Providence
Magic Chef, The
Main St. Grille, Main Street, Pawtucket
Main Street 2000 Restaurant, 114 Main Street, Woonsocket
Maine Creamery, Wakefield
Mainelli’s, Chalkstone Avenue (after featured on Restaurant Rescue), Providence
Mama Chiello's, 549 Quaker Lane, Warwick (moved from 79 Duke Street, East Greenwich)
Mama Spumoni’s, 1201 Warwick Avenue, Warwick
Mama’s Italian Kitchen, Village Mall (former Nyanza), 1400 Post Road, Warwick
Mamie Ellen’s Southern Vittles, Broad Street, Providence
Mancini's Service Diner, 378-1/2 Charles Street, Providence
Mapleroot Inn, Harkney Hill Road & Tioque Avenue, Coventry
Marcello’s (two locations), Cranston
Marconi's Roman Garden (now Camille's), Federal Hill, Providence
Mario’s Italian Restaurant, 325 Warwick Avenue, Warwick
Mario's Risto Bar, Haven Avenue, Cranston
Marley’s in Oakland Beach, formerly Groucho’s, Warwick (became Iggy's Boardwalk)
Martinque, Broad Street, Providence
Marty's Autocrat Diner, Broad & Lockwood, Providence
Maryland Fried Chicken near Midland Mall, Warwick
May’s Fish & Chips, 1540 Post Road, Warwick
McCurdy's Junction House
McGarry’s, Westminster Street, Providence
Meatball Mike's Sandwiches (Guinness Record for biggest Calzone), Cranston Street & Gansett Avenue, Cranston
Mediteranneo, 134 Atwells Avenue, Providence
Mee Hong, Westminster, Providence
Mei King, So. Bend Street, West Warwick (Pawtucket location still open)
Memphis Roadhouse, Attleboro, MA
Merienda, Warren
Merola Omelet, Broadway, Providence
Met Cafe, downtown Providence
Metacom Kitchen, Warren
Miami Diner, Park & Warwick Avenues, Cranston
Midland Mall Cafeteria, 230 Midland Mall, Warwick
Midtown Oyster Bar, lower Thames, Newport
Mike's Wagon, across from Biltmore, Providence
Milano's, Rt-44, Rehoboth, MA
Mile And A Quarter House (Greek restaurant preceding Barnsider), 334 South Water Street, Providence
Milestone, Pontiac Avenue, Cranston
Milk Bar (became Newport Creamery), Rt. 138, Middletown
Milk Can, The, Rt. 146, on Lincoln & North Smithfield line
Miller’s Deli, Union Street, Providence (became Sullivan’s Rhode)
Ming Garden 141 Westminster Street, next to Industrial Trust, Providence
Minerva Pizza, Wayland Square, Providence
Minute Chef, The, Providence
Miss Dutton's Green Room, 44 Washington Street, Providence
Modern Grill, Boston Post Road, Westerly
Moi-Lee's Bar and Grille, Narragansett Pier
Montana’s, Warwick
Monterey Restaurant, 1910 Post Road, Warwick
Mozzarella's, Marieville, North Providence
Mr. C’s
Mr. Doughboy, Route 102, Glendale, Burrillville
Mr. Taco, Providence Street, West Warwick
Mr. Up’s
Mr. V’s
Muldoon’s Saloon, South Water Street, Providence
Murphy’s Law at Comfort Inn, Pawtucket
My Brother’s Pub, Pawtucket
Naissance, Atwells Avenue, Providence
Napa Valley Grille, Providence Place Mall
Narragansett Pier, Village Mall (former Nyanza), 1400 Post Road, Warwick
Narragansett Hotel Dining Room, Dorrance Street, downtown Providence
Nathaniel Porter Inn (established in 1795), Warren
Nautica, waterfront, East Greenwich
Neath’s New American Bistro, South Water Street, Providence
New England Fish Factory, Pawtucket
New Japan, Washington St., Providence
New York Quick Lunch Oyster House, 11 Dorrance Street, Providence
New Yorker, 225 Weybosset Street, Providence
Nick's, Westminster Street, Providence
Nicole’s Tuscany Grill, Atwood Avenue, Cranston
Nino's, Tioque Avenue, Coventry
Nomi Park, 151 Admiral Kalbfus Road, Newport
Nonni's Italian Kitchen & Pasta, Tiverton
Noodles 102, Ives Street, Providence
Nordstrom’s Cafe, Providence Place Mall
North & Big King, 3 Luongo Square, West Side of Providence
Norwood Inn (became Shogun), Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick
Oates Tavern, Douglas Avenue, Providence
Oatley’s Family Restaurant, Rts. 2 & 102, North Kingstown
O’Connor’s Diner, South Main Street, Woonsocket
Oki Japanese Steakhouse, Mineral Spring Avenue, North Providence
Old Country Buffet, Warwick
Old Grist Mill, Seekonk
Olerio's, Park Avenue, Cranston
Ollie’s Omelets, Village Mall (former Nyanza), 1400 Post Road, Warwick
Orchard House Cafe, Seekonk, MA
Outlet Lunch Counter, downtown Providence
Oyster Saloon Restaurant, Main Street, Wyoming, Richmond, Rhode Island; circa 1910's
Ozzi Steakburgers, Post Road, Warwick
Palmieri's Bakery (state's oldest, 1898) & Cafes, De Pasquale Square and Ridge Street, Providence; new location remains on Main Street, East Greenwich
Palms, The, County Road & Waterman Avenue, East Providence, Seekonk Line
Pal’s Restaurant, 43 Division Street, East Greenwich
Panache, Downtown Providence
Panda Island, Cowesett Plaza, Warwick
Papa Brillos, which became the Station Fire Disaster Site, Cowesett Road, West Warwick
Papa Gino’s, various locations
Papa Razzi (Boston chain), Garden City, Cranston
Paragon, Thayer Street, East Side of Providence
Park Square Diner, Woonsocket
Parkside Steak & Wings To Go, Park Avenue, Cranston
Parkway Tavern, 23 Peck Lane, Warwick (became Gaspee Lounge, then O’Rourke’s Bar & Grill)
Parmigiano’s, near URI, Kingston
Parthenon, Village Mall (former Nyanza), 1400 Post Road, Warwick
Patrick’s [circa 1970’s], 65 Washington Street, Providence
Pei Wei, fast Asian fusion, Chapel View, Cranston
Penguin's, Thayer Street, Providence
Pepper’s, Narragansett
Peppermill, The, Central Avenue, Pawtucket and Quaker Lane, Warwick
Perry Mill Tavern, America’s Cup Avenue, Newport
Peter Pan Diner, Elmwood near Gilbert Stuart MIddle School, Providence
Pettis Oyster Room, Orange Street, downtown Providence
Pewter Pot, The, 230 Midland Mall, Warwick
Pho Evergreen, Putnam Pike, Greenville
Phoebe's Fish and Chips, Fall River Avenue, Seekonk
Phoenix Dragon, Broadway, Providence
Pier 76
Pinelli’s Gourmet Deli, Quaker Lane, West Warwick
Pinelli’s North End Cafe, Charles Street, Marieville, North Providence
Ping Vietnamese Restaurant, 400 Warwick Avenue, Warwick
Pink Elephant, The, Taunton Avenue, East Providence
Pink Pig BarBQ, Hoxie, Warwick
Pizza Hut, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
PJ’s Pub, Johnston
Playa Grill, Atwells Avenue, Providence
Players Corner Pub, Providence
Pleasant View Diner, Smithfield
Plouffe’s French Pies and Wieners, High Street, Valley Falls, Cumberland
Poirier Diner (c. 1947, aka Arnold's, El Faro, Sandwich Factory, Squire, Top Hat), Eagle Square, Atwells Avenue, Providence
Ponderosa Steak House, Oaklawn Avenue, Cranston
Port Arthur, 123 Weybosset at Dorrance Street, Providence
Post Office Cafe, 11 Main, East Greenwich
Prata’s Bar and Grill, 1599 Post Road, Warwick
Prime, Atwells Avenue, Providence
Pub Dennis, Cranston, East Providence, Woonsocket
Puerini's, Memorial Drive, Newport
The Pump House, The, Peacedale
Purple Cat, The, Chepachet, Glocester
Qdobo, Chapel View, Cranston
Quaker Lane Diner, 475 Quaker Lane, West Warwick
Quarterback Club Restaurant, 1359 Post Road, Warwick (Gregg’s since 1970)
Qwacker's Restaurant. 3354 Post Road, Warwick
Ranch House, The, Johnston
Raphael’s Bar Risto, Union Station, Providence
Rathskeller, 59 Eddy Street, downtown Providence
Rathskeller, near URI, Kingston
Ray's Diner, 366 Wood Street, Bristol
Ray's Diner, Broad Street across from Park Entrance, Providence
Red Coach Grill, Jefferson Blvd, Warwick
Red Fin Crudo, Washington Street, Providence
Red Lobster, Ball Hill Road, Warwick
Red Onion, The, near Midland Mall, Warwick
Red Rooster Tavern, Rt. 1, North Kingstown
Red Stripe, East Greenwich
Red, White & Brew, 601 Great Road, North Smithfield
Redlefsen’s, Bristol waterfront
Remington House, Apponaug, Warwick
Renaissance, Atwells Avenue, Providence
Restaurant (Bistro) 524, Tiverton
Restaurant Oak, Hope Street, Providence
Revival Brewing, Cranston
Revolutionary Pizza Company (The Rev), Mineral Spring Avenue, North Providence
Rhode Island Quahog Company, Thames, Newport
Rhody Joe’s, Wakefield
Rhumbline, Bridge Street, Newport
RI Lunch, Broadway & Spring Street, Newport
Ribs & Company, Atwood Ave., Johnston
Richards Drive Inn, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
Rick's Roadhouse, Richmond Street, Providence (now Xaco Taco)
Rico's Restaurant, 588 Warwick Avenue, Warwick
Ricotti’s Sandwiches, various locations
RiRa, Downtown, Providence
Ristorante Romanza, Wickenden Street, Providence
Riverside Diner, 3 1/2 Exchange Street, Pawtucket
Riverside Kitchen New York System, 467 Willet Avenue, East Providence
Roast House, The, various locations inc. Warwick Mall
Rob Roy Restaurant & Lounge, 2082 Post Road, Warwick
Rocco’s Bistro, East Greenwich
Rocky Point Shore Dinner Hall, Warwick
Rodizio, Brazilian BBQ, Metacom Avenue, Bristol
Roger Clemens Fried Chicken, Route 2, Warwick
Rolfe St. Station, Cranston
Roma Capoccia, Wickenden Street, Providence
Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Meshanticut, Warwick
Ron’s Spaghetti House, Smithfield
Ronnie’s Rascal House, Thayer Street, Providence
Rose's Family Restaurant, 465 Warwick Avenue, Warwick
Rosinha’s, Main Street, Pawtucket
Royal Char Broil Restaurant, 3335 Post Road, Warwick
Ruby Tuesday, Division Street, East Greenwich and Swansea, MA
Rue de L’espoir, 99 Hope Street, Providence; became Persimmon
Rufful's Restaurant, Wayland Square, Providence
Rustler Steak House, 1910 Post Road, Warwick
Rusty Scupper, North Main, Providence
Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Providence
Salas’ Restaurant, Newport
Salted Slate, Wayland Square, Providence
Salvation Cafe, 140 Broadway, Newport
Sam's Place, 465 Warwick Avenue, Warwick
San Vivaldo Trattoria, Providence Street, West Warwick
Scampi's of Course, Pontiac Avenue, Cranston
Scharzwald Haus, German, Seekonk, MA
Schedley’s, 197 Union Street, Providence
Scrambler’s III, Main Street, East Greenwich
Senor Flacos, Canal Street, Westerly
Seville's, Newport Avenue near Armistice Blvd., Pawtucket
Shadoin's, Smith Street, Centredale, North Providence
Shanghai, Thayer Street, Providence
Shepard’s Tea Room, downtown Providence
Shish Kabob, 555 Mineral Spring Avenue, Pawtucket
Shoney’s, Bald Hill Road, Warwick (still several in Virginia)
Shooter's, India Point, Providence
Showboat at Tiogue Lake, RI-3, Coventry
Shula's 347 Grill, Providence
Siam Square, Silver Spring Avenue, Providence
Siam Square, Willet Avenue, East Providence
Sienna, Federal Hill, Atwells Avenue, Providence
Silver Palace, Park & Reservoir, Cranston
Silver Top Diner, Harris & Kingsley, Providence
Simone’s, Warren
Simpatico, 13 Narragansett Avenue, Jamestown
Sleeping With the Fishes, Atwood Avenue, Cranston
Smith’s Restaurant, Atwells near Manton, Providence
Snuffy’s, Bay Street, Watch Hill, Westerly
Solis Japanese Steak House, 1599 Post Road, Warwick
Something Scrumptious Restaurant, 208 Midland Mall, Warwick
Southern Cross, 509 Thames Street, Newport
Spaghetti House, Mathewson, Providence
Spaghetti Warehouse at the old Brown & Sharpe Foundry, Providence
Spardello's Top of the Hill Deli, Laurel Hill Avenue, Cranston
Sparky's Coney Island System, Taunton Avenue, East Providence
Spats, Angel & Thayer Streets, Providence
Spikes Junkyard Dog, Reservoir and Park, Cranston
Spirito’s, Cranston
Sportsman Diner, 286 Allens Avenue, Providence
Squeek's Diner, Middletown
SS Victoria
Stacy’s Sea Grillle, Providence
Stanley Green’s Restaurant, 208 Midland Mall, Warwick
Star Diner, Newport Avenue, East Providence
State Line Diner, Rt 1, So. Attleboro, MA
Steak & Brew
Steak Lodge at Bonnet Shores, Narragansett
Stella Blues, Warren
Stickyfingers, Douglas Avenue, Providence
Stouffer’s, Dorrance Street, Providence
Stuffies, Mineral Spring, North Providence
Sullivan’s Steak House, East Providence
Sunflower Cafe, Mayfield Street, Cranston
Sunset Diner, Norwood, Warwick
Taco Maker, The, Airport Road, Warwick
Tai Dee Garden, Bald Hill, Warwick
Tallulah's on Thames, Newport
Tarantino's, Federal Hill, Providence
Taso's Diner, 1500 Atwood Avenue, Johnston
Tasty Diner, Mineral Spring, North Providence
TCBY, various locations
Ted’s Big Boy, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
Ted’s Big Boy, Thayer Street, Providence
Ted’s Montana Grill, Chapel View, Cranston
TGI (Thank God It's) Friday, Centerville Road and Quaker Hill Road, Warwick
Thai Basil, 486 Newport Avenue, Pawtucket
Thai Royal, 98 Pascoag Main Street, Pacoag
The Bradford, 142 Atwells Avenue, Providence
The ROI, Providence
Thick Neck at the Dean Hotel, Providence
Thorton’s
Tilly’s Cheesesteak, 3711 Kingstown Road, West Kingston
Tim Horton's, various locations
Timothy’s (where Archie’s was), Pawtucket
Tina’s Jamaican Restaurant, Atwells Avenue, Providence
Tini, Washington Street, Providence
Tio Mateo, Cranston
Tomato Vine, next to Apex, Warwick
Tommy’s Diner, Charles & Smith Streets, Providence
Tommy’s Diner, East Main Road, Middletown
Tony George’s
Tony Papa’s, Phoenix Avenue, Cranston
Top of the Bay, Oakland Beach, Warwick
Tops Gaylord Diner, North Main Street, Providence (appeared in LIFE magazine)
Town Chef, Weybosset Street, Providence
Town Pizza Palace, 3292 Post Road, Warwick (became Vinnie’s Kitchen)
Track 84, East Greenwich
Triangle Diner, Charles & Smith Streets, Providence - Compare with Tommy’s
Trieste, Narragansett
Trinity Diner, 352 Broad Street, Providence
Trio Kitchen + Bar, 15 Kingstown Road, Narragansett
Tucker’s Bistro, Broadway, Newport
Turk’s Head Room, Providence
Tweet Balzano's Family Restaurant, Mt. Hope Avenue, Bristol
Twist’s (became Red Rice), near Warwick Mall
Twisters, retro diner, Wakefield
Tyler Point Grille (became Bluewater Grille), Barrington
Uncle Sushi, Reservoir Avenue, Cranston
Uncle Tony's Pizza and Pasta, 1201 Warwick Avenue, Warwick (other locations still open)
Union Oyster House, Uxbridge, MA
Up River Cafe, Main Street, Westerly
Valle Steak House, 1880 Post Road, Warwick
Vanilla Bean, Rts. 6A and 116, Scituate
Vanna's Vietnamese Sandwiches, Westminster Street, Providence
Venetian Gardens, West Shore Road, Warwick
Venus De Milo, Rt. 6, Swansea Vermette’s, Woonsocket
Veteran’s Square Diner, Warwick
Victory Diner, Burrillville
Villa DiGiorgio, West Warwick
Vincent’s, Atwells Avenue, Providence
Vinny Testa’s, Seekonk, MA
Vintage, Woonsocket
Viola’s, DePasquale Square, Providence
Waldorf Cafeteria, Union Trust Building on Westminster Street, Providence
Walter’s Ristorante d’Italia, East Greenwich
Wampanoag Diner, Armington Corner, Pawtucket Avenue, East Providence
Ward’s Publick House, 3354 Post Road, Warwick
Water's Edge, Pawtuxet Village, Cranston
Waterplace Restaurant, Providence
Welcome Cafe, Chalkstone Avenue, Providence
Wescott House, Tiogue Avenue, Coventry
West Valley Inn, Providence Street, West Warwick
Weybosset Market Lunch Counter, Providence
White Castle, Olneyville, Providence
White Tower, The, 68 Dorrance Street, Providence (also on Broadway in Olneyville, and Washington Street next to Strand Theater)
Wicked Fish, Rts. 2 & 102, North Kingstown
Wickford Diner, North Kingstown
Wickford Marina House Restaurant, Steamboat Avenue, North Kingstown
Wiener Joint, Riverside Square, East Providence
Wightman’s Diner, Rt. 1, Rumford, East Providence
Wilcox Tavern, Charlestown
Windmill Diner, Route 1, Providence Winkler’s Steak House, Providence
Wise Guy Deli, Atwells Avenue, Providence
Wolfe’s Dairy Lunch Room, 142 Westminster Street, downtown Providence; became Childs
Woodlawn Fish And Chips, Main Street, Pawtucket
Woody’s Restaurant, Narragansett
XO Cafe, Providence
Yankee Clipper Diner, Valley Street, Providence
Yesterday’s, Newport
York Steak House, Warwick Mall
Yoleni’s, Westminster Street, Providence
Young China, Warren Avenue, East Providence
Young's Steak House, 3354 Post Road, Warwick
Z Bar & Grille, Wickenden, Providence
Zenga's, Main Street, East Greenwich - Now Fresco
Ziggy's Diner, Broad Street, Central Falls

Please feel free to add entries or comment on meals you had, especially if you're a former restaurant server or worker. Special thanks to Trift Power Website, which depicts scores of defunct diners, once common as eateries for common folk without cars, and frequently changed hands or even locations, since many were mobile Worcester Lunch Car trailers begun a bit more than a century ago.