Al Forno
Food: Contemporary Italian
577 S. Main St., Downtown
(401) 273-9760
Price: $15–$50
Cool Features: Nothing says your parents love you like a dinner excursion to Al Forno. Their brick-oven pizza is world-famous and the chocolate soufflé is a must.
Antonio's Pizza
Food: Pizza
258 Thayer St., Providence
(401) 455-3600
Price: $3–$15
Apsara
Food: Cambodian, Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese
716 Public St., Providence
(401) 785-1490
Price: $2–$10
Cool Features: Although Apsara is a 10-minute drive from campus, it is so good that Brown students cram into the restaurant every night.
Bagel Gourmet Ole
Food: Bagels, Mexican
228 Thayer St., Providence
(401) 331-1311
Price: $5–$5
Cool Features: Interesting mix: bagles and Mexican? Who thought it would work, but it does!
Bickford's Grille
Food: American
1460 Mineral Spring Ave., North Providence
(401) 353-9442
Price: $5–$15
Cool Features: Known for great New England-style breakfast—which is to say breakfast with seafood integrated into it. Bickford's is also a great spot to hit after the bars on weekends; they also offer takeout, which is a big plus.
Byblos
Food: Middle Eastern
235 Meeting St.
(401) 453-9727
www.providencebyblos.com
Price: $5–$10
Cool Features: This is also a hookah bar.
Café Paragon and Viva
Food: American/Mediterranean
234 Thayer St., College Hill
(401) 331-6200
www.paragonandviva.com
Price: $5–$15
Cool Features: Despite its reputation as a favorite haunt for Brown's children of privilege, the food is very affordable. After 10 p.m., Viva becomes a hip Euro club scene.
Café Zog
Food: Café and coffee shop
239 Wickenden St., Providence
(401) 421-2213
Price: $2–$7
Cool Features: Zog features a private back patio and table service.
The Creperie
Food: Crepes and smoothies
82 Fones Alley (off Thayer), College Hill
(401) 751-5536
Price: $2–$7
Cool Features: Located right off Thayer Street, the Creperie is a great option for any meal of the day. Late hours make it one of the few places to get a post-bar snack.
Cuban Revolution Café
Food: Cuban
149 Washington St., Providence
(401) 331-8829
Price: $2–$10
Cool Features: The brilliant cabana atmosphere with live music in the evenings makes eating a pressed Cuban sandwich, fried plantain chips, and flan a welcome treat. Wear camouflage on Saturdays or a Che Guevara print on Mondays for special discounts.
East Side Pockets
Food: Middle Eastern
278 Thayer St., Providence
(401) 453-1100
Price: $2–$5
Cool Features: East Side Pockets provides excellent service, great food, and personality that satisfies the demand for affordable munchies.
Fellini Pizzeria
Food: Pizza
166 Wickenden St., Providence
(401) 751-6737
Price: $2–$6
Cool Features: Fellini is ridiculously popular among students, and most agree it's some of the best pizza in New England (though it definitely has its detractors). It's particularly popular around midnight and thereafter on Fridays.
The Garden Grille Café and Juice Bar
Food: Vegetarian and vegan cuisine
727 East Ave., Pawtucket
(401) 726-2826
Price: $2–$12
Cool Features: The menu makes it easy for people with all kinds of dietary concerns to eat hearty and tasty meals like Vegan Nachos Supreme, a veggie Rueben or a slice of dark chocolate cake.
Haven Brothers
Food: Diner
72 Spruce St. (sort of) Fulton and Dorrance Sts., Providence
(401) 861-7777
Price: $2–$8
Cool Features: For starters, Haven Brothers is not as much a restaurant as a trolley with a diner in it. The establishment is over a hundred years old, and serves a very mixed crowd when it pulls up in front of City Hall and serves diner fare through the morning hours.
Hemenway's Seafood Grill and Oyster Bar
Food: Seafood
121 S. Main St., Providence
(401) 351-8570
Price: $15-$40
Cool Features: The raw bar at Hemenway's offers more than 15 varieties of raw shellfish, and the waterfront location makes it a great spot for hip students and Providence yuppies alike.
India
Food: Indian and Pakistani
123 Dorrance St., Downtown
(401) 278-2000
Price: $10–$25
Cool Features: Providence, particularly the area around Brown, offers a few good Indian restaurants. Although India may be a few dollars more than other options, the food and the service make India the nicest choice.
Julian's
Food: Gourmet/fusion bistro food
318 Broadway Ave., Federal Hill
(401) 861-1770
Price: $5–$15
Cool Features: Julian's is true boho Providence dining—greasy with a silver spoon. Breakfast is particularly good; you can get eggs benedict with lox and Bourson cheese hash served in a hip, artsy Café.
Louis
Food: Diner
286 Brook St.
(401) 861-5225
Price: $5–$10
Mediterraneo
Food: Authentic Italian
134 Atwells Ave., Federal Hill
(401) 331-7760
Price: $15–$40
Cool Features: Mediterraneo is one of the few restaurants that features Italian-speaking servers and authentic Tuscan cooking. Many of the eateries on Federal Hill claim to be worth their extravagant price, but Mediterraneo, with its enormous portions, truly is.
Nice Slice
Food: Pizza
267 Thayer St., Providence
(401) 453-6423
www.niceslice.com
Price: $13–$20
Ri~Ra
Food: Irish Pub
50 Exchange Terrace, Downtown
(401) 272-1953
Price: $5–$15
Cool Features: Ri~Ra is a lively pub, which is a favorite of college students and the Providence happy-hour set. Once you live in Providence, you'll know how unusual that is.
Sawaddee Thai Restaurant
Food: Thai
93 Hope St., Providence
(401) 831-1122
www.sawaddeerestaurant.com
Price: $2–$12
Cool Features: Brown students are lucky to have this authentic, family-run place so close to campus. The takeout is a godsend, and diners will be pleased to see the signature dishes served as spicy as they dare to request them.
Shanghai
Food: Chinese
272 Thayer St., Providence
(401) 331-0077
www.shanghairi.com
Price: $10–$15