This RI Eatery Among 2026 Restaurants Of The Year, National Publication Says

A Rhode Island restaurant has been honored as among the best in the country by USA Today.

In all, food writers in the USA Today network found 40 restaurants in 25 states worthy of mention in its 2026 Restaurants of the Year list.

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“This is not your usual best-of list, where food writers fly in for a whirlwind weekend of eating and drinking, often relying on the institutional knowledge of the locals who know the scene best,” USA Today said of its methodology for the list. “This list, instead, comes from our own locals. Food writers who know their beats best. They live there. They work there. They eat there. That's what makes our list stand out.

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Nicks on Broadway in Providence made the USA Today list.

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"Our food writer says Nicks is 'like a big hug,'" USA Today said of Nicks on Broadway. "The chef knows where all the local fish he buys is caught, and lists all the farms he sources from on his menu. Don't miss the cassoulet."

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The 2026 Restaurants of the Year list also includes eateries in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.

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