Dining onThayerStreetis built for college students. That's not a surprise as it is surrounded by Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design.
But it wasn't always that way.
There was a time College Hill restaurants beckoned diners from all over Rhode Island. The first liquor licenses for the area were granted in the 1970s and that prompted a restaurant boom. The next decade welcomed the trend-setting Adesso California Cafe in 1986, the first Indian restaurant Kabob & Curry in 1988 and in 1994, Cafe Paragon, where weekend brunch was an event. There were more, of course, both before, and after.
One thing has proven true since Thayer was "a carriage-trade street," serving East Siders and Brown students selling clothes and other necessities, change on College Hill is inevitable.
"It's Thayer Street and places will always come and they will go," said Stamatis Revesof Antonio's Pizza, which opened 21 years ago.
The popular Yas Chicken opened in spring 2023 at 272 Thayer St., (401) 234-9359, yaschicken.com. They are beloved for their flavorful chicken and waffles, wings, sandwiches and tenders and their bargain prices.
"There's great energy here" Reves added. "It's like a food court but on a nice street."
Restaurants on Thayer and the adjacent streets cater to all tastes, offering a wide variety of cuisines, said Donna Personeus, executive director of the management authority for the Thayer Street District.
Indeed they do with menus that serve Korean, Thai, Mexican, Greek, Indian, French, Portuguese and Mediterranean foods plus vegan, seafood dishes, pizza, all-day breakfast and even hamburgers and hot dogs.
As the district evolves, so do restaurants that listen to their audience.
"It’s what people who live in the area, and people who go to school here, want it to be," Personeus said of Thayer Street. That's what keeps restaurants in business.
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SanjivDhar has been on Thayer since 1990 when he bought Kabob and Curry, then a two-year-old restaurant. "The street is now geared to quick service," he observed. "There are fewer sit-down restaurants."
Owners are creating a smaller footprint with their businesses and catering to delivery and takeout, he said. Dhar believes takeout and delivery account for 80% of the business on the street.
What hasn't changed? The Avon continues showing films and the Brown Bookstore still stands tall.
Here's a guide to 10 dine-in restaurants and 10 takeout spots on Thayer and adjacent streets. This list will prove that you can find any kind of food you want on College Hill.
Best sit down dining on Thayer Street
Heng Thai & Rotisserie offers Thai street food. These are lovely dishes, some familiar and some not, served for lunch and dinner, down one flight of stairs at 165 Angell St., (401) 751-1651, hengpvd.com. You can start with their interesting appetizer Kai Tod, a Thai-style mini chicken finger with Sriracha sauce. Don't miss their Drunken Noodles if you like spicy, or rotisserie chicken if you don't.
Den Den Korean Fried Chicken is a delight of a place with double-fried crispy chicken, Korean BBQ and ramen noodles. Their wings are so good you'll dream about them. They are juicy and in a beautifully seasoned batter. They come with Korean pickled radish, a refreshing change from the usualcelery and carrots.Boneless are also available. You can order them with asoy garlic sauce or a spicy one. Find them off slightly off Thayer at 182 Angell St., Providence,(401) 234-9955,dendenhospitality.com.
Go for Greek food at Andreas, 268ThayerSt., (401) 331-7879. andreasri.com. Start with a homemade slice of spanakopita, spinach and feta cheese pie, or have calamari, the official R.I. appetizer. You can continue your Greek dinner with Pastit*io or Moussaka. But you can also enjoy a fine hamburger, kabob or seafood. You can sit at a table or the bar, and enjoy a co*cktail, too.
Enjoy authentic Indian cuisine at Kabob & Curry, 261ThayerSt., (401) 273-8844, kabobandcurry.com, which lays claim to being the oldest Indian restaurant in R.I. The beautifully composed dishes include many vegan options including Chana Masala and lovely starters of samosas or pakoras. There are favorite dishes including Chicken Tikki Masala and Vindaloo, tandoori barbecue from a clay oven, as well as lamb and seafood selections.
Nice for families, and pizza lovers, is Flatbread Company, 161 Cushing St., (401) 273-2737, flatbreadcompany.com, featuring organic food and free-range meats. It's got ingredients from local farm partners, lovely wines and beer, wonderful fire-y aromas and most importantly, delicious pizza made in their clay oven. Flatbread is a small chain with Massachusetts roots and all the best eclectic vibes.
Meeting Street Café is an institution that serves all-day breakfast. In fact, they serve all day lunch and dinner, too. You will also find a notable lineup of sandwiches, homemade soups and sweets. The restaurant is just off Thayer at 220 Meeting St., (401) 273-1066, meetingstreetcafe.com.
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Want a taste of France? There's Le Creperie, 82 Fones Alley, (401) 751-5536, creperieprov.com, the spot for savory or sweet crepes. It's also a juice bar with smoothies on the menu as well as Belgian waffles and wraps. Their items are made fresh and to-order. There are just a few tables for two here but you can dine-in.
Tribos Peri Periwas founded on cooking with African Bird’s-eye chili pepper. You'll find Portuguese influences with inspirations from Mozambique. Chicken of all spice levels are made with the pepper and the Peri Peri is offered in wraps, whole birds, tenders and more. They also have veggie platters, sides for the whole family and falafel. The restaurant is at 183 Angell St., (401) 228-9233 tribosperiperi.com.
The Shaking Crab, 284 Thayer St., (401) 274-0620, shakingcrab.com, is where you go to get your fingers dirty digging into shellfish and seafood boils, and more. This small chain started in Boston is all about buttery, garlicky and spicy shellfish but you do get to choose how far to go. Think shrimp, crab legs, lobster and crawfish. Go for the experience and the great drinks.
Beatnic is a vegan restaurant with a pleasant dining room and fast-casual service. Their Classic Burger, made with a black bean, mushroom and brown rice patty and served with special sauce, is a delicious alternative to beef. They make air baked Fries and salads. The dessert lineup is appealing as are the teas and lemonades. It's at 223 Thayer St., eatbeatnic.com.
Takeout options on Thayer Street
Pick up a kabob or falafel pocket - stuffed with hummus, vegetables and a yogurt cucumber sauce - at longtime favorite East Side Pockets, 278 Thayer St., Providence, (401) 453-1100, eastsidepocket.com.
Al-Shami, serves Middle Eastern street food and Arabian delicacies that are certified halal. With a crowd often out the door at 225 Thayer St., (401) 642-2450, abuyarub.com, you can order ahead online for your chicken or lamb shawarma wraps, combos with falafel, kufta kebab wraps or gyros.
The options for by the slice pizza are seemingly endless at Antonio's Pizza, 256ThayerSt., (401) 455-3600, where trays are lined up with the choices for the day. It's difficult to choose.
Aroma Joe’s, 257 Thayer St., (401) 642-2597, aromajoes.com, is more than a coffee shop. This Maine-based cafe chain serves coffee and espresso drinks, energy drinks and food items including all-day offerings of breakfast sandwiches and pastries.
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Pokeworksis currently at 213 Thayer St., but moving to larger quarters in the former Santander Bank. Their poké combines a mixture of cubed raw fish or cooked protein, along with a variety of mixed vegetables, fruits and Asian flavors, served over a bed of rice or noodles or in a poké burrito or salad.
Insomnia Cookies, 307 Thayer St., (401) 542-8368, insomniacookies.com, delivers warm cookies until the wee hours of the morning. Think red velvet, peanut butter chip, chocolate chunk and gluten-free and vegan selections, plus a line of brownies.
Chinatown on Thayer, serves Cantonese cuisine at 277 Thayer St., (401) 521-7777, chinatownonthayer.com. The familiar foods, lo mein noodles, Peking Ravioli, Kung Pao Chicken, fried rice and more are ready to select and to be assembled in a to-go box.
Offering Mexican specialties is Baja’s Tex Mex Grill, 273 Thayer St., (401) 383-7079, bajasmexgrill.com, with build-your-own burritos, a variety of appetizers, fajitas, chimichangas as well as burgers and fries.
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At Baja's Taqueria, 227 Thayer St., (401) 808-6141, bajarestaurants.com, there are Mexican salad and rice bowls, entrees of Grilled Chicken, Chipotle Chicken, Buffalo Chicken, Ground Beef, Carnitas/Pork and Grilled Vegetables offered in quesadillas, burritos, tacos, chimichangas, enchiladas and more.
With its burgers, fries and milkshakes, does the Shake Shack evoke the nostalgia of malt shops of old? Not beyond the food. This is a fast-casual restaurant where you can order at the counter or at a computer screen. You can eat there at 249 Thayer St., shakeshack.com, but most people head home with their bag. The Thayer Street shop does have a sweet mural.
