8 Best Bars in Providence, Rhode Island

In a dimly lit space born as a bakery in the 1920s and converted to a social club at the tail end of World War II, this speakeasy is also a pizza joint and ice creamery. Pair your favorite boozy concoction with the POW (Pizza of the Week) and small-batch sorbet and ice-cream flavors like mint chocolate chip made with real mint. DJs spin music most nights, and the classic speakeasy vibe is a perfect match for live jazz on Sunday nights.

Marina and skyline views, a waterfront deck, live tunes, beer buckets, frozen concoctions, and the city's best clam cakes and chowder make this indoor-outdoor bar and grill on the Fox Point waterfront an ideal place to unwind or catch a game. The name is a nod to a time when the docks below were the domain of fishermen, not pleasure boaters. 

You may recognize the Hot Club from the opening scenes of the movie Something About Mary. For more than 30 years, this place has been a favorite hangout for young professionals, university professors, and politicians. On summer afternoons until the wee hours of the morning, you'll find the hip set on the outdoor deck overlooking the Providence River. For cheap eats, try local favorites like the Saugy dog (hot dog) or a "stuffie" -- a stuffed quahog clam that's a Rhode Island seafood staple.

The Eddy specializes in classic cocktails like a Manhattan, gin and tonic (on draft), or Gibson; creative concoctions like the rum-based "Kingston negroni-doli" or the rye-Calvados-montenegro "High Horse"; draft and bottled beers; and a few interesting wines. Add charcuterie, cheese, sliders, seafood, and good bread, and you have a great night out.

This 100-year-old, five-story theater (operated as Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel until the venue resumed its original name in late 2017), hosts nationally known musical acts: rock, blues, hip-hop, Americana, country, Latin, metal, funk—plus live comedy.

East Side gentrification has not touched this (kind of) riverfront bar on South Main Street. Studiedly unpretentious, the Wild Colonial occupies the brick-lined basement of an old warehouse building; strain your eyes, and you might get a glimpse of the Providence River across the parking lot. Food choices are limited to the likes of cheese plates and hummus, but the bartenders take pride in the beer list and in pouring the best Guinness drafts in the city. If you're looking for a place to duck in for a reasonably priced beer or cocktail on Waterfire nights (or any night, really), this is it.