Where to Shack Up with Clam Cakes, Chowder and More in Rhode Island

The stories behind the Ocean State’s most beloved clam shacks and casual seafood spots.

Edited by Jamie Coelho

Evelyn’s Drive-In

An old-school seafood shack with eco-friendly updates is all the rage in the East Bay. By Lauren Clem

Evelyn’s Drive-In has been serving up chowder, clam cakes and all the fixings since 1969, when Evelyn DuPont and her husband, Pat, first opened the red-hued seafood shack on Tiverton’s Nanaquaket Pond. In the early days, diner classics like chicken pie were popular menu choices along with heaping piles of seafood.

“Evelyn did all the cooking, everything. She was a hot ticket,” says Jane Bitto, who purchased the restaurant with her husband, Domenic, in 1987.

The way Domenic tells it, he was driving down Route 195 to look at a restaurant on the Cape when he took a wrong exit and ended up at Evelyn’s for lunch. The “two kids from Boston” have now owned the restaurant for nearly four decades, despite having never seen a clam cake when they first walked in the door. The couple raised three kids at Evelyn’s, all of them pitching in to help run the business.

“All my kids’ friends worked here over the years,” Jane says.

Today, Evelyn’s maintains that family clam shack feel with an updated menu for longer stays. Visitors can enjoy takeout favorites like lobster rolls and chowder (clear or white) at the picnic tables overlooking Nanaquaket Pond, or choose from indoor and outdoor dining areas to sample a full menu with specials like Thai spicy shrimp or pan-grilled sea scallops. A heated tent keeps diners toasty on cool summer evenings, and boaters can pull right up to the dock.

They still serve many of the original diner items, including the chow mein sandwich, a Fall River invention beloved on both sides of the state border. In 2007, the joint’s lobster chow mein even earned a spot on the TV series “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” drawing devotees from all over the country to sample the clam shack’s quirky Rhode Island fare.

You won’t find a plastic straw at Evelyn’s. Long before it was state law, the restaurant switched to biodegradable takeout containers and sip-friendly lids after a letter from local students informed them of the impact of plastic waste. For years, the family even drove a signature, biodiesel-powered VW Beetle that ran on clam cake waste — aka the Biobug — though they recently retired it. It’s all part of preserving their little corner of Rhode Island to keep the shellfish thriving and the customers coming back.

“It’s definitely a great town work ethic, and we have a lot of the same staff that comes back every year. It’s what makes it a special place,” Jane says. 2335 Main Rd., Tiverton, evelynsdrivein.com

 

Flo’s Clam Shack and Drive-In

The Aquidneck Island institution has been serving up fried clams, chowder and clam cakes for almost nine decades. By Dana Laverty

There’s an old Japanese saying: “Fall down seven times, get up eight.” It means to persevere in the face of adversity, to keep going when times get tough. 

It could very well be the motto for Flo’s Drive-In, the Portsmouth landmark that’s been destroyed not once, not twice, but five times by hurricanes throughout the years: in 1938; in 1954 by Hurricane Carol; in 1960 by Donna; in 1985 by Gloria and in 1991 by Hurricane Bob. “That one was the worst,” says owner Komes Rozes. “It took Flo’s right out.”

Other than the assorted buildings, not much has changed since Tiverton sisters Flora and Alice Helger started selling fried seafood delicacies out of a souped-up chicken coop in Island Park back in 1936. The numbered rocks once used for orders are gone, replaced with modern-day pagers that buzz when your food’s ready, but the recipes are still the tried-and-true family secrets handed down from Flo and her husband, Dimond Vaz.

Rozes bought the restaurant in 1978, and Flo stayed on for three weeks, sharing the recipes and procedures she’d honed during many a summer. In 1990, Rozes expanded to Middletown, setting up Flo’s Clam Shack in a former beach cottage, right across from First (Easton’s) Beach. 

Oh, and there’s Bruce, a twenty-five-foot great white shark — a relic from the old Mardi Gras nightclub in Cranston — who beckons diners from his perch in front of the restaurant. In early May, Rozes had to have some new teeth made since folks like to pluck one or two off here and there and keep them as souvenirs. “Providence has the Big Blue Bug,” Rozes says. “Aquidneck Island has Bruce.”

Fried clams are best sellers, with the clam cakes coming in a close second. The doughy delicacies are steaming hot and full of tender clams, just right to dip into the savory chowder, which builds upon a base of smoked salt pork sauteed in onion. You’ll find white, red and clear varieties in Middletown, and clear and white in Island Park.

The Middletown menu is a bit larger, with a raw bar upstairs and baked seafood entrees, but both serve all the clam shack staples: lobster rolls, stuffies, fried clams and clam strips, fish and chips, shrimp, calamari, fish sandwiches, french fries and more. Or you could go high-class and order Flo’s
Famous Number 9 in Middletown: a bottle of Moët & Chandon Champagne and two gourmet hot dogs for just ninety smackeroos. 

The odd pairing started off as a joke, but now it’s a big seller, Rozes says. 

“Now we’re buying cases of Moët,” he says. “It’s a big seller for anniversaries and birthday parties. You come here, sit on the deck and have hot dogs with the works and a nice glass of Champagne.”

The Middletown location is open seven days a week in the summer; the Island Park shack is open Friday–Sunday. And during a hurricane, one thing is certain: Flo’s will be closed. Clam Shack, 4 Wave Ave., Middletown; Drive-In, 324 Park Ave., Portsmouth, 847-8141, flosclamshacks.com

 

Schultzy’s Snack Shack

It’s a family affair at this Island Park clam shack, where you’ll find members of the Schultz clan dishing up handcrafted seafood and burger specialties. 

You can usually find Deborah Schultz in any number of places at Schultzy’s Snack Shack, the casual Portsmouth eatery she owns with her husband, Kurt. 

She could be at the pickup window, calling out orders. Or handing a pup a biscuit from the seemingly never-ending treat jar. Or changing the trash just near the cornhole setup, for when you’ve finally realized your dream of owning your own restaurant, no job is too small. 

“This is our dream. We’ve always wanted our own restaurant and here it is. We’re the little guy who made it,” she says. “The first time I saw a line outside, I cried.”

After working in local restaurants like the Atlantic Beach Club, the Spiced Pear and the Brick Alley Pub — Kurt was a chef and Deb was a server — the Middletown residents scrimped and saved to buy the Old World Stone Works building in a prime spot on Park Avenue in Island Park, just steps away from Island Park Beach. 

That was in 2012. Now they’re in their eleventh season, with their son, Jason, and daughter, Karrah, helping to cook and serve the handcrafted burgers and seafood dishes.

Kurt grinds Angus beef each morning for the burgers, hand-breads the chicken tenders and makes all the sauces, from coleslaw and the Shack Sauce that tops the best-selling Shack burger to tartar sauce and salad dressing. Almost everything is made from scratch.

“Right now, he’s doing this Caesar salad that is just stupid good. I’m not kidding you — it’s delicious,” Deb says. “Same thing with his coleslaw dressing.” 

The New England clam chowder — the only variety Schultzy’s serves — is packed with clams and potatoes, and the clam cakes are delicately seasoned and more bready than greasy — a perfect complement to the hearty chowder. Clam strips, fish and chips, lobster rolls, stuffies with local chourico, french fries, onion rings, freshly squeezed lemonade (not too sweet) and hard-packed and soft serve ice cream round out the menu. 

There is plenty of outdoor seating and picnic benches, or you can bring your feast across the street to the sea wall or Island Park Beach, where you’ll no doubt find others enjoying summer seafood fare, either from Schultzy’s or the Ocean State icon that is Flo’s Drive-In, located just next door.

What you won’t find is any rivalry between the two eateries. 

“When he’s open, I’m busy,” she says. “When he’s closed, it’s not as busy. So the more people that have businesses on the street, the better off we all are.”

The Schultz family will be selling seafood by the shore through Labor Day or so, and then will enjoy the fall, winter and a bit of spring together before doing it all again next season. It’s a life that lets them enjoy holidays together — something they could never do when working for others in the hospitality industry. 

“We always celebrated Christmas on a different day, and Thanksgiving on like a Tuesday,” Deb says. “So now we can all be together as a family. It’s really nice.” 346 Park Ave., Portsmouth, 683-2663, schultzyssnackshack.com —D.L.

 

Quito’s Restaurant

From fish market to waterfront restaurant, Quito’s keeps family traditions alive with fresh fare and honest work. By Edelinda Baptista 

Before Quito’s was a restaurant, it was a fish market. The shellfish shop opened off Bristol Harbor in 1954 and later expanded into a family seafood restaurant. Peter Quito established the market, and his son, Albert, transformed it into something more.

Alyssa Quito, general manager of the restaurant and Albert’s daughter, remembers her grandmother Joanne Quito’s fish and chips, sold out of a small window of the fish market along with lobster rolls.

“Grandma had a very small kitchen that had one little stove,” says Alyssa. “She cooked for locals on Fridays starting in the late sixties. When my parents had [us three] children and moved to Maine in the nineties, my dad decided he wanted to reestablish Quito’s as a restaurant.”

The family spent time in both Maine (where Alyssa’s mother is from) and Rhode Island while Albert renovated and expanded the kitchen. Meanwhile, his father, Peter, continued to run the fish market. In its first days as a restaurant, only four booths sat inside the space with a couple tables in front of the building.

The restaurant part of the business took off, bringing in more profit than the fish market. Then Albert called in contractors to renovate the entire building. This meant a bigger kitchen, a larger indoor dining room and a growing clientele storming in for Joanne’s cooking.

“Grandma has always been a hard worker and wanted to have her own thing,” Alyssa says.

Alyssa — who’s been helping with the restaurant since she was twelve — and her youngest brother, Michael, work alongside their father, managing the kitchen, tending to patrons and coming up with the menu selections.

Customer favorites include the fish and chips and the clams, which have been fried staples on the menu for ages. “My father is one of the most meticulous people when it comes to the oil here; he changes it religiously,” says Alyssa. 

With Bristol Harbor and Independence Park merely steps away, the breezy and serene space encourages guests to unwind, if a food coma doesn’t hit first. “We have a drink called Relaxing on the Harbor, and I think that describes the vibe here,” Alyssa says. The restaurant also offers gelato from a walk-up window as a creamy post-dinner treat.

Coming to Quito’s has been a decades-long tradition for thousands of families. Continuing the Quito family tradition, Alyssa’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Sadie, has been working alongside her family, just like her mother and grandmother. Soon, she’ll be serving tables and learning the tricks to making her great-grandmother’s baked clams and fish and chips to carry on that tradition, too. 411 Thames St., Bristol, 253-4500, quitosrestaurant.com

 

Amaral’s Fish and Chips

Generations of the Amaral family run this local seafood shop with a Portuguese twist.  By Jamie Coelho 

It’s only 9 a.m. at Amaral’s fish and chips in warren, and already four men are gathered at Formica tables sipping coffee and socializing. The digital menu board, which replaced the letter board several years ago, isn’t even on yet. Brothers Donald and Tony Amaral are in the kitchen prepping for the day.

The group of men are talking up the owners of the family-run clam shack because they are too humble to sing their own praises. “Did you know he feeds the community?” says one loyal patron. “He makes turkey and ham dinners at Christmas for people in need in the neighborhood.”

While Tony Amaral doesn’t volunteer this information, his loyal fan base is the first to cheer their friend’s generosity. 

“It was our tenth year and last year we fed about 350 people. Anyone who would like a hot meal,” Tony says.

While Amaral’s primarily serves fish and chips, clam cakes and chowder and stuffies, it also offers Portuguese kale soup and turns out grinders, including one stacked with chourico.

It’s a family-owned business that started in 1979 as Rego’s Fish and Chips in Bristol, owned by Manny Rego. The Amaral brothers, Tony, Donald and John (who passed away in 1993), bought the business, turned it into Amaral’s and moved it to the current location in 1984. Now both Tony and Donald run it with their children, including Tony’s kids, his son, Brian Amaral, and daughter, Meghan Franco, as well as Donald’s kids, Shawn and Josh Amaral. Tony and Donald’s sister, Dot, is also involved. “That’s where we’re at right now, where the help is all family,” Tony says. “We have brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, kids — everyone pitches in.”

Amaral’s sources fish and local clams from Tony’s Seafood, based in Warren and Seekonk, Massachusetts. They use haddock for fish and chips and scallops come from New Bedford. They buy whole quahogs for chowder and shuck them in house, preserving the clam juice.

“There’s no waste with quahogs. We use the juice, the shells and the meat for stuffies and we use the quahogs for chowder, too,” Tony Amaral says. “We make our own, red, white and natural chowder, and we use the fresh juice for our clam cake batter.”

While COVID-19 was tough on many businesses, Tony says their business doubled. They set up online ordering and became a takeout operation. “We met so many different people from everywhere,” he says. “It really got our name out there.”

Amaral’s is also known for its housemade Portuguese sweetbread, available on Wednesdays through Fridays. Tony’s mother passed away four years ago, but his son, Brian, took on the task using the recipe that was passed down from his great-grandmother. “It’s year-round,” Tony says. “He does 160 loaves a week.” Vovó must be proud. 4 Redmond St., Warren, 247-0675, amaralsfishandchips.com

 

Clam Shack Time Warp

From the first in the state to the most current shop, Rhode Islanders love their clam cakes. 

1920 Carrie Cooper and her husband, Ulysses, open Aunt Carrie’s at the tail end of Narragansett after first selling fritters, chowder and lemonade from a little makeshift stand by the Point Judith Lighthouse.

1936 Tiverton sisters Flora and Alice Helger start selling fried seafood delicacies out of a souped-up chicken coop, which would later become Flo’s in Island Park in Portsmouth.

1948 Norman Durfee buys a tiny fisherman’s shack called George’s Lunch and opens it as George’s of Galilee. 

1950s Monahan’s starts as Monahan’s Bait & Tackle, operating as a gas station selling milk, bread and eggs, and serving as a bait shop.

1954 Quito’s starts as a shellfish market.

1969 Evelyn DuPont and her husband, Pat, open Evelyn’s Drive-In seafood shack on Nanaquaket Pond in Tiverton.

1978 Komes Rozes buys Flo’s Drive-In in Island Park.

1984 Amaral’s Fish and Chips opens its Warren location, after Tony Amaral started out at Rego’s Fish and Chips in Bristol and bought the business. 

1987 Jane Bitto purchases Evelyn’s Drive-In with her husband, Domenic, and they continue running it today.

1989 The first Iggy’s Doughboys & Chowder House is born at Oakland Beach in Warwick. 

1990 Komes Rozes opens a second Flo’s Clam Shack in a former beach cottage along First (Easton’s) Beach in Middletown.

2007 Monahan’s begins operating under its current name and owners.

2012 Middletown residents Deborah and Kurt Schultz buy the Old World Stone Works building in Portsmouth’s Island Park and open it as Schultzy’s Snack Shack. 

2015 Iggy’s Doughboys and Chowder House opens its Narragansett location.

2015 Iggy’s Boardwalk: Lobster and Clam Bar and Iggy’s Creamery launch at Oakland Beach in Warwick, effectively creating an Iggy’s compound. 

2017 Dune Brothers opens in the heart of Providence’s Innovation and Design District, bringing seafood shack fare to the city.

2022 Monahan’s expands to the former Hitching Post location on Post Road in Charlestown.

 

Aunt Carrie’s

The Narragansett clam shack celebrates 103 years in business. By Kaitlyn Murray

Aunt Carrie’s isn’t the easiest eatery to find, but that’s never been a problem for this iconic seaside shack. It has remained a beacon for sea-foodies for more than a century, surviving depressions and recessions, world wars and pandemics, blizzards and hurricanes.

“It’s a destination and always has been,” says owner Elsie Foy.

She would know: Her first job was manning the Aunt Carrie’s counter at sixteen. It’s also where she met her husband, Bill, a line cook at the time and the grandson of none other than Aunt Carrie herself.

Originally hailing from North Kingstown, Carrie Cooper and her husband, Ulysses, eventually moved to his home state of Connecticut for a time, but they were always sure to return to Rhode Island (Narragansett, specifically) with their six kids to camp out on the beach in the years before 1920. Noting a lack of refreshments in the area, the Coopers began selling lemonade to local fishermen and campers. Meanwhile, Carrie, who grew up on a farm, took a simple family corn fritter recipe and gradually transformed it into a clam fritter recipe with bivalves her children would bring back after a day of fishing. Other campers were enticed by the savory scent, and soon the family started selling fritters, chowder and lemonade from a little stand by the Point Judith Lighthouse. By 1920, they had built the Aunt Carrie’s property we know and love today.

“She always had nieces and nephews around, so everyone was always saying, ‘Aunt Carrie, Aunt Carrie!,’” Foy says with a laugh.

But Aunt Carrie wasn’t alone.

“Ulysses did a lot, too. He’d be the one to drive to Providence to pick up fish from the fish market and to host clambakes at the Kingston Fairgrounds,” Foy says. 

Aunt Carrie’s has only seen a handful of renovations over the years, including an expansion in the fifties and a kitchen overhaul this past year. The retro counter and family-style front dining room are original to the building.

As are the beloved “clam cakes.”

“It was always a clam fritter; only in Rhode Island are they called clam cakes. If you go to Maine and order a clam cake, it’s flat like a pancake,” Foy says. 

Nowadays, the Aunt Carrie’s version of the Rhode Island delicacy is bigger and fluffier than the competition, hand-scooped-and-plopped-in-the-fryer so no two are alike. 

“We don’t change because then it wouldn’t be Aunt Carrie’s. We talk about adding specials, but there’s no point. You’re coming for clam cakes, chowder, lobster rolls, whole clams, fish and chips — that’s what sells.”

The homemade pies and breads are popular — and available for pre-order online — while the ice cream shop across the way is still going strong after fifteen years, selling Rhode Island-made ice cream.

“That’s very important to us: supporting local,” says Foy. “All of our fresh flounder, lobsters and sometimes steamers come right from Galilee.”

Aunt Carrie’s is a matchmaker in the traditional sense, too. Not only did it foster Foy’s marriage (which led to a fourth generation of family team members — her daughters, Amy and Laura), but also countless other relationships among staff. 

Guests return for a dose of nostalgia, admiring the photos and memorabilia peppering the walls. Though Aunt Carrie’s didn’t properly celebrate its 100^th anniversary in 2020 due to COVID, it’s clear there will be many more milestones to come. 1240 Ocean Rd., Narragansett, 783-7930, auntcarriesri.com

 

 

Iggy’s Doughboys and Chowder House

Two locations dish out tried-and-true seafood staples. 

Iggy’s has become a household name in the Ocean State, but it all started with a small shack with a small menu in a small seaside community. 

One summer, a local hairstylist named Gaetano Gravino took on extra work at a local doughboy stand called Gus’s at Oakland Beach in Warwick. When the building came up for lease, Gravino and his wife, Sally, jumped at the opportunity. The first Iggy’s Chowder House was born in 1989, offering a limited menu of clam cakes and chowder. The featured dish was not New England white nor Rhode Island clear chowder, but Manhattan red chowder made from a closely guarded family recipe on Sally’s side. The fan-favorite fluffy and sweet doughboys didn’t appear on the menu until later. 

You can thank Gravino’s license plate and his children for the nickname-turned-business-name, according to Iggy’s Operations Manager Caitlyn White.

“His license plate was IG-6, and growing up, the kids would always tease their father and say, ‘Oh, you’re Ig,’ and he was like, ‘No, I’m Dad!’” she says. “So, when they needed a name, they said, ‘Why don’t you call it Iggy’s?’”

David Gravino inherited the Iggy name when he took over the business following his father’s death, and by embracing the nickname. He heads up the Warwick location with his sister, Maryanne, and opened the Narragansett location at the turn of the twenty-first century, building a brand-new restaurant in 2015. Like its predecessors, the spruced-up shack has a prime, ocean-adjacent address, the original Iggy’s menu fixings — and, it’s now open for business year-round. 

The year 2015 also saw the launch of Iggy’s Boardwalk: Lobster and Clam Bar and Iggy’s Creamery, across the street from the original clam shack in Warwick. 

“The family always owned the property that the Boardwalk is on,” White explains. “They used to rent out the building to different restaurants. But then, Gravino turned it into a sit-down, full-service restaurant.

“It features clam shack items, but we also have a full raw bar with oysters, littlenecks and shrimp cocktail, along with lobster dinners and chicken Parmesan, marsala and so on,” says White, adding that the site also has a full liquor license.

It has both an interior bar and an outdoor gazebo bar overlooking Narragansett Bay, as well as an attached Creamery window complete with hard ice cream, soft serve, shakes and more.  

As of this summer, all of Iggy’s chowders are also naturally gluten-free, while the Narragansett location is aiming to provide gluten-free clam cakes.  

“We did a crossover with Blackie’s [restaurant in Smithfield] last summer and got a lot of positive feedback,” White says. “There are so many people who suffer from celiac who haven’t had a clam cake since they were a kid, and now they can.”

Plus, if you’ve ever wished the clam shack could come to you, White has great news for you.

“Our latest venture is the Iggy’s food truck. We’ll come to any private event in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts and Connecticut,” White says. 889 Oakland Beach Ave., Warwick, 737-9459; 1151 Point Judith Rd., Narragansett, 783-5608, iggysri.com —K.M. 

 

Monahan’s Clam Shack

A family-run clam shack survives multiple storms and expands with a second location. By Kerri Tallman

Not much survives truly wicked hurricanes and tropical storms along the coast, especially small, family-owned clam shacks, but Monahan’s Clam Shack is an exception. Monahan’s elevation above the dock in Narragansett gave the shack “a bit of a cushion,” says co-owner Matt Combs. Clearly, his grandparents, the original owners, knew how to build a solid foundation that would stand the test of weather and time.

In the 1950s, Monahan’s Bait & Tackle operated as a gas station selling milk, bread and eggs, renting row boats to tourists and serving as a bait shop. The shack slowly evolved as son, Clayton, and his wife, Katie, took over and named it Monahan’s Cove. For years, the shack was successful. When Clayton died, the shack passed onto his children: Matt and Clayton Combs and Bridget Reed.

Monahan’s has operated under its current name since 2007, entering its sixteenth season. Nearly seventy-five years after first opening, the shack recently expanded to the former Hitching Post location on Post Road in Charlestown. “It’s a huge family affair,” Combs says. The new location offers a mirrored menu of the Narragansett shack. The previous owners of the Hitching Post had a similar story of a family-owned-and-run clam shack since the fifties. 

The menu has remained the same, focusing on fried seafood. However, Combs and his siblings fancied up the fare by adding more seafood dishes, a dairy bar and boozy beverages. “Traditional fried food is awesome, but people are changing their health,” he says. 

What remains the same is what Monahan’s is best known for: its lobster roll. Loaded with lobster meat, it’s offered either hot — lobster meat cooked on a flat top with drawn butter and a secret spice — or cold — dressed in a light mayonnaise and seasoning. There’s also an incentive to eat more through a punch card: Buy six lobster rolls (phew) and get the seventh free.

If indulging in cracked-open crustaceans doesn’t sound appealing, go for the clam cakes, fish and chips, fish tacos or the Reuben sandwich made with flounder. All fish are locally sourced from Narragansett Bay Lobsters. 

Whether you’re on a stroll on the Narragansett sea wall or driving back from Misquamicut State Beach, stop by one of the locations, place your order, take a number and relax at the outdoor firepits while your seafood staples are cooked to perfection. 190 Ocean Rd., Narragansett, 782-2524; 5204 Post Rd., Charlestown, 364-7495, monahansri.com

 

George’s of Galilee

Three generations of the Durfee family have owned and operated George’s of Galilee since 1948. By Kate Ayers 

“You might as well buy the place,” was Edna Durfee’s advice to husband Norman Durfee, the man who would eventually buy George’s Lunch, a humble shack where fishermen grabbed their morning coffees before heading out to sea for the day. 

Don’t let the name George fool you — the real name behind this seafood staple is Durfee, as in Norman, E. Richard and Kevin Durfee, the men who have owned and operated George’s of Galilee since its opening in 1948.

The Durfee lineage traces back to 1660 when Thomas Durfee first arrived in Portsmouth. A friend to Native Americans despite his indentured servitude to the solicitor general of the colony of Rhode Island (a notorious enemy of the Wampanoag people), his friendship with Wamsutta, King Philip’s older brother, is the reason why, locals say, we have Rhode Island clam chowder. The two men would often share stories and recipes; Thomas told Wamsutta of the English “chowder,” and Wamsutta told Thomas of one of the Wampanoag’s staple foods, the “quahog.” The rest is history.  

This history motivated one of the descendants of Thomas, Norman Durfee, to turn the tiny coffee shop that was George’s Lunch into a clam shack based on their ancestors’ seafood recipes. The most famous menu item quickly became its quahog chowder, a warm bowl of clear broth filled with the freshest seafood provided by the fishermen themselves. Today, the chowder remains a prominent feature on George’s menu and is still made the same way.

Maintaining tradition is a priority for the Durfees, as the shack started by Norman was passed on to his son E. (Elton) Richard Durfee and his son, Kevin Durfee. Norman Durfee ran the shack until his retirement in 1969. From that point until 1995, Richard owned and operated George’s. He then expanded the shack to a two-story building with a deck for waterfront dining. After his father retired, Kevin took over the restaurant and has run it for twenty-eight years. Whether he plans to retire and pass it onto his son remains to be seen, but one truth on which you can rely is that some things never change. 250 Sand Hill Cove Rd., Narragansett, 783-2306, georgesofgalilee.com

 

Dune Brothers

Rhode Island-caught fish is on the menu at this cityside seafood shack. 

Dune Brothers is more fish shack than clam shack. While clam cakes and chowder are always on the menu, the draw is fresh, sustainable fish landed at the docks in southern Rhode Island.

“Our whole motto is pier to plate, which is a take on farm to table,” says Nick Gillespie, who owns Dune Brothers with his wife, Monica. 

The “fish shack” is a charming, red-shingled hut where they cook items like a fried fish sandwich, fish and chips, a lobster roll drizzled with French butter sauce and lemon served with a dusting of Old Bay and touch of mayo, and specials that feature the fresh catch of the day. Picnic tables with umbrellas shade guests in a seashell-paved area, located across the street from the Providence River Pedestrian Bridge. 

Nick and Monica met and fell in love while working at a chicken shack in Portland, Oregon. When they lived there, Nick and his friend started doing pop-up clam shack events around the city using local seafood because they missed the food back home. While Monica is from Portland, her mother grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, and they came back east often to visit. The couple eventually decided to move back and open a clam shack closer to home.

Gillespie opened Dune Brothers nearly six years ago with a former partner at what they thought would be a temporary pop-up location with a grassy green area for live performances and outdoor events. The seasonal storefront became permanent, but they are looking to move into a year-round brick-and-mortar shop in Providence. They are also opening a second Dune Brothers location on the Cape this fall, which is where Nick’s family is from.

The couple just welcomed baby girl Frances in March. Monica, a former case manager and job coach for people with disabilities, worked at the shack throughout her whole pregnancy — despite the olfactory challenges — doing pickups and managing the counter, and now she handles mostly behind-the-scenes tasks. 

Chef Billy Panzella is at the helm in the kitchen using the seafood Gillespie picks up from Lotzzo’s Fish and fisher Corey Wheeler, buckets of clams from Andrade’s Catch and produce from Wishing Stone Farm. They use dogfish (also known as Cape Shark) for fish and chips and adopted the United Kingdom style of frying it. “It’s beer battered using Narragansett beer,” he says. 

There is a whole sustainable fish special on the menu, which can range from scup and weakfish to sea bass. “It’s nice to be able to highlight the fish with roasted and pan-seared options,” Monica says.

The most popular item, however, is the lobster roll. “People pull up with their rolling suitcases and they are about to get on the train or catch a flight, and they’re like, “I just wanted a lobster roll,’” Monica says. Way to make a lasting impression. 239 Dyer St., Providence, dunebrothers.com —J.C.

 

 

Worth the Clams

More clam shacks to love in the Ocean State.

Blount Clam Shack

Blount is a more-than-125-year-old business with several locations: Warren has a seasonal clam shack on Water Street (across the street from its year-round market), and there’s also a market in Fall River, Massachusetts. More recently, Blount launched a mobile food truck so you never have to miss out on clam cakes served with housemade sauce perfectly paired with one of two chowders, creamy New England or Manhattan red. Blount Clam Shack on  the Waterfront, 335 Water St., Warren, 245-3210; Blount Clam Shack and Market, 406 Water St., Warren, 245-1800, blountfinefoods.com/blount-clam-shack

Rebecca’s Seafood

Steps away from where the Block Island Ferry docks at Old Harbor, this charming clam shack welcomes hungry travelers with the usual seafood suspects like lobster rolls, clam cakes and chowder and epic fried scallop rolls. 435 Water St., New Shoreham, 466-5411, rebeccasseafood.com

Jim’s Dock

Started in 1972, Jim’s Dock lives on as a seafood restaurant with sit-down dining indoors or on the deck, and takeout options including clam cakes and chowder, stuffies, fish and chips, whole belly clams and more. 1175 Succotash Rd., Narragansett, 783-2050

Salty’s Clam Shack

Trek on down to this little spot for twists on classic seafood shack staples. You can taste the sweet and saltiness of the clams through the clam cake batter. Grab a quick bite before a flick at the drive-in theater. 668 Atlantic Ave., Westerly, 322-8219

Two Little Fish

Family-owned for twenty-six years, this clam shack and restaurant serves up some of the freshest catch in Westerly, including battered and fried haddock, the twin lobster platter for two (sub hot and cold rolls or mix and match if you like), sea scallops and more. 300 Atlantic Ave., Misquamicut, 348-9941, twolittlefishseafood.com

Tommy’s World Famous Clam Shack

It’s world famous in Warwick for its old school stand that serves seafood in a setting with a large outdoor patio. Specialties are cooked to order using seafood sourced from local fishermen. Options include lobster rolls, fish and chips, fishermen’s platters, fried clams, clam cakes and chowder and more. 2247 Warwick Ave., Warwick, 739-2526, tommysclamshack.com

Chevy’s Shack at Gardner’s Wharf 

Chevy’s Shack serves seafood straight from Gardner’s Wharf Seafood where Narragansett Bay fishermen deliver their catch every day. Options include a lobster roll, served warm with butter on a brioche roll, clam cakes and chowder, fried scallops and clams, fish and chips and more.  170 Main St., Wickford, 295-4600, gardnerswharfseafood.com  —J.C.