While we’ll never exhaust all the restaurant and dining options in Rhode Island, we thought it was high time we traverse the other big bridge over state lines to explore some foodie finds in Fall River, Massachusetts.
By Jamie Coelho with assistance by Lauren Clem and Dana Laverty
Fall River is a melting pot of good food. It’s well known for its Portuguese cuisine, but everywhere you turn, there’s another market or restaurant representing a different culture. Not only are there fabulous Portuguese restaurants, bakeries and food markets, there are also dining institutions for Polish pierogies, Coney Island hot dogs, Italian-style grinders, Chinese chow mein, Lebanese spinach pies, English pork pies, gluten-free fare and so much more. The food and culture all relate back to the whaling and textile industries that initially brought so many immigrants to this area.
New Bedford was once the whaling capital of the world. Whaling ships picked up men from the Azores to work on the ships, and many of them settled in southeastern New England. After the whaling industry declined, the textile industry took off, and Fall River was the perfect place to establish mills due to its “falling river” — the Quequechan River — with its series
of eight falls that created ample power for industrialization. Factory and mill work brought European immigrants from other countries
to the area.
More Portuguese people later moved here to escape volcanic activity in the Azores and to avoid getting drafted into the Angolan Civil War, which ended Portuguese colonial rule in Africa. Many took jobs in the booming textile industry and other trades. Today, southeastern New England has the largest population of Portuguese people in the United States, with 46 percent of Fall River’s population claiming Portuguese ancestry. We took a couple of days to explore the dining and food shopping scenes with several trusted tour guides, and here’s what we found.
Portuguese chef Mitch Mauricio takes us on a spur-of-the-moment journey to visit his favorite Fall River food spots.
Where to go for Portuguese treats.
Looking for doughy, tasty delights without the gluten? These restaurants and bakeries are worth the drive.
Sam’s Bakery has been serving Lebanese meat pies and pita bread for sixty-three years.
The vast marketplace can be overwhelming to the unfamiliar, but not when chef Natalia Paiva-Neves of O Dinis is your tour guide.
The city is about more than just Portuguese food.
The Fabric Arts Festival was founded to unite the three cities of Fall River and New Bedford, Massachusetts, and Providence.
The ‘Azorean Green Bean’ shares her favorite culinary hot spots in Fall River.
More Portuguese restaurants for traditional specialties.
Portuguese wines selected by Nelly and Chris Saraiva of Brands of Portugal.
Portuguese CHefs share their favorite recipes to make at home.
