Dining Review: The New Breakfast Bunch in Rhode Island

Photography by Angel Tucker

Ellie’s, Providence

Photography by Angel Tucker

As far as a baked breakfast goes, Ellie’s is the OG, turning out French-inspired pastries and other treats in downtown Providence for the past thirteen years. It’s in a new setting these days, right across the street from Oberlin on what’s developed into hot blocks of culinary goodness. (Gift Horse and Cielito also grace the acreage, along with newcomer Claudine down the street.)

The new space strikes a balance between farmhouse chic, she-shed opulence and a timeless French cafe. With Parisian blue accents and mammoth milk glass lighting, it remains the most genteel spot to have brunch in Providence, and that goes well beyond the food. Servers dole out compliments like they do coffee (“You’re rocking that haircut, honey!”) and recognize that brunchers commit wholeheartedly (“I’ve got two first dates in the other room,” winks the hostess. “Let’s give them a bit of space, shall we?”). 

Photography by Angel Tucker

There’s no discernible soundtrack because the hum of conversation remains indefatigable. It’s no coincidence given the table signs that strongly suggest (or softly demand) giving up technology in favor of socialization. As it turns out, the new space, with soaring ceilings and ample views, suits Ellie’s quite well. It’s often crowded but feels expansive — a bit like Paris itself. 

Sweet runs deep at Ellie’s, as the pastry case always heralds cinnamon buns and French macarons, and it’s not uncommon to see diners nursing an Aperol spritz alongside their latte.

But savory dishes are equally rewarding, in part because few kitchens are more adept at dealing with butter and cheese. Croissants cradle kale and sauteed onions or ham and cheese, and ripe brie is served with black mission fig jam, Marcona almonds and baby greens ($18). But it’s the classic croque monsieur ($19) that manifests Ellie’s European spirit. It’s a demure presentation loaded with salty ham, Gruyere and bechamel that oozes dramatically and decadently — a reminder that brunch is trying to fit two meals into one.

ELLIE’S

250 Westminster St., Providence, 226-0510, elliesprov.com 

Breakfast and lunch, Tuesday–Sunday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Ellie’s morphs into a wine bar on Friday–Saturday, 6–10 p.m. Street parking. 

Must Get: Croque monsieur, anything baked. 

Photography by Angel Tucker

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Folklore Provisions, Bristol

Photography by Angel Tucker

Photography by Angel Tucker

Folklore Provisions sits on Bristol’s historic Hope Street, set between 200-year-old homes and across from a quirky antique store. It, too, carries its stories proudly — both by way of a Portuguese flair in the menu and the overt inclusion of family in every corner. This is Eli Dunn’s second restaurant, after the closing of Eli’s Kitchen in Warren and several years in the private catering sector. Folklore is part cafe, part takeout, part restaurant and part event space, though with just over a dozen seats, and more coming soon after an expansion next door, the neighborhood often gathers up goods to take on daily excursions. 

Business moves briskly in this small space, accented with nautical blue paint and a tiled counter that holds the daily pastry. It’s not unusual for cinnamon rolls, scones and specials to sell out by noon, though there’s always enough of the perennially popular cornbread ($9) to go around. Cut into sweet wedges and griddled, it’s an ambassador of breakfast, a bite that captures a cultural cross section while still being fully familiar. 

For those who eat in, the dining room is small and sparse — but for the pizza peel on the wall declaring Dunn a “Chopped” winner and the family photos that include Dunn and his wife (and business partner), Rachel Lopes-Almeida Dunn, and a shot of Phoebe’s Fish and Chips in Seekonk, Massachusetts, which was owned by Dunn’s mother. 

Photography by Angel Tucker

The menu offers traditional brunch fare (like avocado toast and “The Usual” with two eggs any style, home fries and toast, plus specials like pineapple pancakes and an assortment of daily hashes) but it’s entirely possible to get your lunch to go without suffering the effects of starch and sugar. The menu is big on sandwiches, including a rich tuna melt that showcases tuna imported from the Azores ($14), the smoky bacon BLT ($12) and an egg sandwich full of personality thanks to the chourico and crispy hash browns between the bolo bun ($10). Even the Caesar salad — loaded with sun-dried tomatoes and capers — is apropos for a day at the beach. 

Folklore also holds a Supper Club on the first Friday or Saturday evening of the month, focusing on a region, season, holiday or other inspiration. Because tickets are sold online, it’s a good way to get to Dunn’s food without the rush of a Sunday morning crowd and the confines of an egg-centered meal. 

FOLKLORE PROVISIONS

301 Hope St., Bristol, 638-0111, folkloreprovisions.com 

Open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday–Sunday. Dinner on the first Friday or Saturday of the month with advance ticket purchase online. Street parking. 

Must Get: Baked goods, egg sandwich, BLT. 

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Crepe Corner, Cranston

Photography by Angel Tucker

Photography by Angel Tucker

Natacha Legein was in the process of opening the second iteration of Crepe Corner in Pawtuxet Village in 2020 when she was hit by a car while walking on the sidewalk after leaving the bakery. It happened the night before her grand opening. After extensive rehabilitation, Legein returned to the helm of Crepe Corner, shifting the focus from a coffee shop to a full-service breakfast and brunch restaurant, offering her native Belgian breakfast to Rhode Islanders. 

The space is dominated by a massive poster of the Eiffel Tower looking down on diners and accented by a soundtrack of French music that often gets customers singing along if they’re longing for a French-speaking home. There are a lot of seats here — nearly sixty spread out among tables and a bar with charging ports. 

Not surprisingly, Belgian waffles are on the menu, topped with everything from berries and pastry cream ($12) to salted caramel or, as a savory approach, chicken and cheese ($14). But the real draw at the Corner are the namesake crepes. You can get them loaded with fruit and Nutella, but the crepes themselves are so good that unadorned is often the best option. (A spoonful of lemon curd — $8 — is the perfect foil for the tissue-
paper-thin pancakes.) 

Photography by Angel Tucker

You should come hungry for carbs, though, because the beignets are a sleeper ($9) — and while you can get them covered in Oreos or Speculos, they don’t need either. The kitchen also does the standards as well: omelets, poached eggs, French toast and home fries doused in cheese and bacon. But its heart is European, so wine flows all day if you’re committed to Sundays off. 

CREPE CORNER

2170 Broad St., Cranston, 461-2170, crepecornerri.com

Open for breakfast and lunch six days a week; closed Wednesdays. Street parking. 

Must Get: Beignets, crepes.