The Best Seafood Restaurants in Rhode Island

CLOCKWISE FROM
TOP LEFT: Slurping oysters at the Ocean State Oyster Festival; a lobster bake and a happy festival goer at the Charlestown Seafood Festival; lobster roll and various food trucks along the waterfront at the RI Seafood Festival; calamari at the RI Calamari Festival. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF OCEAN STATE OYSTER FESTIVAL/STEPHANIE EWENS; CHARLESTOWN SEAFOOD FESTIVAL; RI SEAFOOD FESTIVAL; RI CALAMARI FESTIVAL.

Festival Season

Save the dates for these Rhode Island seafood festivals. By Samantha Labrecque

Charlestown Seafood Festival
Get ready for a seafood-filled weekend in Charlestown. The festival doesn’t just serve up your favorite cuisine; quench your appetite for thrills on the amusement park rides, peruse an array of arts and crafts and watch a display of fireworks that will light up the night sky. Rhode Island’s best seafood will be available, including lobster, chowder, steamers, fish and chips and a raw bar, as well as festival favorites including burgers, hot dogs, french fries and more. Live music and bands will perform concerts daily and a car show will take place on Sunday at 11 a.m.
The Details: Aug. 3–5. Fri. noon–11 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. $9. Children younger than ten free. Military with ID and seniors $7. Ninigret Park, Old Post Rd., Charlestown, 364-4031, charlestownrichamber.com.

Rhode Island Calamari Festival
Our state appetizer is calamari, so it’s basically a requirement for every Rhode Islander to hit up this festival. Listen to live music, wander the vendor marketplace, grab a drink and eat copious amounts of calamari made by local restaurants. After you’ve licked the grease from your lips, make sure to vote for your favorite version; the winner gets statewide bragging rights. Squid-averse visitors and kiddos, fear not: Food trucks will also be in attendance with alternative eats.
The Details: Sept. 8. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. $10. Children younger than twelve free. Veterans Park, Ocean Road, Narragansett, ricalamarifest.com.

Rhode Island Seafood Festival
What is a Rhode Island summer festival without a day (or two) of celebrating all of the amazing seafood our state has to offer? Get a mouthful from the best local seafood vendors and sip local beer, wine and spirits. Held at India Point Park in Providence, this annual fest invites the public to slurp down oysters, crunch on calamari and nibble on other noshes with a view of the cityscape. If that’s not the best way to wave goodbye to summer, we don’t know one.
The Details: Sept. 8–9. Sat. 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. $5–$10. India Point Park, Providence, 845-222-7469, riseafoodfest.com.

Ocean State Oyster Festival
Knock back as many oysters as your heart (and stomach) desires. The annual Ocean State Oyster Festival celebrates Rhody’s aquaculture with a day full of shucking and slurping. Sample briny bivalves from dozens of local farms and wash them down with local brews. This family-friendly event provides a platform for festival-goers to learn more about Rhode Island oyster farming, and it also includes a shucking contest. The festival is working with the Compost Plant and the Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island to recycle and compost all waste and oyster shells for reef building.
The Details: Sept. 22. 1–7 p.m. $25–$30 per person, which includes six oysters and a beverage. Children younger than twelve free. Riverwalk Park, South Water Street, Providence, 345-5477, oysterfestri.com.