Durks for BBQ

This. It’s the only answer.

Thank you. We will check it out.

This is the way

If you’re willing to travel this far for great food, take the trip over to Warren Ri while you are here to go Craft Revival Kitchen and get the Marsala Braised Pork Osso Bucco. I’ve lived here for 1.5 years and it’s the best dish I’ve found in Ri. (Water Dog down the street also has incredible octopus tacos if you’re into that kind of thing)

Great North is a little different but I think the best in Providence

lived here my whole life!

best streets: Westminster St (downtown) Wickenden St (east side) Broadway (west end)

food: oberlin (high end) figidini (fancy pizza) den den (korean bbq), apsara (thai), troop (brunch), los andes (peruvian), fellini’s (quick slice), pastiche (dessert)

cocktails: the eddy, courtland club, dean hotel bar, isco distillery dives: scurvy or nick a nees

for events: jack o lantern spectacular, iron pour at steelyard

to do: RISD museum, cellar stories bookstore, india point park, swan point cemetery, roger williams park

Wow thank you! Adding a lot of that to our list.

No drive is too far for good food. Best part of traveling. Thank you!

We like different so we'll check it out. Thanks!

Seriously? Stay home if you want BBQ. You come out this way for seafood.

Does this mean that when I visit a Kansas City I should ask on Reddit where to get the best Shrimp Mozambique?

Great Northern is also good.

In all honesty, this is a pretty broad New England Itinerary. Rhode Island has some really special local foods and some wonderful local restaurants-- if that's in any way your thing then I'd just see what is in your interest. Great Northern is also really solid, but I'd also recommend you branch out to stuff like seafood that will probably be more unusual for KC.

That's just me, though. This itinerary is pretty touristy (which is fine) and a lot of time on the highways, but locally we have a ton to offer if you want suggestions. I'd recommend wickford village, pastiche and federal hill, and a walk through downtown areas like the pedestrian bridge. Brown, Hope st., Benefit St. are all beautiful to walk around, especially this time of year, and the Colonial homes are so colorful and unique.

edit: wickford is about 30 min south, but you seem to be looking outside of PVD

Can't say about the BBQ but check out WaterFire tomorrow 10/22. It is a very Providence thing to do.

I have eaten at a few seafood places. Unfortunately my fiancé does not like seafood. Any recommendations though?

Sure! I could recommend a few good seafood places.

Thank you. We seen that and considered going. Will definitely go now.

The joke is that our barbecue ain't that good. Texans and Kansans don't often agree about barbecue, but you'll probably agree that even RI's best would be considered average in a place known for barbecue. I moved here from Texas almost 7 years ago, and the barbecue and chicken friend steak just don't scratch that itch. It's good, but folks are picky about barbecue. Thankfully you already hit all the best food spots! Good luck 😃

Definitely TGI Friday's for ribs!

Already in my top 5. /s

I believe they have someone in house who specializes in just sausage. That…cannot be common.

Slow Rhode is a spot I enjoy as a midwesterner myself - but now living here.

Also, if you want some good breakfast biscuit sandwiches check out Irregardless Biscuit Co. - they're on Broadway in Fed Hill (same owner as Slow Rhode I believe)

Having lived in and still visiting the south regularly, Providence (like most of New England) does not have bbq that is comparable in terms of quality and price to what you would find in GA, NC or Memphis (never made it to KC).

If I were in your shoes, unless the hankering for BBQ is irresistible, I would seek out what PVD excels at and may not (again have not been) be as readily available in KC.

I saw that your partner does not love seafood, there are plenty of other options Portuguese, Bolivian/Peruvian, Italian…

Al Forno. There is not a restaurant in KC like it. It’s nothing over the top or fancy, just really solid food every single time (one of the more consistent restaurants there is). The menu right now is very fall themed and has a mix of traditional Italian, seafood and grilled items. Mind you, it’s very popular and I’d get there within an hour of opening to snag a table or spot at the bar. Oh, and the desserts are made to order and 🏅

Good Stuff Smokehouse in near by Blackstone MA. They only smoke the good stuff.

Just an FYI - Apsara is Cambodian not Thai. I know food-wise it's all a little confusing, but the owners are Cambodian and we all consider it a Cambodian restaurant.

Becky’s Barbecue in Middletown, it’s close to Newport. I think it’s the best in the state.

This is the way

I was going to say about the same. I’m from upstate NY originally… I’ve had Durks and they don’t even come close to Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse. Most likely you’ll be disappointed anywhere you try.

Durk’s BBQ is the best in the city. Great Northern BBQ is an okay restaurant, but ironically the BBQ is the worst part of their menu.

Kansas City native here! The Smokeshop near Boston is where you need to go if you want real KC burnt ends. Like others have said I also recommend trying the Thai, Indian, or Italian but if you really need those sweet sweet burnt ends, now you know. Their pimento Mac and cheese is amazing too, and they have an extensive whiskey menu.

Feel free to pm me if you want other KC perspective opinions. I also hate seafood

Also definitely go to Waterfire!!

Eat seafood!

I would never travel to KC and ask “what’s your best calamari and lobster roll?”

Ever since they moved, it just hasn’t been as good as when they were on Thayer. Last time I got the brisket, it was insanely salty. Like a straight up salt lick. The sausages were good, and the bbq pirogies were amazing though.

100% the best. I have never been disappointed with them, and have ordered maybe 10 times in total.

No offense. You don't go to Kansas City for seafood, and you don't come to Providence for BBQ. Get some Italian, Portuguese, or deep-fried seafood. Any BBQ in this area is a rip-off of some other region's style.

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Edit: if you're considering Portuguese, take a car to Fall River and go to Sagres. It doesn't get better than that.

No offense taken. Best seafood places in RI is something relatively easy to google and I did already do a search on this sub. Best BBQ in the New England area wasn't so easy to find. I love seafood and plan to try a lot (have had some already). Just thought it would be fun to see what the locals think is good BBQ. Come to KC and I will tell you what we consider "good" seafood and would love to hear your thoughts (I know ours is worse).

I just want to reiterate. It's not something people talk or think about a lot in terms of foodin the US. But if you're in the Northeast get some Portuguese food. It doesn't have to be seafood, you can get a nice steak or pork. It's among the best cuisine in the world (just ask the big shot gamblers in Macau). There aren't many places in the country that will have better Guese food than Providence/Fall River/New Bedford/Cape Cod. Anthony Bourdain frequented these places and for those of us in the know, it's often a weekly outing. You can't go wrong with a Portuguese Ribeye.

BT’s Smokehouse is the only thing remotely close to Rhode Island that I would even have the gaul to mention to a midwesterner when it comes to BBQ.

A lot of people have recommended against bbq but if you insist, BTs Smokehouse in Sturbridge MA is about the best in new england and it's an hour drive from PVD in the opposite direction of cape cod. There's also Sweet Cheeks in Boston, if you like to sit in traffic and pay $25 for parking. As for cape cod, it's worth the time to trek to the outer Cape and visit the upper reaches of the national seashore. There are some great walks in Wellfleet, Eastham, and Provincetown which are especially beautiful this time of year.

On their website, they do say that they cook the dishes of their home countries of Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and China.

So it looks like both Cambodia and Thailand are correct.

Top two in southern NE

Cranston RI https://www.ourtableri.com/

Sturbridge MA https://www.btsmokehouse.com/

As many others have said, Rhode Island isn’t really known for its BBQ. Try branching out. We are known for our seafood, but if your fiancé doesn’t like that your best bet is either Italian or Portuguese food. For the former, Federal Hill. For the latter, literally anywhere in East Providence. Glad you’re liking it here. Have fun!

There is no good bbq in Providence. The closest awesome bbq is BT’s Smokehouse in Sturbridge, Ma. It’s definitely as good as a lot of bbq I’ve had while visiting the south. Treehouse brewing is one of the top rated breweries in the country and is close by, and BTs is byob. So yeah, if you want good bbq then spend an afternoon out there.

Listen, it’s not going to be like Kansas City BBQ. We simply aren’t known for that lol but I’d recommend Chester’s BBQ in Groton CT. My fiancé loves seafood and I hate it so we have this seafood issue a lot. For a quick bite, Fred Shanty’s in New London Ct down by the water. For a restaurant with seafood and Non seafood options: anywhere in mystic CT!!! Including our faves: red 36 and S &P Oyster bar. Also, on the waterfront in new london CT. Definitely check out mystic while you’re hear! Sounds like you’ve seen a lot of Rhode Island and mass! What a fun trip! Enjoy!

I second Los Andes!! Yummmmm! So good!

If you're looking for a spot in the broader new England area, BT's smokehouse in Sturbridge MA. Hands down the best BBQ i've had. They've won a bunch of awards and shown up on "best in USA" lists. If you're beer drinkers, it's BYOB and right near yankee spirits, which has a beer section the size of some grocery stores

You won’t find anything that compares, BBQ is not in the DNA. If you insist, I can tell you Durk’s is not the place for you.

Wes’ Rib House is temporarily closed if seems.

Funny, I thought it sucked on Thayer and actually like it now. I blame the magic spirits of the Satin Doll.

I will second Great Northern. They do a great job of doing their own thing and definitely don't try and be something they are not. I would say they are a good example of "local" New England BBQ.

Re: Fun stuff to do, holy crap, the Iron Pour is TODAY!!!

Wes’s

GottaQ in Cumberland slaps guy wins contests all the time I think he also has a location in Narragansett too

Lucky Enough and Durks bbq are both amazing in providence

Originally from kcmo...best I've found is gottaq!

Ohana

Let’s note that Pastiche doesn’t have sit down service anymore.

Maybe someone posted... But Great Northern is pretty decent for northern BBQ also. Better prices than Durk's.

Great Northern on the west side is overlooked here.

I second Sagres! Worth the trip to Fall River!

Im shocked you are the only one who has mentioned it so far. It’s so good.

Why oh why? Even the best Providence bbq would be subpar in a real barbecue town. Get seafood, Italian, pizza, breakfast…..

A real Providence experience would be a place like Angelo’s, Mike’s at the VFW, Twins Pizza….

From Georgia here... where do you get chicken fried steak in RI?

good to know! i couldn’t decide what to call it because i know it’s a lot of different asian dishes, helps to know the owners are cambodian

Great northern bbq is the shit, hands down

I was thinking Chowder & Clamcakes. When is low tide on the Missouri?

Yes you can find decent BBQ in the area but the OP shouldn't expect to find something equal to that from one of the BBQ epicenters of the country. Durks is good but it leans towards the Texas style not KC, so there's that too.

Shrimp Mozambique sounds pretty good BTW. I'd encourage the OP try to some Portuguese/Cape Verde cuisine before leaving the area. It's one of our somewhat under the radar regional specialties that isn't easy to find in most parts of the US.

Like others have said, the BBQ culture here doesn't touch what you'd find in KC. I lived in NC for a year and have become a bit of a BBQ snob as a result. However, either Our Table Barbecue (bangin' brisket) and Smoke and Squeal would be solid stops if you're hoping for some barbecue during your visit. I'll go against the grain and recommend NOT going to Durk's. Their ribs are dry and just. . .no.