On a recent Thursday night in Providence, Rhode Island, as a veritable monsoon raged outside, the Courtland Club was packed, its vibe low-key lit: lights subdued, music loud, laughter even louder. Revelers tossed back bourbon-fueled Violet Beauregarde cocktails and munched on spicy chicken tenders with mint-miso ranch from James Beard–nominated chef Nikhil Naiker. A DJ played bumping hip-hop as bartenders shook drinks (and their hips) to the beat.
This was not an isolated incident. It turns out that Rhode Island’s capital has more nightlife establishments per person than New York City, some 632 overall, fueling a nearly $1 billion economy. It also has a higher share of students than Philadelphia, cheaper commercial rents than Boston, and a population as international as Los Angeles, with 42 percent of residents being foreign born. This year, the city plans to hire a “nightlife manager”—a position generally only seen in larger cities, like NYC and San Francisco, in recent years—to serve as the liaison among businesses, employees, residents, and city agencies.
While many think “nightlife” only means dance clubs and partying, Joe Wilson, the director of the city’s Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism, is keen to remind people that this category also includes restaurants, theaters, bars, cabarets, music venues, and comedy clubs. “This [nightlife manager] position symbolically is the mayor saying we should take the sector seriously,” said Wilson, who spent 18 years as an actor with Providence’s famed Trinity Rep before taking his job with the city. “Nobody would think twice about supporting a $990 million sector if it were labeled ‘oil and gas.’ But the city has changed, because there is a broad understanding that art and culture will be the industry that will create the economic conditions for us to live in abundance here.”
The city—home to both the Rhode Island School of Design and the Johnson & Wales culinary school—definitely has an abundance of creativity. This year, four Providence restaurants were finalists for the James Beard Awards, the most in the city’s history, and the raw bar Gift Horse took home a medal in June. The first locally focused food hall, Track 15, opened in March, and new bars are seemingly popping up overnight.
The storied Providence Performing Arts Center now presents 10 touring Broadway productions each year; this year’s highlights include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Water for Elephants. And tourism has surpassed prepandemic levels: In 2023, the city welcomed more than 7.5 million visitors, and more are expected this year. “Even in the middle of the winter, a hotel room is hard to come by, because it’s the ultimate weekend getaway,” says Chris Marsella, a Providence native and the president of Marsella Development Corporation, which led the Track 15 project. “It has a big-city vibe, with a small-town size.”
“Providence can go pretty hard,” adds Cait Jackson, the creative director and tasting room manager for Industrious Spirits Co., the city’s first distillery to open since Prohibition. “It offers everything—the diviest of dive bars, upscale cocktail bars, and everything in between.”
Want to experience the best of Providence’s “life at night” culture? Read on for our suggestions.
Where to eat and drink in Providence
At Courtland Club, try the Nimkini, a martini incorporating brine from Nimki, and the Nimki Chicken Sandwich.
Photos by Maurisa Mackey
The city’s food and bar scene offers a wide variety of international cuisines.
The Courtland Club and Nimki
Hidden on a residential street in Federal Hill, this compact speakeasy draws a stylish crowd for some of the city’s best food and drink. Ace mixologist Laura Ganci shakes up everything from seasonal, Zodiac-themed cocktails to her own amaro made with angelica, bitter orange, chamomile, and pomegranate syrup. Chef Nikhil Naiker was named a 2025 James Beard finalist for Emerging Chef for his restaurant Nimki, which began as a pop-up before becoming a permanent fixture in the club in 2024. The menu changes daily—there are crudos, curries, dahls—but you can always count on the fan favorite fried chicken tenders; get them spicy with all of the sauces. “The James Beard really solidified everything for us,” said Naiker, a Johnson & Wales graduate who initially debated whether he should cook the Fijian Indian food he knew. “I didn’t want to box myself in as a brown dude making food that his parents made growing up. But then I [realized] that food grounded me, and having positive responses from friends made me feel more excited and empowered by it, and I think that’s what really led us here.”
Gift Horse
Chef Sky Haneul Kim won the 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef Northeast for her work at Gift Horse, a new raw bar from the team behind Providence’s beloved restaurant Oberlin. Her imaginative menu mixes Korean flavors with New England ingredients: Smoked trout dip comes with puffed nori chips; Rhode Island oysters are topped with kimchi mignonette; and little necks are served in a chilled gochujang broth with rice noodles. Pair them with a glass of riesling.
Nicks on Broadway
This Providence standby was also a James Beard finalist this year, after three previous semifinalist nominations. Chef Derek Wagner opened his farm-to-table spot in 2002 when he was a 24-year-old recent graduate of Johnson & Wales. For him, the Providence food scene is a family. “I really try to foster that camaraderie and say, ‘Hey, we’re in this together,’” he says. “There’s enough people here for us all to do well. When we celebrate the city, we celebrate each other.” Wagner sources more than 85 percent of his ingredients from local farms and fisheries. Everything is delicious, but standouts include the roasted Rhode Island oysters with red chili lemon butter and the honey chicken chili biscuit.
Jahunger
Located in the hip Fox Point neighborhood, Jahunger serves Uyghur cuisine, from the Turkic ethnic minority in northwestern China. Chef Subat Dulmurat was a semifinalist for the 2024 James Beard awards for his chewy, hand-pulled noodles; flaky, lamb samsas; and decadent honey cake.
Pizza Marvin offers slices and full pies, plus fun drinks like Pizza Wine.
Photos by N Millard/Go Providence
Pizza Marvin
At this Fox Point favorite, pair thin-crust slices with delightful cocktails. Sip an Ocean Spritz made with hibiscus Aperol and rosé while you dig into the clam, potato, and bacon-topped Chowda Pie or try a can of Pizza Wine (the spot’s own Lambrusco-like effervescent red) alongside a slice of Roni Island (pepperoni, cherry peppers, and hot honey).
Industrious Spirits Co. (ISCO)
ISCO makes sustainably sourced vodka, bourbon, aquavit, and gin—and serves up amazing cocktails in its tasting room and outdoor bar, in the Valley neighborhood, just west of downtown. Some of the spirits are truly one of a kind: Each bottle of its Ostreida Oyster Vodka is made with Rhode Island oysters from a specific farm (as noted on the label). Come for a distillery tour or just for a fun night out; there’s live music every weekend and events like karaoke nights and even Doggy Speed Dating. “We do get pretty lively,” said ISCO creative director Cait Jackson.
Glou
This intimate cocktail bar is on Ives Street, a particularly buzzing stretch in Fox Point. Glou means glug in French, and the bar specializes in “drinks that go down easy,” a bartender told me. That includes the Dew Index, a surprisingly delicate cocktail made with cognac, ginger liqueur, blanc vermouth, yuzu curaçao, and honeydew. In the warmer months, a back patio decorated with fairy lights is the ideal spot to toast with friends.
The Track 15 food hall is in the former Union Station.
Photo by Nicholas Millard/Go Providence
Track 15
The city’s old Union Station from 1898 was given a gorgeous new life as the Track 15 food hall. Here seven local vendors celebrate the best of Rhode Island, including killer fish sandwiches and lobster rolls at Dune Bros., sourdough pizzas at Mother Mother, shrimp curry and sweet and spicy fried cauliflower at Little Chaska. There’s also a bar slinging prickly pear margaritas, zero-proof cocktails, and Narragansett lagers. An outdoor plaza is set to open this summer; on weekends, there’s live music and themed events. “Food halls certainly are meant to highlight the food and the drink, but we’re also really focused on highlighting the culture of Rhode Island,” said developer Chris Messina. “There’s such diversity and so much to tap into here and we want to use this space creatively.”
Discover diverse arts and entertainment
Providence Performing Arts Center, located downtown, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo by Phil Marcelino/Shutterstock
From beloved Broadway productions to thrilling public art installations, there’s no shortage of must-see events.
Providence Performing Arts Center
This 3,100-seat historic theater in PVD’s downtown began life as a Loews movie house in 1928. In the ’70s, rock bands performed here, and finally in 1982 it was rebranded as the Providence Performing Arts Center. Since then it’s become known as one of the most successful not-for-profit theaters in the country, hosting numerous large-scale touring productions each year. The theater is often the first stop for new Broadway tours thanks to its proximity to New York City, a tax credit, and “the fact that we know how to do it,” said marketing director PJ Prokop. “We used to do 45 to 50 performances a year. Now we do 200.” The 2025–2026 season includes Six, The Outsiders, Kimberly Akimbo, and Wicked, as well as comedians like Colin Jost, Louis CK, and Jo Koy.
Trinity Rep
The state theater of Rhode Island, Trinity Rep has been producing outstanding works since its founding in 1964. “There’s a real legacy here,” said Susanna Jackson, the director of marketing and communications. “If you’re from Rhode Island, you have a memory of Trinity Rep.” That memory could be of Trinity’s beloved annual production of A Christmas Carol—this year it will be directed by Emmy-winning actor Richard Jenkins and choreographer Sharon Jenkins—or of a notable world premiere, like Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul or Someone Will Remember Us by Deborah Salem Smith and Charlie Thurston. Part of the theater is currently undergoing a sizable renovation that will ultimately expand its footprint in downtown Providence while still preserving the historic space; it’s expected to be completed by winter 2026.
WaterFire
This summer the city celebrates its 30th year of WaterFire, a public art installation featuring more than 80 braziers illuminated in the city’s three rivers. Held on certain Saturdays from May through November, the evenings draw people from all over to view the fiery sculptures either from land or aboard a riverboat or gondola; you can even volunteer to stoke and light the braziers from a fire boat. Also on tap: live music and performances, and food and drink vendors set up in parks along the route. Many restaurants offer views of the action, such as the Capital Grille and Café Nuovo.
AS220
This nonprofit arts organization has been a community stalwart since it was founded in 1985. Located downtown, AS220 houses a performance space, galleries, a darkroom, a bar and restaurant, and live-work studios for artists. It was founded with the mission of providing an “unjuried, uncensored forum for the arts,” meaning anyone can and should share their talents. Come see local bands, art shows, dance performances, poetry readings, comedy, film screenings, and more.
Where to stay
The Aloft hotel opened in 2021.
Photo by PWCVB
Aloft Providence Downtown is conveniently within walking distance to PPAC, Trinity Rep, and the Brown and RISD campuses. The smartly designed rooms have loft beds, a small sitting area, and a refrigerator, and many have lovely river views. The Blu Violet Rooftop Bar is a fine place to watch the sunset, glass of rosé in hand.
