Find Fine Dining and Great Food on Block Island
Perusing the displayed menus may help you make your dining choices easier, but if you limit yourself to Water St., you may be missing out on some excellent food located elsewhere on Block Island.
Dining on Block Island can be a beautiful experience as well as a tasteful one. Some establishments offer outstanding views of the ocean while you dine, and if the timing is right, a breathtaking sunset can make your dining experience on Block Island a truly memorable event. On the other hand, enjoying the simplicity of fried clams or a hamburger at a small food stand situated near the docks of Old Harbor, while a summer ocean breeze cools you off, can be just as enjoyable and relaxing.
For fine dining, you have a small host of selections, which include the Atlantic Inn, which serves a prix fixe four-course dinner in a romantic setting overlooking the ocean, the Hotel Manisses, and The Spring House, among others. But for a menu with a rather large selection of dishes, all which sound simply delicious, The National Tap & Grille is a must-visit.
The National Tap & Grille is located in the National Hotel on Water St. and is Block Island’s oldest steakhouse, circa late 1800s. You can choose to dine in a cozy dining room or closer to the live entertainment, or outside along the long deck that overlooks Old Harbor and the ocean. For exquisite steaks, seafood, and other memorable food, The National Tap & Grill simply can’t be beat. From the unique appetizers and salads to what had to be the most delicious lobster I have ever tasted, The National Tap & Grill will likely become a regular visit when you desire excellent food at a reasonable price.
Behind the National Hotel in a seemingly hidden corner, you’ll find Froozies, a very small cafe (one table, but there is more seating outside) offering refreshing smoothies and other healthful fare with unique twists. For breakfast, the breakfast burrito with scrambled egg, pesto, mozzarella and baby spinach on a sundried tomato wrap is divine, and other grilled sandwiches and veggie burgers make you look forward to lunch. The real fruit smoothies are delicious at any time of day. Be sure to seek out Froozies for health food that tastes so good you’d almost be certain it was bad for you.
Of course, if you don’t mind a little sinful junk food once in a while, then take a short trip over to New Harbor and sample the melt-in-your-mouth homemade donuts at Payne’s Dock. Using an old secret recipe, these donuts are a hidden treat on Block Island, and you’ll likely be unable to eat just one.
And on a hot summer day, the Ice Cream Place offers a large assortment of homemade flavors that will keep you coming back to try as many as you can. Block Island also has a Ben & Jerry’s and Aldo’s Ice Cream, another homemade ice cream hotspot.
Although the menu is not as extensive as that at the National Tap and Grille, the relaxing dining experience at the Atlantic Inn serves to provide a wonderfully romantic or serenely calm evening. Starting with cocktails, you’ll be pampered and treated throughout your four-course meal while you watch the sun set into the glistening waters off the Atlantic from your comfortable veranda perch. Then you’ll enjoy fine seafood and excellent meats, washed down with a selection from their award-winning wine list.
This is just a small listing of some of the food and dining you’ll be sure to sample and savor on your trip to Block Island. Other island favorites include Dead Eye Dick’s for great seafood, Bethany’s Airport Diner for quick, scrumptious cooking, and The Beachead, open for lunch and dinner and a great place to relax and unwind while enjoying a sunny day on one of Block Island’s many beaches.
