This RI Eatery Is Among Esquire’s Best New Restaurants In America

WESTERLY, RI — River Bar in Westerly has made Esquire’s exclusive 2024 list of the Best New Restaurants in America, which was released Tuesday.

The list of 35 restaurants includes eateries that punch above their price point, are romantic enough for date night, or just a great place for a boozy, delicious night out with friends, Esquire said.

"The mighty Pawcatuck flows under the Broad Street Bridge and past the twinkling patio lights of River Bar, James Wayman and Aaron Laipply’s new spot in an old space," Esquire wrote. "Rare is the restaurant whose food matches the comfort and pleasure of a slow-rolling waterway. Settle in with a dozen oysters and littlenecks from nearby Ninigret Pond and consider following up with a lobster roll or a burger—a “Classic Burger” halfway to smashed and made with the meat of locally raised (but fundamentally Tuscan) Chianina cattle."

California and New York each had eight mentions on the list, including the “Restaurant of the Year,” Four Kings in San Francisco, and the “Comeback of the Year,” Le Veau d’Or in New York City.

Other states with restaurants on the list include Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas, with two each, and Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington and the District of Columbia, with one each.

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