Ava M.
Yelp
Five stars for Palo. This is my favorite restaurant for a chic meal in Providence. Over the past few years I've visited several times and enjoyed meals and drinks at the bar and at tables, on weekends and during the week, and in larger and small groups. Here are my thoughts after consistently excellent food and service over the years.
The location: Palo is located just adjacent to Downtown Providence, situated on the edge of the East Side and the Providence River. It's an easy walk from the bus tunnel, the RISD museum, Brown campus, and other offices downtown. The building itself is the stunning brick steeple building, with another restaurant-- New Rivers--occupying the South Main St. Side. The decor is arty, sophisticated, and a little moody, with hanging lights over the bar. It's a great spot to take friends from out of town or to celebrate a special occasion.
The Drinks: the bartender at Palo is excellent. The menu offers an interesting selection of wines, beers, and cocktails including an extensive gin and tonic list with multiple unique flavors. And aside from the menu, the bartender is knowledgable and friendly and can make your drink of choice.
The Food: Now onto the most important part, the tapas! Palo's menu reflects the season, with a substantial selection of core plates that are always offered. Given that it's Tapas, the portions are smaller; my recommendation is choosing at least two plates per person in your group, and planning to split each plate among two or three people.
First, the charcuterie selection is excellent and very customizable to your tastes-- take care not to overlook it. The seasonal salad is always a top pick for me, and I don't think you can ever go wrong there. For classics, the swordfish kebabs (3) are succulent, meaty, and fresh from the ocean. Served with the perfect medley of pomegranate arils, pickled veg, and beets, it may be my favorite item on the menu. And I dream of the lamb lollipops served atop a stone dish of black lentils and tomatoes. They practically melt in your mouth.
Truly the only critique I have is that Palo doesn't offer a physical menu-- you have to use a QR code and your phone. This can be difficult particularly when dining with older friends and relatives; and even with younger people I find that using the phone to read the menu takes diners out of the moment and disrupts the "eating out" experience for me.