About new rivers

New Rivers was founded in the spring of 1990 by Bruce and his late wife Pat Tillinghast in the original 1793 warehouse built for iron merchants Congdon and Carpenter.  Named after the river rerouting project that jumpstarted Providence’s renaissance, New Rivers has been and continues to be a forerunner in locally sourced and thoughtfully prepared food as well as its much lauded friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive service.  In the Spring of 2012, Bruce sold New Rivers to his longtime executive chef Beau Vestal and Beau’s then fiancée Elizabeth LaMantia who was also working in the New Rivers kitchen as a cook.  Beau remains in the kitchen at the stoves continuing to delight customers with his creative bistro fare. Elizabeth has moved out front and assumed the role of the restaurant’s general manager.

New Rivers continues to delight customers with its straight forward cuisine, thoughtfully curated wine and beer list, and charming ambience.  It has been three years now since the restaurant underwent an expansion and facelift. This expansion provided not only more seating, a handsome new bar, and  a private dining space on the second floor, but also an opportunity to celebrate another love: historical preservation.  In the new space diners will see a bar crafted in part from timber reclaimed from the building, crafted into new details that celebrate the building’s long and rich history.  Original wide plank wood floors were uncovered, refurbished, and provide guests a glimpse into the past when iron fabricating machines bustled during Providence’s golden age of the industrial revolution. The facade of the building has also been painstakingly designed to mimic the original storefronts of almost a century ago. It is these details that make New Rivers quintessentially Providence.