birch

What an amazing spot! Perfect to go alone as well. The crew is so knowledgeable and the wine paring was primo! I tasted an in bottle fermented sparkling. Had a wonderful white from Mt Etna and of course some amazing Herradura Anejo Tequila Manhattans! Food was such a wonderful trip through the many flavors the chef was whipping up! Felt like I was part of the team!

Great place to visit, very small, the bartender is very nice, professional and knows her business well.
The food was a great experience, great variety of food and we were full. The drinks are amazing according to my wife and friends.
Nice job.

The menu needs a preface that says «The following menu is intimidating, but trust us, everything is amazing.»
And it was.
My husband and I have contemplated dinner at Birch since it opened. We’re lovers of Birch’s neighbor; Gracie’s, but have always been put off by the intimidating menu. We finally got past our reservations and went for it tonight. We were pleasantly surprised.
The restaurant staff were very accommodating of my Celiac Disease and took the time to walk me through my options when we arrived. I wish there had been another option for the first course because the kohlrabi wasn’t great (more below) but I was otherwise pleased with my options and thrilled with my final selections.
Our two complaints were the kohlrabi in the first course– it just wasn’t tasty and the crème fresh tasted less than fresh; and the amount of time (40 minutes) we sat at the counter before being served our first course. Not sure what happened there. Our other courses were delightful and the wine pairings were perfect.
We will definitely be back.
High points: heirloom corn, cabbage, pork with field peas, Croatian wine
Low points: slow start, kohlrabi

Memorable and outstanding meal. Small, intimate restaurant with bar style seating in the shape of a «U.» Some of the most creative cuisine I’ve ever tasted — delightful, flavorful, inventive. The vegetable dishes are truly the star of the show. The cabbage (yes cabbage!) third course was nearly transcendent — it will definitely change your opinion of cabbage, forever. An excellent restaurant to return to again and again.

Fantastic, unique dishes. I was blown away by the ambiance and delicious food. My fiancé made a reservation to celebrate our engagement and they even gave us a complimentary champagne toast to congratulate us! The staff were friendly, courteous and very knowledgeable about all the food. The cocktails and wine are phenomenal. This is one of my new favorite places and I can’t wait to return.

Awesome from start to finish. Easy to make an online reservation and they called me the night before to confirm. Went as a party of two and got to try much of the delicious pre-​fixe menu. Tried the scarborough– very pleased with it and went well with my food.
First, the food! Unique, creative, delicious. I’ll be honest though– I didn’t always know exactly what I was eating but just go with it. Don’t let the menu intimidate you. Enjoy every bite.
Before the first course, we started off with mushroom cracker with apple butter. The ‘cracker’ was thin, light, and carried a delicate flavor that went well with the sweeter apple butter.
For the first course, we had the Kohlrabi marinated with cherry leaves, basil with apple, and crème fraîche and the Warm Broth of Pork and Sourdough poured atop grilled onions, coriander, and kombu. Kohlrabi was tender and the crème fraîche made each bite lovely. The broth was deep and unlike anything I’d had before– sourdough and pork in broth form is really the best way to describe it. Enjoyed it a lot.
For the second course, we had slow roasted carrots with barbecued chicken hearts/​livers, hazelnuts, and nasturtium. The crunchy texture of hazelnuts and the sweetness of the roasted carrots complemented the perfectly cooked chicken hearts/​liver. We also had the Krul squash with clams, whelk, and preserved peppers which was delicious and generous with clams– easily some of the tastiest I’ve had in RI
For the third course, we tried the Rhode Island Monkfish roasted on the bone with celeriac, broccoli, and potato and the Rhode Island Pork with field peas and preserved mustard greens. Monkfish was tender and fresh, went well with the crusted celeriac. The pork was incredibly moist and flavorful– one of my favorite dishes of the night.
For the final course, we got Cato Corner’s Black Ledge Blue Cheese with walnut, dried corn, and sorrel and the Yeasted Semolina Cake with beeswax ice cream, honey locust blossoms (aged one year), and jersey cream. Both were phenomenal. The cake, soaked with cream/​stopped with blossoms and a light ice cream was euphoric. The cheese with the texture of the nuts and the tang of the sorrel was a savory dream. After dessert, we were presented with dessert #2, a true maine whoopie pie! Soft, just the right amount of sweet, and left me feeling comfortably full.
All locally sourced. Delicious. Each dish was better than the last. Beautiful interior. Great, attentive service. Small, intimate space (which may or may not be preferred). So creative with its flavors, textures, ingredients, presentation, everything! I imagine that each time I go, I’d be presented with a different menu and with that, a different culinary experience. Birch is precisely that: an experience beyond a meal.

Fantastic experience Cant wait to return
The lobster, followed by clams and cabbage
Oh my! I love this place
Then cheese to finish… I cant even explain
Amazing food and the dining experience was so pleasant thanks to the attentive and hard working staff
Thanks for a great evening

One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. The concept was really clever, and the food was all perfectly executed. The staff was incredibly nice and knowledgable. The ambiance was fun, and the space is very intimate. If I didn’t live in NY, I would definitely be back once a season!

Great concept. Tiny restaurant, with diners in a horseshoe «bar.» We had reservations and were seated within five minutes, giving us just enough time to pick out cocktails. Don’t show up early, because there’s nowhere to wait!
Felt more like an intimate dinner party than a restaurant experience — and the food definitely reflected that. Everything was so well executed and beautifully presented. The service was great as well and the prices were very reasonable.
The tasting menu was a perfect portion, and I left feeling very comfortable and not too full. Favorites were the pork broth and roasted carrots with chicken liver. We enjoyed the little treats from the chef also!
Will happily return on our next visit to providence!

I was so happy to get a seat at the last minute on the Thursday before Valentine’s Day. Both servers behind the bar were kind, funny, and knowledgeable — and there is a lot to know! It was great dining alone because I felt like that gave me the time and space to appreciate each dish and discuss them with the bartenders. The Birch 4 course tasting menu is a fantastic value (especially with the amuse bouche and bonus tiny dessert).
Each dish I tried was excellent. I loved the interesting plating and surprising combinations of flavors. Everything was cooked PERFECTLY, especially the monkfish.
The music took the meal to the next level. When the chef, Ben, delivered my clams, he told me how he sends a list of tracks to a DJ who creates a mix to match the menu. I wish I could relisten!
I only wish I had more time in Providence so I could have visited Oberlin.

I travel alone and dine alone often. I can say that birch is a treasure and a treat. I simply walked in and had one of best 4 course meals of my life.
Drink options — great. I was able to secure a nice glass of rip van Winkle. Hard to find anywhere, much less a small restaurant.
Dinner — food was well prepared and delicious.
Service — fantastic. Single dinners tend to be ignored, I was not. The 2 bar tender/​servers were very attentive and enjoyable. They explained each dish and made the dining experience truly memorable.
Go. Try it. Enjoy

have gone here twice. Underwhelmed each time. It’s not that they are bad, they just aren’t great. When busy it was too loud for conversation, when not busy it was too quiet, felt like we had no privacy from bartender. Seats are not comfortable. Drinks and food are a little pricey, very tasty. However, the weird layout and atmosphere just killed it for me.

Birch is unique, and unique in a well-​executed way. They clearly put a lot of thought and love into their food! Though I didn’t love everything that I ate, I did have some truly remarkable bites, hence the five stars. My boyfriend and I both got the tasting menu and shared, so I’ll list everything we had below (couldn’t remember the exact names, but oh well):
1) Pork and sourdough broth (⁵⁄₅): blew me away! The broth really does taste like salty pork and sourdough! It also went perfectly with the pickled and charred veggies it was poured over (onion, radish, and idk). Even better, each bite was slightly different from the last.
2) Raw albacore with a yuzu-​based sauce (⁵⁄₅): delicious umami raw fish slices further complemented by incredible umami sauce. The sauce was so addictive, the perfect combo of tangy, salty, and sweet
3) Kombucha and clams (⁵⁄₅) — this dish was one of my favorites. Again, the sauce did it for me. I forgot what the orange, foamy sauce was made of it, but it was just so yummy. The grilled Kombucha slice was also perfection, and the seafood added a nice briny touch.
4) Wild mushrooms and chicken hearts (⁴⁄₅) — very, very good and again a umami bomb. However, this was a bit too much on the tangy side.
5) Suckling pork (³⁄₅) — pork was very flavorful and pleasantly salted. However, I didn’t like the texture. Too chewy and gamey.
6) Cabbage (⁴⁄₅) — It is incredible what the chefs did to a simple cabbage head. This is a charred cabbage cross-​section with butternut squash between the layers, sitting in a tangy apple broth, seasoned with crunchy herbs and grains. The cabbage itself is soft, but has a nice flavor from the char and is delicious with the butternut squash. However, the flavors were a bit odd to me. The herbs reminded me of taco seasoning, and the broth was too sour. This is a dish I truly appreciate but probably will never crave.
7) Pear (⁵⁄₅) — cooked pear chunks with candied, toasted almonds and honeycomb icecream. This dish was nutty and reminiscent of a pear tart despite not being one. The honeycomb ice cream was one-​of-​a-​kind and delicious!
8) Apple (⁵⁄₅) — MY FAVORITE. Cooked apple slices topped with fresh apple skins, over cream, brown sugar, and a rosewater custard… I think? I couldn’t remember the full description. Just trust me though, it was so, sooo good. Definitely one of the best things I have eaten in a long time. Also very pretty!
Birch is expensive, at $ 50 per meal. Portions are also small, but I still left satisfied. Be prepared to sit around a bar, close to other parties. However, this didn’t affect my experience much at all. Awesome ambience and friendly service as well! They did a great job of helping me pick through the menu and presenting the courses. In my opinion, the experience was worth the price!

Been three times. Twice with girlfriends for drinks and once with the husband. The first two times were nice. Love the atmosphere and how they focus on doing just a few things well. Good for a conversation and some great cocktails. Did not try the food. Unfortunately, when I went with my husband (who had not been), the service was not friendly. I know it is small, so they may not have wanted the business if they had a larger party coming in. We did not have a reservation — so I am sure that was the problem. But they seemed insulted that we would even bother to pop in to look at the menu or have a drink. They should have been kind about it. We were dressed nice, have money to spend, dine at gracie’s, etc. I’ll have to try it again to give a fair shake, but I felt so unwelcome.

The food at birch was great and the atmosphere was fun. The highlight was the dessert ‘apple’.

This is hands-​down the best meal I’ve had in a few years — and sure, you can say, but RAN, haven’t you been living in Springfield and escorting fine-​ass honies to Chili’s for the LOLZ? And yes — that would be correct — but, I like to keep my palate on point, so betwixt and between these fast-​casual adventures, I’ve been around — and birch is un-​effing-​real, confirming that PVD is the city on which I currently have a food-​crush.
As the bro and I planned the deets of our date… idk…a day before our meal was supposed to happen, clearly only birch had 530p resis available — and upon sitting down, yes, we did lower the average age by a solid 30 years — but whatevs, even if they tell you they can only seat you at 3a, GO. I demand it.
Place is tiny — I think there are 20 stools total (and again, a sitch where if you’re not KIT, it will be an uncomfy evening as once it fills up, you’re cozy w your neighb) — there are no tables, it’s just a collection of chairs clustered around a bar/​serving area where the 3 waitstaff/​bartenders are flitting in and out — décor is modern minimal with clear attn paid to how the aesthetics of each serving piece complements the tasty morsels it holds — and while it’s a 4-​course tasting menu, there is nothing pretentious about the place.
For each course there are 3 options — usually a veg or two and a protein — I started w a dish called «lettuce» — brushed w honey and was lounging in a shallow pool of kombu, minutina and toasted almond dressing — fresh, earthy, with a hint of the sea — Sum went w the grilled asparagus, which came w hop shoots, nasturtium, sugar kelp and toasted heirloom rice… b/​c like why the eff not. The interplay of texture and flavor induced a minor brain meltdown — and I’m still trying to compute how all of these pieces came together so harmoniously.
For our second course we both went w the RI lobster w chewy carrots, fennel, and dulse — sweetly savory but with quiet intrigue. Other options included a spinach salad w grilled quahogs, sea rocket capers, potato, and yogurt as well as grilled watermelon radishes.
I should note that when we attempted to order the third course, the scup w squid/​turnips/​shrooms, our waitress was quick to mention that is was basted in a beef broth and asked if we were okay with that — as both S and I echew consuming the flesh of our mooing friends, we said nein — whereas most other places of this caliber offer to replace something abt the dish — she was just like, great, you’re having the grilled cabbage then — which yes, was stunning so I have zero complaints — but I share this story to warn those w fussy eating habits that I’m not sure how accommodating they will be unless you have a death allergy or something. And that cabbage — my g-​d — Fall comfort meets Summer flirtation on a plate.
For dessert I went w «apple» — goat milk, almond, grilled woodruff ice cream — I literally have no idea how any of these things came together to create what I ate but sweet Jesus, I could have this tart, crunchy seductive thing all day everyday — and Sum’s caramelized whey w cranberry, herbs, rhubarb, and rose preserves made it rain in the realest of ways.
At $ 49, the tasting menu is an effing steal (+$ 35 for a beverage pairing) — honestly, y’all should have stopped reading this review after the first sentence and started driving to Providence. Judging from the ooohs and ahhhs our fellow diners were emitting, I’m fairly sure we weren’t alone in our enjoyment.

I was looking forward to go to Birch ever since I heard about it. We finally made reservations for a special occasion and don’t regret it. Birch is an experience — the intimate dining room, the elaborate tasting menu, and the extraordinarily excellent service.
The food itself is unique. I like that they use fresh ingredients that are local to Rhode Island, but I have to say the dishes are a little different than we are used to. My significant other wasn’t impressed with any of his dishes. I did enjoy most of my courses, but was a little disappointed by my entrée. I got the scup, and I thought the fish itself was a little bland. The accompanying side with squid was delicious, though. I also loved my dessert (the caramelized whey).
The portions themselves are small, but the four courses, with a complimentary amuse bouche in the beginning and whoopie pie at the end, were enough to leave us full. Overall, though, it was expensive for what we were getting. While I’m glad I got to experience Birch and had a good time doing so, I will likely not be back.

birch fully deserves the fifth star after the phenomenal dinner we had there on Monday. Truly an outstanding and flawless dining experience from food, to service, to ambience. It’s a bold statement to make, but I think this is my new favorite Rhode Island restaurant (or at least tied with Gracie’s that has had my heart for all these years — a good decade — very different concepts/​styles so I love them both for different reasons). From now on, a trip to Providence is incomplete without having dinner at birch.
I could go into detail about what we had, but it won’t matter much as the menu changes as all should.
Just go.

As far as fine dining goes, Birch was the ultimate romantic dining experience. I came here with my girlfriend on our anniversary and I made the correct decision to book our table one month in advance. When we arrived at the establishment, we were amazed at how small, yet intimate Birch was. The entire restaurant can be mistaken as an elegant bar from across the distance, but don’t be fooled, its limited space does not imply only decadent drinks are served, far from it, the food are prepared fresh from the kitchen and brought forward by the bartender/​waiter/​hosts. Everyone was incredibly polite and made some of the best cocktails I’ve had in a while.
Starting with drinks, we were provided complimentary sparkling wine and we both shared the goosefoot and scaroborough, which were delicious and refreshing. Despite my love for bourbon, I found the green hew from the goosefoot to be rather alluring and liked that one better.
As for the main courses, we shared the 4 course meal, which in contrast to popular belief, does fill you up by the time you leave. I enjoyed the wagyu beef, wrapped in a crispy caper with a wonderful sauce. The grilled winter shellfish and the sliver of pumpkin was also quite unique. As for the main dish, I really liked the catfish over the vermont heritage pork (it was just a little tougher than I prefer). Finally, the caramelized whey was amazing, cool, refreshing, yet sweet at the same time.
Overall, if you have a lovely lady/​man to impress with a fairly sized wallet, this is the place to go!
Food: 5 stars
Service: 5 stars
Ambiance: 4 stars

I heard Birch was THE new restaurant. A bartender at the Dorrance was the first to recommend it, then everyone else I knew started talking about it. I tend to have a problem when I hear too many good things… my expectations skyrocket and I end up disappointed. I have to say: I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. The downfall, however, was the value for cost. The food was delicious – local, fresh, inventive – but $ 12 for a large spoonful of cauliflower is a bit much.
Here’s the deal: the menu is designed to be a four-​course meal for $ 50. If I’d known that going in, I would have come to terms with it and been on board. I did not, unfortunately, arrive thinking I’d be spending $ 50 + (cocktail) on a meal, so I opted to not to do the four-​course. I would recommend coming prepared to do the four-​course.
When they say it’s designed to be a four-​course menu, it’s because the portions are such that you will not get full from eating multiple courses. I appreciate that. I’m not into the American Way of over-​indulgence. But it makes it tough when eating a la carte. Everything could easily be eaten in two bites. The only course that seemed appropriately sized was dessert, which my friend and I shared and managed to have more than one bite each.
My thoughts: I like the scene. The seating is essentially twenty seats around a bar. It’s intimate and cozy. The cocktails are nice (though a small list). But unless I have a ritzy friend from New York saying «Let me treat you to an expensive meal!» I probably won’t be returning any time soon. There are other places with equally good food but for less cost and less hype. Like a previous reviewer said, I left hungry and ended up eating a second dinner.
Additional info: They’re closed Tues/​Wed nights, and weekend reservations are hard to come by. Unless you’re eating solo, you’ll need a reservation.