When it comes to New England’s Italian food scene, Rhode Island is a cut above, at least according to Julian Edelman.
The former New England Patriots wide receiver hosted Danny Amendola on his podcast, “Games With Names,” earlier this week, and the ex-teammates shared their favorite spots for food in the region.
While both mentioned their top restaurants in Massachusetts, Edelman said he thinks the food in Providence is better than Boston — even adding that the Federal Hill neighborhood surpasses the North End’s Italian food.
“Food in Providence is amazing,” Amendola said.
Former american football player Julian Edelman arrives for the premiere of Netflix’s docuseries “Quarterback” at the Tudum Theatre in Los Angeles, on July 11, 2023. (Photo by Chris Delmas / AFP) (Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
Edelman and Amendola’s favorite restaurants in Providence
Amendola said Providence has “a lot of young entrepreneurial chefs” with both Johnson & Wales University and Brown University.
“They haven’t really gotten off the ground yet so you can catch a lot of great stuff,” he said.
Both said they love the city’s Italian food, with Edelman comparing it to that of Boston.
“Might have a hot take here but I think Federal Hill has better Italian than the North End,” Edelman said.
The former Patriots players named a few of their favorites, including Al Forno, Andino’s and the now-closed Siena.
Edelman: Providence has ‘difference influence’ than Boston
Edelman also said he thinks Providence’s food scene offers different options because of its proximity to Connecticut and New York.
“They had a different influence of food more in Providence than Boston,” he said.
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He also said that Providence’s pizza was “a little better” than Boston before adding that “you can’t go wrong” with the North End’s food.
Melina Khan is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY Network – New England, which serves more than a dozen affiliated publications across New England. She can be reached at MKhan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Julian Edelman says RI spot has better food than Boston’s North End
