The Red Fez

Their poutine is so unique and delicious! Definitely not traditional, but superb nonetheless. Docking one star because their hours are a bit odd and they’re closed on Sundays.

Ok. Went there in a busy Saturday night. It’s a little confusing when you walk in as it took me a minute to realize there is a bar in the first and second level. So because it was waiting to be seated we went upstairs to look around. Small and intimate.
Then back down to the first floor bar. There were a few free seats so we grabbed them. The guy behind the bar could not have been friendlier. Super nice guy. Attentive which for a bartender is a gift. Ordered a few drinks and then snacked on the main cheese with hot pepper rings. Ummm… I’m still licking the dish that I stole! It was THAT good.
Will go back and check out the rest of the menu. It’s worth waiting a few mins!

I had high hopes for the Red Fez after reading positive reviews and hearing good things from friends, but the experience was disappointing on a whole. We walked in on a weeknight when the upstairs was closed, and ended up having to wait at the bar for a table. As others have mentioned, drinks are served in pint glasses (mostly filled with ice), and were underwhelming. When we finally sat down, we asked our waitress for some tips on the menu, but she hadn’t tried any of the items we asked about and wasn’t able to give us any direction. I ended up getting the salad with swordfish, which was perfectly fine but nothing special. The menu feels a bit disjointed (from veg burgers to moules frites to tacos). Would not rush back for another visit.

This is our go to place. They really have something for everyone on the menu. I got the sweet potato burger with bacon, jalapenos and cheese with a side of old bay fries. The mac and cheese is amazing and they have a good beer selection. It has a dark and sultry kind of atmosphere and they play the BEST music!

Awful service. Went with a few friends to grab a drink and an appetizer, it took 10 minutes to even get acknowledged by the waitress. Eventually we ordered food and drinks, the waitress never bothered to give us our drinks until the food came out of the kitchen.
One of our party left his debit card at the restaurant and attempted to call and assure that they had it. His calls went straight to voicemail. After returning to the restaurant the manager took his drivers licenses and refused to return it and the card unless he answered questions about his personal life going so far as threatening to call the police.

Came here for dinner with my girlfriends on a Tuesday night.
This place has cool dimmed lighting with what seems like rose tinted bulbs. It has a very rustic vibe with the animal heads on the walls
Unfortunately, we forgot to make a reservation and had to wait 40 minutes for a table for three. The upstairs bar was closed so we grabbed drinks at the side bar. Because the space is so small, it felt like we were awkwardly hovering over those eating.
The drinks are served in pint glasses, which at first glance is pretty impressive/​shocking. However, most of it is just ice and non alcoholic filler. My drink was extremely water down. Very disappointing.
The waitress did not know the menu and was unable to suggest dishes for us
I got the shrimp tacos portion small but very flavorful. Park Brussels sprouts were out of this word good. I could eat a bucketful.
I tried the mussels which while copious were over cooked and in a under seasoned broth.
I don’t think I’ll be coming back here… Unless I’m craving Brussels sprouts

I love the Red Fez great drinks great food great atmosphere and the poutine ugh to die for

Went here with some friends, and it is amazing!!! Great food and drinks. Awesome hipster dive bar kinda vibe, pretty small and up and coming but totally worth it to check it out. I would of never found this place without someone else knowing about it! Totally worth it!!!

My girlfriend and I are attempting to eat a completely vegan diet (she’s more committed than I am). The food at this restaurant has been consistently good. The server that we seem to have every time is really friendly and relatively quick to bring whatever it is that we order. I’ve like this place since the early 2000s

Why do people like this place? Is it the cocktails?
My cohort and I decided to head down after work for a fun dinner — minimal drinking which might explain why none of us were impressed. The place was recommended by a friend who used to live in Providence and had really liked the Red Fez a couple of years ago.
I ordered the burger, as recommended by the reviews and the waitress, but my goodness was it sad. A tiny little thing — and I’m not a big eater — came out. On a potato roll that was likely from Eastside Market. Barely any height, certainly no circumference. And absolutely no amount of ketchup could make up for the chewy, burnt patty and the lack of flavor.

I was recommended to check out the Red Fez by a friend from Providence and I’m so glad I did! We came here for after dinner drinks and were seated at the bar on the second floor. They serve food in the main dining room on the first floor and in the second floor bar/​restaurant. The second floor had more of the atmosphere we were looking for, which was a late night crowd and a funky bar setting.
I ordered the Pop Bunny cocktail which was made with blueberry elderflower and cucumber vodka. All I can say is yummy! I’m going to try to recreate the recipe at home.
In addition to an excellent cocktail menu, I read through the dinner menu and made a note to return for dinner the next time I’m in the area. The general feel was elevated pub food with some unique ingredients.
Our bartender was really great and even helped us with some tips on local spots to check out on our trip. If I lived in the area I would make this my regular spot for a drink. I’ll be back, Red Fez!

An impressive first visit here a few weeks ago leaves me wanting to go back. The sweet potato burger was a great veggie option — taste and texture were there. Attentive service in the upstairs room despite a completely full house and only one server. The best part was the drink… I had one of the house cocktails (which included a beautiful garnish of candied ginger) and not only was it delicious, but it really snuck up on me! Very good all around.

We were SO relived to walk in here Saturday night after work and a terrifying experience at Hanley’s Ale House…
The bartender was awesome and the beer was cheap!
I will be back!

I would love to give a 5 star review, but tune in to my story for the reasons why I can’t give one.
A few friends and I picked this spot as a pre-​Cable Car dinner date, and were definitely impressed by the décor and overall ‘vibe’ of the place on entering. We ordered cocktails (my Bunny Pop was delicious, so much so that my friends nearly ignored their drinks to steal sips of mine).
My friends ordered the BLgT and the Bulgogi sandwich, which they both loved. I ordered the daily special: a Jamaican jerk chicken sandwich with mango chutney on a fresh baguette. We were impressed and surprised at how quick our food was served!
I was loving every bite, including the bits of chutney which fell into my spinach side salad (a happy accident!) until I looked down near the end of my sandwich. Though the first half felt, tasted, and looked perfectly cooked, the remaining portion was completely raw inside. And I mean PINK. Completely skeeved out at that point, I alerted the waitress. She was equally skeeved out and very apologetic, and comped the meal for me. I hate to be the person who complains about their food, and was more concerned about the next jerk chicken enthusiast getting the same fate.
The waitress was super accommodating about it, and I did WANT to enjoy their creative recipe. I’ll probably be back to the Red Fez, but I might lean towards a vegetarian menu choice next time.

I realize that my review is so sold that they no longer have the same set up.
I have been back, several times, since that first review. And oh the food! It is delicious. They have an interesting selection that surely anyone you bring can find something they like. I am partial to their mac & cheese (which you can add a range of things to such as chourizo and/​or bacon) and their roasted brussel sprouts with parmesan on top. Nom nom nom. They also have a range of other tasty things. They have great fries with mayoli (I find that the old bay fries are a bit too much seasoning for me.) Most items are pretty reasonably priced.
I’ve also since discovered the upstairs bar both during dinner time and late at night. It’s a darker and set for a certain mood, definitely a cool place to come with friends. As I previously noted, this is a hipster-​free haven despite the unique interior design. You will find me here often as I am a sucker for their food and cozy bar.

I have only been here once. It was a date with a rather swell guy at this quaint little restaurant decorated with animal heads and strange art. Service was fast; the atmosphere was great. The «fez fizz» drink I ordered was delicious, and I’m definitely going back again to try the beverage they called something like «sad cthulhu.»
I enjoyed the curried vegetables and rice bowl, and my date enjoyed his poutine. The curried veggies lost a point for not seeming fresh, but they were in curry, so who knows. They tasted awesome, so I just ate it all anyway.
There are so many things that I want to try here, that I am sure I will go back.
I noticed some of the reviews of this place equate it with hipster stuff. The Fez is for everybody. Don’t worry about whether your jeans are tight enough to eat here.

I stopped by The Red Fez on a Friday night with my group of 8 during our trip to Providence. Let it be known that this place is not the biggest so I don’t blame them for taking them around an hour to get us seated. Once we finally got a table they told us that the kitchen closes at 10 so we put in our orders in ASAP with a few minutes to spare.
Per other reviews, the poutine fries seemed to be one of the most raved about dishes. This was personally my second time having it (with my first time taking place at Deep Ellum in Boston) and, like my first experience, found it to be overbearingly salty. Maybe I’m just not a poutine person, or I haven’t found any good places in the US yet? Props to anyone who can recommend me a decent place that doesn’t require a plane ticket to Canada. Anyway, we also ordered the old bay fries which I was excited to try but, low and behold it was way too salty just like the poutine fries. Prepare to drink gallons of water after. Burgers can’t be oversalted right? Wrong. The only dishes that we all agreed were decent were the hummus appetizer, mussels, and sweet potato burger.
Usually Unilocal doesn’t fail me, but this place was kind of a disappointment. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt though since my group did order an obnoxious amount of food as the kitchen was nearly closing, but I most likely won’t be back.

I’m so glad I finally made it to The Red Fez! I’ve read that it can get pretty crowded around dinner time. My boyfriend and I went on Saturday night around 7:30. We walked in and were promptly seated. A lot of the tables we’re full, but there wasn’t a wait.
The waitress came over and explained where to find the food/​beer/​cocktails on the menu. She also pointed out the specials board.
I ordered the log lady. It tasted more like butterscotch than bourbon, but it was delicious. I think if I go back I might go for the $ 4.50 glass of house wine.
I had the mac and cheese. It was amazing! It was creamy and had the perfect amount of crackers on top.
My boyfriend had the signature burger with an egg on top. He ate it in about 30 seconds. We also had the old bay fries. Highly recommended!
I can’t wait to go back when they have grilled cheese as a special!

Love The Fez for their divey, hipster, Providence atmosphere without all the judgey attitude and the amazing, different menus. Hands down my favorite item on the menu any day is the poutine. Perfectly crisp fries topped with a mouth watering gravy and FRIED cheese curds. It’s a freaking Canadian party in your mouth, eh!
The other fantastic part about this place is their drink menu. Ever changing, ever delicious, ever moderately priced.
I think this is the restaurant definition of Providence — you took a wrong turn down a one way and discovered this place that is a little bit offbeat, a lotta bit hipster all the while being unexpectedly delicious.

The Fez is pretty damned good — it scores pretty highly among the «hipster casual» restaurants I’ve visited, and could give similar restaurants in San Francisco a run for their money.
The Fez used to be a dive bar (and if memory serves, was in a different location in downtown Providence), but has since moved and pivoted to be more of a restaurant.
The Red Fez’s menu reads like a gastropub, but way more on «everything has bacon» and «put an egg on it!» side of the fence. You can hear your heart telling you that ordering here is shaving days off your live.
The drink menu is impressive. Our group split beers and cocktails. I think everyone ended up ordering their house margarita, which was pretty damned good.
I ordered a burger (with no bacon or egg on it, thank you very much), and was really happy with it — tasty meat, delicious bun. And — and! — the burger was seven dollars. Can’t beat the price.
I’d recommend the Fez to anyone looking for a hearty meal and good drinks for reasonable prices.