Restaurant 1879

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Atlantic at the Atlantic Inn

Perched on Block Island in New Shoreham, Rhode Island, The Atlantic is the kind of restaurant that earns its reputation quietly — through what's on the plate, what's in the glass, and the setting that frames it all. Executive Chef Francis Cavanagh leads the kitchen, offering a dining experience that the restaurant itself describes as "unparalleled on Block Island."

A Sense of Place on Every Plate

The philosophy here is grounded in geography. Local seafood, home-grown herbs, and fresh vegetables shape menus that feel genuinely tied to the island rather than imported from a generic fine-dining template. Two local oyster varieties arrive with a watermelon mignonette; fluke crudao comes with pickled long hots, crispy sweet potato, and mint oil. From the raw bar to the large plates, the American cuisine reads as carefully composed without being fussy — striped bass with vermouth sauce and capers, scallops with English peas, bacon, and tarragon, lamb loin chops finished with a leek béarnaise.

The menu moves through shareable starters — duck toast with oyster mushrooms and pickled blueberries, octopus puttanesca with castelvetrano olives and fried garlic — before opening into main courses that balance land and sea with equal confidence. An aged ribeye and a mushroom ragout with tagliatelle round out a menu that gives every guest something to reach for.

Recognition That Reflects the Room

The Atlantic's wine list has earned the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, a distinction that speaks to both the depth of the cellar and the care taken in pairing it with Chef Cavanagh's cooking. The restaurant has also drawn recognition from Bon Appétit, Travel and Leisure, Gourmet, Yankee, and Rhode Island Magazine — a range of outlets that reflects how consistently this kitchen performs across different audiences and seasons.

The American cuisine here isn't trying to reinvent itself season after season for attention. It's doing something more durable: sourcing well, cooking with intention, and letting Block Island's natural larder do much of the talking.