Newport has a new gallery, though the works arrive on ice, fresh from the oven, or poured into a coupe. Inside the newly renovated Hotel Viking, Rhode Island chef and restaurateur Robert Andreozzi has approached the dining program like a curator, giving each space its own point of view while keeping the collection tied to the century-old hotel.
The Bellevue Avenue landmark reopened in May following a major centennial renovation, with Andreozzi and Jesse Hedberg’s Providence-based Littleneck Hospitality Group overseeing its new food-and-beverage program. The team behind Pizza Marvin and Club Frills created four concepts for the hotel’s next chapter, from lobby coffee at Tuck Shop and cocktails in the Skoal Room to rooftop drinks at Cap Club.
Pescadou sits at the center of it all. Blush-pink banquettes and mint-green chairs give the dining room a Riviera glow without tipping into theme-restaurant territory. The menu draws from Marseille and Nice, picking up flavors from North Africa, Corsica, and Italy before landing back in Rhode Island waters. It feels rooted in Newport, with a little French Riviera polish.
On a recent Hey Rhody Media Co. visit, Editor-in-Chief Elyse Major and I started with Champagne, which felt appropriately Newport without requiring a yacht. She followed with the Tepache Tonic, a bright, spiced mix of pink pineapple, citrus, and elderflower tonic. I chose the Kir, blending aligoté, crème de cassis, and blackberry into something tart, lightly sweet, and dangerously easy to continue sipping.
Baby lettuces opened the meal with more personality than the name suggests. Crisp greens, shaved radish, fennel, fine herbes, and lemon vinaigrette made the plate cool, clean, and sharp enough to wake up the palate. Niçoise olives and warm fougasse followed, the latter landing somewhere between focaccia and a soft flatbread, ready for a generous sweep through olive oil.
Then the raw bar began arriving. The oysters came topped with rosé granita and pink peppercorn, a cold, briny bite followed by a flicker of fruit and spice. Even more memorable were the scallops, whose delicate sweetness played against creamy almond milk, fragrant Meyer lemon, and a gentle hum of espelette. Razor clams with ras el hanout, nectarine, and Niçoise olive oil brought the boldest turn, balancing warm spice with ripe fruit and ocean salinity.
Little necks with green strawberry and fennel, and black bass with melon and finger lime rounded out the tasting, creating a progression that moved from bright and briny to floral, fruity, and gently spiced. Ordering one of everything sounded ambitious when we said it. Once the plates started disappearing, it felt entirely reasonable.
For dinner, Elyse chose the conchigliette, with sweet lobster tucked into shell-shaped pasta alongside bursts of corn and the fresh, anise-like lift of tarragon. I went with the chicken tagine, where tender meat and earthy Tunisian chickpeas soaked up warm harissa and the sharp brightness of preserved lemon. The rice caught the deeply seasoned sauce underneath, so leaving any behind would’ve shown poor judgment.
Dessert softened the landing. Pescadou’s Tarte Tropézienne ate more like a tender oil cake than traditional brioche, with a moist, fragrant crumb paired with cream, ripe strawberries, and a delicate note of beach rose. It looked shareable. Technically, it was.
Pescadou gives visitors a polished taste of Newport while offering locals a reason to walk into Hotel Viking without an overnight bag. The room may nod to the Riviera, but the seafood, hospitality, and easy sense of occasion keep the experience close to home.
1 Bellevue Avenue, Newport
401-848-4805
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