Aug. 26, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET
Ciao Ciao is a new Providence restaurant opened by industry veterans Chef C.J. Correnti and manager Adam Stabile.The menu features house-made pasta, Italian comfort food, and small plates known as “cicchetti.”An extensive drink menu offers a variety of martinis, Negronis, and Italian wines.
Ciao Ciao is what happens when two experienced people open their first restaurant after a whole career in the industry.
They know how to set themselves up for success. They know what pleases for food and drinks, how to run service and how to keep their costs down.
As soon as I saw a new restaurant named Ciao Ciao opened in May at 771 Hope St. in Providence, I tried to make a reservation. But every time I went online, they were fully booked when I wanted to dine. I don’t know if they had a website up, but Instagram posts did not indicate who was behind the restaurant.
By the middle of July, I saw a 4:30 reservation available on a Friday. I’m not above being an early bird diner so I hit book. It was one of the most fun meals of the summer.
Right off the bat, a most impressive drink menu, including a variety of martinis, arrived at my high top table in the bar area.
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Once I was sipping on my ice-cold Vesper martini, I looked at the food. How would I choose from cicchetti and antipasti that included meatballs with polenta fries, Roman-style artichokes, arancini with short rib and peas, and sausage and rabe?
Pastas, the menu promised, were all made in-house and bronze-die extruded for the rustic texture that would hold the sauce. From orecchiette with sausage and rabe pesto to chiatarra with clams, they were a tempting lot.
But the meats, just six choices, spoke to me of Italian comfort food starting with the Sunday Macaroni with meatballs, sausage and braciole. Sides included Olive Oil Whipped Potatoes and Creamy Parmesan Spinach. Still, I couldn’t look aways from the idea of a crispy chicken cutlet or a bone-in pork chop Marsala.
Now, I had to ask our server “Who is in the kitchen?”
“Chef C.J.” he said.
Now it all made sense. I remembered I had heard somewhere that it was a team from Federal Hill that opened Ciao Ciao.
Who opened Ciao Ciao
Chef C.J. Correnti and drink expert and manager Adam Stabile are the pair behind Ciao Ciao. They made Providence Prime sing in its day. Correnti was generous sharing recipes from the restaurant group that also included Providence Oyster Bar, the Spring House on Block Island and Wildfire in North Providence. He was their executive chef. Stabile was a legend behind the bar and running the beverage programs.
Stabile told me that wanted to create an approachable restaurant for the neighborhood. Part of that included keeping their costs down so they decided to make their own pasta.
To reach a variety of diners, they wanted to have an Aperitivo concept that offers light, low-alcohol drinks like spritzes. They can be enjoyed with the choices of “cicchetti,” the small, savory snacks or side dishes that are the Italian version of tapas. There are also more substantial antipasti choices including mussels.
Ciao Ciao is not a large restaurant. There are 60 seats plus another 14 outside in season.
It’s lovely but they didn’t spend crazy money remodeling it, Stabile said. The lighting and music hit just the right note.
They’ve kept the menu small so they know they can execute it every day.
Ciao Ciao is on the corner where KG Kitchen Bar had been and simply KitchenBar before that. They felt offering valet parking would be a smart move on busy Hope Street.
Not to be missed are the polenta fries, which are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Named Polpetta ala Nonna, they come with delicious meatballs that taste like home in a nice marinara sauce for dipping the fries. That could be a meal alone.
It would be a sin not to try the housemade pasta, right? The Lumache Rigate dish starts with the pasta that is ridged and snail-shell shaped. The porous surface created by the bronze dies makes it perfect for absorbing the vodka-style sauce in which it is served. It’s a perfect version with layered flavors developed by adding shallots, brandy, ricotta salata and nduja (the flavor from a spreadable salami mixed with Calabrian dried chili peppers).
I got a side of chicken cutlet with the pasta and that was the right decision. It was a moist, tender piece of chicken pounded flat and cooked with an outrageously crunchy coating. A sprinkling of Parmesan added some nice saltiness.
The bone-in pork chop of the Maiale al Marsala is a great cut of meat that would be great on its own. But it shines in the savory brown Marsala mushroom sauce flavored with a touch of lemon. It’s served over creamy polenta.
For dessert, don’t miss the Olive Oil Cake, a classic Italian dessert that is savory as well as sweet.
On the days the restaurant is open for lunch, the menu expands to include sandwiches (think Crispy Mortadella and Stracciatella cheese) as well as pizzetta or pizzas.
What to drink
The extensive drink menu features categories for cocktails. There were pages for a variety of Negronis, frizzantes, zero proof, espresso drinks, egg white sours and innovative cocktails. They also offer a selection of martinis.
There are plenty of birra (beer choices), including a Miller pony that offers seven ounces when that is all you need.
The wines, by the glass and bottle, are listed according to minerality, or lightness or elegance. Stabile makes it easy to try Italian wines by menu lines that say if you like a Sauvignon Blanc, for example, you’ll like a Vermentino. That’s one of my favorite Italian varietals you don’t see but at a handful of restaurants. Cheers to learning more about wine in a fun way.
Details: Ciao Ciao, 771 Hope St., Providence, 401-420-9404, ciaociaopvd.com, reservations on Resy. Hours are Tuesday to Thursday 3 p.m. to midnight, with the kitchen closing at 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to midnight, with the Aperitivo menu served until 11:30 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
