The Top 7 Food Stories of 2025

RI Food coverage in 2025 was rich with stories of community, creativity, and culinary craft — from markets and pop-ups to standout brick-and-mortar restaurants. These seven pieces captured the spirit of rural dining this year: Honoring tradition, embracing innovation, and bringing people together around the table.

1. Mei’s Dumplings: Handmade Chinese Feeling, Local Farm Filling

At the Rhinebeck and Hudson Farmers’ Markets, Mei’s Dumplings became a seasonal must-visit, drawing lines of hungry customers and celebrating the fusion of heritage and local ingredients. On a crisp October morning, steam rose from pans of handmade dumplings, juicy, fragrant, and wrapped in hand-rolled dough. 

Mei George’s mobile kitchen reflects her upbringing in Qingdao China and her connection to the Hudson Valley’s farms. “When I cook, I remember my family,” George says. “My mom, my uncles, my grandpa.”

2. Lev & Ida’s: New-School Jewish Sandwich Counter Opens with a Bang

In Hudson’s storied Cannonball Factory, Lev & Ida’s brought old-world Jewish flavors into a modern sandwich counter that quickly became a neighborhood favorite. Named for owner Frederick Pikovsky’s grandparents, the shop sold out on its second day, a testament to its tantalizing take on deli classics.

Pikovsky’s pastrami, brined, steamed, and stacked thick, drew immediate praise. “When it comes out right, it’s like butter,” he says. Along with classics. Lev and Ida's serves inventive sandwiches pulling from a multitude of culinary traditions that broaden the definition of what a New-School deli can be. 

“Better to sell out in two hours than not at all,” says Pikovsky. “It feels good that this is something people want.”

3. Hilltown Finally Opens: Killer Pizza, Southern Italian Spirit, Berkshire Style

After years of anticipation, Hilltown opened its Egremont restaurant to widespread acclaim. Owner Rafi Bildner’s pizza, naturally leavened, blister-kissed, and deeply rooted in Southern Italian technique, quickly became the area’s hot spot.

More than just dough and toppings, Hilltown’s menu and ethos reflect Bildner’s personal journey, from political organizing to global travel and pop-up pizza legend. “I wanted to make a place where people feel comfortable connecting,” he says, “A dough ball is a canvas for the landscape around you.” 

4. The Cliff House: More Than a Pretty Face, Makes Opening Statement

Perched above Prospect Lake at the new Prospect resort, The Cliff House made a strong impression with its thoughtful, ingredient-forward cuisine and panoramic setting. From rainbow carrots with electrifying buttermilk dressing to horseradish-brightened steak tartare, the menu balanced refined technique with regional harvests. 

Service manager Lannon Killea described the restaurant’s ethos succinctly: “The menu is about sharing great local ingredients in an accessible-yet-surprising way.” And with dishes shaped by seasons and place, Cliff House became one of the year’s most complete dining experiences: scenery, service, and substance. 

5. Hy’s Fried: Hallucinatory Chicken Shack, Dance Club, and Future National Chain

Hy’s Fried turns heads with a concept as provocative as its name, a secluded Egremont chicken shack with quirky design, gluten-free fried chicken, and spontaneous DJ nights. Owner Jack Luber described his intention to create “a wormhole,” and indeed, diners regularly feel transported. 

The menu, led by free-range chicken brined and tossed in hot honey sambal, is in concert with the atmosphere, filled with music and conversation. With ambitions of national expansion, Hy’s became one of the most talked-about dining phenomena of 2025. 

6. Five New and Newish Berkshire Restaurants to Try This Spring

Our spring roundup introduced readers to a wave of exciting new openings across the Berkshires, from the revived speakeasy-style Dulu at Doctor Sax House to globally inspired gastropub The Station in Lee. 

This piece was a favorite for helping readers discover exciting new favorites, spotlighting Golden Bamboo’s pan-Asian relaunch, Amazing Pho’s authentic Vietnamese bowls, and Bear Butter Cafe’s nutrient-rich local fare. It underscores the region’s diverse and evolving culinary landscape.

7. Endangered Diners: 100 Years of Chrome and Coffee

In a year when refined farm-to-table kitchens abound, this article reminded us that America’s roadside relics are culinary treasures in their own right. This feature celebrated the gleaming metal diners scattered across the Hudson Valley and Berkshires, classic prefabricated dining cars with stainless-steel facades, vinyl booths, elbow-worn counters, and menus steeped in tradition.

From Dan’s Diner in Chatham, a meticulously restored 1925 Jerry O’Mahony car, to the Historic Village Diner in Red Hook, New York’s first diner listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the story showcased sites that connect us to our blue collar past. Along the way, the Oakhurst Diner in Millerton blends inventive modern touches with classic diner comfort, and M&J’s Taste of Home in Adams preserves home-style breakfasts and scratch-baked sweets in a 1949 Worcester Lunch Car. The newly reopened Hudson Diner, a collaboration between local culinary figures, even points toward a future where diner staples are elevated to new heights of appreciation.