We know New Bedford and Fall River have lots of great restaurants and we love when they get recognized for it on a big scale.
Yelp just posted the Top 100 New England Restaurants of 2022, its first-ever ranking of this kind. Two SouthCoast spots made the list, while a Rhode Island restaurant came in at No. 1.
Yelp, a site where customers can post reviews of businesses, spelled out the criteria:
We identified businesses in the restaurants category, then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews between January 1, 2017, and July 27, 2022. This list looked at businesses in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. When available, all businesses on this list have a passing health score as of July 27, 2022.
Chinese restaurant Jayd Bun in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, outranked 99 other restaurants to come in first, thanks to the online praise it regularly gets from customers.
It doesn't take long for the SouthCoast to pop up on the list, either.
The Baker in downtown New Bedford got enough love to land pretty high on the list at No. 11.
We spoke with Brandon Roderick, owner of the Pleasant Street business, who said the list wasn't a complete surprise because Yelp reached out for permission to use its pictures.
"The reviews on Yelp have been reinforcing what we are trying to accomplish here at The Baker," Roderick said.
The owner said he pays attention to the reviews and takes seriously the feedback he gets from customers.
The Baker has earned a reputation for great customer service and fresh, delicious artisan products. Roderick said the pumpkin and apple fall treats are starting to fly out the door this time of year.
In Fall River, Sweet Rose Cafe also made the list, coming in at No. 59. The 268 Highland Ave. vegan cafe posted on Facebook: "We’re so excited to be on Yelp’s list of the top 100 New England restaurants! We have an awesome, hard-working team and the best customers around."
Massachusetts and Rhode Island restaurants account for about three quarters of the New England list. Among those recognized, East Side Pockets in Providence comes in at No. 50, Branches Grille and Cafe in Chatham comes in at No. 8 and Root in Newport comes in at No. 41.