The first Best on the Block awards are in the books. Voting ran on this site through the summer, ballots came from locals and regulars alike, and ten categories produced ten winners — some obvious, some that started arguments at more than one bar. That’s the point of an awards ballot on a small island: everyone has a take, and now there’s a scoreboard.
Here’s every 2025 winner, with the runners-up who made it close. (For how the voting works — and to have your say next cycle — see the Best on the Block hub.)
Best Lobster Roll: Ballard’s Beach Resort
The winning roll is generous, buttery, and eaten with your feet in the sand, which the voters clearly counted in its favor. Dead Eye Dick’s and The National both put up serious rolls of their own — this category will stay a fight for years.
Best Beach: Mansion Beach
The dirt road keeps the crowds honest, the sand runs wide, and the surf shows up more than the guidebooks admit. Scotch Beach and Town Beach have their loyalists; the ballot went to the beach you have to want. Our full ranking agrees more than it disagrees.
Most Romantic Spot: The Atlantic Inn
A hilltop Victorian with a long porch and the island’s best sunset angle — no argument from us. Eli’s earned its votes for the intimate-dinner crowd.
Best Mudslide: Ballard’s Beach Resort
The island’s unofficial drink is a contested title, and 2025 went to the frozen version at Ballard’s. The Oar, Champlin’s, and the Beach House all pour serious contenders — the mudslide question deserves your own field research.
Best Coffee: Aldo’s Bakery
The line out the bakery door every summer morning voted before anyone else did. Persephone’s Kitchen and The Cracked Mug keep the standard high across town.
Best Pizza: Aldo’s Restaurant
Two titles for the Aldo’s family — the restaurant’s pies took the category over Poor People’s Pub and the Block Island Pizza Truck.
Best Bachelor/Bachelorette Destination: Ballard’s Beach Resort
Beachfront, big bar, staff who have seen it all before — the island’s default celebration answer took the title. Beach House and Spring House both run excellent group weekends. Planning one? Start here.
Best Hiking Spot: Mohegan Bluffs & Southeast Lighthouse
The stairs, the cliffs, the lighthouse at the top — the classic won, as classics do. Clay Head and the Greenway split the trail-purist vote. (Spoiler for the sequel: 2026 had other ideas.)
Most Dog-Friendly Spot: The Beachhead
Water bowls out, no fuss made, dogs treated like regulars. Poor People’s Pub and Ballard’s also welcome the well-behaved. Traveling with yours? The dog guide has the leash rules.
Most Instagrammable Spot: Southeast Lighthouse
The brick tower above the bluffs is on every postcard rack in Old Harbor for a reason. The Giant Adirondack Chair and Clay Head got their votes; the lighthouse got most of them.
That’s the 2025 board: three titles for Ballard’s, two for the Aldo’s family, and a few categories decided by margins thin enough to keep things interesting. The 2026 results shook three of these crowns loose — read those next.