The votes are counted. The Block has spoken. And when the dust settled on eleven categories, one name appeared more than any other on the 2026 ballot.
A Brand-New Crown — and Ballard’s Took It
Here’s something that didn’t exist last year: Best Restaurant.
We added the category for 2026 because readers kept asking for it, and it immediately became the most competitive race on the ballot. Ballard’s took the inaugural title, with The Barn earning runner-up in a genuinely close finish.
Fried clams with sand between your toes and the Atlantic doing its thing twenty feet away — it’s the meal people describe when they describe Block Island. Now it has the hardware to match.
More options in our guide to where to eat on Block Island.
The Repeat Nobody’s Surprised By
Best Bachelor/Bachelorette Destination — Ballard’s, for the second year running, with Spring House taking runner-up.
If you’ve been on the 5pm ferry in July, you already knew. The beachfront cabanas, the bar scene, the fact that the staff has clearly done this a thousand times before — it’s the island’s default answer for a reason. We broke down exactly how to plan one in our Block Island bachelorette guide.
That’s two titles. Ballard’s also earned podium finishes in Best Mudslide and Best Lobster Roll — a double placement in the island’s two most fiercely contested food-and-drink categories.
Two First-Time Champions
Both of those races crowned a new name this year, and both are worth your attention.
Champlin’s claims its first Best Mudslide title. If your island mudslide routine has been on autopilot, here’s your excuse to run a proper taste test — our mudslide deep-dive has the full map. Do it properly. Take notes. Take a friend.
South East Light Delights takes its first Best Lobster Roll title — the tucked-away spot up near the lighthouse that regulars have been quietly recommending for years. It’s now officially out of the secret-handshake phase. Pair it with our best seafood on Block Island roundup and make a day of it.
The Upset of the Year
Now the result nobody predicted.
For as long as anyone’s been asking “what’s the best hike on Block Island?”, the answer has been Mohegan Bluffs and the Southeast Lighthouse. Two hundred feet of clay cliff, the famous wooden staircase, the shot that’s on every postcard in Old Harbor.
This year, Rodman’s Hollow took Best Hiking Spot.
The island picked the trail nobody posts about over the one everybody does — a glacial outwash basin tucked into the southwest corner, all winding paths, dead silence, and zero crowds. The locals’ pick beat the tourists’ pick, which tells you plenty about who showed up to vote.
Add it to your list via our outdoor adventures guide.
The Champions Who Held Their Ground
Six more titles stayed exactly where they were:
- Best Beach — Mansion Beach (runner-up: Scotch Beach). Still undefeated. See how it ranks in our locals’ beach list.
- Best Pizza — Aldo’s Restaurant (runner-up: Poor People’s Pub)
- Best Coffee — Aldo’s Bakery (runner-up: Persephone’s Kitchen) — two titles for the Aldo’s family
- Most Romantic Spot — Atlantic Inn Restaurant (runner-up: Eli’s)
- Most Dog-Friendly Spot — The Beachhead (runner-up: Champlin’s). Planning ahead? Read bringing your dog to Block Island.
- Most Instagrammable — Southeast Lighthouse (runner-up: Clay Head Trail “Maze”). The lighthouse they moved back from a cliff in 1993 is still the most photographed thing out here.
Curious how this compares to last summer? Here are the 2025 Best on the Block winners.
So — Do You Agree?
Eleven categories. Four placements for Ballard’s. Two first-time champions. And a quiet trail that just beat the most famous view on the island.
Think the voters got one wrong? The ballot opens again next summer — and if you’re planning a trip to settle any of these debates in person, start with the ferry guide and where to stay.
We’re spotlighting one winner a day over on Facebook. Come defend your favorite.