With economic challenges confronting restaurants this year, you might be surprised to know a bunch have opened recently. Hope springs for both local business people and several chains. A few other eateries will open soon, have expanded or moved, or are experimenting with collaborations.

Here’s a run down.

SOUTHERN FARE: Mamie Ellen’s Southern Vittles has opened at 568 Broad St., Providence, (401) 432- 7373 with a menu of Southern specialties and Cajun/Creole flavor. Restaurateur/caterer Elliott Butcher is the owner.

“Smerked chicken” (a combination of jerk and smoked flavors) is a specialty. Also featured are collard greens, macaroni and cheese, candied sweet potatoes, pistachio cake and sweet tea. Mamie Ellen’s is named after Butcher’s mother and offers dine in or take-out.

NEW: The Italian Corner, 1674 Cranston St., Cranston, (401) 383-9200, www.italiancorner-ri.com, has been opened by Mario Bellotti, most recently of Incontro Restaurant in Franklin, Mass.

It is an Italian deli serving traditional sandwiches with Italian cold cuts on homemade bread. Bellotti also serves ready-to-go dinners including pasta dishes with lasagna, gnocchi, ravioli and Bolognese sauce. There’s also eggplant rollatini, linguini with clam sauce and chicken cacciatore. The hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6p.m. Monday to Friday and until 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Bellotti serves dinner on Friday night from 6-8 p.m. with reservations only. It is BYOB.

“I franchised the name from my friend Osvaldo Pirro in East Providence, where I worked for over 2 years,” Bellotti said.

A TASTE OF EUROPE: European Café & Restaurant, has opened at 645 Douglas Pike (Route 7) in Smithfield, (401) 349-4200, www.europeancaferi.com. The owner is Elia Nassios, who grew up in the business (his father owned and operated restaurants and pizza chains in the Boston area) and has 30 years experience.

His mother still makes the homemade tzatziki sauce featured on the menu. The menu includes American favorites and Greek favorites. Appetizers include a Greek mezza platter and shrimp cocktail. Entrees include lamb chops, pasta dishes, marinated steak tips and swordfish Francaise. Fish and chips are available on Fridays only.

The restaurant, which has a fireplaced patio, is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m., and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast offerings range from eggs Benedict to French toast and pancakes.

“We wanted to recreate the feel of European cafés, where you can sit and relax while enjoying your meal or drinks with family and friends,” he said.

Also offered is a full bar with a variety of specialty drinks from a “Greek Martini” to iced cafe frapés. European-style coffees have been created from the same recipes used in cafés in the Greek Islands. Desserts include tiramisu, cheesecake, and Galaktobuoriko, a traditional Greek dessert of lemon custard baked in a flaky filo pastry crust.

MALL DINING: The Melting Pot has opened at The Providence Place Mall, 199 Providence Place, (401) 865-6670. The dinner-only fondue restaurant occupies the space of a former comedy club on the Francis Street level. It seats 150 and the space includes a secluded lover’s lane area with intimate tables for two.

Fondue dinners begin with a cheese fondue and salad. Entrees include filet mignon, lobster, breast of chicken, duck, shrimp and salmon in one of four fondue cooking styles. Dessert is chocolate fondue with dipping items including fresh strawberries, cheesecake, marshmallows, pound cake and brownies.

There are also nibbles of lobster quesadillas, chicken and beef sate, seared ahi tuna, smoked salmon bruschetta, garlic Dijon shrimp and crab cakes. The Melting Pot is a franchise operation with 136 restaurants; Providence’s restaurant is locally owned.

EXPANDED AND RENOVATED: Angelo’s, 133 Mendon Rd., Cumberland, (401) 728-3340, www.angelospalacepizza.com, might as well be brand new after expanding its pizzeria into a full-service restaurant. Since 1978 it has been owned and operated by the Kitsilis family, mother Christine, daughter Alexandria and sons Paul and William.

The renovation is a complete transformation. Two dining rooms have been added, along with a full bar, a pick-up window and an expanded menu that includes pasta dishes and full entrees. The menu is extensive from appetizers of Portuguese clams casino to chicken piccata, eggplant parmigiana, fettucine scampi and Angus burgers.

Greek specials are featured Monday through Wednesday. Homemade specialties include spanikopita and baklava.

ASIAN FARE: Kon Asian Bistro, 553 Main St., East Greenwich, (401) 886-9200, www.konasianbistro, offers sushi and sashimi, wok and grill platters and hibachi prepared dishes. The setting is elegant and dramatic and the menu large and varied. There are lunch specials for each style of cuisine.

The menu includes Thai dishes, noodle and rice specialties, starters including a mini Beijing duck, rock shrimp, Miso Chilean Sea Bass and Vietnamese Summer Rolls. Other items i include miso soup and General Tso’s Chicken. The sushi selection is extensive and different than what one sees on many menus.

RENTING A KITCHEN: An owner of the former Wiley’s of Middlebridge, Jay DiVincenzo, is offering dinner on Fridays and Saturdays in Phil’s Perry’s Restaurant at Bonnet Shores in Narragansett. They’re calling it “Night Shift at Phil’s.” Phil’s is at 909 Boston Neck Rd., (401) 789-1351.

NEW: Ozzi’s Steak Burgers, 1795 Post Rd., Warwick, (401) 921-6994, www.eatatozzis.com, has been opened by Todd Rizzo, formerly of Rizzo Ford. He is serving Hereford beef and fresh-cut French fried potatoes. Hamburgers are made to order with a theme to Build Your Own Burger. The restaurant is fashioned like a 1960s diner. They also have ice cream shakes and old-fashioned root beer floats.

MOVING: Rue Bis, a breakfast and lunch bistro that has been open for three years in the Jewelry District, has moved two streets over. The new address is 95 South St. Deb Norman, who owns Rue de l’Espoir, is also the owner of Rue Bis.

OPENED EARLIER THIS YEAR: Lumana Café and Gourmet, 877 Central Ave., Pawtucket, (401) 305-5888, has been open since February serving sandwiches and more.

Lumana occupies the former location of the Harvest Deli. Susan Mallon is the owner working with her son, brother and niece in staffing the café.

“Lumana is named for my three grandsons, LUcas, MAthieux and NAthen. Some of the hand-painted furniture is adorned with handprints from the boys,” she said.

Featured are Boar’s Head Deli Meats and Cheeses on the Sandwich Menu, which includes Londonport Roast Beef. They use house-made corned beef and turkey and consider the Reuben sandwich a specialty. The café carries retail items from Stonewall Kitchens and The Republic of Tea.

“In keeping with supporting the local community, we use local purveyors for our breads and ground meats,” she said.

“We have recently begun to offer local delivery to schools and other businesses with a minimum $20 order,” she said. Lumana café offers catering as well.

Lumana is open Monday to Friday 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday noon to 3 p.m.

Lao Thai Kitchen, 952 Chalkstone Ave., Providence, (401) 751-0535, is the first restaurant for Chindavanh “Kat” Sounthonevat. A trip to Laos and Thailand inspired her to join with her father, Lu, who had been a chef in California and in Rhode Island at Haruki, to run her own restaurant.

The menu is large, varied and cross-cultural. Appetizers include Nime chow and many specialty soups. Stir fry dishes include Pad Thai, sautéed dishes include sweet basil dishes. For a truly authentic dish, Laotian Larb with minced meats mixed with rice powder, mint, lime and other seasonings, is something to try.

El Meson Restaurant, 549 Broad St., Providence, (401) 273-0550, offers specialties from owner Lucy Carrasco’s native Dominican Republic. They’re offered daily for lunch and dinner and she has a wine and beer license. A dinner might include a steak with plantain and salad, shrimp mofongo with mashed plantains and garlic butter or Cubano sandwiches with roasted pork and ham paired with a side of fried potatoes. On Friday and Saturday she makes her signature paella, which is loaded with crab, lobster and shrimp all mixed with rice, tinged a lovely yellow from a pepper and tomato sauce. Plate prices start at $5 and increase by size of the dish.

A NEW HOTEL RESTAURANT: NYLO Providence/Warwick, 400 Knight St., Warwick, (401) 734-4460, is a boutique hotel with a fantasy design that may evoke thoughts of Willy Wonka. The Loft is its restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

An eclectic menu is geared to match the hip atmosphere but there are dishes categorized as regional comfort cuisine as well. It includes New England clam chowder, prosciutto, fig and gorgonzola flatbread, a Loft Burger and a molasses-brined Heritage pork loin with parmigiano, black pepper polenta and espresso gravy.

A full bar includes a creative drink menu from mojitos to Pawtuxet Punch with Bacardi Coco.

Breakfast includes egg dishes, omelets and breakfast Panini.

The Terrace, a 3,000-square-foot restaurant deck overlooks the Pawtuxet River and guests may eat or drink out there as well.

Check out the photos at www.nylohotels.com/warwick.

IN CONNECTICUT: Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville is open at Mohegan Sun, (888) 226-7711. There are currently eight Margaritavilles, all in warm weather cities.

Besides serving margaritas, frozen and boat drinks, the restaurant’s signature is a Cheeseburger in Paradise. Other specialties include Jamaica Mistaica Wings, Calypso Mahi Mahi and Key Lime Pie

The two-level restaurant is designed like a marina, features two floors of dining space, a retail boutique, concert stage and multiple bars. The restaurant is the only venue at Mohegan Sun with a waterfront view of the Thames River and open air seating.

IN FOXBORO, MASS.: Patriot Place is the Kraft family’s newest success story with retailers, restaurants and entertainment venues in the shadow of Gillette Stadium.

First to open were Davio’s, (508) 339-4810, the upscale Northern Italian steakhouse, and CBS Scene, (508) 203-2200, one of the wildest sports bars you’ll ever see. It has two levels of dining and televisions everywhere including on each table. The dining room menu is extensive, the bar menu, with pizza, burgers and nibbles, less so. Reservations are a must.

Joining them now are Skipjack’s, (508) 543-2200, a seafood and sushi restaurant with three Boston-area locations and Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro, (508) 203-9463, a new food and wine pairing dining experience conceptualized by a Foxboro couple, Bill and Patti Martin. Wine flights are on the menu. Tastings is open for dinner only Monday through Thursday and lunch and dinner Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Currently half of Patriot Place’s 70 retailers, restaurants and other destinations are open.

gciampa@projo.com