Newport, Rhode Island, is a gorgeous, historic destination on the East Coast and a great choice if you’re looking for a seaside getaway that offers beautiful beaches—along with plenty more to do than simply lounge on the sand.
This isn’t the kind of place where you grab a beach chair, toss a towel down, and spend the day with a cooler full of subs and beer while your favorite playlist blares from a speaker. Things here are a bit more upscale. Spend your nights in a beautiful historic hotel, your mornings strolling the coastline while admiring Gilded Age mansions, browsing locally made shops before lunch, heading out on the water for an afternoon boat ride, and finishing the day with an exceptional waterfront dinner.
If that sounds like your ideal coastal escape, it’s time to start planning. And for any foodie traveler, one of the best parts of the trip is deciding where to sample some of Newport’s best local flavors.
To help narrow down your options, here are some of the best restaurants near the water in Newport, Rhode Island, according to locals and real travelers.
Cara at The Chanler
The Chanler boasts a bevy of hospitality accolades, including two Michelin Keys (the organization’s version of a star for hotels) and recognition as an AAA Five Diamond property and a Forbes Four Star Property.
For those who adore a carefully constructed tasting menu, as well as a sublime view, Cara at The Chanler delivers on both fronts. The restaurant overlooks the destination’s iconic Cliff Walk and Easton’s Bay, and the restaurant offers both a five-course or eight-course blind tasting menu. Dishes are served right as they’re completed and the menu is constantly changing to reflect seasonality and local ingredient availability. All the while, there are only a few other tables, so the overall environment is intimate.
If you’re lucky enough to be staying at the hotel, you have the additional option of reserving a spot at the Chef’s Counter, where you’ll enjoy a nine-course blind tasting menu with a front-row view of the culinary team at work.
Tasting menus start at a very reasonable $185 per person.
Aurelia
Admittedly, not everyone likes to go into a dining experience blind (I’m one of them—constantly reviewing menus before committing to a reservation) so if you want a little heads up as to what to more or less expect from a tasting menu, consider reservations at the next, top-recommend spot on our list: Aurelia.
Located at Castle Hill Inn, the restaurant serves a six-course tasting menu that starts at $165 per person, with courses ranging from aged striped jack with fennel and pears to Jonah crab with tarragon and vanilla, wagyu with sea urchin gnocchi to guinea hen with beetroot and huckleberries. A separate vegetarian tasting menu is also available.
The dining room overlooks Narragansett Bay and the menu reflects the restaurant’s seaside setting, as well as the seasons. As for the restaurant’s name, it comes from the Aurelia jellyfish, or the moon jellyfish, found in the bay itself and a favorite of the property’s original builder, Alexander Agassiz, the father of marine biology.
(Do note that as of the spring of 2026, Aurelia was closed due to a fire at the property, but the plan is to reopen in time for the summer 2026 season.)
The Lobster Bar
Now let’s make a complete 180 away from the fancy tasting menus and get down to something a little more casual (but still absolutely worth your culinary admiration).
The Lobster Bar juts out over the water and is exactly what you want from a casual Northeast lobster bar. It’s good vibes, good food, good views and seafood fixed every which way you could want it: clam chowder, seafood chowder, stuffies (a Rhode Island signature, if you didn’t know—basically chopped quahog clams mixed with breadcrumbs and sausage and stuffed and baked in a clamshell), lobster rolls, broiled lobster, and a raw bar, just to name a few.
Brick Alley Pub & Restaurant
Another much more casual spot, the Brick Alley Pub & Restaurant is hard to miss. Just look for the cheery, charming yellow exterior. Inside, retro memorabilia covers the walls, a motorcycle hangs from the ceiling and a vintage pickup appears to have driven right into the dining room. You won’t have a clue where to look first.
All the while, you’re just steps away from the picturesque Bowen’s Wharf.
As for the menu, you can obviously expect plenty of pub fare and a big menu with lots of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, seafood, burgers, and more. The menu is honestly as busy as the décor. The pub’s famous nacho platters are a can’t-miss.
Flora
Back to the more upscale end of things, Flora is a TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice award winner with a chef who boasts experience cooking for royals. The menu takes Mediterranean inspiration while utilizing the surrounding region’s local bounty.
Entrees include plancha lemon sole with broccolini and lemon caper butter; shrimp fusilli; veal scallopini; lomo adobado, and more. The crudo bar menu boasts such delights as Black River caviar, loyal oysters, lobster tail, and yellowfin tuna carpaccio. Sunday brunch is also on tap, with house-made pastries, Florentines, benedicts, and pan con tomate featuring Iberico ham.
The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar
With impressively high ratings across both Google and TripAdvisor (and a 2025 OpenTable Diner’s Choice award), The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar stands out with its historic wharf setting and covered patio overlooking the water.
The generous menu includes a raw bar (get the grand tower with its shrimp, littlenecks, oysters and whole chilled lobster for $78, if you’re looking to splurge), light options like sandwiches and salads, and then mostly seafood entrees, with a smaller section of non-seafood options. For a date night, split one of the meals designed for two, such as the twin pan-seared lobsters, bouillabaisse, or surf and turf.
Another fun fact? The restaurant is 100% employee owned.
The Black Pearl
The Black Pearl has a long-standing reputation as one of the most beloved restaurants in Newport. Another pick situated right on the wharf, it’s surrounded by a lively selection of other restaurants, bars and shops. Whether you dine indoors, in the cozy dining room, or outdoors on the waterside patio, you’re sure to easily settle into the welcoming environment.
Popular picks on the menu include the Black Pearl clam chowder (which receives rave reviews), the mussels Black Pearl, and clams casino. In addition to the typical lobster and seafood entrees, the menu also includes items for those not so inclined to spend their trip eating all things from the sea: roasted provencal chicken, braised sausage and beans, bolognese and steak frites, for instance.
(Make sure you grab some Black Pearl merch, too! You can even buy cans of the restaurant’s clam chowder online, if you find that you’re missing it after you get back home!)
Clarke Cooke House
Not too far away at all, the Clarke Cooke House serves up classic New England eats in a 1700s structure.
The house encompasses several spaces. There’s the Bistro and Bistro Bar (which shows off original post and beam construction). The Candy Store bar and café provide nautical vibes and views. A sushi bar welcomes diners in the summer months. Then there’s the higher-end Porch Dining Room, which does come with a dress code (and you’ll note that even in the more relaxed areas, collars are requested and menus kindly ask you refrain from using your cell phone).
The Candy Store and Bistro menu features ample oyster options and appetizers such as jamon mangalica, country pate, and ceviche, while dinner entrees include several steak selections alongside the expected seafood, as well as pasta. Save room for a fun dessert—the Snowball in Hell, aka a chocolate-coated goblet with chocolate roulade, vanilla ice cream, warmed Callebault chocolate sauce, and toasted coconut.
Sunday brunch offers some more rarely seen breakfast items, such as eggs Strasbourg (poached eggs on a crouton with duck liver mousseline and mustard hollandaise), and ouefs en meurette (poached eggs in red wine on a crouton with bacon, pearl onions, mushrooms, and frisee).
Meanwhile, if you head to the Porch Dining Room, you’ll find that the menu is a step above (though the bistro and café menu is certainly nothing to turn your nose up), with caviar selections, appetizers like seared foie gras, and entrees such as twin lobsters and roast rack of lamb.
