The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar is located right next to the Bowen’s Wharf. It’s been operating for over 35 years now and is a popular restaurant at Newport, featuring ‘top-of-the catch’ seafood, award-winning wine list, and nautical views of the Newport Harbor.
I would suggest making a reservation ahead of time, as this place can get very crowded during the weekends and prime times. One thing to also note is that the parking lot right in front of the restaurant is not free. I believe even if you get parking validation from the restaurant, it will still be at least $9 USD or so. You should be able to find street parking nearby with some light walking.
Cheers, we were so ready to have our seafood feast of the day!
Food Taste
Oysters from the Raw Bar – Their oysters were my favorite dish of the day. It was really fresh and has just the right amount of the salty ocean water taste. For oyster lovers, I am sure you know if the oysters don’t present at the right level of taste, it could easily become out of balance in a way that potentially destroys appetite. Although we weren’t given a menu to select our preferred kinds of oysters, they gave 3 different selections when we ordered 6. All of them were very good and the sizes of these oysters were on average bigger.
I would suggest to not go with the hot sauce in general. If you truly like oyster, you would want to test its authentic flavor vs. cover them up by hot sauce. A little bit lemon juice should be sufficient. I tried using tiny bit of hot sauce for one of the oysters – it wasn’t a wise idea as I can only taste hot sauce not the oyster itself anymore.
Highly recommend Mooring’s oysters! Must order!
Native Scallop Chowder – The scallop chowder was an average dish. There were only two pieces, although bigger pieces, of the scallops. The soup was creamy and exactly like a chowder, but the flavor and taste were mediocre. It was just neither special nor different and tasted somewhat bland. For a cup, they priced at $14 USD so it’s not cheap. They did use a bigger cup though, which almost looked like a bowl itself. So quantity is larger than a normal cup of soup and quite filling.
Maine Lobster Baked & Stuffed With Scallops & Shrimp – I would definitely suggest ordering this. We love baked lobster with seafood. They use Maine lobster. We love both Boston and Maine lobsters although they taste different. To me, Maine lobster has a creamier and smoother texture but Boston lobster is typically more chewy. We chose the 2 lb version, which is $24 USD more than the 1 1/4 lb version. Although price was 1/3 higher, I would still recommend getting the bigger lobster. It really is just more tasty and we know that it takes more time and effort for the lobster to grow larger. I believe there were 4 pieces of shrimp and 4 pieces of scallop, which was very generous. Textures of the shrimps and scallops were both great. The only thing that I didn’t love about this dish is that the side of potatoes were purely boiled and flavorless. Many similar seafood restaurants that I’ve been to would typically provide a few different sides for customers to choose from. But at Mooring, you do not get to choose.
New England Lobster Roll – This lobster roll is a no go. Replace with a real lobster instead. Especially if you order a whole chilled lobster from the raw bar, it is only priced at $35 USD. This lobster roll is tiny, like an appetizer size. And it’s pretty much claw meat only. It did come with some fries, but it wasn’t anything special. For the quantity and quality that we are getting, we didn’t find this dish to be worth it.
Ambience
The restaurant gets a standard seaside restaurant vibe. I think of Legal Seafoods at Boston. They both just gave me a similar feeling. Although, between the two, I’d probably go back to Legal Seafoods. Both of their baked lobsters are delicious, but the lobster roll at Legal Seafoods was significantly better and more satisfying.
We got a booth as requested. Although, it’s like a half booth for two people. It was not very spacious. The patio was closed for the season, so we didn’t get the view either.
Overall ambience to me was average. It’s loud and lively inside the restaurant.
Pricing
Our bill came out to be nearly $200 USD after tax and tip. I have the pricing of individual dishes listed below. If you take my advice to spend money on the oysters and the baked lobster and skip the other two (or replace it with other dishes), you will likely enjoy better and enhance your overall dining experience at Mooring. The pricing is standard for restaurants that positioned similarly in New England.
Oysters from the Raw Bar – $3.25 USD per oyster
Native Scallop Chowder $14 USD per cup, $22 USD per bowl
Maine Lobster Baked & Stuff With Scallop & Shrimp – 1 1/4 lb $51 USD, 2 lb $75 USD
New England Lobster Roll $34 USD
Other Thoughts
We usually are obsessed with desserts. But I didn’t find their dessert menu selections to be appealing. So I ended up opting out since we were already full.
Mooring is a wonderful option for anyone visiting Newport and if you happen to be craving for some yummy and fresh seafood. Certainly consider dining here especially in the warmer season (get the patio seating!) and end your day on a high note with the beautiful sunset at the Narragansett Bay!
Overall Restaurant Rating: ★★★★☆
Address: 1 Sayers Wharf, Newport, RI 02840
Website: https://www.mooringrestaurant.com
Until next time we eat again…!
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
– Virginia Woolf
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