I went for a wine and food pairing and fell in love. One of the best things I have ever eaten was served. It was the tuna tartar pizza. It was so delicious . The gratification factor of each bite did not decline as I devoured this dish. The last bite was the same overwhelming yummy-ness as the first. I also love the querky decor and the coziness. It is BYOB, so if you go for the tuna tartar pizza, I recommend a Rose.
Tom H.
I like the food here but have a few quibbles. First it is dark, too dark to actually read the menu if you are over 50 without your best glasses The portions are smaller and expensive. I somehow feel the tab is out of whack with the result
Doc H.
BYOB... more than welcome. Called ahead as recommended and got a reservation for what ended up being a pretty early table. The waiter greeted us quickly and took our beer to refrigerate them for us. Warning of no shrimp in the Thai Shrimp Nachos was off set by quick replacement with Scallops which made for a creative international blend of awesome collaboration that could settle a world war The Grilled Bistro Filet was just as good and without being quite international but still very creative. Drinks were anticipated and opened before they were asked for. Over all a good experience, would def stop by on another trip.
Scott S.
I just moved back to California after living in Newport for five years. Spark was my favorite restaurant in Newport for a quiet, elegant dinner for two. They are a BYOB establishment with an extremely reasonable corkage fee; I usually showed up with a bottle of bubbles. Spark's menu changes frequently as they are a boutique restaurant with wonderful small plates, main dishes, and desserts.
J S.
My daughter brought her college roomies here and they LOVED it! Two are vegan and the menu was really the best vegan menu available in Newport (I checked a lot of other places). They had spicy Indian nachos, Bang Bang Tofu, heirloom tomato salad, and Hot and Sour noodle bowl. The non-vegan Thai nachos and Bang Bang Chicken were also great. And the location is fantastic because they could walk to the waterfront really easily. Plus, Spark is open til 10 pm and almost the only restaurant in the area that will seat you that late. Highly recommended.
Lucy G.
A group of us went here for Newport Restaurant week. They had a very interesting menu. We made reservations for 8 and when we got there the place was packed. We were not immediately seated we waited maybe 5-10 mins. before a table was available. The place is small, very cozy with dim lighting. It's also BYOB with a 2.50 charge per person..i have never heard of that? is that a Newport thing? The Food: Starters 1.Steak Bomb Egg-rolls: Just ok tasted like mush inside..the hot pepper dipping sauce saved the dish 2. Mesclun Salad: Very nice and yummy esp with the green raisins and goat cheese. 3. Thai Shrimp Nachos : EXCELLENT!!! There was a sauce on it that was soooo good. The waiter informed us that it was a condensed milk and curry and something else cant rememeber but whatever it was, yum! More Food: Main Course 1. Chipotle Barbecue Pulled pork pizza- It was pretty much a consensus at the table that this dish was really bad..it had deep fried onions on it that were good to pick off, but the pizza itself had a strange flavor it seemed like it was missing something it just wasnt good. 2. Grilled Flat iron steak: Meh, steak was ok the sides were common nothing creative just mashed and carrots. The Blue cheese butter maybe added depth to it but how deep can u get with tough flat iron steak 3. Seared Salmon fillet- I was really enjoying the salmon until i got to the sides- the multi-grain rice was dry and the sauteed greens were soo salty i couldnt even eat them....such a shame too End: Desserts: 1. Spark Bars: Brownies with chocolate chunks and walnuts- just a flat brownie on a plate..i was just expecting more umph! 2. Coconut cake- I dont like coconut, but my friend said it was just ok..just looks like a small piece with shavings sticking out.. nothing spectacular with the taste. So basically I have had better, sucks that a lot of things fell short....but im glad i had the experience. Would i come here again? Nope
J R.
Well, we'll start off with the bad, then the good. Came in a tad late (9pm on a Sat night) and we were the last table to be seated. I called earlier for reservations and the very nice person that I spoke to said that 9pm is completely fine, as I did not want to be "that person" who walked in when the restaurant is closing. I've been there done that before... i hate being the party that keeps the kitchen open. Oh well, we came when they told us to. The service... meh. I am actually really disappointed. I tried talking to our waiter, get a little info on the menu and some dishes, and he was completely unresponsive. Towards the end of my dinner, I asked for two wine glasses and split the remainder of the wine... one for the waiter, one for the chef. Again, very unresponsive, kinds just like... "thanks... i guess" It sucks because I just didn't get the vibe I was expecting. When I called earlier in the day, the person I spoke with was thrilled to make our reservation, you could tell they enjoyed people walking in and sitting down to dinner. I was really expecting this place to be happy to see someone come in, but more it felt like i was inconveniencing them. Anyways on with the food. Apps were the Johnny Cake and the Beef Tartare. Entrees were the Scallops and Rack of Lamb. I am speechless on the food. Very very innovative, however extremely delicate flavors and texture. I am looking forward to going back, however I'll go earlier and see if that makes them happy lol. The food was top notch, and I will give the service another shot, bottom line.
Roe O.
This restaurant is innovative and always offers a menu full of interesting choices. If you are a foodie visiting Newport, you won't get a "Newport" experience here, but you will get some of the best cooking going on on our island. Yummy..AND it's byob.
I went for a wine and food pairing and fell in love. One of the best things I have ever eaten was served. It was the tuna tartar pizza. It was so delicious . The gratification factor of each bite did not decline as I devoured this dish. The last bite was the same overwhelming yummy-ness as the first. I also love the querky decor and the coziness. It is BYOB, so if you go for the tuna tartar pizza, I recommend a Rose.
I like the food here but have a few quibbles. First it is dark, too dark to actually read the menu if you are over 50 without your best glasses The portions are smaller and expensive. I somehow feel the tab is out of whack with the result
BYOB... more than welcome. Called ahead as recommended and got a reservation for what ended up being a pretty early table. The waiter greeted us quickly and took our beer to refrigerate them for us. Warning of no shrimp in the Thai Shrimp Nachos was off set by quick replacement with Scallops which made for a creative international blend of awesome collaboration that could settle a world war The Grilled Bistro Filet was just as good and without being quite international but still very creative. Drinks were anticipated and opened before they were asked for. Over all a good experience, would def stop by on another trip.
I just moved back to California after living in Newport for five years. Spark was my favorite restaurant in Newport for a quiet, elegant dinner for two. They are a BYOB establishment with an extremely reasonable corkage fee; I usually showed up with a bottle of bubbles. Spark's menu changes frequently as they are a boutique restaurant with wonderful small plates, main dishes, and desserts.
My daughter brought her college roomies here and they LOVED it! Two are vegan and the menu was really the best vegan menu available in Newport (I checked a lot of other places). They had spicy Indian nachos, Bang Bang Tofu, heirloom tomato salad, and Hot and Sour noodle bowl. The non-vegan Thai nachos and Bang Bang Chicken were also great. And the location is fantastic because they could walk to the waterfront really easily. Plus, Spark is open til 10 pm and almost the only restaurant in the area that will seat you that late. Highly recommended.
A group of us went here for Newport Restaurant week. They had a very interesting menu. We made reservations for 8 and when we got there the place was packed. We were not immediately seated we waited maybe 5-10 mins. before a table was available. The place is small, very cozy with dim lighting. It's also BYOB with a 2.50 charge per person..i have never heard of that? is that a Newport thing? The Food: Starters 1.Steak Bomb Egg-rolls: Just ok tasted like mush inside..the hot pepper dipping sauce saved the dish 2. Mesclun Salad: Very nice and yummy esp with the green raisins and goat cheese. 3. Thai Shrimp Nachos : EXCELLENT!!! There was a sauce on it that was soooo good. The waiter informed us that it was a condensed milk and curry and something else cant rememeber but whatever it was, yum! More Food: Main Course 1. Chipotle Barbecue Pulled pork pizza- It was pretty much a consensus at the table that this dish was really bad..it had deep fried onions on it that were good to pick off, but the pizza itself had a strange flavor it seemed like it was missing something it just wasnt good. 2. Grilled Flat iron steak: Meh, steak was ok the sides were common nothing creative just mashed and carrots. The Blue cheese butter maybe added depth to it but how deep can u get with tough flat iron steak 3. Seared Salmon fillet- I was really enjoying the salmon until i got to the sides- the multi-grain rice was dry and the sauteed greens were soo salty i couldnt even eat them....such a shame too End: Desserts: 1. Spark Bars: Brownies with chocolate chunks and walnuts- just a flat brownie on a plate..i was just expecting more umph! 2. Coconut cake- I dont like coconut, but my friend said it was just ok..just looks like a small piece with shavings sticking out.. nothing spectacular with the taste. So basically I have had better, sucks that a lot of things fell short....but im glad i had the experience. Would i come here again? Nope
Well, we'll start off with the bad, then the good. Came in a tad late (9pm on a Sat night) and we were the last table to be seated. I called earlier for reservations and the very nice person that I spoke to said that 9pm is completely fine, as I did not want to be "that person" who walked in when the restaurant is closing. I've been there done that before... i hate being the party that keeps the kitchen open. Oh well, we came when they told us to. The service... meh. I am actually really disappointed. I tried talking to our waiter, get a little info on the menu and some dishes, and he was completely unresponsive. Towards the end of my dinner, I asked for two wine glasses and split the remainder of the wine... one for the waiter, one for the chef. Again, very unresponsive, kinds just like... "thanks... i guess" It sucks because I just didn't get the vibe I was expecting. When I called earlier in the day, the person I spoke with was thrilled to make our reservation, you could tell they enjoyed people walking in and sitting down to dinner. I was really expecting this place to be happy to see someone come in, but more it felt like i was inconveniencing them. Anyways on with the food. Apps were the Johnny Cake and the Beef Tartare. Entrees were the Scallops and Rack of Lamb. I am speechless on the food. Very very innovative, however extremely delicate flavors and texture. I am looking forward to going back, however I'll go earlier and see if that makes them happy lol. The food was top notch, and I will give the service another shot, bottom line.
This restaurant is innovative and always offers a menu full of interesting choices. If you are a foodie visiting Newport, you won't get a "Newport" experience here, but you will get some of the best cooking going on on our island. Yummy..AND it's byob.
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