Little bar with good beer selection but very light on food. Â Clam chowder is ok but the chicken tenders are very salty. Â Quiet on a weekday afternoon with good views of large screen TV's showing Red Sox game. Â Nice to just relax a bit and plan your next move while sightseeing in Newport.
Review Source:Stopped in on a blustery winter afternoon and really could have stayed there all night. Loved the raised sofas, the grilled pizza and buffalo wings. The bartender also poured me a proper black & tan. I'm not a local, but can't stand tourists, and this place has the no frills atmosphere that keeps them out. Well, except us. There's a pool table in the back, sports on the TVs and clean restrooms! Yay!
Review Source:My husband looooooves, this place - probably because they have karaoke on Saturday nights. Doesn't seem to get TOO crazy-packed. Buffalo chicken pizza was tasty...though that could be because we had that towards the end of a very long day of winery-visits. Enjoyed the couch-seating around the edges of the room.
Review Source:As a 15 yr Newport local.. This place is great.. It's not 22 Bowes.. It's not the 5th element.. It's a local bar...its a great set up for food, to socialize, and to watch a game its as good as it gets around here...The menu is perfect.. Small.. The stuff they do have they make very well and the service has always been personal and good..
Review Source:This place should be experienced when you're 1. Hammered drunk  2. On your way to becoming hammered drunk 3. Really any other time you're looking for a good local bar scene. It's far enough off the tourist track that you can avoid the Newport T-shirt wearing touristo/foolios and close enough to the shipyard that you get a very decent selection of salty dogs and clean cut super yacht crew who wander into this place.
The pizza is surprisingly good for the bar location and the bar turns into a fun scene later in the evening. Recommend if you're looking for a respite from screaming Bachelorettes and the Guidos at 1 Pelham. Crowd is mixed with young, old. They have a trivia night and karaoke night during the week.
The food was fantastic! And super inexpensive! We wandered around Newport for a bit trying to find a place to eat that didn't have an hour long wait and decided to take a chance on this place. The fish sandwich and chicken tenders were amazing-- and only $8 for the meal. Sold!!! Highly recommend this pub.
Review Source:The beer is cheap, the food is good for a pub, and the bartender was great and let me and my date stay until closing without getting chippy about it.
We went there twice the week we were in Newport and had a great time both nights. I would definitely go again.
If you're looking for a quick bite and some cheap beer for the night this is a great place to get them both.
Blah.
It was good, I guess. The beer is cheap, though the bartenders are kind of inattentive. And don't believe the allure of the Karaoke Guy; this idiot's list fills up before 9PM, and even if you do get on the list, you'll be waiting hours and hours just to sing a stupid song.
There are many much better options in Newport. Go for Buskers or Pour Judgement if you want a good Irish Pub experience in Newport. This place is for locals and people with less than 10 teeth.
Went there last week as the final installation of a work "pub crawl" we were having to celebrate something. Â We were all looking for a place to do karaoke on a Friday night and seemed that Celtica was the only one in the area to do so.
We strolled in about 20 minutes before karaoke started and got a nice table right up front. Â The people hosting the karaoke seemed very nice and were definitely enjoying the night. Â The place was definitely busy but not so busy that you couldn't find a small spot to squeeze through to order some drinks at the bar.
I've seen many review from Sep 2011 talking about snotty bartenders and bad food. Â I haven't tasted the food here yet (but plan on it tomorrow) as this is my new karaoke hangout for Friday nights. Â The bartender however seemed pretty good for having to deal with us drunk celebrators. Â So I'm hoping either the bartender those people were frowning upon left Celtica or she just realized how much fun life is.
Overall me and my friends had a GREAT night we stayed at Celtica from a little before 9 until close and enjoyed every minute. Â Some of them were even lucky enough to snag the leather chairs later in the night. Â I would have given this experience 5 stars but I was very inebriated so the great things could have just been beer goggles. Â Guess we'll find out tomorrow when I start my night at Celtica.
Drink up mateys!
It was raining and we ducked in for a cold beer and some quick chow. Â The decor is good and nice access to TVs, view out the window was nice too. Â After sitting a few minutes the bartender growled that we would be ordering at the bar. Â There was hardly anyone there, but okay, I'll go up to the bar. Â The same bartender took my drink and food order in 4 parts as she continued to yell at other patrons about this or that instead of listening to my order, thereby forgetting Guiness part 2 for my friend and not hearing that I wanted onion rings and fries. Â For this she also shared a fine scowl with me. Â The chowder was mediocre, Â the Guiness was fresh and drawn well, fries served with no ketchup. Â The band was setting up for the full hour we were there. Â Really wanted to like this place more because it looks pretty good on the surface.
Review Source:Looks like  dump from the outside.  I would never had gone in if my hotel did not give me a coupon for a free drink.  My drink was great, I got a long island ice tea- good stuff!  Beer selection is okay, but they did not have the stuff to make any frozen drinks...REALLY on the beach?  Bar tender was a tad rude, but she was busy.  I went back for a mid-after noon drink the next day and got a couple beers....kinda expensive $12 for a Harp and a Coors Light bottle.
Review Source:The few times I have been in the Celtica it has seemed like a locals place that is tucked into touristy Newport. This could be that the only times I venture into Newport is in the off-season. However, it is good to see a business thrive without the aid of tourists.
They pour a great Guinness and have a decent beer selection. 'low-end' beers like miller/bud light are a bit pricey ($4)....but Guinness & Smitty's are $5.
I haven't tried the food but every indication is that it is slightly below average....but its a pub so what can you expect?
There doesn't seem to be wait staff so you have to go to the bar for your drink orders. The bartenders seem 'typical Rhode Islanders' to me so don't expect a warm welcome....but they are nice and helpful (usually). One of the bartenders gave us a great recommendation (and a ride) to a local bar after she was closing up.
Good atmosphere & good beer. I don't look for a whole lot else in a pub.
No complaints, nothing over-the-top great.
I hung out here for a little bit on more than one night while in town. Â It's pretty cool.. music wasn't bad, drinks are good. Â They have a cool menu that includes lobster rolls. Â They say the kitchen is open till 11. Â I was tempted to get food, but there were a million people in there and no one was eating. Â I took that as a sign, and didn't try it. Â Maybe next time.
Came here 3 times during our weekend stay at the Marriot (next to it) otherwise probably would have never discovered it. It's located by next to a few clothing stores and along the water.
This place gets crowded during sports games and sometimes during happy hour because of its TVs. Come here for the lobster roll ($12), stuffed clams ($4, the locals call them stuffies), and some beer. Their food menu is limited but these two items alone are good enough.
My only complaint happened to be one of the bartenders/waitresses who was absolutely miserable. Granted, it is a bar and she was tired as hell I'm sure, but put a smile on and do your job.
They have karaoke on the weekends.
This place looks like a really nice bar when you go in, however I fear the food is just OK.
I went into this place because I saw a sign on the door that said " Lobsta Roll $12 ". The fact it said "Lobsta" amused me, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
The woman working at the bar was miserable--which baffles me. If you work at a bar you better keep a smile on your face, otherwise you're not going to get very good tips.
I very polietly asked if they had other options for the sides for the "Lobsta Roll" other than French Fries ( A girl has to watch her figure after all! ), and all they had was "Fries and Chips". Why the heck would I want Chips? Seriously, if I don't want Fries, I'm not going to want chips. Â Sadly I had to settle for an extra one ounce cup of mayo soaked coleslaw.
While waiting for my "Lobsta" roll, I turned my head to watch the woman prepare it in the kitchen. I Robyn witnessed her dish out my lobster into my roll with her bare fingers, her tasteless long fingernails very carefully pinching the sea bug's mayo drenched meat and dropping it into the roll  ( which was toasted, but soggy ).
..Now, normally I would have sent it back after witnessing this, but I decided to be a good sport, and took my  "Lobsta Roll"  outside to eat it on a nearby bench.
I found it very disappointing. Here I was in Newport with a "Lobsta Roll", only to find that it was so saturated with Mayo and chunks of celeray that the lobster got lost. Â What is this world coming to when you go to a harbor and don't get a decent "Lobsta Roll".
There is a freaking truck five feet away that sells lobsters for cheap money. You have plenty of lobster available to perfect your damn receipe.
*ahem*
The best part of this lunch was the pickle. Yes, THE PICKLE. Perfectly crispy, with a delicate vinger taste, and just the right amount of dill.
...As for the coleslaw, it wasn't that great either. Mayo Soaked, and somewhat flavorless.
I walked off still hungry ( As the "Lobsta Roll" was only the size of a hotdog bun), and with the craving of fresh "Lobsta" still pestering me.
Now this is what I call a "Sad Christmas"
This is a fantastic spot, even if dogs (four legged) aren't allowed. Â Plus column: comfortable, recently renovated and very nicely done, comfy seats, plenty O flat screen TV's - better than average beer selection too, great location and off the beaten tourist path, aka Thames St..
Enjoy:) Â Woof. Woof.
We came in intrigued by their lobster roll special. I was a bit put off by two things: 1.) You have to order all food and drinks at the bar 2.) The utterly disgusting bathroom where, I believe, a toilet had overflowed and there was water, bits of TP and little brown specks of... I don't want to know... floating around on the floor. Otherwise, however, the lobster roll special was delicious and a great deal. They also had Sam Summer on tap which we enjoyed. I might check this place out again but I would avoid the bathroom at all costs. Â Metered parking all around the area.
Review Source:You know you're doing something right when you walk into a bar for the second time, and the bar tender looks at you and your friends and says "Oh shit, they're back."
Me and a small group of dedicated alcohol enthusiasts managed to close Celtica two days in a row. Â Now, I would be prouder of this accomplishment, except in Rhode Island, the bars close at 1:00. Â C'mon New England, what's up??? Â How am I supposed to get liquored up and make bad decisions when you close so early?
A decent selection of tap beer and a fine selection of liquor (allowing for the fact that this isn't one of those pretty-boy bars) allow you to drink yourself one or two steps closer to a liver transplant in comfort. Â The pool table in the back rolls mostly straight, and the small sitting area in the front (complete with leather loungers and a giant flatscreen) is great if you're (1) watching a game, and (2) one of the first 10 people to arrive to watch said game. Â Otherwise, the elevated bench seating along one side of the bar is a great and comfortable spot to kill the pain and silence the voices.
I'd go back.