Earth...Water...Wind...Fire...Spinach Balls
Yup. That's the Fifth Element. Beyond the wacky new age-meets-modernist interior complete with a giant orange Buddha and minimalist semi-industrial booths is a kitchen that holds within it the magical touch to create Newport's best artisanal pizzas and the famed Spinach Balls.
The spinach balls are simply that: round balls of spinach bound together by some sort of agent, whether its bread, tempered egg or mild cheese, we may never know because the flavor of sautéed spinach permeates every chomp. When dipped in the savory brown sauce (something like a vinaigrette) that adorns the plate, these food bites are so delicious that even the pickiest kid would probably enjoy the green asteroids of awesome.
The pizza crust at Fifth Element embodies everything that any flatbread pizza crust aspires to. It's just bready enough to provide substance and lift, grilled just enough so you're confident that you're not consuming raw dough, and tasty enough that if given the opportunity, you'd probably welcome a round of it as a bready appetizer. The pizza specials are always inventive - ranging from hard smoked salmon enveloped in succulent béchamel cream to asparagus and spring onion with a blend of white cheese. These daily specials are creative enough to tempt you to come back every night in a single week just to see what the new offering is.
Mediocre at best. The location and atmosphere are wonderful. Unfortunately, this restaurant falls short on all other fronts. Upon walking in, a large Dunkin Donuts cup was on display at the hostess booth. The hostess then offered to seat us away from an older drunk man who was passed out on the table during dinner hours. My friend and I both ordered one of their specialty drinks. Mine was overly sweet and his was watery. Certainly not a good mixture on either drink. The food menu is limited, and not appetizing. The burger was average. I will not be returning as there are much better options in the Newport area.
Review Source:We came here for dinner after researching the menu and seeing some pretty interesting choices. The restaurant is just off the beaten path and away from the bustle of Thames. The area is actually still pretty active though, surrounded by other restaurants, bars, shops, etc. The food was fantastic; the wine list was limited but unique and good. The restuarant is very open and airy. One side it strictly more of a dining area while the other is more of a bar area. Once dinner ended, a band showed up and started playing on the bar side. They were awesome, people were up dancing. It was a great scene.
Review Source:Food:
The menu was a bit small but everything we tried was really good. The bartender recommended the burger and it was delicious!
Atmosphere:
The atmosphere was fun and different for Newport. We noticed a large party being seated when we were leaving which is always a good thing to remember for future needs. This would be a great place to host your next special event!
Went on a Saturday evening and the place was Packed! Â The food is good, but nothing amazing. Â Also it is way overpriced. Â I feel like this place is trying too hard to be hip, so they have eclectic decor and random ingredients on the menu like "grana" and "frisee" to try and prove it. Â Not impressed.
Review Source:We went there for the first time tonight and i was not very impressed. Â A very small menu that did have some creative stuff on it but not anything that made me go WOW. Â My wife had a chicken stew and the selection of chicken used was the wind and thigh. Â Not very high quality and it was reflected in the taste.
The room decor was very hip and that me it kinda of out of place in Newport, RI but it did show some creativity. Â I think this would be the place I would go for a drink and that's about it. Â I suggest going across Broadway and check on the Norey;s or the Salvation Cafe.
I've only been in Newport for about 3 months and had a friend suggest this restaurant. Â What a great recommendation! Â This is the best food I've had in Newport- in a city inundated with overpriced tourist traps serving subpar food, this restaurant stands out! Â I had the chicken schnitzel and after 3 years of living in Germany, I absolutely enjoyed this dish. Â The drinks were great and reasonably priced as well. Finally, the service was friendly, pleasant, and fast. Â We went here for my mother's BDay while she was in town and had a perfect dining experience. Â Haven't tried out the bar side for Monday Night Football, but if it's half as good as the restaurant portion, it should prove to be great!
Review Source:Definitely one of the top five places to eat in Newport. The ambience is great menu is small but food is awesome. Service is also very good. They were on an excellent location on thames street a few years back but moved to broadway but doesn't matter the quality and service is so good people made it to broadway. Tourist should explore this hidden charm.
Review Source:I thought the food was A-OK but the atmosphere of the place was great! The music was Honky Tonk (a band that did some funk and country combo) and it was FUN. It started around 10 pm on Saturday.
My friend ordered oysters and enjoyed it- I had a pasta that came with pancetta but I asked them to take that out and add some of the kale that it came with or some extra vegetables (since it was an option with the sides) because I'm vegetarian. I don't think it had extra kale and it definitely didn't have any other vegetables, so I was a bit annoyed. I also had to add some salt and pepper to the pasta dish. But I know the pancetta probably was going to add that saltiness that I was missing.
I suggest people do go to this spot for the fun and some other food items.
I was excited to be trying out this place when my friend had mentioned it prior to my trip up to Newport. The place can get crowded on weekends, so I would suggest making a reservation. The interior is quite "trendy" and since it is a lounge as well as a restaurant, it can get kind of loud. I shared 2 appetizers with my group (spinach balls and fried oyster mushrooms), which were both pretty good. For my main, I had the spatzle dish, which was also fairly good. However, the food didn't knock my socks off or anything.
The one thing I didn't enjoy too much was their dessert: creme brulee. Our table of 5 wanted to get 2 to share, but they only had one left. Once it arrived, it was kind of obvious that the creme brulee had been pre-prepared (as in, the caramelized top had been created earlier on in the evening) and as a result, the dish lacked that crunchiness that creme brulees ought to have.
Overall, the food was okay but kind of overpriced. Also, I would've liked to have seen Korben Dallas and Ruby Rhod memorabilia, though I'm only half kidding about this.
Never actually ate here but I've heard great things about it, this is a "night-out" type of review.
Went with a bunch of my girlfriends for drinks and definitely want to go back. The design inside is not typical Newport. The bar and dance floor are sectioned off from one another so if you just want to sit and chill by the bar you can do so. The DJ was great the night we went and played a lot of our favorites. The drinks are also moderately priced and strong for how much you pay for. Go with a good crew!
Trendy place to grab dinner, we came in with no reservations and were able to share a high-top table in the bar area. Service was quick, great service, and I always like being able to see the kitchen. This was a while ago so I don't quite remember what I ordered, but the portions were quite generous and my friends enjoyed their beer and wine
Review Source:My family and I recently had an amazing experience with the Fifth Element hosting my sister's baby shower this month.
I had a few problems while brainstorming for restaurants for her baby shower. It had to be a specific day and date (a Saturday) as my sister was traveling from out of state, and a day party (brunch). Many restaurants in the area didn't have availability for Saturday parties, and all of them only offered brunch on Sundays. Then, I remembered I had great experiences eating dinner at the Fifth Element, so I gave them a call.
I got in contact with Brad, one of the owners of the restaurant, and he was incredibly accommodating with my needs through phone calls and e-mails right up until the day of the party. Together, we were able to set up a special time for the party when the restaurant wasn't open, so we had the whole place to ourselves for a few hours. Our party was able to have a special brunch menu, and they gladly accepted our suggestions for food. We were able to add dishes such as a great cut of salmon that they smoked in house three days prior, and two types of crepes: both sweet (banana & honey) and savory (ham & gruyere cheese). They were incredibly diligent with providing a great custom menu while keeping your designated price point in mind.
The party was really great. We were able to set up tables and decorations with no problems an hour before the party started, and everyone that helped us out were incredibly efficient and friendly. I was able to play a special playlist off my iPod for the party and we also had a small photo slideshow running in the background of my sister and brother in law on the smart tvs on the bar side. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was perfect. We had many of our friends and family let us know after the party that they loved the restaurant.
I am so happy that we went here for my sister's baby shower, and for sure, if we have another private party the Fifth Element will be on top of our list. Until then, I will continue to get dinner here and support this great restaurant.
Had a relatively trippy night here with dad - dinner at the bar.
At first I was really uncomfortable because they were trying to hard to make us feel comfortable and then I felt BAD for not being the way they were trying to make me feel... UGH ALL THESE FEELINGS. Kidding - it was great! I boozer it up (sorta).
Bartender was VERY professional - it was weird. I'm not used to that! Still, pretty good. And for all you sports fans out there: not a bad place to watch whatever game you want. Multiple flatscreens and then another EIGHT FT TV!
I'm hardly that enthusiastic - I could care leas about sports. But last night when those hockey players starting punching the $hit out of each other (and this went on for awhile) I just couldn't take my eyes off their brown and white opposing jerseys (go bruins - duh). Wanna know why? Because they're SEXY. There. I said it.
I had four blue moons... Or, was it four blue moons and a Narragansett? I don't even like Narragansett beer that much - ESP not on draft - well this particular flavor was too hoppy and dark. Sike on the whole not liking Narragansett thing, I met the owner once at a liquor store (I discount liquor warehouse in Warwick) and he was super dope! He gave me a free draft glass that said NARRAGANSET. They have other flavors. There's some wheat like or hefeweisen (arg spellin) variant that of course is delish.
But back to the bar! The fifth element. So yeah! We tried it. Dad got spinach balls (interesting but too spinachy and there's bread in it) and orange shrimp (too sweet!) and I had the Atlantic salmon (good with a mouthful of grape). I eat salmon as much as possible to try and stave off depression.
The food was just ok. The cooks were HOT.
The atmosphere was celebratory, warm, dark cozy and sorta christmasy. The place is divided into two and no one seemed to want to sit at the sit down table area which has the cool laughing buddha (fun fact: the laughing Buddha is the chinese's interpretive depiction of the Buddha Maitreya. Maitreya is the next coming Buddha of the future. We have to incarnate for countless eons to see him. Buddha Shakyamuni was the famous dude who chilled with Jesus 2500 years(?) ago - astonishingly, Bce. Thats before the COMMON ERA, not Christ. Bitch) whooo anyways - btw unlike Shakyamuni buddha, Maitreya will not teach BOTH sutra and Tantra - only sutra. Which is still cool! But we gotta wait for the 11th buddha to get back to that...
Anyways it's weird that no one was sitting in this area, and maybe just maybe that might have something to do with the fact that it's 10pm on a Tuesday night. Sigh - new York.....
Ahh! Anyways good selection of beer, decent menu - above average bar food for sure. I'll give it that.
Good place to throw a party I imagine.
Oh! And another point on the decor... It's ahhh, kinda Pier 1 Imports-y.
Excellent staff and fine tight menu. Â Went here with friends during a quick trip to Newport in wintertime. The place was warm and welcoming despite it being a Sunday evening. The wait staff were very friendly. Â The menu is a single page, as the specials are constructed on apparently a daily basis. Â The result was a lot of attention to the food. I had an excellent seafood dinner, and my hosts swore by the burgers and pizzas as well. Â So the place can be casual food or high end food depending on one's mood. The dessert and after-dinner drink selection was excellent as well. Â Highly recommended.
Review Source:The entrees were a little more expensive then I was expecting ($19-30). My girlfriend and I each ordered a drink and the muscles. The muscles were one if the best I've had.
We were both not impressed with our waiter. Payed very little attention to us and was not very friendly.
Would like to come back to this place with more money to spend and maybe have a few cocktails. I noticed they had a scotch selection as well.
Update July 2012...was persuaded by friends to try The Fifth Element again and I'm glad I did. It's a different restaurant from last Fall.
 first, the menu is way expanded  from before. Many more choices, not too adventurous but appealing nonetheless. My friends and I split the Elements Salad, a burger, fish tacos, mussels, and the pizza of the day...not a bad item among them although the pizza of the day didn't compare well to the other, more flavorful items. Fish tacos were EXCELLENT, and that's a big plus as I miss Rubio's in San Diego. So I'll go back now, what a relief.
**************************
Old review from fall 2011
Very cool set-up, spacious and open, Â with huge windows that seem to bring the street into the restaurant. Â A very nice change from some of the more 'claustophobic' Newport restaurants.
 That said, the menu is surprisingly lack-luster. Went with a group of four and had, among us, a pizza (ho-hum), brook trout (bland but with a very bizarre salad with crab, arugula, and strange dressing...I'm a fan of crab but let this one go), and a cod special that our friends RAVED about. So there was a bright spot.
 Service was just fine. No complaints there. But there was nothing here to recommend or to lure me back.
The food was pretty good:
-Mussels were fresh and served in a nice broth with a kick of spice.
-Bresaola pizza was nicely thin, crispy and chewy, with good sauce.
-Burger was average
-Spicy fish taco was very fresh and flaky, but needed a tad of salt. With the salt, it was very good.
They were very generous with their wine pours, depending on what you ordered.
Pretty good staff.
What a great find for a place to eat in Newport. Â We wandered in after having our interest piqued at the name (we're both Fifth Element movie fans) and were not disappointed. Â The atmosphere as everyone commented is really nice layout.
Just as we sat at the bar the Sunday jazz band started playing, the windows were all open letting the great weather in, and they had a good array of beer on tap to quench our thirst. Â The bartender was friendly, the music was great - would the food hold up?
He had a roasted chicken sandwich that was served with an aioli not too mayonnaise-y, and a nicely done side of french fries.
I had the burger, but it wan't just any ole' burger: this thing was seasoned *perfectly*, cooked just as perfectly, served on a ciabatta roll, and had a beautifully thick piece of cheese and some prosciutto. Â Really great burger!
It was a great experience, and we'll be back the next time we're in Newport. Â I am hoping to make it back to hear that great jazz band.
This was the starting place for my sister-in-law's bachelorette party last month - and we couldn't have picked a better place for the occasion. Â It was a gorgeous Newport evening and the front windows were all opened up. Â The atmosphere is very fun and energetic and the waitstaff all seemed to be smiling and in a good mood while we were there.
They have a great menu with options that could please just about anyone - we had a couple of vegetarians in the group who were very happy with the amount of choices they had.
The prices are reasonable, especially when compared to other Newport establishments. Â Location is great for going out after too - although it is a little bit of a distance if you plan to walk to Thames St area.
Parking was challenging but not impossible in the area (the restaurant does not have a lot or valet).
We all enjoyed our meal and drinks at 5th Element.
First impressions are everything...
While the restaurant layout is easily 4.5 stars, waiting over 10 minutes after being seated for a server to stop by is unacceptable. Â
The food we had was very good but not spectacular - very nice chicken, mushroom, and pesto "pizza of the moment". Â The margherita pizza and my wife's salad were both good.
The restaurant layout is fantastic, with sliding full length windows that open completely to the outside. Â Happening bar scene if that's your thing and a great location on Broadway.
If I get to try again, I'll update the review - but for now 3 stars is all I can justify with the poor service we received and the good, but not spectacular, food.
Definitely worth a try though...
The Fifth Element is a fine place to go grab some basic food on Broadway. Â It's big enough to seat us when Salvation is full up. Â The bar gets a trendy pack of 30 and 40 something Newporters in the evening, but the dining room still stays comfortable for well behaved kids. Â The ambiance is a little funky but kind of a mash up of pseudo-Eastern decor with industrial fixtures. Â Depending on your tastes, it will seem cool or contrived.
The food is done well from a fairly basic menu. Â They do simple things like salads, burgers, and fries very well. Â Perhaps not the most imaginative menu. Â However, the service was top notch. Â Our server was extremely attentive and made sure to accommodated our special requests.
We'll be back to the Fifth Element, but might not go far out of our way to get there.
Food was great and I loved the vibe of the restaurant. The beef shoulder was really good, the bbq salmon was decent (I'm not a huge fan of salmon in general, so this isn't a reflection on them). My date absolutely loved the jalepeno spoonbread. It tended to be a younger crowd at 9pm when we got there, definitely would recommend going back.
Review Source:This may be one of my new faves in Newport. 1st of all, Im totally diggin' the new design. Very industrial. Very awesome. I havent had the food yet at the new location, but Ive heard great things. The bartenders and staff are cool, the drinks are cold, and the music is great. On the weekends, they bring in a DJ and push all the tables to the side. Dance Party! I also love this place cause I can WALK home.... which is always a plus. :)
The only thing I would change, is the seating in the lounge area. being 6' tall, sitting on those tiny little stool things is award and uncomfortable. And forget it if Ive had a drink or 2. I would never be able to balance on those things. Maybe a few chairs would be a nice addition? K? Thanks in advance.
*oh! Also, the windows are awesome. You dont feel like your missing the sunshine if your here, cause its beaming in through the glass. Great people watching on Broadway too!
5 stars for Fifth Element.
When the former location closed it threw our whole going out weekends in Newport plan to hell ! Â Â It was our default start or end point for the last few years. Â
Missed you guys, glad to see you back in Newport.
The new location is great, so much roomier !
Food, drinks and staff are all still 5-stars.
The owner of the Fifth Element is tending bar at The Mooring while the new building is being fitted out. Â They have plans to open in March 2010 across Broadway from the Salvation Cafe. Â Sounds like it's going to be a good place, with prices to cater to the locals, not the tourists.
Mark your calendars!
We stopped in to have a beer and watch the end of the Patriots game, and ended up staying for dinner.
The bartender was a lot of fun. Â We enjoyed sitting at the bar and watching the game.
The edamame usually comes with scicy sauce but I chose to have them salted. Â Really great. Â Seafood chowder had saffron, not cream based. Â Excellent.
For dinner we shared a pizza. Lots of locals eat here and suggested the pizza. Â Good choice.
This is a realy great place that I'd love to have in my own neighborhood.
The Fifth Element oozes the coziness of a small beachside town yet feels thoroughly cosmopolitan. I dig it. This is a spot I want to return to during a Newport winter. Or a thunderstorm. A welcome reprieve from the Newport beach bars.
Fantastic menu including salads, gourmet pizzas and seafood. Or just come through for a cocktail-- order the espresso martini minus the Bailey's. So delicious, yet absolutely potent.
The Fifth Element is one of my favorite restaurants in Newport. Â I can't wait to go back this summer. Â We went there at least once a week, if not more, for either dinner and/or drinks and every time we went the people who worked there were friendly, welcoming, and the service was always excellent.
The downstairs has a cool bar area with a wall of booths with high top tables that make for great people watching while you enjoy your dinner/drinks. Â Upstairs are tables for dining. Â They have delicious pizzas, their steak is actually great (and I usually don't order steak if it's not at a steak joint) and the specials are almost always delicious. Â
It can get packed during happy hour or if the sox are playing someone interesting, but mostly with locals as far as I could tell. Â I'll see you there this summer.
on the lower end of Thames, this is the place to be seen. Â (across from the drive up atm) Raging from 21-45, the first floor with hightops, tabletops, bar and open air kitchen; the elements come to life! Â They have a second floor and a mini lounge that can fit up to 12 people with their own tv and service. Â
food is great, always try the specials! Â Music is loud and pumping with DJs on particular nights. Â Bartenders are great, fast, smooth and always exude service. Â Reservations can be taken which I recommend. Â It can get packed but always a great time
Maybe I'm a little bias here cuz I used to work here but coming from a person behind the scenes, Â you can take it from me, you have to stop in!
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