took a drive to Newport this weekend with my bestie, got a lil sun did some shopping and got hungry! it was about to dwn pour so I took out my trusty Yelp ap and searched what was around, so we could pick a place fast & at least see it was goo..I saw a bunch of places..but we walked and ended up at Gas Lamp Grille...I serched specifically for it and saw it didnt have as many starts as I woudl have liked..but we tried and BOY was it good!
very plan but clean restaraunt, i got the surf & turf....it was So good the marinade on the steal was great..the shrimp was plain..but was cooked perfecty with a lil lemon. I had a delicous bloody mary. I was pleasantly pleased..and glad I didnt get detered by not so great ratings. I will def be back..on a sunny day with the big glass windows open...Im sure its a lovey place to stop for a bite. service was great as well...
We went here for lunch after a trip to the beach. It took them a while to notice us waiting to be seated, almost like we were inconveniencing them. I ordered an alcoholic blueberry slush and it had no flavor and tasted like water. I couldn't believe when they brought my Cajun fish and chips. It looked they had used way too much batter and then overcooked it. I had to pry the inner fish out of a thick shell of burnt batter but even that wasnt very edible. My girlfriend's pizza was bland but edible and my friend enjoyed her turkey wrap. None of the staff said anything about my uneaten meal they were too busy talking about their weekend plans while the hostess picked her teeth with a tooth pick near us. Gross.
Review Source:This past weekend, I returned to Newport 32 years after being born there (and 21 years since my last visit). Â We stopped in at the Gaslamp Grille for a quick lunch. Â It happened to be Restaurant Week so we did their three-course deal and were so thrilled with our meal. Â The clam chowder is a Rhode Island chowder, which means it is more bisque than the traditional New England cream clam chowder. Â It was hearty with a kick and delicious down to the last drop. Â We followed the chowder with salads which were also great, then had simple sandwiches. Â I had the salmon wrap (warm, meaty, and the sauce was not overpowering) and my friend had the "reuben" (actually cod with slaw and thousand island). Â We shared our sandwiches and thought both were fantastic.
Despite a slow start (the hostess had apparently skipped work that day), the staff was friendly, attentive, and more than welcoming. Â In all, it was a great meal to celebrate my birthday in my birthplace!
We came for a Valentine's Day lunch to beat the nighttime crowds! Â Despite all of the negative reviews with regard to service, our experience was the exact opposite. Â Attentive, personable, friendly and courteous. Â Many awesome beers/microbrews on tap, so ended up going with our waiter's recommendation and we were not disappointed!
I had the Turkey Rueben, which was great...corned beef was sliced thin, rye bread grilled. Â I chose a cup of clam chowder as my side. Â While not my favorite chowdah in Newport, I did enjoy the spicy twist! Â It was definitely a nice change. Â My husband had the Fish &Chips Cajun Style. Â The fish and batter were delicious, as were their wedge style French fries.
Overall, we would definitely return and were baffled by the low ratings. Â Until next time!
Ate lunch on a Saturday afternoon in January. After being turned away at a couple other places who had a 30 minute wait, we ended up here just because they had an available table.
I agree about another comment about the door. Every time it opened a cold wind filled the room. Owners: if you are reading this. Get a temporary door for winter.
Can't say anything about the entrees, but this is what we had:
Little neck clams - fresh in a delicious broth. Wasn't served with bread to soak it up though, so ask for it.
Chili- really good. Thick and chunky. Spicy as is. Little bit salty.
2 Crab cakes and chowder app. Seemed like great deal for $10. Chowder was nice, but the crab cakes are more bread crumbs than crab. Too bad. It's always seems obvious to me that management has their eyes on margin$ more than quality when the screw up a crab cake.
All in all, I would go back again to sit at the bar, have some drinks, and a few apps but not much else.
Wow Yelpers, I must say that I am surprised by the reviews, but to be fair this review is based solely on my experience at the bar.
I used to come here a lot when I lived within walking distance, but these days I am lucky if I come here a few times a year. Â This is only because there are so many choices in Newport and so little time. Â It was nice to revisit this place. Â The bartop has recently been replaced along with some other wood in the building. Â The upstairs is currently under renovations, but sounds as though it will be exciting to visit once it is complete. Â
I found it to be a charming spot, to sit back, sip on drinks, chat, and catch a bit of the game! Our bartender, Brian, was very friendly and accommodating (to everyone). Â It wasn't busy but there was a steady flow of people coming and going. Later in the evening their was a musician who set up with acoustic music. Â I was fan - it set the mood instantly.
I will be back again - it was very welcoming, warm, and cozy!
Don't pay mind to the bad reviews.. We were referred here by a friend , after reading some of the reviews we were hesitant .. Glad we looked past the few negative reviews as the food was great. !!
We ordered the nachos which if we had any complaint would be those as they were not worth the $16 ... I had the apple walnut salad and my Wife had the steak tips.. The steak was amazing !!!
Highly recommend this place it's apps here is warm and welcoming !
I was in town for a long weekend and went here late on a Friday night to grab some drinks. They started moving the tables around and start blasting music from the DJ around 11 pm and attempt to turn the place into a dance club. At the time, most of the patrons seemed like just the drinking type, but as we were leaving around midnight, there was a line with some scantily clad women and "attempting to look gangsta" men. I think this place would be an ok place to have dinner, but as a late night place, it kinda sucks if you expect to have a conversation and hear your friends. The beer I had was good however.
Review Source:Visited new port in summer and after walking Thames Street we finally choose this place for the dinner on busy Saturday night. It took around 15 minutes to be seated and we were seated on the top floor.
Calamari...crispy and fried perfectly.
Spinach and garlic pizza...tastes fine.
Boiled lobster...New England red lobster perfectly boiled and this is the first time I had tasted and it was delicious.
Fish n Chips ordered traditional style with fries and Cole slaw. The fish was deep fried and it was yummy.
The waiter was friendly and even advised on selection of beer and the service was fine.
Seems to be prices are high...but its Newport so everything is!!!!
While visiting Newport and walking Thames Street, we came across this cute little place to have dinner. Â The menu was acceptable offering pasta, wraps, steak, fish and more. Â
We were seated right away and had the best seat in the restaurant to people watch on this pleasant summer night. Â They have a few tables on the first floor and a long bar with many TVs around. Â The second floor has a bar, and more tables, and I Â think that it would be good for a gathering of friends or coworkers perhaps.
The service was fast and friendly and the waiter was very attentive to our needs. Â We ordered the pan seared blackened tuna, and the steak tips. Â The fries were highly recommended by our waiter, so we took the chance.
For those who have never had a yellow fin tuna steak, I should tell you that the flavor is not overpowering and is the opposite...very mild. Â What can be overpowering is the pepper that is put on the outside of the Tuna steak. Â I ordered the Yellowfin Tuna medium and it was done perfectly. Â The pepper was not overwhelming, it was juicy, and delicate. Â Cooked white on the edges and bright pink in the middle. Â It was fantastic. Â We also had the steak tips, which were tender and extremely flavorful. Â The waiter's recommendation of steak fries was right on. Â Crisp and flavorful, done perfectly.
The windows/doors were wide open, and a slight summery September breeze blew in to keep us comfortable.
The only knock that I would have is that there is only one bathroom on the first floor and you have to go upstairs if that is occupied. Â The hostesses and their attire get a slight knock also. Â You have to at least try to dress appropriately. Â Flips flops and chipped/faded polish is a fashion faux pas!
This was the go-to spot in college on Thursday nights so I figured why not give this puppy a go during the day and see what happens!
Although there is a  variety of options to choose from, I wasn't feeling particularly hungry the time I went and I settled on clam chowder.  WHOOPS. I missed the part where they say "cajun" in the description of this chowder. I was so thrown off when I ate it. I found that to be really weird that they threw in this spicy element because it took away the natural pleasures of eating clam chowder.
Their drink menu is fun, two big 3d flat screen TVs to keep you entertained and if you go in the summer and sit by the open windows it's an all-around great time.
Really good service here too.
I have only eaten here once, so I am not an expert on the meals served, however, a group of us come here for appetizers and drinks occasionally. Â We usually sit at the bar and get great service. Â It is nice that the bartenders are the same year round and we are treated great no matter when we come in (unlike some places that cater to tourists).
I would recommend this place not so much for the food (which is decent) but for the service. Â Love it!
We went to the Gas Lamp with a party of 10, celebrating a birthday on a Friday night. Â We were seated upstairs and had a nice view of Thames st.
The service was mediocre at best. Â We waited awhile for our drinks to arrive, and once the food came out we found a stray wire inside the burger. Â The staff was very apologetic and offered that entree plus two drinks free of charge. Â Many of our dishes were very good but overpriced. Â
Overall, there are many other great places in Newport that I'd prefer.
If you find yourself walking around Newport, looking for a spot to eat - do yourself a favor and steer clear of this restaurant.
The food was awful. As I ate my pear salad, I kept coming across clumps of slimy salad greens that were past their prime. And the salad was covered in a landslide of toppings. Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I don't need a 10:1 cheese and candied nuts to vegetables ratio in order to enjoy a salad.
My husband's order of fish and chips was the greasiest he's ever had. And the biggest bummer about that is that the actual fish was good. It was just buried under a too-thick layer of oily batter.
The service was mediocre. Our waitress wasn't rude, just inattentive.
And the prices are pretty high too. When the food is this bad, I just don't see how they can charge so much.
The one positive is that they have a great location, but then again, so does every other restaurant in that little downtown area. Pass!
We had a delicious lunch at the Gas Lamp Grille!! Â We make it a point to eat here at least once when we are in town! Â The young man that seated us, waited on us was very friendly and personable! Â I would reccomend this restaurant to everyone!! Â My husband had the mac & cheese with lobster! Â He was stuffed and with a smile! Â There was chunks of lobster.....he was very pleased!! I personally love their sandwiches and their frys are to die for! Â So crunchy and yummy!!
Review Source:I'm really shocked to see the reviews for this place since my experience was really great. The hostess was absolutely delightful--super friendly and apologetic that we had to wait 2 minutes for our table.
I had  the warm pear salad with shrimp and it was HUGE huge HUGE + delicious in every way with an ice tea.
The other people with me had the Mac + Cheese, Margarita pizza which was SUPER cheesy, Honey mustard salad + their super unique seasoned French Fries. Everything looked amazing + got rave reviews. The portions are large + Â the food is tasty! Everything came out hot + in a timely manner!
This place was a little over priced though-- but its Newport so everything is.
Our waitress wasn't the friendlies person ever but I think she was over worked-- apparently that day 2 servers just didn't 'show up'. Not a big deal at all.
Apparently the girl from RI that is in the top 15 on American Idol DJs here... kinda neat.
If you're hungry +want the best bang for your buck$$$ in Newport...this is your kinda place.
Never again!!! I couldn't agree more with the negative reviews. First off, the service alone is reason enough to go to one of the other 12 restaurants on the street. We waited, in the off season, over 1.5 hours before we were even re-visited by our waitress.
When we had finally placed our orders, our waitress then informed us that they no longer had the French onion soup. We then proceeded to witness the French onion soup served to other customers over the next half hour, even those who arrive after we did. Â Oh, and the soup we DID order was unable to be poured out of a bucket in less than 2 hours.
When we finally had to leave after 2 hours with no food in sight (even appetizers) we were met with the rudest manager I have ever encountered. Jamie, the manager, was quite possibly the most foul mouthed, rude, and downright disgusting human being I have ever encountered. She made multiple rude comments to my elderly mother and when we finally requested our food to go, we were met with even more rude comments. Â
To the owner... Fire jamie and give this restaurant a chance!!!
I would not recommend this place to my worst enemy. For pub food and disgusting service, you've really got to be kidding me.
NEVER AGAIN!!!!
I really wanted to like this place, but it was just so bad. Â I am not going to elaborate on my whole experience...just a few things.
1. Wait staff was awful....I mean awful!!! Â It was almost like they weren't working for tips.
2. The turkey burger I had might have been the worst turkey burger I have ever eaten.
3. The waiting game got so old we had to ask who our server was and if she was planning on coming to our table.
4. Â Too expensive for the crappy food.
I eat out a lot, probably 10+ times a week. Â I have lived in Newport and worked here for 12+ yrs. Â This was by far the worst experience I have ever had in Newport and pretty much anywhere I have ever been. Â Never again!
Good food pick in the busy, downtown Newport section. Â Mi lady picked this place after hearing some reviews from friends. Â Gas Lamp is a good place for those looking for dinner and a little entertainment afterwards. Â They have daily events and on the weekends usually bring in live music or regarded DJ's. Â
Had the chowder and fish n' chips - both were excellent. Â Chowder wasn't heavy, but fills you up more than expected. Â Go for the cup (the bowl is the same size and $3 more). Â Fish was excellent with a chipotle dip and practically enough for 2 people. Â For $14, I had dinner tonight with awesome leftovers tomorrow.
Wifey had salmon with maple glaze, which she gave equally good reviews. Â Nicely carmelized walnuts on top, good touch. Â With a glass of wine, great dish. Â
Good food, good service. Â Seems like these folks have corrected the noted service comments in previous reviews.
I want to love this place, and I do... on Tuesdays for Karaoke. The bartenders are great, and we usually bring a pretty decent crew with us. The Karaoke team is pretty great as well.
The food... meh. Nothing fabulous, but if your in a pinch, I guess it will do. Upstairs is a night club-ish situation... This place always has an interesting crowd. I can never really pin point who the "regulars" are. Is this a "townie" place or a Salve bar? Whats going on here?
Props to the Pumpkin beer this fall. They always had the cinnamon sugar rim ready for us!
This place gives seafood a bad name.
Staff is friendly but seems to be run by 'kids' - so I don't think there is an actual chef. Â By the quality of food, I could way it's a bunch of underpaid teenagers that run this joint.
I started off with the lobster bisque. Â Base was okie but a tad on the salty side and there was hardly any lobster in it.
Entree was Shrimp and Lobster Scampi over pasta. Â WAY too much pasta.
Food was bland and just boring. Â Shrimps were okie but I wasn't impressed with the lobster. Â I believe it was tossed in butter sauce but that was it. Â Seafood and pasta - no sauce, and very dry.
There were a few good pieces of lobster here and there but the rest of it made me question whether is came from a can.
The amount of pasta that was piled on my plate was insane.
When you are in a seafood town - I expect fresh juicy seafood!
This place was really disapointing.
The menu and choices was somewhat endless. Â When you ask the server to come back twice, your first impression is that the selection of food must be made wisely because your choice will be what makes or breaks a place. Â As our first night in Newport, it wasn't that cold, but a hot bowl of clam chowdehr would soothe my abbbbdominals. Â
Ordered a cup of clam chowder -AWESOME! Â Out of the other places I went to in Newport, this was my fah-vor-IT! Â Not too fishy...
I ordered a chicken type sandwich that was cooked awesome-ly and tasted great. Â I'm sorry that I forgot the name of the dish, but I'll get it next time I'm on. Â Definitely a place I'd go back to if I was in the area.
My sister and I ate dinner at Gas Lamp last night. I had the tuna steak and although it was cooked well, the East West sauce was basically bbq sauce slathered on after it was cooked. My sister had the salmon with the maple pecan glaze, the glaze was over caramelized and burnt to the baking dish.
To top it all off, our waiter flitted between the hostess station, bar, and other table chatting with everyone. Not once during out whole meal did he come back to check on us or offer us another beer.
Although I would go back for their espresso martinis, I won't be dining at Gas Lamp anytime soon.
Went here after a pretty long day outside and I found it to be a very relaxing, welcoming environment. Â Our waitress was very friendly and attentive and kept the beverages flowing.
The food was good-great for bar food, but their seafood items are not as good as at a place that specializes in seafood. Â I had the lobster bisque as an appetizer; it was good, creamy (a touch buttery) but didn't have as a robust a lobster flavor as I would have liked.
I followed that up with the lobster mac and cheese; it was pretty darn good and had plenty of lobster. Â The cheese could have been a little sharper (some pecorino or a more freshly shaven parmesan would have been nice). Â Aside from that minor complaint, I really did think the dish was very good.
My girlfriend had chili for an appetizer and a burger for her main course. Â The burger was nothing special and the she said the chili was good, but a little too sweet. Â Also, I noticed looking at it that the beef was not very broken up; it looked like vegetarian chili that had one half of a burger patty added to it.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable meal and I would gladly return.
I'm not sure how to couch this review with much kindness. The location is prime, right in the heart of everything. Â The waitstaff was very friendly and nice. Â
However, for the prices, I could have gotten better food at a chain restaurant. Â The salmon I ordered was dry and fairly tasteless. Â When I mentioned a special food allergy that I have, which does not allow me to eat onion or garlic, they gave me completely plain steamed vegetables, no pepper or olive oil or anything. Â They also swapped out the flavored rice for a plain baked potato, but did not bother to inform me. Â The other members of my party were also thoroughly unimpressed. Â We would have been better off strolling a little further down Thames St.
The 4 stars go to my experience there during LUNCH on several occasions. Â The service has been a-OK but it really depends on the waitress (boo hoo..., I'd like some consistency please).
Everything I've had there has been great: clam chowder, lobster bisque, seared ahi tuna, ceaser with scallops, mmmmm!
The interior certainly needs some work, especially as it is right on the center of town.
The Gas Lamp Grille, great location, mediocre food and atmosphere. Â Came here on a weekend night before a bar hopping trip. . . and yes I will think again before coming here on a weekend night again. Â The wait was fine, less than 5 minutes to grab a table, the restaurant wasn't too crowded. Â The problem, above all else, was the bachelorette party seated within 10 feet of us. Â If the restaurant is considering hosting large tables of loud, obnoxious, crazy drunk singles, they should consider who they sit in their vicinity.
Having to stop twice while ordering due to loud laughter overruling my shouting voice, I became slightly perturbed. Â Fortunately, the manager came over at one point during our meal to apologize to us and all the tables surrounding for the non-relaxed and un-enjoyable atmosphere. Â The restaurant is not designed for this kind of seating. Â The large rectangular rooms lack cubby holes and walls to dampen the conversational sound.
In the culinary aspect, the restaurant served decent but not amazing dishes. Â I had a BBQ Chicken meal with rice that was satisfying, if nothing else. Â Our server Mike was great, attentive and quick with service. Â He was very patient with the disturbed atmosphere and provided us with the best of the situation.
Like the old gas lamp posts on the first floor as part of the interior decoration. Â I'd be interested to see what the nightlife is like here after regular dinner hours.
The food was fine, but nothing inspired. We were there between lunch and dinner, four kids and a pseudo-adult, and the waitress put up with us when she could have been out back smoking. But my "southwestern" burger was pretty blah -- nothing really southwest about it, not even a chipotle sauce. My niece's lobster roll was served cold, which she found grody. All in all, it was fine, but nothing to write home about.
Review Source:This is a food review, since I was here for lunch - not a nighttime bar review.
First comment...they have my favorite beer on tap (Hoegaarden). Â Also Boddington's, Bud, Bass, Guinness, and some microbrews. Â In short, a good beer selection in front of a well-stocked bar.
I had a bacon cheeseburger since I was told "we are in the running for best burger". Â I found it to be kinda dry. Â But it was attractively prepared and served with some french fries that were almost like potato wedges. Â Those things are MONEY. Â Don't skip the fries.
Worth a try, there were some yummy-sounding things on their menu...
This bar is kind of a dive... on karaoke night I would say this place smells pretty bad. Â Not sure why.. maybe all the sweat from the screaming in the microphones.
We went on a Thursday night when it was really empty. Â Dance floor was good enough for people to strut their stuff and the bartenders kept the drinks flowing. Â Oh.. and it took credit card. Â Yay! Â The bathrooms are all the way up this staircase. Â It wasn't gross up there.. but I can imagine serious accidents happening if somebody wasn't 100% sober. Â Oh.. and there is a bar upstairs as well for those "talks."
I've been going to Newport for almost twenty years now and have eaten at a lot of different places on Thames Street, but only just went here. Maybe it's newish? I haven't been around in over a year. Anyway, I really liked this place. The food was excellent! I Â got the Gas Lamp Favorite pasta dish and was more that satisfied. I also tried their Long Island Iced Tea and was happy with that too. My friend got their white clam pizza and that looked really good...I'm not a big clam guy though.
We sat right by the window and had a great view of the street. I bet during the summertime they open those front windows and it's just lovely.
Most importantly, the service was great. Plus, I was reading that they offered a bunch of neat events each week like trivia and karaoke, so I will definitely be going back!
Ok, I have made it my business to hunt for the best bar in Newport to watch sports. Â The criteria are:
Good TVs (with HD. Â Got that, Mudville?)
Ample TVs so you can see even if you don't have the best seat
Audio of the game that you can actually hear
Edible food
Friendly service.
Walkable from my house
I know it's not the most popular with the locals here, but I have to say that so far, Gas Lamp wins. Â They have tons of TVs, with the largest ones placed in a manner that allows the main game to be seen by all. Â They have many smaller TVs as well (and by smaller, I mean still plenty big but not as huge as the biggest ones) playing other games (in the case of Football on Sundays.) Â The audio is LOUD, played throughout the speaker system, so you can definitely hear it. Â
The food is good - I've had one of the pizzas, which was above average for bar fare, and the turkey club, which was also good. Â and there are plenty of other things that look delish that I will try in the future. Â
The bartender we've had every time we've been there has always been very friendly and prompt with service.
The only gripe I have is the ambience is kinda bland. Â The tables/chairs are pretty much standard boring restaurant fare - but viewed as strictly a sports bar (which it probably is not), it's fine. Â
Mudville doens't have HD or play audio, Buskers plays audio but has TVs out of sync, and Pour Judgement has so-so TVs and no audio. Â So, given that the quality of TV and the audio is my highest priority, Gas Lamp definitely wins.
4 stars for great food and location.
2.5 for bad service.
Located in scenic Newport RI. Â Beautiful location. I had the lobster bisque and fish and chips. The bisque was to die for. But you'd expect it to be, right? The fish and chips were weird. It was basically a entire battered fish filet and chips. I like my fish/chips to be several pieces of battered fish. Semantics I guess.
My only  real complaint and reason for 2 stars instead or 3 or 4 is our server. Everything was fine until the bill came along. Total was $32 and change. I throw two $20's and server takes it. Doesn't ask if I need change or anything. Fast forward 10 or 12 minutes and she still has not come back with change or my receipt, which I need for expense purposes. I finally get her attention and ask for change and receipt. She comes back with both and says: "Sorry, I thought it was all taken care of."  Why would you think that? Did you ask? She got 15% instead of 20%.
Okay, here's the thing. Â The first floor of Gas Light is maybe 50 feet long by 20 feet wide. Â That's 1000 square feet, or smaller than many apartments. Â And it's just one big rectangle. Â No small rooms or nooks anywhere. Â So, when the 5-piece band set up in the front near the windows, there was really no reason for them to crank the amplifiers up to 11. Â It wasn't as though the 20 people in the bar couldn't hear them. Â Indeed, once they started rockin, I couldn't hear myself scream. Â It's like a Mad Libs on the old marketing line for the movie Alien: "In the Gas Light, no one can hear you scream."
The upstairs bar was no better. Â Not counting the live DJ and 2 bartenders, there were exactly zero people upstairs. Â That didn't stop the DJ from turning the bass boost up to "liquify brain" and then walking away. Â Probably to go to night school so he could get a better job than "DJ for an empty second floor bar."
The one star comes from the fact that the band downstairs had a mandolin player, and he was trying to look like he was rockin hard on that mandolin. Â Which is about as hard as trying to look like you're rockin hard on that ukulele. Â Which is to say, very hard indeed. Â Shine on, you crazy diamond! Â Grind that tiny axe all night long!