My wife and I moved to Newburyport about a year ago. We have dined at Grog at least 30 times . We have tried every other restaurant in Newburyport  and  we consider the Grog as our "go to" regular place to visit. Very comfortable and friendly and we totally enjoy the food and menu. This place is solid. I should say that if it's  an anniversary or something like that maybe "no" but any other time definitely "yes-yes"!
Review Source:The food is pretty good. Â The atmosphere is good, the drinks are good.
We took my Mom here for Mothers Day and she LOVED IT. Â It was perfect!
But the last few times we've been (especially on a busy day) we've gotten seated somewhere ridiculous, where a table has no business being. Â
In the middle of the bar, with a bunch of drunk people hitting us in the friggin head with their purses or whatever while we're trying to eat . Â Bad flow in the restaurant and awful seating sometimes if it's busy. Â
Try going on a slower weekday or earlier in the evening on a weekend. Â Unless you want to just drink. Then it's fine. Â
But seriously, a table....in the MIDDLE of the walking path adjacent to the bar and the kitchen, and a steady stream of people smacking you in the face because they can't get around the sewing circles of drunks in the bar getting in the way...everyone trying to get downstairs for the music. Bad experience there.
Plenty of gluten free options though. Â That's always what would keep us coming back.
That table should be burnt to cinders though.
Decent looking spot... very old school like the majority of the town, comfortable atmosphere...
so here's the good. Â great beer selection with 32 on tap... half of which are craft brews... and a bunch of those are local to the area. Â so i suggest going with a sampler if you're in the mood for trying out a variety.. we certainly did!
Past that though the food was so-so.. burger was ok but nothing special... served on a white roll, angus beef i think? Â decent flavor but not much. Â i got the Bradley dip sandwich with au jou and a mild but creamy horseradish sauce on the side.. sauce was great along with the roll, but the shaved beef again, was a little under-seasoned. Â Fish tacos tasted good but were overcooked.
I'd say the food was average overall, probably will never eat there again for a full meal. Â But I would certainly come back again for a nice beer tasting!
The Grog is a staple of Newburyport (NBPT). It's one of those places that everyone, natives and visitors alike, tend to gravitate towards, and with good reason!
The Grog is set in downtown, but on a side street away from the hustle and bustle which is nice to get away from. The quarters can be a little cramped when it's busy, not to mention loud, but I find that is the charm of the place.
I've been to The Grog many times in my visits to NBPT. One of my favorite items is the Grog Burger: Your choice of grilled Angus Sirloin (lettuce, tomato, pickles included) or a grilled marinated chicken breast with herb aïoli. Served with steak fries. Alternatively, you can get it on a Thomas's English muffin.
I always get the sirloin version on an English muffin cooked medium-well (see my picture). The burger is served open-faced and you build it yourself as the toppings are given to you separately. I like that.
Now I know what you're thinking: "An English muffin?!" I thought the same thing, but I gotta say, it compliments the meat very well. Since the muffin is not as "bulky" as traditional bread, you get to taste more of the meat rather than getting mostly bread.
Not that the ratio of meat is skimpy, far from it. The patty is always thick, juicy, grilled-to-order, and is very tender. I also like that there is not a mountain of fries served with it. I think you get a great portion of fries that's "just right". Some people might be turned off by the amount fries if they are used to getting heaps of them, but honestly, it's more about the sandwich itself, not the fries.
The staff is always running food, making drinks, and cleaning tables. They are on top of things which, frankly, given how bust it can get there, is impressive.
When in NBPT I always try to stop at The Grog if I can. The atmosphere is very bar-meets-casual-dining and simply has a "small town" feel to it. One thing to mention, and you can kind of see it in my "storefront pic" I uploaded, is that parking is pretty much non-existent. However, NBPT's downtown is very walkable, so if you have to park a block or two away, it's not that big of a deal.
Either way, if in NBPT and you want a place to eat with great food and reasonable prices, you must check out NBPT's staple, "The Grog".
I attended a bridal shower here recently. We had the room upstairs. I have to say the room was cozy and spacious and the food was very good. We had brunch. My complaint is that the restroom was upstairs and the stairs were dimly lit and steep. We had several older women there and I feel that this was difficult. My experience was decent and the neighborhood is quaint. I may go back and try a lunch date with my husband
Review Source:I was a party of four the other night and after initially being seated in the chilly back room, we sat in the bar area at a tabletop. The food was good; the huge plate of nachos easily fed us, and I also got the cup of lamb & lentil soup which was delicious. My fish tacos were ok; they could have used more red sauce and the black beans were very under seasoned. My friends fish & chips were ok, lots of batter if that's  your thing. The pork and bean burrito was also under seasoned and lacking sauce. The panini was good and the side of veggies great. I'd go again, but not for the Mexican style food.
Review Source:I've really had it with this place. I've gone here for years, but the service is so HORRIBLE that you cannot have a decent meal here. Food usually arrives cold, and the waitress/waiter will walk by you time after time until you flag them down. The last time I was there was last week-was seated, party of 4. Took 30 minutes to get drinks, and an hour before we got our appetizers, after having to track down the waitress. The service is consistently awful and unapologetic. Go across the street to Agave.
Review Source:Went in for a nice afternoon meal expecting pub style food. Â Seated right away, and received water service right away (That was the end of quick service). Ordered onion rings and queso dip with chips. Â Very bland tasting. Â No flavor found. Â Lot of the tortilla chips tasted stale and then microwaved. Â We ended with these items and got out of there and never to return. Â Just a bad experience all the way around unless you like water and beer.
Review Source:I had recently been to Newburyport last Tuesday night and the grog was the first place we tried to position ourselves after a work meeting but was disappointed to find out the kitchen closed at 9:00 pm.....so we went to the Port Tavern and it was 5*
So when I saw the 3* overall rating I was concerned..BUT not after my visit.
Lauren loves the clam chowder which she got and like always was very happy.
I ordered the nachos....Wow, theses are nachos for four people, no doubt. You get a lot, and was pleasantly surprised that not only did it have salsa, but also verde hot green salsa on it. Honestly, too much for two people, which is nice to say, compared to the Ale house in Amesbury.
Our server was very nice and accommodating. Â
I ordered the 1/2 portion of the chicken piccata with linguini.
This was fantastic. I'm so happy it was pointed out to me!
It was done exactly how I like it, see photo.
She had the haddock which Lauren said was very fresh and tasty.
Both of us were very happy with everything.
I imagine, from the looks of the place that the service could get sketchy and makes me wonder what lowers the star rating... I will have to do some reading.
I will return
Having grown up on the east coast, but spent the past 2 years in Los angeles, coming to the grog after that time was a breath of fresh...sea food!
Their clam chowder is to die for! The vibe is historic and adds to the flavor of fresh caught clams, lobstah and fish! I will be back very soon!
Only downfall is parking, best if you have a little car!
The Grog is an old, dated, stale-beer smelling, salt of the earth, local bar / restaurant.... and I like it. Go there, sit at the busy bar, talk with everyone around you, have a few beers, check out the faded fishing captain paintings, and order the fish + chips or their burger on a toasted english muffin. Don't go and sit at a table and try something fancy. Know where you are and enjoy it. It's much better than eating at a chain restaurant like Upper Crust and visiting the Black Dog store with all the tourists.
Review Source:As a local I come here often. Â If you are visiting Newburyport and want a flavor of the local community, the Grog is the place to go. Â Great bar, great beers (they just added a bunch of craft drafts) and live music most nights. Â Food is ok but it's a bar, so you get what you think you would get at a seaside pub. Â Make the stop, it's worth it.
Review Source:Went into NBPT on Monday to take advantage of the glorious weather. Â Went on an epic bike riding adventure with our fledgling biker gang "the flaming cobblers" out to Plum Island and then back around to the mainland and firmly planted ourselves in some bar stools at the Grog. Â We couldn't have picked a better spot. Â The bar was full of locals who were friendly and struck up conversations with us throughout our stay (we were probably the youngest ones there, certainly #nbd). Â If I could give 2 separate ratings for beer and food I'd give the Grog a solid and emphatic 5-Stars for beer selection. Â Everything from Tripel Karmeliet to Allagash Bourbon Black, they were loaded with good stuff which is awesome, especially since it was precisely what we were looking for after that long ride. Â The food is what gets the 3-stars, which doesn't mean it was bad, far from it, in fact it was again exactly what we were looking for, however just because it hit the spot in this rather specific alignment between activity and hunger doesn't boost the score. Â
Chili con Carne was good but lacked that deep rich meaty intensity that I love from a dish like that, the meat was actually really large pieces that seemed quite dense when I tried to break them up with my spoon. Â Spice was great, could have used a little bit more cheese but I am nit picking so don't take that to heart. Â The nachos we good, a little on the "interesting" side. Â They came with a green and red salsa which was cool, I think there was a little too much liquid in the mixture though because many of the chips became soggy. Â I think just minor tweaks in the construction of it and everything would fall together perfectly, otherwise the selection of toppings would be per the norm for what one would expect from a nacho plate. Â
Just like yelp says, 3 Stars is A-OK. Â Oh and I'd be remiss to say that our bartender was awesome and a sweet heart.
Throw your cares away in NEWburyport! Â Let your hook snag a dream in NEWburyport! Â Hip hip hooray for NEWburyport!!
ANYWAY, so, 17 of us went to this place for a friend's birthday brunch. Â I'm impressed at any place that can accommodate that. Â So, they put us upstairs in a private room, and they strung together enough tables to seat us all. Â We had two kids with us, so crayons and coloring paper was brought out. Â FOR ALL OF US!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Â
But yeah, I thought they did reasonably well considering the shit-show of catering to 17 brunchadeirs! Â I mean, some shit was overcooked, some was cold, but I think on the whole, it was good. Â MY food was good, so that's all that matters! Â JUST KIDDING! (half-kidding) Â But yeah, my wife got the cold shrimp scampi, but she assured me it was great heated up as leftovers!!! Â I had the ruben with onion rings, and it was good. Â The sauce was on the side, but that's coo! Â Anyway, they were really good in accommodating whatever the hell drinks we were dreaming up, so kudos for that, GROG!
But yeah, this place has the "oh, this place is like really OLD, right?!" vibe which is cool. Â
GROG!
Two stars for this ode to culinary dumps.
First, on the outside it looks like your typical Irish-American-Turn-of-the-Century-Ships-Ahoy pub. Â Upon entering, they're still going for that effect, only adding a French Bistro flair by hanging huge posters of French booze that they'd never sell there in a million years.
Their clam chowder that they boost as their "claim-to-fame" was watery and filled to the brim with potato chunks and little of clam.
The garlic bread looked and tasted like they bought in bulk from Papa Gino's with this rubbery "garlic" cheese that made your jaws ache trying to chew and swallow the thing.
The sirloin I ordered looked and tasted like it was fired hours ahead of time; cold, flavorless and even though I ordered it medium rare, it was not only raw on the inside, but there was zero juice eminating from the steak. Â Doesn't a steak, even after rested, still bleed juice onto the plate when it's supposed to be hot and freshly cooked? Â The mashed potatoes that came along with it tasted like they were from a hotel pan during a corporate buffet service. Â From the day before.
When an unsweetened iced black tea tastes better than the food you were served (which the dim-bulb only asked if I wanted it refilled after we were done eating this pile of reheated slop), you can bet I'm not going back.
On second thought, this place gets one star. Â What a rotten shithole.
Standard American bar food, the soups were good, the salad was middle of the road crab cakes were pungent, and we didn't get diarrhea from the seared tuna. The wasabi was seriously weak that they used with the tuna and tasted off like it had been out on a counter to be aged. The staff is super friendly to make up for the okay food. The institution has history and a nice patina to it. But like many others have said, I think it has seen better days.
Review Source:First I'd like to say to the people who gave bad reviews on food, REALLY..?? Get out more!
Ok so the grog. The name it's self pretty rad. I came to Boston to visit a few friends and some family as well as try some awesome east coast seafood. Mission accomplished.
Met up with a few friends for dinner before my departure from Boston. Was given a tip to try the "chowda" and the grog burger. So fire it up kid!
On my tour thru Boston I have a sampled a few different types of clam chowder at almost every place I stopped at. The Grog had pretty much the best, there is a close tie with another place but they used bacon. The chowder is a must try!
The Grog burger, AWESOME!! With sweet potato fries and a honey mustard dip on the side, pure bliss!
I've seen some knocks as well on service, but the service I experienced was pretty damn good!
The bar manager, we will call him "Dave" gave me a few good suggestions regarding beers and he did not disappoint! The selections he gave were on point for a beer fan.
Also there that night was a cook, we'll call him "Matt" he came out to make sure the food was up to par. Both guys were polite and showed a love for the work they do. A+
Next time I make my way to MA, I' ll be directly going to Newburyport to eat at the Grog.
On a side note, the tour given by Dave of the Grog was a nice treat!
Leslie at the bar is the best, if it wasn't for her, I would probably not go to the Grog. Â First class service and the friendliest and nicest person you will come across. A++++ for Leslie. Â Actually walked in today and if I hadn't seen her behind the bar, I would have gone someplace else.
Eugene :)
My friend and I stopped here for a pre-half-marathon dinner (race was the next day). Menu in the window looked pretty amazing and drew us in. Decor isn't stellar - definitely a pub feel; also felt like they squeezed in a few too many tables in - we were sat at a TINY table, right up against the stairs to lower level. The waitress was nice enough - a little flighty, and not very familiar w/ the menu (I asked for recommendation between several sandwich options, she wasn't familiar w/ any of them). We both ended up getting burgers - pretty tasty. Decent prices.
Review Source:Oh, the iconic Grog. In it's hey-day it was THE bar in Newburyport from what I understand. Oh course, that was before my time in the 70's. I only know it as what it is today: a reasonable Pub/Basement Performance Venue with an awful restaurant.
The food is weak but the Grog will always be there and will survive on it's old reputation as well as the summer tourist population looking for New England Fish and Chips downtown.
After many, many second chances in the last 2 years I have decided that the Grog is off the table for dinner-out consideration. It isn't so bad that I will refuse to go if a less discriminating friend wants to but I have removed it from my own radar.
Sorry, Grog.
fail
Anyplace that has cheese fondue on the appetizer menu is aces in my book. Â They give you granny apple slices and fresh bread for the dipping. Â My only complaint there was that they gave you very little bread - so piece of advice, ask for more bread right off. Â I think you should ask for the bread right away anyway 'cause it is baked fresh and you can tell - yum.
My yelp friend and I split the cuban sandwich. Â The good part was they very nicely split the order (french fries too!) in the kitchen and we did not have to do it ourselves. Â The sandwich was just ... average. Â I am not sure what they could have done to make it better but maybe more pickles would have been a nice start.
I have not been here in years but I remember that it was a decent place to stop but very DARK! Â For such a sunny beautiful location like Newburyport, you would not know it by sitting in this place. Otherwise, I think it is a consistent place to eat and drink but only if you don't want to go to any more adventurous places.
I'd read that the Grog had a great cuban, so I knew I'd eventually have to check it out. Today was one of those days you just had to find yourself at the beach, so we went. I was giving a mini tour to a fellow Yelper and once we finished Salisbury, we scooched on over to Newburyport.
It's been awhile since I've been to the Grog, but it looks the same: a dark mishmash of tables and booths strewn about with nary a rhyme nor a reason. There was no host/ess so we waited a moment to be acknowledged. After we were told the host/ess would be right out, we waited some more. Finally a waitress showed us to our seat.
We knew we were getting the cuban but once we saw cheese fondue, we had to detour. So we started with the cheese fondue which was tasty but didn't have that extra kick to make it really good. The bread they serve with it is stupendous. If you are a bread whore like me, I highly recommend asking for bread when you go.
We decided to split the cuban so that we'd have room for dessert later. The waitress said she'd bring an extra plate but the chef divided the sandwich and fries for us, a nice touch.
The cuban was not the best I've ever had, but it was pretty tasty. Add to that the fact that the Grog is a lot closer than my top choice and read that as "I'd go back". Adding mustard helped improve the sandwich and a few more pickles would have brought it up a bit more. The pork was tender & juicy and a compliment to the sandwich. I know there was cheese but I didn't get an overwhelming sense of it.
A perfectly acceptable cuban & I would go back, though I won't be dreaming about this one.
They would get five stars IF I was only thinking of decor, service AND the rockin FREE stand up comedy show every Monday night in the upstairs! The missing star is because the clam chowder AND fish and chips is HORRID! Worst I EVER had! The batter on the chips is more thick than the fish and doughy and not even edible! AND the chowder is watery and sandy and gross!
The lobster bisque is yummy and the burgers we have had have been very average! SO I give it FIVE stars for service and looks and comedy but TWO for food!
A menu that hasnt changed in 20 years, and familiar faces has made this a newburyport staple. Â More on an older crowd. Â young people go to the rockfish or tavern.
If you stop in to eat here, get the nachos. They are great. If you are in the mood for pasta the tuxedo chicken is great.
Everything else is meh.
beer prices are a little high. Â if you are looking to drink, go to the whale.
Everything we had was pretty darn great! Â My lobster roll was plain and simple, undressed losbster (and a whole lot of it!) served on a buttered bun with a side of thick cut fries. Â The oysters were amazing and huge, and my husband must have commented on how awesome the lobster bisque was at least 50 times during our visit. Â The bloody mary wasn't as spicy as we're used to, but coming from Houston, I think we might just like 'em hot down there. Â
I've been eating lobster rolls all over Boston since I arrived, and Grog's gives even the fancier, well-known places a run for their money. Â The sheer amount of incredibly fresh lobster on the roll was a huge bonus.
Have been waiting to get to the Grog for some time for Sunday nights music venue .Decided to make a night of it ,dinner included.At a glance the menu seems to cover the bases with diverse selection of apps and entrees. Well to start we tried the pork dumplings,my guess the frozen ones you get at the supermarket. For entrees I ordered the fish taco...just OK with what seemed like package Spanish rice. My wife had steak tips and mashed potatoes, not overly flavorful ...again just OK . Our server was friendly and prices weren't bad so overall not a big lose. Good selection of beer.
Downstairs the music was awesome. Almost as hot as the temperature, no air conditioner that night and you could surf on the dance floor from the humidity.
Would recommend going for the music and bar, but I've had much better pub grub
After a day fighting greenhead flies at Newbury Beach, we wanted a cold beer. Enter a quick search and this came up... and damn, if the name Grog didn't make think I could get a beer there, I don't know what would...
So, we after wandering the streets a bit, we find the Grog and am greeted by no one. There's a gaggle of men at the bar who are all watching something on a laptop. Being us, we want a seat at the bar. These guys are taking up a good side of the bar and there are no other seats.
We wander back to be seated, and it turns out these guys work there. The host (who is taking up our precious seat at the bar) eventually gets us seated. We aren't pleased, but are undeterred to get our beer.
And then it happened, we made friends with another waitress. She quickly gives us a look over, looks at my feet, notices my Vibrams (yes, we both own a pair... deal with it) and says something to the effect of "Give me a break." We were instantly smitten.
Turns out Sonja (my name if you rearrange the letters) knows a lot of the same people as the bf. We had a lovely chat over a few beers (they had a few specials on Smuttynose... so good!) and some okay spinach and artichoke dip.
Can't really speak too much for the food (the dip was just average), the atmosphere is dark and pub like and the beer is cold. All three stars are reserved for Sonja, who was fun and kind and a delightfully positive person. If you give it a try, look for Sonja. She'll do you solid.
Very British, pub-ish atmostphere with dark wood and amber lighting. Â I was glad to be given a table with deep leather, armed chairs.
Had to take adavantage of being in New England, so it was marinated Steak Tips for me. Â Flavorful, if a bit chewey.
Service was very attentive. Â Two folk guitar players in the downstairs pub were nic entertainment on a cool Spring evening.
Grog is pretty OK. I always feel a bit ignored whenever I come.. maybe it's because I'm always sat in a corner in the back and the server forgets I'm there. I always stick to the sweet potatoes, sometimes in fry form, sometimes in mashed burrito form. Everything else I've had I've been pretty "eh" about.
They are also gluten-free friendly. Not as much vegetarian though. Like your typical New England shore town, it's heavy on the fish.
We were biking the trails at Maudslay State Park (fall foliage) and biked into town for dinner. Â Nothing special about the ambiance, 3.5 stars for the poster/pub style decor. Â
Food started out as 4 stars. Â One person ordered the mussels as an appetizer. Â Another person ordered a half order of the butternut ravioli. Â I got a half order of the lobster ravioli as an appetizer. Â We got the half orders since we were very hungry. Â The food was great. Â
Then came our entrees. Â One person had the marinated steak tips. Â It was good. Â Another friend had a full order of the Frutti de Mar. Â You could tell it had been sitting in the kitchen for awhile. Â I had the New England Fisherman's Bake. Â Let's just say it was left baking for a much longer than I had hoped. Â Food was 3 stars. Â
Service was good. Â The server was attentive. As we were leaving, they had a live that began playing.
I've visited The Grog a few times per year for most of my life, as I visit Newburyport to see family regularly. Â As the staff changes, so do the items on the menu, and their newest concoctions are typically top-notch. Â The fish is always fresh, and their appetizers are always quite good.
My favorite for a very long time has been the clam chowder, but over the past 8 years or so, it's become somewhat less creamy and noticeably more salty.
The service is usually above-average, and the prices are reasonable.
After driving for what seems like forever to get there, and being famished the whole way, we finally pull up to what I thought would be a quaint little restaurant. From the outside, it looked small. However, once we got in, I noticed it was actually three rooms. There were booths and tables all around the bar. Since there were six of us, we got one of the larger booths in the back room.
For appetizers, we got the crinkle-cut sweet potato fries and the seared ahi tuna. The fries were good, but a tad lukewarm and not as crispy as I would have liked. The seared ahi tuna came on a bed of seaweed salad and field greens. Though the serving was on the smaller side, the tuna was very good.
For my entree, I went with an old favorite -- steak tips, medium rare. Whenever I'm at a new place, that's what I tend to order, because I can just about gauge how good or bad a place is by how their steak tips are. This place was good, but not great. My tips were a little overcooked for medium rare, and though the inside was juicy, the outsides were a little to charred for my liking. The mashed potatoes and veggies that came with my meal were good though.
At night and on weekends, this place has a music scene as well. There is a downstairs area where live bands play. Though it was not open at the time that we were there, we could hear the band doing their sound check downstairs. Though I didn't mind it, the we could hear the vibrations from the instruments from our booth upstairs, so I can just imagine how loud it is when they are in full-swing.
Apparently, this place hasn't changed since the Civil War days, and I can totally see that. It is what it's known for, and from the minute you walk in and look around, you can see the old-world charm this place possesses. One cool feature I noticed was in the far end of the back room, right by the bathrooms. They have a "free library" that is "take one, leave one." I unfortunately did not have a book with me to leave, but I perused the titles really quick and noticed a ton of great and interesting books left behind by other patrons. Great idea, and it's the first of its sort I've ever seen, especially in a restaurant establishment. Cool idea, Grog! If I do go back, I'll be sure to bring a book or two to share.
I don't know if I can say that I would make the trek back up there to go again, but it is definitely a place I am glad to say I have gone to at least once in my life.
The Grog is well-suited for a group of tired runners/volunteers who have varying tastes in food. Â Procured by my companions and I:
-Lobster roll with sweet potato fries: Lots of claw, knuckle, & one other kind of meat on a top-split roll. Â Not too mayonnaise-y. Â On the scale of lobster rolls I have consumed, it was not as good as that of B&G Oyster or Summer Shack, but better than that of Charlie's Kitchen. Â The crinkle-cut sweet potato fries were delicious.
-Butternut squash ravioli: I tried a bit of of my tablemate's ravioli and it tasted like autumn. Â Not as good as that of Giacomo's, but that is hard to achieve.
-Pasta primavera: Â Did not try, but it looked plentiful, colorful, and delish. Â Tablemate who got it said that he needed to be rolled back to the car.
-Grilled mahi mahi sandwich with spicy remoulade and fries: Â Did not try, but looked pretty solid.
-$1.00 oysters: Â I coveted these and wish I had gotten some!
I've only been here a few times since my parents moved up to Newburyport, but I've never been disappointed. The first floor is a little more dark and pubby while the second floor is laid out more like a restaurant. Â Last year, we were even able to rent out a private room for my dad's birthday so that we could have my 2 year old nephew run around without disturbing anyone. And it was at no extra cost!
We started dinner with crab cakes, calamari, and french bread with artichoke and spinach dip. Mmmm. For dinner I got butternut squash ravioli in a sauce made of apple cider and Dramboui with spinach leaves on top. Ah-mazing.
I admittedly have never tried getting in there on the weekend, as every time I've gone by its completely packed, complete with people spilling out the doorway and I'm not one to put up with fighting to get to the bar.
But in terms of food? One of the top 3 restaurants in Newburyport I've been to.