Great patio, pet friendly, good drinks, and good people. It's definitely a good local bar in Newport year round. Great place to be year-round. They have karaoke nights, trivia nights, great place for Monday Night Football (and football in general). It is more of your typical bar food (wings, obviously). They also have a nice little digital countdown clock on the side of the bar until the next St. Patrick's Day. Speaking of St. Patrick's Day, one of the BEST bars to go to in all of Newport the Saturday of the parade in Newport. Get there early, and be prepared to pay a cover charge. It is so worth it!
Review Source:What can I say about O'Brien's... It's the best patio/bar/restaurant for locals and tourists alike. Dog and kid friendly during the day, 21 and up friendly at night. Yummy mudslide, Wachusetts blueberry on tap with blueberries added in, I'm in heaven. They have craft beers, of course including the local Newport Storm brews, and standard American beers, and lots of frozen drink options as well as drink specialties. The food menu is a standard bar menu, also including vegan/vegetarian options as well as a gluten free menu. There is a water fountain with games for the kids to play, lots of shade for the dogs to lay in, seating inside and outside and when there is a major game playing, the surround sound will play. I know currently they are working on a game room that I haven't got to experience, but the locals enjoy.
O'Brien's is pretty much my go to spot no matter what time of day it is.
I've been to O'Brien's a hand full of times. If you're just looking to grab a drink with a cool atmosphere it's a great place, but if your ordering food forget about it. On one occasion just as they opened the outdoor patio, me and some friends sat down inside and ordered drinks and sandwiches. Our sandwiches took over and hour to get to our table, we were being ignored by the server and we were the only people inside.
On another occasion I went back when the patio was in full swing and our server was great. My boyfriend did the burger challenge (he finished) and I got fish and chips, That was a much nicer experience. So my best advice would be to go when tourist season is in full swing.
Oh, OB's. Â You've given me the best of times, and the worst of times....I think? Â I tend to never remember how my night went in the morning which is typically the sign of a good night in my book.
I went to Salve so OBs was a monday-saturday staple. Â Two dollar rolling rocks and 5 dollar pitchers of Natty made drinking 6 nights a week affordable. Â And the food isn't half bad. Â Granted its bar food, but I mean that's what you want when you are hammered. Â Shitty greasy food. Â
Although I frequent OBs in any kind of weather, when  they have the patio open its an even more magical place.  Tuesday night trivia and Wednesday night Karaoke is also amazing.  If you want a great people watching experience and want to see the hidden gems that are Newport locals (Flavor Flav, Cowboy Doug, that Elvis looking guy) do not miss Karaoke.
I do have a few suggestions. Â
  1.) Please leave the fishing poles and toy tug boats in the fountain at night.  Who
   doesn't want to see a bunch of drunk college kids go "fishing"
   2.) Would it kill the bouncers to smile? I know I'm drunk, and I know you see me
   every night, but a little "Hey, it's you again" would be nice
Least to say, OBs you have a number one fan. Â Also thank you for not kicking me and my friends out every time we act like black out creatures. Â And another thank you for keeping my belongings safe every time I leave them there.
Great place to stop in for a few drinks before venturing out for the day. We ALWAYS stop in when we first get to the area. Wicked good service, great beers on tap and they make great drinks. The outdoor bar is always a fun place to sit. Can't say we have eaten here much, but we have gotten the "typical" bar food which has always been great. What can u expect from bar food? We always have fun sitting and chatting with the great bartenders. It isn't the best "Irish Pub" but I do not think that is what they are trying to portray. Â Defiantly recommend stopping in for a few drinks.
Review Source:Kid friendly; Dog friendly. Â Kids get to play in the big fountain in the middle of the outdoor seating area. Â Well, not "in" the fountain but they can man toy fishing poles or nets and catch toy fish, ducks, and frogs. Â It really make dining easier with something like a huge fishing fountain to occupy your kids while you order and chill out with a Bloody Mary or beer. Â The food isn't special; certainly nothing to brag about but also not bad enough to warrant a complaint. Â The service ranges from slow-to-super slow. Â But as long as I have my drink in hand and kids are playing in the big fish bowl, I'm just fine waiting for the server to make his/her way over to take our order.
Review Source:Went here with my girlfriend and her attractive married sister at around 6pm. The place was EMPTY at this time so we got a seat at the bar. I believe this night a pitcher of beer was $5. We also ordered a pizza with split toppings which was OK and some garlic fries which seemed like 10 lbs of fries. They have atleast a half dozen different French fry plates. The service was quick (because I was with hot chicks obviously.)
1 old man (local guy) was funny and apparently is always there. He WILL hit on you but it's different because he's really old or maybe that just makes it more creepy.
There is a pool table inside with TV's and patio outside for the warmer days where you can also bring your dog I heard.
Turns out a band was performing that night so it got really loud but they were decent. In came the Salve students and now the place was packed.
Oh yeah, we met a real creeper in his 40s who kept following us but low and behold we left without him. He offered to drive us but I was sober enough to drive. They have a parking lot on the side so I packed in the girls and got the f*** out of there before his blood shot eyes knew what happened.
PS: I've seen the bad reviews for this place. Maybe we just got lucky that 1 night or maybe you need to go more than once to see how bad it is. IDK.
I really don't have a lot to say about this pub. I can't comment on the food because we never got served. We stood in the entrance for ten minutes until we thought someone waved to us indicating that we could sit down anywhere outside on the patio. We sat down, and once again, received no service. It was a warm summer evening and the place was full - not packed though. Thirty minutes into our "experience" and asking for a server twice, I used the restroom hoping I would come back to a table with a server or at least some menus and water. The bathroom was totally disgusting and I would have preferred to go around back! I figured this was an indication of their kitchen as well. Â And when I got to the table with no menus or any indication of a server, my friends and I left. I often want to give a place a second chance, but with such poor service - or really lack of service all together, I'll pass this one up.
Review Source:The food here is disgusting. It is not just cheap bar food, it is very, very bad bar food. Everything is frozen and fried and very poor quality. The burgers are horrid and they can't even cook them right. I cannot stand drinking out of plastic cups at a place I pay a decent amount of money to patronize, as well.
The patio and fountain are cool. My son had a blast with the fountain and the fishing rods. I gave this place three chances and I will never eat here again. This place is for drinking beer on tap out of plastic cups only.
First... if you select a restaurant on the basis of whether or not they accept dogs you need to find a kennel and climb in. Â The outdoor human seating is plentiful and is great on a nice day.
O'Brian's Pub. Â What's in a name? Â Not too much. Â The only things Irish about this place are the green umbrellas and the Guinness stout. Â That being said, the selections we had from the bar-food type lunch menu was very good.
The pulled pork sandwich was very good. Â Smokey and overflowing. Â The blackened burgers (which is what I had) were not overworked and tough and were very juicy. Â Mine was also cooked exactly to order - medium rare. Â My son's medium well burger was also cooked perfectly. Â The seasoned french fries and sweet potatoes were flavorful.
The bar was well stocked with about 12 draft selections. They do really need to invest in glasses.  The thin plastic cups they served the drafts in were garbage.  Save the plastic cups for happy hour or late night  craziness.
One final thing. Â O'Brian's is just far enough from the water that you can find street parking and not pay to park in one of the rip-off lots that are everywhere in Newport.
I recently went to O'Brien's Pub with my sisters for a late lunch while vacationing in Newport. The outdoor seating was nice as well as the open air bar/restaurant. We were seated right next to the centrally located fountain which has water toys for kids to play with. The kids seemed to love the fountain and I imagine if you are a parent this would be a welcome distraction. Our waitress was not especially friendly or accommodating and we struggled to hear her. I ordered the sangria which was ok as well as a reuben with fries which were tasty. My younger sister ordered a burger with sweet potato fries and my older sister ordered a turkey reuben with sweet potato fries. The burger came with no lettuce tomato onions even though it explicitly says on the menu these are included. When we asked the waitress about this she said that you have to ask for these as some people don't like them. She never asked my sister whether she wanted or didn't want them when taking her order and my sister never mentioned them because she assumed they would come unless she told the waitress otherwise. Additionally the bun was too big for the patty and rather stale. My older sister enjoyed her reuben however her sweet potato fries were straight up burnt. I tend to like slightly burnt, crispy fries and I wouldn't even touch these. What made it worse is that there was another order of normal sweet potato fries at the table so it was clear these were a mistake. The hostess did fix the problem and sent over a new batch. Overall we were pretty unhappy with the service and the food was nothing special.
Review Source:If you are in Newport and have children or dogs this is the place to eat. Â I have 2 children so eating out is always a juggling act between eating and keeping everyone happy. Â O'Brien's eliminates the stress of eating out. Â In the center of the outdoor seating you will find a fountain filled with plastic ducks and fish for the kids to try to catch with nets and fishing rodes. Â I don't care that the service is slow or that the food is just average, because I had a two hour dinner with my husband where my kids were only at the table eating for about 20 minutes. Â
Definitely pack an extra set of clothes for the little ones because no matter how hard they try to stay dry it just doesn't happen. Â
Parking is a breeze with a private lot located behind the restaurant. Â Both you, your kids, and your dogs will enjoy the unique atmosphere of O'Briens.
Perfect example of why one should always check Yelp before going into someplace will-nilly. We just wanted a drink or two - and we saw this enormous bar with all the outdoor seating. So we walked in and asked for a table for some drinks and we were told we could only sit in the "cocktail area" - which i this depressign area on the side of the building, where people we smoking on top of us. The beer was served in plastic cups and the options were meh.
We did not have food (but we could have gotten a table then I suppose). The only thing I liked (and why it gets two stars) is how many dogs they have - loved seeing all the pooches out,
A big "Pass"
I went to O'Brien's for the first time on a Thursday evening during summer. I had heard about it before, but had never been, but after being turned away by long waits at all other restaurants we were desperate and looking for a quick bite to eat. We got in around 8:00. It was busy, but we were seated immediately at a table on the patio. It was a gorgeous evening and a great night for people watching on Thames. Our waiter was very friendly, but a little frazzled and forgetful. My sister order a draft beer and a lobster roll. She is a lobster roll connoisseur, and claims that this one makes her top 5 list. I ordered a mixed drink and a clam strip roll. The drink was a bit watered down and just tasted like juice. The clam strips roll was average. I will most likely be back, mostly because there wasn't a wait, and in Newport that is a rare occurrence, especially in the summer.
Review Source:Spent a weekend in Newport a couple weeks ago. Â I was talking to the bar tender at our hotel about where we should go check out for some drinks after dinner to get some cold beers and be able to see some more places that locals hangout. Â Well we certainly found a locals place in O'Briens!
You can find this place on Thames walking South, you will stumble across a sign with a mustache out front, and that is your signal you've found this place. Â It was a Saturday night around 11pm. Â I expected the bar to be pretty busy since it was off season and a lot of places aren't even open. We walked in the door and were greeted by two huge bouncers checking ID's which led me to believe my initial thought of a busy bar would come true. Well I was very wrong. There were 6 people in the bar which included the one bar tender and 2 bouncers. Â I felt weird ordering anything but a BL bottle which ended up not being as inexpensive as I hoped. But the Bruins game was on leading up to the playoffs and the locals that were there were very animated so that added to the atmosphere.
I didn't try any of the food so I can't comment on that. Â They do have a pretty large outdoor seating area up front on Thames which seems like it would be a cool place to check out in the summer for some drinks and people watching.
If you are in town and looking to slam a few cold ones back with the locals I would recommend you check out O'Briens. Â You will certainly run into a lot of the local hotel and restaurants staff members hanging out at this place.
I went here with my sisters for some drinks and food. I got a craft beer and they got mixed drinks. One of my sisters got an irish coffee and it was probably 9 parts alcohol to 1 part rest of ingredients. It was like a 22oz shot. Neither of us could drink it. Also we ordered onion rings and it took them 20 minutes to make them. I've never imagined onion rings were as hard to make as good sushi but apparently they overwhelm the cooking staff here. When they finally arrived there was literally a puddle of grease at the bottom of the basket. I wouldn't eat or drink here.
Review Source:I received a gift certificate from here by a friend. It was for $50 and we were moving the next day so decided to order a bunch of stuff and bring it home. My boyfriend got the Jerk Chicken Dinner. There was an inch of seasoning on it, he said it was disgusting and couldn't eat it. We had to throw it away. So, we ordered the dinner salad as well and he was able to eat that. The lettuce was fresh, really good. Nachos were good. Salmon was alright, the teriyaki sauce was not. Overall, it was alright minus the chicken dinner. The inside was nice, small town bar feel. Wouldn't go for dinner, maybe for apps and drinks.
Review Source:In a town with plenty of overpriced options, O'brien's Pub is a great sports/college bar with some kind of entertainment most nights. The pitchers of beer are some of the cheapest in town. (Loose Cannon $12.50! Natty Light $5!!!!!!) There is some form of entertainment every night but Mondays (when football and 25 cent wings take center stage).
The new pizzas on the menu are AMAZING!!! (Especially the Chicken BLT and Taco). On Wednesdays and Sundays, they're half-price! Meaning you can have a pitcher of good beer and a large pizza for around $20. You'll have a hard time getting better value for your money if you hit the liquor store and then ordered Domino's. Â My only gripe about their pizzas is that they don't reheat well, so if you have any leftovers, just leave them.
The only time I won't stick around are those nights when Salve kids just take over the joint. That's not really a negative, if you're looking for a college scene, but I'm a little long on tooth to be hanging around a hundred or so 21 year olds.
I suppose my only other gripe is that there are occasionally issues with the climate control, regardless of the time of year. Sometimes you go inside in the summer and it has to be in the 60s in there. In the winter, it might be a little too cold...or 80 degrees.
Fun outdoor seating that is pet friendly and will even supply a water bowl. The New England clam chowder is well made and not overly thick - very flavorful.
Do not order the fish and chips. The fries are good but the fish was tough, lacked any semblance of flavor, and couldn't be cut with a fork all the way through.
In a nut shell: Come for the cheap drinks and laid back atmosphere...come back because it's so damn dog friendly.
In the crowded field for cool places to grab a drink in Newport, it takes a lot to stand out. Generally speaking, O'Brien's is pretty average although really laid back and pretty affordable, which are both a +1 in Newport. Also, it's a little further down lower Thames, away from America's Cup Avenue which at least somewhat reduces the tourist crowd.
The patio is right on Thames street and with the bevy of ocean front drinking establishments in Newport, it's easy to pass O'Brien's by for a better view.
But, it's very relaxed and makes for good people watching. And because it's not uptight, it's totally okay to just hang out and drink a few cheap beers without feeling like you should be running up a bigger bill in exchange for the real estate or view.
The food is adequate if not slightly above average. Perfectly fine place to grab a burger, app, or sandwich. The lobster roll is huge and not super expensive, especially for Newport.
For all intents and purposes, this the perfectly respectable three star joint...until they bring your dog a huge bowl of water! This place is incredibly dog friendly, and at any given time there are 5-10 pooches relaxing in the shade of their owner's table, enjoying a drink. As a dog owner, it's an automatic extra star for a place that not only allows dogs, but welcomes them. O'Brien's will be a standard stop for me in Newport for years to come.
This was our favorite meeting place while in Newport. Â The food is amazing,(especially the egg rolls) the beer is cheap and the service is friendly. Â Luckily we were here in the colder months, therefore we never had to worry about crowds and the prices were less usual. Â
I have amazing memories of this bar including spending my St. Patrick's Day here and enjoying my first Narragansett. The bar tenders were sweet and allowed me behind the bar to take a picture next to the countdown clock. Â
I've been in the pub with two people and I've been in this pub with a rather large group of people, no matter who I'm with, we always enjoy the scene here.
The patio is a great place to thaw out when the sun comes out in the colder months and a fun environment to sit and people watch while enjoying a few cold beers.
Stopped in for a cold beer and a sandwich this afternoon. I almost always eat at the bar when I go out. Bartender was friendly and beer was super cold. Had the turkey reuben and slaw. Yes the slaw sucked but the sandwich was great. Oozing gooey cheese and sauerkraut just the way a reuben should be. Total bill $15 not bad for a great location, yummy sandwich, cold beer and friendly staff.
P.S. Other reviewers bitched about fellow patrons. They were a mixed bag, friendly to down right weird but jeez people learn to handle yourself if your going to sit at a bar.
I really WANT to love this bar, seeing as I've been claiming it for so long (my last name is O'Brien), but this place falls short of my stamp of approval.
Pros: CHEAP beer. Newport is known for overpriced booze, but O'Brien's is the exception to that rule. $2 tall boys Narragansett and Rolling Rock. Unrivaled Karaoke on Wednesdays.
Cons: rude bartenders, dirty bathrooms, gross food, relatively douchy clientele.
Bottom Line: A good place to throw a couple back before heading somewhere better.
Fun for a mid afternoon drink or 3. They have a big patio out front and usually have some live music or kareoke inside at night.
Its one of those places that you go to when you first hit 21 or your from out of town.
It gets packed, but I cant help that it has to do with the location right on Thames.
Afternoon drinks? Yes.
Wow! I'm surprised that this place hasn't gotten too many positive reviews.
I dined here recently with my hubby and our two golden retrievers. Â I heard of O'Brien's online when searching for a pet friendly eatery. Â Â We were seated at a table on the patio and had a perfect view of the rest of the restaurant. Â Nice water fountain in the middle for the kiddos, complete with water toys and there must have been about a half dozen dogs with their owners by the time we left.
There are only a handful of restaurants that we go to with our dogs (wish there were more that allowed them) so when we go it is a pleasure to be able to have a bite with them. Â The food was surprisingly good! Â I ordered a roasted vegetable wrap with fries and hubs ordered a burger (medium-rare) that was cooked perfectly...not over done which is usually the case. Â I would definitely go back even if I didn't have the two fur kids with me.
Granted, we were a large group. But there was no excuse for the poor service we received here. Â
It got to the point that we all would consolidate all of our requests for the evening, in anticipation of the ONE visit our waiter would pay us every 20-30 minutes. And then he still couldn't get it all right.
The food did not make up for the lack of service either.
I was STARVING, but still couldn't force down their gluten-free chicken. There were several others at our table that had to go get food afterwards because they couldn't eat what was served to them. It killed me that we had to pay the automatic 18% gratuity for a large group, when he didn't even deserve half of that.
Went to lunch here with some friends and family and it was good. Great service. The food was decent. Lovely outdoor seating with a fountain in the middle that has a bunch of water toys for kids to play with which was great because that meant I could have a beer and talk with my friends and watch my daughter having fun! I got clam chowder it was good. We got the cocktail shrimp app which I didn't really like. The shrimp tasted fishy to me. Bluemoon as always was delish!
Review Source:This place would have gotten 1 star, if it wasn't for the sweet outdoor patio.
O'Briens has terrible food, terrible patrons, and terrible service. The local clientele ranges from angry towny in the winter time, to angry meathead caveman in the summer time. I've been here 3 times in the last year, and every time i've stopped by my date has been groped or someone has picked a fight with me.
It's strange that the seedier elements tend to congregate here, as it's not immediately in the tourist current. (On the end of lower thames) I would expect this crowd directly off America's cup, where the prey is easier.
Pass.
On St Patrick's Day -
We paid $20 for cover, which is fine. Later found out some locals got a cheaper cover, which made me a little upset ($10)!!!
Everyone liked the Tom Petty and the 80/90s music in the afternoon. Â But as the night grew later, the music had more hip hop/Top40s. Â They had really good corn beer sandwich and beef stew for reasonable price. Â As for the bathroom, the guys line was wayy longer than the girls bathroom, which was unusual :-p
I heard that usually, it's a Restaurant.
It's all about location, location, location! O'Brien's has just that, though service, food and drinks teeter on average. The humongous patio is perfect for daytime drinking in picturesque Newport, though. The bouncers are really nice too... make friends with them and you'll bypass the lengthy lines come evening.
Review Source:I ate a daisy here. Â Didn't taste too pretty, though.
This bar is actually good. Â Surprising, being that it is located amongst the douchiest of the douche. Â But, it's got a huge patio out front, and now that they have a bar out there AND restrooms, it's definitely choice! Â That "give your ID to the doorman while you go piss inside and then get it back after" policy was pure horseshit!
Anyway, the inside is somewhat of a high-end moose lodge, but I dig it. Â The patrons are a mix of normal people, douches, townies, and during the summer, vacationing foreign a-holes with WAY more money than you (and you'll know about it!). Â But for the Newport, the ratio of douche-holes to not is better than you'll find at most other places.
They serve "typical pub fare". Â And it's downright typical!
You know, O'brien's is really alright.
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