While in Newport, we stayed at The Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina. It was nothing special and the service was fine. The cost of rooms were very high for the holiday weekend. The room was fairly small and very basic. We requested a room with a balcony which was nice.
On the Harbor
The main reason for staying there was the location right on the harbor and in the middle of town. We were able to walk to everything and since taxis and Ubers were practically nonexistent, it was well worth it.
Balcony View
After relaxing in the room for a bit, it was time to go back out for dinner. I heard good things about a restaurant near the hotel, so we gave it a shot. Just a couple blocks away on Thames Street was Brick Alley Pub & Restaurant.
Lunch at Brick Alley Pub & Restaurant
We gave the hostess our name and it was about a 20-25 minute wait, Not too bad. Apparently this place can get very busy. We went to the upstairs bar and had a couple of beers while waiting for our name to be called over the speaker system.
Waiting
We looked over the menu while we waited. We were getting hungry. The menu had a huge selection and offered dishes like steaks, fresh seafood, pastas, nachos, wings, pizza, and a decent wine and cocktails selection. Our names were called and we were seated at a table in the very back room.
Back Room
We decided to try some appetizers. Now I heard this place was known for their Portuguese clams dish. It sounded really good. The recipe was also featured in an issue of Bon Appetit. We had to get an order. Bon Appetit also voted their lobster roll as the best in America, but I wanted to save the lobster roll fix for the beach the next day.
The Clams
We also ordered a cup of their Creamy Newport Clam Chowder and the Fried Point Judith Calamari. We asked asked if they could fry the banana peppers too, make them “Rhode Island Style”. She said she would ask the cook and there was no problem at all.
In a fairly short time, all of our appetizers came out. The clam chowder was super rich and creamy. Heavy, but tasty. I can only imagine how much cream was put in it.
Clam Chowder
The fried calamari was good, nothing special. It was crispy and somewhat greasy. They fried the banana peppers and lemon slices as well, so that was pretty good and explained the extra grease. It was at this point that we realized we probably didn’t have to order entrees since this turned out to be more than enough food.
Fried Calamari
Then the dish we were waiting for – the Portuguese Clams.
Gary’s Portuguese Littleneck Clams
They were amazing! The broth was extremely flavorful with the olive oil, garlic, and chorizo. So simple, but done so well. We could not get enough of it. I have never seen him so excited about a dish before. We used the bread to soak up all that deliciousness. Mmmmm! I was getting pretty full at this point. I just wanted to pick up the bowl of clams and drink that broth. We still had our entrees coming so I had to stop myself.
Flavorful Broth
I ordered the Baked Lobster Mac ‘N’ Cheese. That seemed to be another well-known dish.
Lobster Mac and Cheese
It was alright. I was not too crazy about it. I was also pretty stuffed from our appetizers and really only took a few bites, so that may have affected my enjoyment of the dish.
Cheesy
We also ordered the Marinated Sirloin Steak Tips. They were a bit bland and we weren’t expecting so much sauce on them.
Steak Tips
The side of broccoli seemed a tad undercooked. The side of mashed potatoes were really good.
We didn’t do much damage to our entrees since we got a bit too involved with those appetizers.
Overall, we enjoyed our dinner at Brick Alley. We were much more impressed with the appetizers than our particular entrees. Desserts sounded good, but there was no more room. We would each just get an order of those delicious clams next time! So good!
Brick Alley Pub & Restaurant
140 Thames Street
Newport, RI 02840
(401) 849-6334
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