Adult Dinner Tour #5 – Waterfront Newport, VT
| 08.05.21
Updated June, 2022
If you take a short stroll down Newport’s boardwalk you’ll leave the Main Street Downtown area and soon find a host of other dining options. From hearty tavern dining, to classic pizzeria fare, to lakeside dining on a beautiful deck – there are so many restaurants in Newport, VT and in a very short distance from one another.
Remember, if you are taking an adult dinner tour eat light and sample small plates or apps to leave room for options from each restaurant.
The Waterfront Plaza Adult Dinner Tour in Newport, VT
If you’re coming from downtown, the boardwalk will transition to the bike path and you’ll cross right in front of the Waterfront Plaza.
Within this plaza you’ll find 2 wonderful dining options that are great for adults but are also family friendly.
Another option for this dinner tour is to simply park within the plaza’s parking lot and pick up the walking trail from here.
Hoagie’s restaurant in Newport, Vt. has been a staple for over 20 years. Serving more of a Greek Pizza, these pies offer a fluffier crust and their signature house marinara is strongly seasoned for fantastic flavor.
On Adult Dinner nights we like to start will their hand twisted breadsticks served with a side of meat sauce. This is enough to take away any hunger pains without being too filling to try other items. Sometimes we opt for a poutine or wings to hold us over.
If you decide to have entrees here, we recommend their chicken broccoli Alfredo. Breaded chicken if fried before being added to the pasta. Bother are tossed in the house Alfredo sauce and the dish is baked. This entrée offers creaminess, great flavor, and a portion size that could easily be split between two people. Other pastas, calzones, stromboli, sandwiches, and a list of appetizers are also available to choose from.
Hoagie’s serves beer and wine, but if you’re looking for something a little stronger then checkout their neighbor, The T-Bar.
A partner of Hoagie’s (and sharing a wall and doorway with one another), the T-Bar restaurant in Newport, VT is more of a pub serving American cuisine with a bit of southwestern flare. Hearty food combined with inventive flavor pairings has quickly made this location a local destination.
Beautifully designed, the space is comfortable but more adult than the dining room of Hoagie’s. The bar dominates the space, and the drinks served are where it’s at. Fun cocktails, weekly drink specials, and all of your classic favorites are ready within a few shakes, so place your order before browsing the menu.
Warning – this place is normally packed so plan accordingly.
From the menu, we love the smothered tater tots. This is a dish best ordered for the table – especially is you are doing a diner tour as it is filling. Consisting of tater tots covered in a homemade cheese sauce topped with bacon and scallions, then drizzled with their signature smokehouse sauce, this dish is seriously going to blow you away.
For something lighter, we are fans of the bruschetta – a toasted Italian bread covered in garlic herb spread, chopped tomatoes, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese – all drizzled with balsamic vinegar. While light, these are not dainty bruschettas like you might see at a fancier location. At this stick to your ribs dining establishment, you’ll get a portion that will still satisfy a table of 4.
If this location ends your night, entrees such as the chicken pot pie, or the comfort bowl will fill you beyond stuffed. The traditional pot pie is served in a buttery puff pastry with a side of slaw. But the comfort bowl offers a blend of a pot pie and a Shepherd’s pie. Fried chicken chunks are mixed with mashed potatoes, corn, and cheese all topped with chicken gravy and topped with fried onion straws.
Another favorite from this menu is the crispy chicken sandwich. Marinated chicken breads is breaded and fried to a crispy perfection before being topped with ham, and cheddar on a bun. The sandwich is dressed with their signature smokehouse sauce and served with house made potato chips. This may be the best version of a chicken sandwich you ever try!
Everything at the T-bar is filling, so if your enjoying an adult dinner, remember that sharing from this menu is the way to go.
Upon leaving the T-bar or Hoagies, you have a few options. The movie theater is in the plaza, the perfect opportunity to plan a full date night (in fact, Wednesday nights at the theater are date night with a great ticket price).
Or, head to another restaurant nearby.
On colder days a short drive will put you at The Eastside Restaurant. But on sunny winter days, take a stroll down the bike path along the railroad tracks, then follow the sidewalk till you reach the tressle bridge and cross underneath it. You’ll see the sign for the Eastside Restaurant (there are shortcuts over the grass from the Waterfront Plaza but you’ll be ready to work off a bit of the food you’ve already tried). A walk down their long driveway puts you on the water.
(Read our review of the Eastside)
Here you’ll find a comfortable pub and a beautiful dining room overlooking the glistening, frozen lake. Live music, special dining events, brunch and more fill the winter months.
This menu does change with the seasons – but for the 2021-2022 winter season the seafood dip is a must try. Warm seafood dip, with perfectly sized pieces of seafood mixed in. Served with a side of pita chips dusted in a smoky paprika. This app pairs well with a cold beer or cocktail.
The lighter Poke Nachos are a great meal starter. More like a salad than a poke bowl, a mix of mango, edamame beans, small pieces of jalapeño, and small pieces of ahi tuna served with a house made dressing over nacho chips are a fun app for sharing and will leave room for other treats.
Entrees that will fill you up and delight your taste buds include The Landing Dip. This sandwich remains on most of their menus regardless of season as the shaved prime rib, caramelized onions, and melted cheddar on a crescent roll are just the thing for dipping into the traditional side of au jus!
Crispy fish and chips or one of the fried seafood baskets are customer favorites. But the steak, maple baked scallops and their ravioli are winter meals that The Eastside Restaurant in Newport, VT are known for.
No matter how you structure this dinner tour, there are so many delicious things to try and all within walking distance of one another. This dinner tour is also much more family friendly and lighter on the wallet – with options for children of all ages.
If you try one of our Newport Dinner Tours, we’d love to hear about it. Post photos to our Facebook page, or message us about it.
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