This is related to my Newport, RI guide. Here is a review of the coffee places in Newport.
Simple Merchant
https://www.simplemerchantcoffee.com
513 Broadway, Newport, RI
M-Sat 7am-5pm (food to 2:30)
Sun 9am-2pm
This is the best coffee shop in town. They have up to five different coffees available for order at any one time:
- House Drip
- Rotating Drip
- House Espresso
- Rotating Espresso
- Flash Brew (not cold brew, but a brewed coffee served cold)
The shop is fantastic, the owner is rad, and the food is vegetarian, with many options being served vegan. The milk is done right, and you get good Latté Art.
Milk Options:
- Whole Milk
- Nonfat
- Oat (usually Minor Figures)
Hill Market
https://www.hotelviking.com/dining/hill-market/
One Bellevue Ave, Newport, RI
Daily 7am-2pm
This coffee location is in the Newport Viking Hotel. Don’t let that fool you; it has top-of-the-line espresso machines and grinders. Service can be a little hit or miss, but it is way more often hit than miss. They have some fun drink options on the menu as well. I’ve had an espresso in a cookie cup.
Their coffee is La Colombe, which isn’t my favorite but could be better. They also have pastries and other options.
This place is often overlooked; take notice of it.
Empire Tea and Coffee
https://empireteaandcoffee.com
Locations
22 Broadway, Newport
Daily 6am-5pm
112 William Street, Newport
Daily 6am-5pm
251 Thames St, Bristol
Daily 6am-6pm
Information
Empire Tea and Coffee was one of the first higher-end coffee shops to open in town. Where they really shine is on the tea side. Other shops have a small smattering of tea, but Empire offers a far more diverse selection.
From a coffee perspective, they roast their own beans; honestly, I’m not a massive fan of their coffee. I have also seen issues with their training. Their milk never comes with latte art and is often served too hot or with too much foam.
Of note, even though they are using the same beans, different locations will have different tastes, even with things like Cold Brew which is all made at Broadway. This code be due to the quality of the ice served with it, but the Broadway cold brew tastes much worse than the William Street location.
Coffee Grinder
337 Thames Street, Newport
M-F 7:30am-6pm
Sat 7:30am-7pm
Sun 7:30am-6pm
This is the new location of The Coffee Grinder. The previous location is now Spring Line Coffee. I have yet to go to the new location, but the old location was a very traditional Italian-style espresso. It has a very dark and heavy flavor, but not for me.
Still, the location is great, and if you need a coffee downtown, this might be where I would head.
Mozz
181 Bellevue Ave, Newport
W-Sat 8am-6pm
Sun 8am-3pm
This is more of a cheese shop and a fantastic Italian-style bakery. In addition, they are pretty particular about their coffee. They use custom-made pods to produce their coffee, not ground. Still, it delivers an authentic traditional Italian-style espresso. They even have an espresso bar facing the sidewalk (in the shopping center). I have not tried their coffee, but their food is pretty great.
Nitro Bar
Locations
404 Thames Street
Newport, RI
7am-5pm Daily
2 Pond Ave
Newport, RI
7am-5pm Daily
Information
The Nitro bar gets a lot of hype. It is featured in local guides (even though, technically, they started in Providence). Their specialty is Nitro Cold Brew Coffee. As someone who thinks Nitro takes away from the flavor of the coffee, I’m not a fan of their coffee. They label their beans but don’t put roasting or origin information on their bags. Their espresso drinks are hit or miss based on the baristas. Some have decent training (Owen comes from SMC), others have very little training, and what comes out is pretty horrible. I’ve burnt my tongue on their stuff before.
They also have a kitchen and food. They talk about how good their food is, but I’ve always found it very overpriced. I’ve gotten an English muffin-sized sandwich for 12 bucks. It was good, but not worth the price.
My general feeling is that the vibe of this place is pretentious, and I don’t feel comfortable going there.
Springline Coffee
33 Banisters Wharf
Newport, RI
Sun-Wed 7am-5pm
Thurs-Sat 7am-7pm
Springline entered the old location for [[#Coffee Grinder]] past the Black Pearl. The spot is excellent, but I have roughly the same problem with the Coffee Grinder: the coffee tastes very burnt. The staff running it seems pretty young and not super well trained, but I’ve only been once. They have a single-shot espresso, so you can get half of what you usually get at other places, which is nice if you want a little less caffeine.
They roast, but I need to find out where. Their beans have the same problem of being pretty dark and classic coffee over the newer flavors I’m more interested in. I would not recommend it if you like third-wave coffee. If you like traditional dark coffee, this might be okay with you. The view is excellent.
More to Come
I’ll work on an updated list with even more coffee places locally. I’m considering the following list; please let me know if I miss yours.
- Custom House
- The Coffee Guy
- Mission Mornings
- Beaucoup