Foods from Newport Restaurant
Pizza ·
Bacon Cheeseburger ·
Bacon and Eggs Breakfast ·
Club Sandwich ·
Toasted Ravioli ·
Hummus ·
Greek Salad
Comments
2012 Oct 18
I went to the Newport earlier this week to try their world famous pizzas before it closes.
The restaurant itself is diner-style with lots of Elvis memorabilia and friendly wait staff. Unfortunately my positive experience of the resto ends there.
Shortly after being seated the waitress stopped by to take my drink order. I usually prefer a local beer (either Beau's or Kichesippi) but am willing to settle if they don't have either. Most of the beers at the Newport seem to be variations of Labatt or Budweiser but they did have Smithwicks so that's what I ordered.
When it came to order the waitress mentioned that I could combine two pizzas. I can have half of one type and half of another so this option is great for indecisive people like me! I chose half a tandoori chicken and half a Donna's creation. The crust itself was thinner than I expected but very dense and difficult to cut. I contemplated asking for a steak knife at one point since it was that hard to cut. The chicken on the chicken tandoori half was very dried out and had absolutely no flavour whatsoever. The Donna's creation had a miniscule amount of tomato sauce on it and it was topped with dried out feta, dried out artichokes, olives and peppers. It was topped with a thin slice of tomato which was also dried out. I was not impressed. There is a slim possibility I may go back to try their Lebanese offerings but I certainly won't be ordering their pizzas ever again.
The restaurant itself is diner-style with lots of Elvis memorabilia and friendly wait staff. Unfortunately my positive experience of the resto ends there.
Shortly after being seated the waitress stopped by to take my drink order. I usually prefer a local beer (either Beau's or Kichesippi) but am willing to settle if they don't have either. Most of the beers at the Newport seem to be variations of Labatt or Budweiser but they did have Smithwicks so that's what I ordered.
When it came to order the waitress mentioned that I could combine two pizzas. I can have half of one type and half of another so this option is great for indecisive people like me! I chose half a tandoori chicken and half a Donna's creation. The crust itself was thinner than I expected but very dense and difficult to cut. I contemplated asking for a steak knife at one point since it was that hard to cut. The chicken on the chicken tandoori half was very dried out and had absolutely no flavour whatsoever. The Donna's creation had a miniscule amount of tomato sauce on it and it was topped with dried out feta, dried out artichokes, olives and peppers. It was topped with a thin slice of tomato which was also dried out. I was not impressed. There is a slim possibility I may go back to try their Lebanese offerings but I certainly won't be ordering their pizzas ever again.
2012 Aug 21
Just saw in the Citizen that the Newport will close its current location in early 2013 and move up the street to the location of Donna's (owned by the same people). Moe wants to slow down apparently.
blogs.ottawacitizen.com
Will definitely have to fit in one more visit, or two, to this Ottawa institution.
blogs.ottawacitizen.com
Will definitely have to fit in one more visit, or two, to this Ottawa institution.
2012 Jun 18
Westboro beach canteen .... How Moe Atallah (Newport owner) keeps getting the contract to run the canteen at Westboro beach, from the NCC, is beyond me.
Year after year of crappy food and poor service. (I had to argue to get a glass of ice with my Smirnoff Ice once).
He is well connected in this town and does A LOT of good charity work. Maybe that's why.
If you do go ... stick with the ice-cream and drinks ... like my friends in the picture.
(Note: No food insight in the picture)
Year after year of crappy food and poor service. (I had to argue to get a glass of ice with my Smirnoff Ice once).
He is well connected in this town and does A LOT of good charity work. Maybe that's why.
If you do go ... stick with the ice-cream and drinks ... like my friends in the picture.
(Note: No food insight in the picture)
2012 Jun 18
Last night we ate at the Westboro beach canteen which is run by the Newport restaurant. The food was awful. We had the veggie burger combo, which included a barely cooked veggie burger, a tiny, anemic looking pile of frozen french fries and a side salad covered in a bizarre bottled orange-red salad dressing. Also had were pizza slice that was cooked to cardboard and a pork souvlaki sandwich. It was terrible food. We didn't except greatness at a beach cafe, but did expect something slightly more edible.
The food takes a very (very) long time to come. It was not busy and still the food took easily 30 minutes or more (the sandwich was the last to arrive a full 40 mins after ordering). Considering how undercooked the platter was, it made me wonder what could be going on in the kitchen.
I watched another customer get a slice of cake. It took 10 minutes to get the slice of cake, they wandered off to the chair, only to have the cashier start yelling at them to bring the cake back. The cashier hung out the window bellowing to the customer that they had to bring the cake back 'right now!'. It turns out the cashier had forgotten to add ice cream. The customer looked mortified and simply said no thank you. There were numerous people working, so I would think they could put the ice cream in a cup and send it over to the table.
The food takes a very (very) long time to come. It was not busy and still the food took easily 30 minutes or more (the sandwich was the last to arrive a full 40 mins after ordering). Considering how undercooked the platter was, it made me wonder what could be going on in the kitchen.
I watched another customer get a slice of cake. It took 10 minutes to get the slice of cake, they wandered off to the chair, only to have the cashier start yelling at them to bring the cake back. The cashier hung out the window bellowing to the customer that they had to bring the cake back 'right now!'. It turns out the cashier had forgotten to add ice cream. The customer looked mortified and simply said no thank you. There were numerous people working, so I would think they could put the ice cream in a cup and send it over to the table.
2012 Mar 14
Went here last week out of desperation cause the free burger event at the Works was bursting at the seams.
I've been here about 3 times. The kind of place where your memory of it is always better than reality.
Ordered a draft beer. The flat beer the owner/waiter got me brought back bad experience #1 of this place. Flat beer every time. Swapped it for a bottle.
Then the menu. $25 for a pizza. Strike 2.
Then the pizza comes. Sauceless, doughy blandness. Strike 3.
With one additional note: pretty sure they changed meat suppliers since the various meat items on the pizza tasted like cheap chain fare. Not a pleasant savaoury, fatty, salty sausage or bacon flavour on anything. Tasted fake.
That was the one decent thing of my previous visits, and they killed that, too.
Oh yeah, one more thing: paying at the adjacent variety store cash. Chintzy touch.
I've been here about 3 times. The kind of place where your memory of it is always better than reality.
Ordered a draft beer. The flat beer the owner/waiter got me brought back bad experience #1 of this place. Flat beer every time. Swapped it for a bottle.
Then the menu. $25 for a pizza. Strike 2.
Then the pizza comes. Sauceless, doughy blandness. Strike 3.
With one additional note: pretty sure they changed meat suppliers since the various meat items on the pizza tasted like cheap chain fare. Not a pleasant savaoury, fatty, salty sausage or bacon flavour on anything. Tasted fake.
That was the one decent thing of my previous visits, and they killed that, too.
Oh yeah, one more thing: paying at the adjacent variety store cash. Chintzy touch.
2011 Sep 8
The Newport is a wonderful, kitschy Westboro instituion.
I love going here for a leisurely breakfast. There's just something about those waffles with berries, genuinely friendly older waitresses, and that ridiculous Elvis clock that wiggles its hips.
And the tandoori chicken pizza! I know, it sounded a bit weird at first, but then I tried it. Oh, how I love it.
I love going here for a leisurely breakfast. There's just something about those waffles with berries, genuinely friendly older waitresses, and that ridiculous Elvis clock that wiggles its hips.
And the tandoori chicken pizza! I know, it sounded a bit weird at first, but then I tried it. Oh, how I love it.
Older
2008 Mar 3
Gina and I went to the Newport for the first bacon cheese burger in the "Best Bacon Cheese Burger" quest. As we eat them we will rate them on 5 criterion, Bun, burger, toppings, bacon, and cheese.
What follows is the Newport’s offering.
Burger: 3/5
Fresh, homemade patty, cooked to medium. ¼ lb before cooking so it came in a little thin after cooking and left a little less juice than I would like. For the thickness of this burger a little less bun would be nice. Or a softer bun, but we’ll get to that. It was free of any sort of seasoning or fillings in the burger, 100% beef.
Bun 3/5
Cornmeal topped Kaiser-bun, big and thick and not that fresh. With the thin patty there was about 2 inches of bun for the ¼ inch of patty, a little too much, especially since it was a bit dry.
Toppings 4/5
Fresh Romaine Lettuce (the top part not the bottom stalk part), very fresh
One slice white onion (Gina thought it was too much, but I think on an open face burger you can take a few rings off)
One slice fresh plum tomato, good tomato
Mustard, decent amount.
Relish, LOTS.
Ketchup on the side.
IMHO if you are going to put one condiment on the side, put it all on the side. There was a little too much relish and I had to ask for ketchup, big no-no in my book. As I was waiting for ketchup burger was cooling and my Poutine was getting soggy.
Bacon 3/5
3 strips, cooked a long time before I got the burger, a little over cooked and a bit too crispy, not chewy at all.
Cheese 3/5
One slice of real American Cheddar, so pretty mild, non-descript cheese, under the over-crisp bacon.
Overall 16/25
Not a great score. Most of the problems were the 3 B’s, bun, bacon, and burger. If they thicken up the patty, fresh soft buns daily and get the bacon a bit chewier we would have a destination burger. Otherwise, Gina says “Stick to the pizza, it is unreal”.
Friendly but not too speedy service, waiting for ketchup… good prices,
2 Bacon Cheese burgers
1 soup
1 poutine
1 coke
I pack grape bubble gum
Tip
$25
I will try and get a picture for the next burger.
What follows is the Newport’s offering.
Burger: 3/5
Fresh, homemade patty, cooked to medium. ¼ lb before cooking so it came in a little thin after cooking and left a little less juice than I would like. For the thickness of this burger a little less bun would be nice. Or a softer bun, but we’ll get to that. It was free of any sort of seasoning or fillings in the burger, 100% beef.
Bun 3/5
Cornmeal topped Kaiser-bun, big and thick and not that fresh. With the thin patty there was about 2 inches of bun for the ¼ inch of patty, a little too much, especially since it was a bit dry.
Toppings 4/5
Fresh Romaine Lettuce (the top part not the bottom stalk part), very fresh
One slice white onion (Gina thought it was too much, but I think on an open face burger you can take a few rings off)
One slice fresh plum tomato, good tomato
Mustard, decent amount.
Relish, LOTS.
Ketchup on the side.
IMHO if you are going to put one condiment on the side, put it all on the side. There was a little too much relish and I had to ask for ketchup, big no-no in my book. As I was waiting for ketchup burger was cooling and my Poutine was getting soggy.
Bacon 3/5
3 strips, cooked a long time before I got the burger, a little over cooked and a bit too crispy, not chewy at all.
Cheese 3/5
One slice of real American Cheddar, so pretty mild, non-descript cheese, under the over-crisp bacon.
Overall 16/25
Not a great score. Most of the problems were the 3 B’s, bun, bacon, and burger. If they thicken up the patty, fresh soft buns daily and get the bacon a bit chewier we would have a destination burger. Otherwise, Gina says “Stick to the pizza, it is unreal”.
Friendly but not too speedy service, waiting for ketchup… good prices,
2 Bacon Cheese burgers
1 soup
1 poutine
1 coke
I pack grape bubble gum
Tip
$25
I will try and get a picture for the next burger.
2011 Nov 27
We visited for the first time ever on a Saturday for late breakfast. This is a pretty good breakfast and the price is reasonable for what you get. The feel of the place is that of an old diner (this is both good and bad of course).
The bacon (I asked for crispy) is really quite wonderful. The eggs were properly done. Toast was good. The fruit salad was quite nice -- fresh, not canned, but it had been sitting for a while. The pancakes, homefries, and coffee were the low points. Beans were great!
So with some judicious selection, you can have a great breakfast here at a reasonable price point.
The bacon (I asked for crispy) is really quite wonderful. The eggs were properly done. Toast was good. The fruit salad was quite nice -- fresh, not canned, but it had been sitting for a while. The pancakes, homefries, and coffee were the low points. Beans were great!
So with some judicious selection, you can have a great breakfast here at a reasonable price point.
2009 Jul 26
My friend seems to really like this place, and for a greasy spoon it's not bad.
2 eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, beans, homefries, toast, and coffee for $13 including tip.
Eggs were supposed to be over medium, and I will give them that I ordered them over medium because I know that over easy is hardly cooked. That said, these were way-too-runny in my opinion.
All three meats were pretty good, and I was very impressed with their ham.
Beans were excellent, as always. As was the rye toast.
Homefries had no seasoning to them, and were just kind of boiled and then fried potatoes. No coating, no seasoning, no flavour really.
The coffee was rather ho-hum, but then again, what do you expect.
Service was okay--they were fairly busy, so our coffee was rarely refilled. I also asked our waitress to bring me a spoon for the coffee, and she misheard and brought me Sweet and Low. There was, however and extra spoon at our table, so I didn't make much of it.
I don't mind this place, but I find that there are other places that I choose to go to first.
2 eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, beans, homefries, toast, and coffee for $13 including tip.
Eggs were supposed to be over medium, and I will give them that I ordered them over medium because I know that over easy is hardly cooked. That said, these were way-too-runny in my opinion.
All three meats were pretty good, and I was very impressed with their ham.
Beans were excellent, as always. As was the rye toast.
Homefries had no seasoning to them, and were just kind of boiled and then fried potatoes. No coating, no seasoning, no flavour really.
The coffee was rather ho-hum, but then again, what do you expect.
Service was okay--they were fairly busy, so our coffee was rarely refilled. I also asked our waitress to bring me a spoon for the coffee, and she misheard and brought me Sweet and Low. There was, however and extra spoon at our table, so I didn't make much of it.
I don't mind this place, but I find that there are other places that I choose to go to first.
2010 Feb 6
I honestly didn't know what to expect! I imagined something dried out and kind of burnt tasting and just not very good! But my companion was determined to try it and I'm glad I did.
An appetizer item but could also be a small meal. The ravioli is coated in dry cheese and herbs and baked, but not dry at all. Comes with some red tomato sauce for dipping but it is almost not even needed.
A great snack for when you want to try something a bit different!
An appetizer item but could also be a small meal. The ravioli is coated in dry cheese and herbs and baked, but not dry at all. Comes with some red tomato sauce for dipping but it is almost not even needed.
A great snack for when you want to try something a bit different!
RiceLover