Dining At The White Horse Tavern in Newport, Rhode Island
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This year for my birthday, we spent the day in Newport, Rhode Island. We had gotten back from St. Augustine, Florida two days before, so we didn’t want to go far. I almost never sit down and dine in Newport, so I thought it would be nice to have dinner in town. Since I’m super interested in anything historic, we decided to go to the White Horse Tavern.
Significance of the White Horse Tavern
The White Horse Tavern is the oldest operating restaurant in the United States and the 10th oldest in the world. It has been a tavern since 1673, and it served as the meeting place of the Colony’s General Assembly, Criminal Court, and City Council for over 100 years. While it has been a tavern since 1673, it was originally a two-story, two-room residence that was built for Francis Brinley in 1652.
You can read a more detailed history on the White Horse Tavern’s website.
What To Know Before Going
The parking area is fairly small and located off of Farewell St. We were able to find a parking spot in the lot with no issues. If you can’t find a spot, you can always park on the street! If you parked in the parking lot, you’ll go to the right side of the building to get to the entrance (there will be signs pointing you in the right direction).
Before entering, there was a sign in the small entryway that said business casual attire is required. We didn’t know this beforehand, and I wouldn’t say that we were dressed business casual. I don’t typically think of taverns having a dress code. I have always thought of taverns as more casual. So, I didn’t think to check the dress code beforehand.
When I saw the sign, I was very anxious that we wouldn’t be able to go in. Since it was my birthday, I wasn’t sporting my regular leggings, hoodie, and a beanie. But, I definitely wasn’t dressed business casual. I was wearing leggings and a fairly nice top. I went back out to my car to grab a jacket, just in case my shirt didn’t pass the vibes.
It turned out my stress wasn’t necessary. We weren’t denied a table or anything. We were seated in the bar area to the left, and when we got in there, I could see that a lot of people were dressed pretty casually, especially those sitting at the actual bar. Maybe it’s just where they put the non-business casual people?
Our Dining Experience
As I mentioned above, we sat in the bar area. The historic charm was evident in the entire room. The area wasn’t large, but it was cozy. We sat right next to a fireplace, and it smelled exactly as you’d expect a well-used fireplace to smell (not a bad thing). The floorboards were gorgeous, and they looked like they might have been from a ship, which is very common in historic structures. I absolutely loved it.
We wanted the full experience, so we got a three-course meal. After looking over the menu, my boyfriend and I decided to get the same thing for every course, except for dessert.
We both started with the French Onion Soup. I thought it was the perfect size for a starter. You definitely wouldn’t be able to just get the soup as your meal because it is small. But, I loved that it was small, so I’d have room for my actual meal.
For our entrées, we got the Ragout Bolognese, which had rigatoni, tomatoes, house ground prosciutto and sirloin, and parmesan. When I’m out, pasta is usually my go-to. I thought the dish was delicious, and so did my boyfriend. I thought the portion was large, but I had no issue bringing some home for leftovers.
For dessert, I got their triple chocolate brownie with vanilla gelato on top. This wasn’t technically on the menu, but I saw one of their other desserts featured the brownie. When I asked for just the brownie and gelato, our waitress said it wasn’t a problem.
I considered just getting gelato, but I wanted something a bit more special since it was my birthday. I’m not usually a brownie gal, but the vanilla gelato really helped to make the brownie less intense. I really enjoyed my dessert.
My boyfriend got the seasonal bread pudding, which had toasted pecans, molasses caramel, and vanilla gelato. He likes to try new things when we go out, and this was completely new for him. The bread pudding was a winner for my boyfriend.
Is The White Horse Tavern Worth A Visit?
If you love history, and good food, I’d say it’s definitely worth dining at the White Horse Tavern in Newport. We were so impressed with the food, and we loved dining in such a historic spot. I loved that they retained the historic charm instead of making it modern inside. It felt more like an experience than simply grabbing dinner.
I’d like to go back again in the future and hopefully sit in a different part of the restaurant. I felt weird wandering around the building, even though I desperately wanted to. My boyfriend had to go upstairs to go to the bathroom, so he was able to see more of the restaurant than I did. The men’s bathroom was on the second floor and he got to walk through the other dining area on the first floor on the way upstairs. He said there was also more dining space on the second floor.
If you love historic stuff like I do, discover more historic spots in Rhode Island: Historic Sites To Check Out In Rhode Island
