Loretta — Restaurant in Newburyport

3-star rating because I want to be fair....food was good but service was poor. Our party of 4 walked away in disbelief when the host (perhaps manager?) approached our table at the end of the meal, informed us there would be no charge, but he asked that we not "post a negative review" and then asked us to "please not return." We had planned a nice evening out with friends and had a 7pm outdoor reservation. When we arrived all outdoor tables were full. We were told we could be seated inside immediately or wait. We waited because we were not in a rush. We were seated at 7:30 and waited 20 minutes for the waitress to tell us she'd bring us water. Another 10 minutes went by and still no drink order. This was the first time we asked the host if he could send someone over to take our order. He offered to take our drink order and was pleasant and friendly at this point. He suggested his favorite menu items (seafood risotto and prime rib) which we then ordered, again after having to ask for the waitress to come back and take our order after another 15 minutes passed. By now, they had run out of prime rib other than one end cut, so we ordered something else. At this point the host assured us that though we had gotten off to a bad start we'd be very happy with the meal. By 8:30 (1.5 hours after our reservation time) we again had to ask the host to check on our meal and let him know how disappointed we were in the service. Our friend said he felt like our table was being ignored and that "he'd hate to have to give the place a bad review," and at this point the host's attitude flipped and he began yelling at our friends in front of all the diners outside. We are a group of 59-65 year old friends who dine out without issue all the time. We could not believe what we were witnessing and have never been treated so poorly or disrespectfully by any restaurant staff. His behavior was unwarranted, uncalled for, unprofessional and the antithesis of what the service industry is all about. So yes, we will be happy to accommodate his request to "please never return!" Newburyport is a beautiful place filled with so many wonderful dining options we will...

So far, Lunch, Dinner and Lunch. Thursday lunch on 11/16/23 at Loretta. My first time. Nice place, pleasing interior and use of color. Linen table coverings and napkins always rate high in my book. And I wasn’t disappointed with my Hot Pastrami on a grilled brioche roll w/ Gruyere and slaw. Another nice touch was a ramekin filled with whole grain mustard. My companion had the same, although her kettle chips were the last of the dregs along with a pretty dead sliced pickle. Nice staff. Reasonable prices. Will return again and opt for din-din. As promised, we did return for an early dinner March 21, 2024. Well-made Manhattan. The Beet and Arugula salad was generous and nicely dressed. We thought the Mandarin oranges didn’t pair well from their acidity. Steak Frites were truly enjoyed, the beef was nicely seasoned and cooked to our request. The frites were more than ample, piping hot with a coating of grated Parmesan. For dessert, an order of Flan adorned with a side of whipped cream and a cherry. The grated coconut was atypical but the flan itself was oh, so good. Our waitperson was Lyn, very nice and dedicated to us. During the meal, the owner, Ted introduced himself and inquired of our feast. Affable gentleman, who clearly appreciates his patrons (as did the maitre’d), and is very passionate about his business. It was a wonderful evening. Lunch with friends. Tuesday, June 25th. Our server, Mary was gracious and friendly. Garlic tomato soup could have had more garlic. Seafood risotto was wonderful as were the two pan-seared crab cakes. A tad small, pricey but good. Limoncello cake and flan were to die for. Once again, we shall return. Thank you Ted, staff...

Life is short , F….it up! Family, Flavor, Friends

We happen to come to this restaurant because it was open late for dinner. After spending the day in Plum Island. This just happened to be the top rated restaurant in this nice affluent area. Service was friendly and the owner walks (Loretta’s son I think) talking to their guests. To start they provided a side of sliced focaccia bread and butter., For the appetizer we got the coconut milk curry sauce for the mussels. This was a pleasant surprise as the sauce was savory and sweet at the same time. Make sure to get extra bread to soak up the sauce. Next we ordered the Burrata raviolis. You can tell was handmade raviolis because of the texture when biting simple yet delicious. Next we got the Panzanella salad this was tasty. For those of you who follow me you you know I always look for the best burger. The Loretta Burger was a surprise. They get their beef fresh from a local farm within miles from the place. Perfectly balanced layering of flavor. From the toasted brioche buttered bun smoked bacon, sweet onion jam and blue cheese, Boston lettuce w beef steak tomatoes. From the first bite, you knew that it was going to be special from tasting the butter of the bun to the Chris lettuce sweetness of the tomato Roma of the bacon. Then you get the sweet of the jam than the blue cheese. This is one of the burgers from the first bite you that woah moment. I have to say the best burger I’ve had this year. So if you’re in the area to check...