Clearwater Restaurant — Restaurant in Newport

We came in for a birthday lunch on our way to do some whale watching, and wanted a little treat before the weekend. Saw this place, and got real excited real fast.

Mary, our server, was lovely and courteous. She was real patient with us as we were both hungry and couldn't decide on anything yet. We ordered a quick round of beers and I got a half dozen oysters. Mary was real quick with both! The beers were prompt and refreshing, and the oysters were the biggest I've seen in a minute! Each one tastier than before! Could've gone for another six, but we had our sights on more to come.

We settled on the Ceasar salad, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potato fries (she's vegetarian) and I couldn't pass up the Miso chicken wings, because why not?

Everything arrived all at once and it was a feast for the eyes! The Ceasar looked a little basic, but looks could be deceiving. I was totally right, and then some. The Ceasar was nothing more than some bitter Romaine (they couldn't even spare a bit of green bits on this, all hearts no leaf) and the dressing was meh. We both looked at each other like, what's the point? Where's the lemon? Where's the Parm? The bread accompaniment was just an over sized crouton. All crunch, not much on taste. And very hard to eat without a visit to the dentist. We both agreed the Ceasar was a waste of menu space. The table next to us ordered the same Ceasar, and we wanted to warn them not to waste their time. But we didn't get that chance.

The wings were delectable and tender, the best I've had in a minute. She liked the sweet potato fries, no notes. The Brussels sprouts were a little overcooked, but no complaints. Tasty and would order again.

As we were enjoying the sea lion show outside, it's quite the treat that can't be avoided, the lovely evening took a turn.

While getting all giddy talking about the whales we might see tomorrow, one of the servers seemed to shove something under my arm. I was a bit surprised by this, not knowing what it might be. A check maybe? We haven't had dessert yet! But nope, it wasn't. It was a sign saying that the table was reserved. For who you ask? Not us because we were already there. The place was almost empty, maybe two to three other parties on our floor. We thought we had plenty of time for another round!

Nope, the sign wasn't for us. We overheard the staff at the bar say they had a 5p coming in (it was only 4:35p) and that party made a reservation. And that "the table" was told there was a reservation before being seated. We looked at each other in shock because we were not warned. In fact, we felt we were a bother to the staff and no longer welcomed.

I didn't realize who the person who shoved the reservation sign under my arm was, he was a specter of a ghost after that slight unconsensual assault on my arm. Not even a "pardon me", or even an explanation of what was going on. But it became obvious that the obvious bro behind the bar who wouldn't shut up with his directed announcements of the pending reservation, clearly meant for us, was the guilty party.

Everyone else seemed friendly, but this character needed a mother to teach him a few manners.

We typically would enjoy a few fine desserts and maybe an evening cocktail, but decided to show the staff the courtesy we were not afforded. We paid the check in haste, and left feeling pushed out and unwelcomed, with our spirits dampened.

This is all sad as we would have loved to make this place our new coast spot. But alas, we shall never return. Only those with reservations can dine in peace, in an almost...

-Overview-

Clearwater is a waterfront restaurant in Newport that boasts a great atmosphere, a view of Yaquina Bay, and excellent food. While it may be a bit pricey, you are paying for top- notch service and a stunning view. It's a great spot to host a birthday dinner, have drinks with colleagues at the bar, or enjoy a romantic date night with a view of the water.

-Ambience-

After sunset, I went to the restaurant and enjoyed the warm lighting that filled the walls. It provided just enough light to feel cozy. Each table had a candle and salt and pepper shaker that added just the right amount of glow. I was seated upstairs towards the right of the bar near a window, which gave me a clear view of sea lions swimming in the bay.

-Service-

The waiter was eager and genuinely excited for me to try the food. I had no complaints about the service as my water was filled, my questions were answered, and my food arrived in a reasonable amount of time.

-Food-

The food was excellent. For my appetizer, I got crispy rice with spicy tuna. The contrast and textures from the tuna and crispy rice along with the umami from the tuna ensured the appetizer didn't live long.

For the main course, I opted for the catch of the day. Pan fried rockfish on top of gnocchi with sauted spinach, sundried tomatoes, and a lemon garlic cream sauce. The taste was excellent. The fish was cooked perfectly. This was my second time having gnocchi and it's my favorite. I think the sundried tomatoes with the sauce took the dish to the next level. It's just the right amount of sweetness added to the savory garlic cream.

Dessert was a Chai Poached Pear with homemade chai and caramel sauce, candied pecans, and vanilla bean ice cream. I had no idea what to expect when I saw this on the menu, I just knew it sounded different. I'm glad I picked it though, because it was delicious. I forgot how much I love pears. I could easily scoop chunks of the pear with my spoon. The vanilla ice cream was supreme. I am extremely picky about ice cream quality, so this is the best compliment to the dessert I can give. Hats off to Umpqua Creamery for a quality dairy product. I wish I could bottle up the sauces they used. They weren't overly sweet like caramel from the store. It was very balanced yet complex. Something like a rich milky chai caramel flavor. There wasn't anything special about the pecans, but that's ok since they were mainly there to add sweetness and contrast texture. Combine everything together and you get a bomb dessert. I only wish the pear was warm kind of like a cobbler.

-Price-

Appetizer: Don't expect it to fill you up. You only get four pieces for $13. However, each bite is an experience of flavor.

Entree: I think the serving size is reasonable. It's not quite enough to fill me up on my own without an appetizer, but I do tend to eat a lot. The portion size was appropriate, and I felt satiated and satisfied with the flavor after eating it. However, some people may feel that it's too small of a portion for the price ($32).

Dessert: This was the best value in my opinion. I would gladly pay for the ice cream alone.

-Overall Impression-

I would definitely come here again. This is my first food review ever since I decided to only eat out once a week. If you found this helpful at all, feel free to follow me on IG @just_jamon. I'm going to continue to make these reviews and include highlights...

Update May 2025!

We're back! We love Clearwater so much that we just celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary here!

That's three wedding anniversaries in a row dining here.

Words cannot express how happy we are with Clearwater. The food and staff are AMAZING! Just next level service.

I secretly bought my wife a ring for our Ruby Anniversary and I asked the staff at Clearwater for help. About an hour before our reservation we were shopping around the waterfront. I was able to get away for a few minutes and I went to the front lobby staff and told them what I wanted to do. The staff were VERY excited to help me. I asked them if they would place the ring on the table in front of my wife right before dessert. They agreed and I gave them the ring.

We had our dinner, which was excellent as always. I had the Filet Mignon (as always) and my wife had the Salmon special of the day. Again, excellent. Just excellent.

Our waitress Katelyn helped me with my plan when my wife was away from the table. Katelyn was SO helpful and was excited too!

Right before dessert Katelyn brought the boxed ring on a plate with flowers on it. She set it down in front of my wife. I went around the table and got on one knee. My wife started crying. I started crying. I spent weeks rehearsing what I was going to say. Basically I was asking her was for another 40 years. I didn't get to say what I wanted to say, how I wanted to say it, but she did say yes! Whew!

I don't know what else to say. Katelyn and the super nice front lobby staff made our 40th SO SPECIAL! Some of the staff took photos and sent them to us!

Katelyn and the rest of the Clearwater staff, THANK YOU SO MUCH! You are so good at what you do! You have no idea how much your help meant to us. We will always fondly remember this anniversary, and you are permanently part of those memories.

We will be back next year. We're hoping to come back every year and ultimately celebrate another 40 years in 2065! I will be 100 years old, but you never know... ;)

Highlights of previous wedding anniversaries here:

May 2023: Our 38th Wedding Anniversary.

My wife was (and still is) on chemotherapy. She was very immunocompromised. This was our first visit to a restaurant in over two years. We had a 4PM reservation. I explained my wife's medical condition to the staff and they gave us an entire floor to ourselves! I didn't ask for that. I did ask them to seat us as far away from other people as possible to keep her safe. We still cannot believe we had an entire floor to ourselves!

May 2024: Our 39th Wedding Anniversary.

We celebrated our 39th Wedding Anniversary outside on the patio. My wife was (and still is) on chemotherapy, so eating outside is safer for her. It was nice. Be prepared. The sea lions are VERY LOUD and they are quite comical. It was a fun experience. My wife loves these sea lions. As always the Filet Mignon was excellent as was my wife's meal. Just amazing...