Marina View Cafe — Restaurant in Newport

It was a long time since I’d smelled the bay at low tide, and it was a rare hot one in Newport. I was walking the boardwalk on my way to the boat I’d be working on the rest of the summer, when I stumble across this quaint coffee parlor. It was a long ways off from what I was used to. Running tramp steamers in East Africa amongst other Somali pirates. A team culture reminiscent of the sports teams of my youth, and believe me we established quite a name for ourselves in the Arabian peninsula. Days on days, soaking in the sun, chewing khat and improvising Afaarian raps to the beat of a machete tapping against a commandeered skiff, about to be deployed. I walk to the front counter and am greeted by a dusky haired barista. She didn’t seem to know much about coffee, but her enthusiasm made up for that in spades, and she proceeded to make me a great latte! I parted, and walked across the street to where I saw a shirtless drifter sitting on a bench playing a guitar. I sat next to him and listened, still waiting for the deck boss to get there. It wasn’t but a few phrases that came out of him, a voice weathered, filled with pain. Unmistakable, I knew this drifter! I waited for him to finish his song when I asked ”what’s your name son?” I won’t mention it, but it was the name I expected him to say. He’d thumbed his way quite a long distance to get here. Far from the downtrodden streets of Bend Oregon. A ramshackle of city. The one in which we’d originally met. We chatted and sang songs for a while, reminiscing the good times. I took his guitar and played him one of my originals: September Calls. The first song I ever wrote. Check it out on Apple and Spotify. Anyways, sounds like he beat the charges he was facing in Bend, and is heading north. I gave him my coffee, and pointed him in the right direction. I know how the first sip of that coffee tasted, but if you want to know about the last one, you’ll have to find that drifter. If you do, tell him Dalen says hey. Try Marina today so you don’t regret it. Definitely a top 5 coffee in this town. That’s...

I visited Marina Bay Café and had a great experience on my first day. I worked from the location all day, and Ali was especially kind and welcoming.

Unfortunately, my experience the following day was the complete opposite. I was working again, this time seated on the patio with my dogs. I had noise-canceling headphones on and was unaware of any concerns being raised. Rather than tapping me on the shoulder or ensuring communication, the staff called the owner—who arrived and immediately escalated the situation. He got physical, grabbed my personal belongings, and threw them outside, including my expensive Onewheel.

At no point was I aggressive or uncooperative, and I had no idea that my dogs were a concern. They were leashed and calmly sitting out of everyone’s way. I am deeply disappointed by the way I was treated. There was absolutely no justification for the owner’s behavior—it was confrontational, physical, and completely unnecessary.

I cannot recommend this place to anyone looking for a peaceful or respectful environment, especially for those who might be working remotely or have service or emotional support animals. What could’ve been solved with a simple conversation turned into a disturbing...

Food was excellent despite the fact that they gave me a breakfast burrito when I ordered a breakfast sandwich. The problem here was that the manager (?) was so pissed off and causing a scene about an off the clock employee being behind the counter that it distracted the lady taking our order and caused her to mess up my order. I myself was so distracted by the level of unprofessionalism with which the manager was handling the situation that I didn’t bother to correct the mistake. The two employees on the clock then proceeded to gossip about the situation long after the off the clock employee left. That being said, the burrito was very good but the overall experience left a sour taste in my mouth. As someone that has worked in the service and hospitality industry in this town for almost 30 years, I was very excited to give this place a try but it was very sad to see this incident between employees because if it continues this potentially great place will not last long. We will return with the hopes that they can work out the kinks and train their employees better as they are open longer. Visited on 12/11/24...