Thames Street Kitchen — Restaurant in Newport

A Mostly Stellar Meal at Thames Street Kitchen

My partner and I visited Newport for our anniversary and wanted to celebrate with a great meal and drinks. Having lived in London for years, just a five-minute walk from the River Thames, Thames Street Kitchen (TSK) immediately caught our attention. After perusing the menu and reading reviews, we made a reservation.

It was easy to find as we strolled through the streets of Newport, stopping into a few shops along the way to pick up souvenirs from our weekend.

We were seated quickly at the bar, and one of the staff members promptly took our drink orders. She was engaging, asked about our preferences, and offered thoughtful recommendations. My partner ordered a Manhattan, and I opted for the Spicy Tequila Drink. I wasn’t familiar with the ingredient mûre, and the fruity flavor didn’t quite complement the tequila or the spice, so my partner graciously swapped with me—and I ended up loving her Manhattan.

Sadly, we were then passed off to another server who was less engaging and noticeably inattentive.

As others have mentioned, the kitchen is open, and the performative nature of the food preparation is a defining feature. I found myself doing a bit of self-talk not to scrutinize the staff including noticing their choice to wear or not wear gloves, and even the occasional cell phone use. The “performance” didn’t enhance my dining experience. Instead, it felt a bit awkward being front row all evening.

We started with the warm bread. It was a bit dense and, although reheated, wasn’t warm enough to melt the butter. It needed more moisture and a touch more heat.

For our mains, I ordered the Boneless NY Strip cooked medium rare with Béarnaise butter, while my partner chose the Halibut Porterhouse. We decided to share the Shishito peppers and the potato latkes as sides.

The sides arrived first. The latkes were excellent and crisp on the outside, soft and warm inside. The crème fraîche added just the right tang and creaminess to complement the potatoes. The peppers, however, needed salt. They were too bland without it, and the cheese topping didn’t adhere well or add the saltiness the dish needed. Thankfully, when we asked for salt, they brought out a ramekin of crystalized sea salt, exactly what was missing.

Our mains followed shortly after, and they were spectacular. The NY Strip was a perfectly cooked medium rare in the center with a crispy, flavorful crust. Each bite was better than the last. My partner’s halibut was equally impressive: a generous cut of fish cooked to perfection with a crunchy topping, lemon, and cilantro. It was too large to finish, so we boxed it up for later.

For dessert, we shared the tiramisu, which struck the perfect balance with just the right ratio of ladyfinger-like layer, coffee, mascarpone cream, and cocoa topping. It was not overly sweet and ended the meal beautifully.

Beyond the open kitchen and the uneven service, my other critiques center on the surprise “Kitchen Appreciation Charge,” the lack of acknowledgment for our anniversary, and the takeout packaging.

When our bill arrived, there was a required Kitchen Appreciation Charge. We discussed it at length afterward and even researched it. A brief explanation on the bill would have gone a long way toward easing the confusion and frustration. Given TSK’s tourist-heavy clientele, transparency here would help avoid misunderstandings with guests unfamiliar with this type of charge.

We had noted our anniversary on the reservation, but there was no acknowledgment of it all evening. Even a simple “Congratulations” or a candle in our tiramisu would have been a thoughtful touch.

Lastly, the takeout boxes, which were standard cardboard containers like those from the Whole Foods entrée bar, didn’t hold up. The halibut leaked slightly, leaving a lingering fishy smell on everything it touched. For food of this quality, sturdier packaging would be a worthwhile upgrade.

All in all, we had a lovely evening, and if you’re in the area, Thames Street Kitchen is well...

We have been coming to Newport for quite some time and stumbled across this place. YOU MUST HAVE RESERVATIONS…it’s rare they have an opening so don’t take it personal when they say NO and offer you a time much later in the day.

We tried a few times 🤣

We were finally able to book a table a few months outs as we are from Long Island. The ambience is awesome with the kitchen in full site. They remind of us a local restaurant they we use to love that was farm to table but unfortunately they closed down due to lease issues.

What they have on their menu is what they have…can’t deviate from it.

We got their Hanger Steak, lobster, potatoes, Brussels sprouts and some chocolate dessert. We also ran up our bill with their delicious $15 cocktails 🤣

Hanger steak was cooked to perfection and presentation was amazing. They had shallot hidden the dish that amazing! I got their BBQ Black Pepper dip for the steak and it was great.

THEY DO NOT HAVE FREE BREAD at the table you have to pay for it. We opted not to do so but another table ordered it and I understand why 🤣

We left behind full and glad we didn’t get an app. We barely had room and didn’t even finish our dessert.

Our bill was high bc we drank a few cocktails that were $15 each. If you didn’t drink the price to eat here is very reasonable around $50 PP

UPDATE 8/17/25

WE ARE BACK 🤣

YOU NEED RESERVATIONS TO COME HERE! Do NOT GET UPSET AND LEAVE BAD REVIEWS BC THEY TURN YOU AWAY OR OFFER YOU UNFAVORABLE SEATING/TIMES.

We booked weeks out as we are coming from Long Island AND NEVER DISAPPOINTED!

Please use common sense and NOT complain noise as well since it’s an OPEN KITCHEN AND VERY BUSY RESTAURANT. People are going to talk and have a good time…deal with it!

Last time we got the hanger steak this time we got the strip! My wife couldn’t finish her meal and I struggled to finish it for her 🤣

As usual we padded our bill with $15 plus delish cock tails!

Our server was amazing!

When you order steak you get one choice of dip for the steak! It is actually enough for two people so each person should pick a different one bc sharing is caring!

We got the Bearnice Butter and black garlic BBQ. We did the black garlic BBQ in the past so we knew it was good. Bearnice sauce was amazing and we both dipped into that with every bite. We didn’t even touch the Black Garlic BBQ 🤣

We got their mash potatoes which is to die for as well as their broccolini with tahini, almond and bacon. You couldn’t even taste the tahini which is good bc my wife doesn’t do spicy!

WE...

Thames Street Kitchen, known acronymically as TSK, is probably one of the higher end restaurants in Newport competing for the wealthy's dollars. It does a superb job at that.

The restaurant shows most of it's talents by the menu and the performance space that is the open kitchen concept. A thing to note is the cleaning that took place in the space that I do not regularly see at other restaurants. Presentation is everything there.

And the presentation starts at the menu. Cocktail drinks are simply named, and easy to comprehend. I got the "Spicy Tequila Drink" which was not overly spicy. Named appropriately, the drink did it's job. The menu had a greater variety of beef options, with some fish and poultry. For those who have allergies, a conversation with the server may be necessary to parse out what is available.

The hanger steak seemed like a reasonable choice. It was delicious and came with a brown butter bonita dipping sauce that accentuated the flavors. Four or five other sauces are available, which are amazing ways to want me to come back for more.

Noticing the effort and quality of the food was quite easy. I have begun to have opinions on a restaurant by how they treat their customers when serving a Caesar Salad. At TSK, the Caesar Salad was served as if all the components were evenly diced and distributed. It was served on a plate as if it looked like a small layer of cake. And it was delicious. Sometimes, a chef may merely throw lettuce, cheese, and dressing into a to-go container. TSK does not do this, it is a work of art.

The smashed fingerling potatoes were creamy and decadent. They were also uniquely presented. You might do yourself a disservice by not trying this amazing carb.

The meal was pricey, but here, you are paying for noticeable quality and effort. Highly recommended. If you're strategic, make reservations. If you have gluten-free issues, be prepared to not see any markings...