The Mooring Seafood Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Newport

I'm really disappointed that I have to actually leave a negative review as I worked at The Mooring as a busboy in 1996 (while in college) and was really proud to work at one of the best restaurants in Newport at the time (considered to be a privilege) - I recently moved back to RI and have been bragging about the quality , service, and food level of this elite restaurant to my wife for years and we booked a special dinner for tonight, Christmas Eve, to celebrate. I appreciate that it is Christmas Eve, and not a night that many service personnel want to be working, but first off I was really disappointed by the slow and impersonal service from our server, Tracy, who seemed frazzled and infrequently checked in on us. We were served our appetizers and our main meal by the busboys who didn't bring any utensils to eat my lobster (so I had to wait 5 minutes while my wife started her meal) and didn't explain which oysters were which from the mixed dozen of oysters we ordered so we had to guess, and our waitress was nowhere to be seen for 10 minute increments at a time. Most shocking and disappointing is my wife ordered the lamb bolognese special and the pasta was undercooked, hard, and stuck together! I could tell she was upset but didn't want to make a big deal about it because it was a special dinner and she knew I had been talking up the restaurant for so long. She finally shared the pasta wasn't very good and I tried it and couldn't believe they would let something like that out of the kitchen (totally wild that they blew cooking pasta, which was really not very good at all, starchy with the noodles all clumped together like a college kid cooked it, and luke-warm). My lobster was well steamed, as expected, but it seemed very small for a 2 lb. lobster and the fingerling potatoes were served just boiled with no seasoning and were very bland. I tried to be positive, even in the face of a disappointing meal, but our server didn't make it easy, placing our bill on the table without any eye contact and tersely doing the basics at a restaurant I remember used to be known for the best servers in Newport (and this was much worse service than I have gotten anywhere recently, including cheap chain restaurants). While not related to the meal, there is supposed to be a dress code and my wife and I got dressed up and the family that sat next to us, the father and son had black graphic hoodies and distressed jeans on and it really brought down the atmosphere to what may as well have been a TGI Fridays at that point. We didn't even bother looking at a dessert menu and that seemed to suit our server just fine, who barely recognized us in passing - as a side note for management (who I hope is reading this as you should totally expect better from your restaurant, kitchen, and service staff) I wrote some of this in the bill. I'm totally embarrassed as my wife was clearly wanting to be excited about where we went but what a total and complete bust. My take on this is if the holiday is too difficult to staff or keep your level of service, then please just close down and don't subject your customers to such an upsetting and subpar experience for what is not a cheap restaurant - be consistent or don't make your problem your customers' problem. I for one will never step foot in The Mooring again and if I get the chance to recommend, will certainly suggest the Black Pearl or the Cook House any day over the disappointment that The Mooring has become to anyone I talk to - What a serious bummer that yet another establishment that was once one of note has become a place seemingly devoid of any pride to serve a great meal with great service. What a sincere shame, and it gives me no pleasure to leave...

Came to RI for the long weekend. My partner and I wanted to try this place as it had great ratings/reviews. To our disappointment I knew something was going to be off as soon as the new girl sat as down. Then our server Daniel O. came and ask for our preferred water. He came and dropped the two bottles of sparkling and flat but didn’t pour it to our glasses. He then came back and took our appetizers order. However, as he was taking our appetizers orders he wasn’t looking at either my partner or I but rather busy checking his Apple Watch reading whatever notification he received as he was working with us. (In any human manners it is considered RUDE when someone is talking to you and you’re not paying attention! Especially if you’re working for tips) unethical for your part Daniel. At this point my partner and I wanted to leave the restaurant as the overall atmosphere was just off. But take this Daniel was not too busy chatting his heart away and perfectly serving the table behind us but ignores us anyway. Including pouring their water on their glasses. Then Daniel made a comment after we placed our appetizers and said “you guys still gonna want more food after this food?” Who does that and he didn’t even mean it jokingly. Then other lady who was training the new girl kept looking at our table with a unpleasant look. They were sitting guest with a big smile as I look up and look at them. They immediately drop the smile and just give that look like we were unwanted there. We decided to stay and just finish all the food we ordered. Finally we were done with our food and asked if we can get a box for the biscuit we didn’t finished. We asked Daniel if we can get it to go. He took the plate and took it to the back. Came back and slammed it on the side of my table. At this point I said never again as over all service from him was just unacceptable. To top it off my partner was trying to get his attention as he was yet again busy chatting away with the table behind us and didn’t care about our table. My partner got his attention and rather being apologetic for ignoring us he gave my partner a side eye and just nod his head and said “yea I got you” what?! We still left gratuity despite having been treated said way. Now as we were leaving the restaurant three people were at the front. Not a single person said any type of “have a great day or thank you” the guy as we were walking towards the door all of a sudden tried fixing a frame and the two girls as a host were busy talking. Do yourself a favor and save yourself a trip to this restaurant as the staff lacks hospitality and manners for such a high price and highly rated reviews. After dining would not return or recommend this restaurant. I don’t know if we were treated differently because of our race. We truly hope that this experience wasn’t due to discrimination and just a result of...

I am honestly shocked at the experience we had dining at this restaurant- I have never felt so patronized and condescended in a restaurant as this. We picked The Mooring for dinner while in Newport for a night (having made reservations a month in advance) based on positive accolades and good reviews, but we definitely should have gone somewhere else. Our party consisted of 3 adult women. Our waiter was so unprofessional and rude. He acted short and his entire attitude just seemed like we were in his way. The menus are large and one member of our party sat her drink down on the menu while pointing to her selection when ordering. Our waiter looked at her, picked up her glass and set it down deliberately with a condescending look as if to say "don't put your glass on the menu". She literally set her drink down for a second to order, there was no condensation left on the menu at all and he was acting as if he was punishing a child who had misbehaved. Later, this woman was stirring her drink with the wooden skewer that came in the glass and he came and literally removed it from her hand while she was holding it, again as if she was a small child. There were no manners, no "may I clear away your skewer?"; an adult customer was holding an object and without saying anything, he came and took it out of her hand and then would just stare at her. I have no idea why our waiter continued to act like this the entire time we were there. I would like to give the benefit of the doubt and have empathy that maybe he had a rough day, but it came across as having issues with women. We were dressed in what I would say is a societal standard for dressing up for a nice dinner out (although plenty of other customers were dressed more casually). I don't know if he was angry because we didn't order alcoholic beverages. I don't know why he felt like as customers we did not deserve a minimum level of respect and professional conduct that should be standard to business, customer service and hospitality. We had planned on getting dessert, but by that time we were feeling so uncomfortable with him that we just tried to eat our food as quickly as possible and leave to get out of that atmosphere. Definitely not a restaurant I...