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Newburyport Cafés, Breweries and Restaurants Oh My!

  • Jul 8, 2025
  • 5 min read

Newburyport is one of my favorite places to spend time. There's so many amazing food options and activities to choose from!


One of my favorite places to go is Newburyport, MA. It's a quick buzz up the highway for me, and is the cutest town on the water with tons of shops to pop in and great food options. I spend a lot of time there with my boyfriend, since that's where our climbing gym is located.


I'm basically a local from all the time I spend up there and want to share all my favorite places!


RiverWalk Brewing Co.


RiverWalk holds a very special place in my heart. It's where my boyfriend and I had our first date, and spend countless nights after climbing. I love getting to take friends climbing and heading right next door to Riverwalk for a pint!

Free the Fosters Event at RiverWalk.
Free the Fosters Event at RiverWalk.

RiverWalk is locally owned and operated, and you can usually find the owners serving up brews at the bar or customizing jorts (jean shorts, I said it), at the BYOJ station — Build Your Own Jorts.


For their beer they use "the right raw ingredients from the right sources and respect these ingredients enough to let their natural essence shine through" (RiverWalk 2022). Not only that, but they are all about sustainability, using suppliers who don't use chemical pesticides, don't pollute groundwater, and pay higher wages to their harvesting crew. They also use distributors in New England to help reduce their carbon footprint. We can't forget their most obvious sign of sustainability... the massive wind turbines and solar panels. We stan a sustainable business.


I think my favorite part of RiverWalk is their food, it's made in house — occasionally working with other local businesses for other sweet treats like the ANGRY Donut — and is always chef's kiss. The menu is constantly changing, always with new specials that are spectacular. This past weekend they had hard seltzer slushes, the Notorious P.I.G (a white sauce pizza topped with pulled pork, sweet gherkin pickles and sliced sweet potatoes) and hand held s'mores!

They also have specials and fun events throughout the week! They have Trivia Night on Mondays and Two for Tuesdays — buy one pizza in house and get a cheese free. There's also different events like clam bakes, fundraisers and karaoke. It's always a fun time at RiverWalk!


I love going on Sundays after a climb at MetroRock and grabbing a donut and beer flight. Our favorite thing on the menu is the pizza. It's truly some of the best pizza on the North Shore. When you walk in it's the first thing you smell, and it's magical. You have to stop in just to try the pizza.


Tuscan Sea Grill


Tuscan Sea Grill is my favorite restaurant in Newburyport, and is certainty one of my favorite restaurants over all. It's the bread. Ok it's more than just the bread, but it's mostly the bread. It's warm, garlicky and dripping with butter. Shakespeare could write a play about these rolls and even he wouldn't be able to do them justice; you'll just have to go and try them for yourself.

The patio is overlooking the waterfront, with views of boats buzzing around the harbor. It's the perfect setting for dinner out, or brunch. No matter when you go the menu is amazing. I went to brunch for my birthday and ordered a mimosa tree and a watermelon lobster salad. There's so many scrumptious choices like paella, lobster rolls and calamari. I love seafood and Tuscan Sea Grill does it right. They also have delicious salads.


Don't even get me started on the drinks and desserts. They have the best sangria ever, and the best dessert menu. My words won't do it justice, so just go yourself — I don't make the rules.


Tuscan X RiverWalk


Tuscan Sea Grill and RiverWalk have also come together to make dreams come true! Together they have opened a summer patio for the season. Tuscan Sea Grill is serving up the eats and RiverWalk is bringing the beer! It's a match made in heaven. Located in downtown Newburyport this patio is the ideal location to sip on a cold beer and overlook the boats entering the harbor.


NU Kitchen


NU Kitchen is my go to café to do work. My life isn't all Comida Vibes unfortunately, I also work full-time in marketing. Luckily my job offers me the flexibility of working remote most of the time, so I can often work wherever. A lot of the times I end up at NU Kitchen. I love NU Kitchen for the atmosphere. There are beautiful posters, exposed brick and leafy green plants all around — it's like they stole my Pinterest page.

The food is also bomb. NU in French translates to naked; from their organic coffee to all natural meats, NU Kitchen believes that food, drink, and lifestyle should be free from all the junk. Just because it's healthy doesn't mean it has to taste bad.


The menu is massive with tons of different options for meat lovers, vegetarians and vegans. If you want it, they got it! They're also able to make substitutions a lot of time, if you're gluten free or want to swap out meat for a vegetable. Too many options to choose from and it's all amazing.


Joy Nest


The Joy Nest is my go to place for a night out with the girls! I think I missed my calling of being an interior designer, because I'm obsessed with the aesthetic of all these restaurants. The Joy Nest is furnished in rich velvet chairs in vibrant colors; with accents of warm wood tones, bright colors and funky patterns.

The Joy Nest is almost out of sorts for Newburyport; it's not the traditional beach bar you're likely to find in coastal New England. The restaurant "blends Thai tapas and noodle soups made famous by the street vendors of Bangkok, with the warm ambience of live jazz and boozy cocktails you’d have found inside a Prohibition-era speakeasy" (The joy nest 2021). It's a unique place with fun takes on traditional Thai and Bangkok cuisine. There's also a list of specialty cocktails that will make your mouth water; offering so many fun choices and the presentation is beautiful.


On their lounge floor they also have live music on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights. It's the perfect spot for a cozy date night or a fun GNO! You have to stop in if you're in Newburyport.

Those are just a few places that Newburyport has to offer. There's so many more Comida Vibes to find! I didn't even talk about the Sunday Farmers Market, or the ice cream. Do yourself a favor and check out Newburyport, and let me know what you think!

Sources


Craft beer in Newburyport, MA. Riverwalk Brewing. (n.d.). Retrieved July 27, 2022, from https://riverwalkbrewing.com/


The joy nest. The Joy Nest. (2021). Retrieved July 27, 2022, from https://thejoynestrestaurant.com/





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