12/08/06

Fantastic food

by crimsin23

This place has some of the best food in New England. The service is great, it can get busy but the wait time is well worth the great food.

• Pros: Food

08/05/06

One of Newport's most famous restaurants has been feeding folks for more than 300 years.

by Contributor

The Scene
The White Horse has been feeding people since 1673, and the experience shows. This place is quintessential colonial Newport, with its creaky wide-board floors, low wood-beamed ceilings and big stone fireplaces.

The Food
The menu, though, is fresh and modern, offering such classics as clam chowder and beef Wellington alongside adventurous choices like Peking ravioli or scallops and shrimp in ginger sauce with black Thai rice. The chef shows a deft touch and admirable restraint--just a hint of raspberry in the salad's vinaigrette, a perfect dose of ginger in the seafood saute. Classic roasted breast of duck gets updated with a dried-cherry sauce and a side of boneless confit of duck leg. Desserts measure up to the main event. A seasonal pear and frangipani tart has a homemade cinnamon ice cream surprise on the side. The rum sauce on the bread pudding is so rich you can skip the after-dinner liqueur.

04/11/06

Historic venture & great dining experience

by petrovna1

I have been to this restaurant many times and every experience was outstanding. The restaurant's building has been in use for over three hundred years and retains much of the original colonial charm. The food is wonderful and worth the expense. Service is very polished. The space is fairly small, but seating is comfortable - especially if you're beside the large fire in the winter time! One of the best restaurants in town. Note this restaurant is best for small groups or couples - ambience is on the formal side.

• Pros: food, historical, service
• Cons: can be busy

12/29/05

So not worth the hype

by redhand11

We tried the tavern for lunch and were sorely disappointed in the service. Although the food was very good and if based on that alone place would be ranked as excellent, the unkempt, rude and totally incapable waiter we had means we will not visit again. I think we had the same waiter as the person who went there on Thanksgiving - my husband got the wrong drink twice, we waited forever for food, drinks, service (instead of an offer of dessert menus, we got 'do you want anything else?').

• Pros: Food
• Cons: Service, Service, Service

11/27/05

The worst service I've ever had!

by katie125

My inlaws drove up from new jersey and my apartment was not large enough for the ideal Thanksgiving meal so we decided to try the White Horse. Our experience was nightmarish. Our waiter was horrible with the personality of a doormat. It took 45 minutes to place our order, an hour to receive our meal, 45 minutes to have our plates cleared, and many of our drink requests were forgotten or brought a half hour after we asked for them. Our food was served cold and slopped on a plate; everything had the flavor of sweet and sour cabbage. By the end of the meal I was on the verge of tears out of disappointment and embarrassment at bringing my family into a horrible dinner. At $60.00 a plate, I felt like we threw money away. I wouldn't reccomend this restaurant to an enemy!

• Pros: atmosphere
• Cons: price, service, food quality

10/30/05

The Most Evil Host in America

by ri02840

A friend and I went here for Sunday brunch. She has two small children, and although for dinner, the White Horse is probably not "kid friendly" it certainly is for a casual meal such as brunch. When we arrived we politely asked if it would be ok for us to bring the children for brunch and if so, could we have two high chairs for them. The host rolled his eyes, and after arguing with the child's mother about whether or not her child was old enough to sit in a high chair, found a secluded room for us to eat brunch in. After making us feel like lepers by ushering us off to the secluded room, he looked at me and said "you need to make sure that the little girl doesn't roam around the restaurant...we've had accidents in the past from it happening".

• Pros: Ambience, Food
• Cons: Service

06/21/04

not a good value

by ryuko

We wanted to have a special dinner in Newport, and this place was recommended. Other than the facts the floor was 1680's original and that t it is a romantic setting, food was very average, wine was below average, service was not flexible. Nothing special, and everything was very pricey. We ordered each course at a time, and food came very quickly, which made us believe that they were pre-cooked. At the end we did not even feel like going to dessert. It was not worth the money.

• Pros: Romantic

11/21/02

unimpressed

by ericmarmour

The waiter was like a rookie cab driver, I had

to send my meal back because it was under-

cooked and I easily spent twice as much as what

the "lack" of experience was worth. A highly

unfortuate meal and evening out.

• Pros: Facility
• Cons: Service, Food, Value