This gem of a restaurant has been open for a year, but this was our first visit.
We love The Tannery Marketplace setting and the welcoming reel of this district at night. Located right on Water Street, the lights and warm decor welcomed and we decided to give it a try.
The decor is full of nooks and cozy touches in a glamorous speakeasy style decor.
We were tucked into a corner, surrounded by pillows, with a view of the bar and dining room.
Our server was friendly and professional and welcomed us to the restaurant as well as made suggestions every step of the way, ensuring a wonderful visit.
We started with the Thai Lettuce Wraps which was a spicy herb chicken salad that we scooped into the stack of lettuce leaves. A very warming starting on a cool evening.
We followed that with Kha - Nom - Jeep, round steamed pork and shrimp dumplings, served with a ginger sauce. Very flavorful.
We then enjoyed bowls of Spicy Ramen with Chashu (homemade pork belly) and Guay Teow with Beef and Rice Noodles, all based on our server's recommendations.
Both were incredibly tasty and the perfect layer of flavor combos.
An incredible meal in an elegant, but relaxed setting, where a week night dinner out felt special.
We both said that this place would be especially lovely and cozy on a snowy, winter night, looking out the windows onto the Tannery lights.
I highly recommend this place and we look forward to returning on our next visit to Newburyport. This is a perfect romantic date night restaurant, but also a nice setting for small groups.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amreen Rafique
Food was delicious
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Duncan MacEachern
We only had a cocktail and a dessert (Chocolate Roti). Try the chocolate roti! #Delicious
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Dommy G
For an almost $200 bill there was a lot to be desired here.. the waitress was kind but the wait to get our orders in and then the wait for our food was excessive. They ran out of the dish two of the people in our party ordered so they had to switch and the new dishes were just… meh. The noodles in the five spice broth were ok but the menu didn’t specify that the tofu would be fried and it was not prepared well. Wouldn’t have gotten it if I had known. Then when I asked for a to go container for it they definitely threw at least half my meal away to fit it into a tiny container. Pork was just ok, portions were neither good nor bad although for the price you’d expect a bit more. Overall disappointed with our experience and definitely wouldn’t go back. But the place and atmosphere itself was beautiful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 2
Xiaoxue
We just walked out of this restaurant, frustrated and disappointed, without having eaten anything. As returning customers, we expected a pleasant experience, but today’s service was truly upsetting. The waitress made it very clear through her tone and body language that we were not welcome.
When we first tried to order, we asked for a Thai iced tea. She said they didn’t have it but didn’t offer a drink menu either. We were surprised a Thai restaurant wouldn’t serve Thai iced tea, but we let it go and just asked for water.
Several times, we tried to get her attention to place our order—my husband even looked directly at her, but she kept avoiding eye contact. When she finally came, her attitude was impatient and dismissive, as if every choice we made was unreasonable.
My husband asked gently if she was having a bad day, and I added that her attitude made us feel unwelcome. She replied, “You’re welcome,” in a tone that was anything but. When I said we’d better leave, she said, “Are you sure?” still with no sign of apology, only coldness.
What surprised us most was that other guests looked at us with empathy, as if they understood exactly what we were experiencing. I’m writing this not to attack, but in the hope that the restaurant can take service quality seriously—because no good food can make up for feeling disrespected. We hope management can look into this and ensure guests are treated with basic courtesy.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
A Greaves
Food is really delectable, recommend, especially the small plates
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Dan K
Fantastic service and meals. The vibe was great, and the appetizers were incredible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
George Soderberg
This place is amazing. VERY friendly fast but unintrusive service. Food was terrific. Drinks were amazing. Can't wait to go back. Sorry it took so long to try this place!!! HIGHLY recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Luchy Roa
We show up a bit before 9pm. When asking for a table the host told me that she will check if the kitchen will still open ( restaurant closes at 10pm) She took more than 10 minutes to come back and let me know that the kitchen was closed. One hour before closing? Be aware of this restaurant… We had a great dinner at the mexican restaurant down the street… which incidentally was closing at 10pm as well..
Service: 1
Denise Freudenberg
Love visiting The Joy Nest! Love the vibe & food. It's not cheap but the food is great, never had a bad dish
The Kha-Nom-Jeep at Joy Nest in Newburyport is a must for dumpling lovers—perfectly steamed pork and shrimp wrapped in delicate skins, topped with scallions, and served with gingery dipping sauce. Pair it with a zero-proof Orchard Oriole for a sweet-spiced finish! 🥟🍹 #joynest #newburyporteats
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ziggy McQueen
First time . Upstairs dining to hear music 🎶 great btw. Food was good a bit pricy. Wasn’t super busy but service and attention was slow. I would go back . Maybe it was just who was on for the schedule? I’ll give it another try ! Hopefully with better service
LisaJayne B
such a lovely selection of prime fish and shell fish
Rich Temple
We had a wonderful dining experience at the Joy Nest. This is elevated Thai cuisine, some familiar dishes, and some interesting renditions of different types of dishes, with a Thai flare. We started out with appetizers of gyozas and Thai lettuce wraps. Both were very flavorful and, in the case of the lettuce wraps, quite spicy (in a good way). Our remaining courses were red curry chicken, which was delicious and also quite spicy, and a duck-based noodle dish which was terrific. The portions were excellent in both cases.
The service was really nice and the ambience was upscale, but without feeling pretentious. They also have live jazz on the second floor, which was really nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Taylor Worthy
Very poor service on the top floor sitting at the bar - we waited 45 minutes just to get water, had to give multiple reminders for food, and our entrees ended up being mediocre. Would not recommend
This gem of a restaurant has been open for a year, but this was our first visit.
We love The Tannery Marketplace setting and the welcoming reel of this district at night. Located right on Water Street, the lights and warm decor welcomed and we decided to give it a try.
The decor is full of nooks and cozy touches in a glamorous speakeasy style decor.
We were tucked into a corner, surrounded by pillows, with a view of the bar and dining room.
Our server was friendly and professional and welcomed us to the restaurant as well as made suggestions every step of the way, ensuring a wonderful visit.
We started with the Thai Lettuce Wraps which was a spicy herb chicken salad that we scooped into the stack of lettuce leaves. A very warming starting on a cool evening.
We followed that with Kha - Nom - Jeep, round steamed pork and shrimp dumplings, served with a ginger sauce. Very flavorful.
We then enjoyed bowls of Spicy Ramen with Chashu (homemade pork belly) and Guay Teow with Beef and Rice Noodles, all based on our server's recommendations.
Both were incredibly tasty and the perfect layer of flavor combos.
An incredible meal in an elegant, but relaxed setting, where a week night dinner out felt special.
We both said that this place would be especially lovely and cozy on a snowy, winter night, looking out the windows onto the Tannery lights.
I highly recommend this place and we look forward to returning on our next visit to Newburyport. This is a perfect romantic date night restaurant, but also a nice setting for small groups.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was delicious
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
We only had a cocktail and a dessert (Chocolate Roti). Try the chocolate roti! #Delicious
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
For an almost $200 bill there was a lot to be desired here.. the waitress was kind but the wait to get our orders in and then the wait for our food was excessive. They ran out of the dish two of the people in our party ordered so they had to switch and the new dishes were just… meh. The noodles in the five spice broth were ok but the menu didn’t specify that the tofu would be fried and it was not prepared well. Wouldn’t have gotten it if I had known. Then when I asked for a to go container for it they definitely threw at least half my meal away to fit it into a tiny container. Pork was just ok, portions were neither good nor bad although for the price you’d expect a bit more.
Overall disappointed with our experience and definitely wouldn’t go back.
But the place and atmosphere itself was beautiful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 2
We just walked out of this restaurant, frustrated and disappointed, without having eaten anything.
As returning customers, we expected a pleasant experience, but today’s service was truly upsetting. The waitress made it very clear through her tone and body language that we were not welcome.
When we first tried to order, we asked for a Thai iced tea. She said they didn’t have it but didn’t offer a drink menu either. We were surprised a Thai restaurant wouldn’t serve Thai iced tea, but we let it go and just asked for water.
Several times, we tried to get her attention to place our order—my husband even looked directly at her, but she kept avoiding eye contact. When she finally came, her attitude was impatient and dismissive, as if every choice we made was unreasonable.
My husband asked gently if she was having a bad day, and I added that her attitude made us feel unwelcome. She replied, “You’re welcome,” in a tone that was anything but. When I said we’d better leave, she said, “Are you sure?” still with no sign of apology, only coldness.
What surprised us most was that other guests looked at us with empathy, as if they understood exactly what we were experiencing.
I’m writing this not to attack, but in the hope that the restaurant can take service quality seriously—because no good food can make up for feeling disrespected.
We hope management can look into this and ensure guests are treated with basic courtesy.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Food is really delectable, recommend, especially the small plates
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Fantastic service and meals. The vibe was great, and the appetizers were incredible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is amazing. VERY friendly fast but unintrusive service. Food was terrific. Drinks were amazing. Can't wait to go back. Sorry it took so long to try this place!!! HIGHLY recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We show up a bit before 9pm. When asking for a table the host told me that she will check if the kitchen will still open ( restaurant closes at 10pm)
She took more than 10 minutes to come back and let me know that the kitchen was closed. One hour before closing? Be aware of this restaurant…
We had a great dinner at the mexican restaurant down the street… which incidentally was closing at 10pm as well..
Service: 1
Love visiting The Joy Nest! Love the vibe & food. It's not cheap but the food is great, never had a bad dish
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The Kha-Nom-Jeep at Joy Nest in Newburyport is a must for dumpling lovers—perfectly steamed pork and shrimp wrapped in delicate skins, topped with scallions, and served with gingery dipping sauce. Pair it with a zero-proof Orchard Oriole for a sweet-spiced finish! 🥟🍹 #joynest #newburyporteats
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
First time . Upstairs dining to hear music 🎶 great btw. Food was good a bit pricy. Wasn’t super busy but service and attention was slow. I would go back . Maybe it was just who was on for the schedule? I’ll give it another try ! Hopefully with better service
such a lovely selection of prime fish and shell fish
We had a wonderful dining experience at the Joy Nest. This is elevated Thai cuisine, some familiar dishes, and some interesting renditions of different types of dishes, with a Thai flare. We started out with appetizers of gyozas and Thai lettuce wraps. Both were very flavorful and, in the case of the lettuce wraps, quite spicy (in a good way). Our remaining courses were red curry chicken, which was delicious and also quite spicy, and a duck-based noodle dish which was terrific. The portions were excellent in both cases.
The service was really nice and the ambience was upscale, but without feeling pretentious. They also have live jazz on the second floor, which was really nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very poor service on the top floor sitting at the bar - we waited 45 minutes just to get water, had to give multiple reminders for food, and our entrees ended up being mediocre. Would not recommend
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
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