Wow it’s changed from years ago. The bar is gone and the lights are dimly light, inhibiting you from watching the chef cook. The bar from the main dining room is gone and the restaurant lighting is not as bright. I thought the food would be as delicious, but had to send back my shrimp scampi, because it was Luke warm which was odd since the restaurant was not busy. However when it came back it was delicious. My daughter enjoyed her salmon and risotto. We ordered the clam chowder and buratta salad. The chowder was a touch too salty. They say you can never go back and relive some experiences. And I’d have to agree. Not as fabulous as I remember, yet a nice meal after all said and done.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Sharmistha Gupta
We had a lovely memorable evening. The waiters were very gracious, had delicious drinks, calamari, shellfish sampler and seafood linguini
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kathy Randall
We went out for seafood to this place last night after my daughter remembered eating here a few years ago and it had been good. I am sad to say, Not any more...Both my husband and I ordered swordfish. I think they cut a piece in half and rolled each piece flat! Ive never seen swordfish served flat, floating in a watery sauce. 3 of us ordered clam chowder. 2 had to give up some of the bits that. I think was minced clams because she only got milk chowder. That same person got tuna, sushi style. The tuna was mushy and an almost turned color. Totally not edible. When asked if we wanted dessert, he asked, laughed and said they didn't have any. To top off paying $235. Plus an $80. Tip I was sick all night... Ive lived on Cape Cod a major part of my 70 years and can always sense when a business is in trouble. This place will close its doors if they keep serving bad seafood in a coastal community. i I hope that Im wrong!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Richard Snow
Fantastic food and great service. A real surprise.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
William Ho
We ordered the warm lobster roll and the shrimp scampi with linguine. The lobster roll was good but the portion was small for the price. The shrimp scampi was tasty. Service was efficient. The restaurant has great ambience. There were both bar and table seatings.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Michael Mitchell
Not the same Scales and Shells from yrs back. Linguine and clam used to be there best. Not so anymore minced! Dry! Tasteless! Such a shame! Being a restaurant here and not making that dish good doesn’t make sense. The chef is not a chef if he lets that dish leave his kitchen! Very disappointed!! Now I know why the place was empty!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Whit Collins
We had dinner there last night. One of the worst meals I've had dining out in a long time. Shrimp Scampi was served cold, 5 very dry shrimp on a cold bed of pasta with a bland sauce that was lacking in flavor and presentation. My wife's linguini with clam sauce was almost as bad. The focaccia bread was good as were the martini's. The server and staff seemed to be in a hurry to close down - the food came out within 5 minutes of being ordered (can't be freshly made to order that fast), the staff was cleaning and sweeping around us as we were eating. We felt super rushed. From the time we sat down at 8pm, we were done, paid and out the door at 8:35pm. We ate here 3 years ago and it was much better. It was bad. Never again.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
SeanMichaelll
We had the Caesar, crudo, sourdough, tuna and salmon. Everything was mind blowing except for the crudo, which was a good sashimi with some oil. One of the best meals we have had in a long time. The sourdough butter was salty Thanksgiving seasoning heaven. The Caesar was one the best, each bite was perfect. The crudo (sashimi) was basic the fish was good and fresh but we would have skipped it next time. The tuna and salmon entrees were incredible. Not sure if I’ve ever had a better cooked salmon. Crispy char, with a flaking moist interior. We have (2) notes. We wish there was a door on the back of house; we had inline view of the dishwashing station and bright fluorescent light, maybe some curtains. Also every person that walked into the far door was confused where the host stand. They eventually figured it out, but maybe a sign directing or close the door entirely. We wish we lived closer so we revisit time and time again. We will be back.
Mediocre experience. My lobster roll tasted good but it was very small for the high price. The chickpea side it came with was also too small. The raw clams had a few bits of shells in it. My partner’s BBQ pork roll was ok. I guess this is what you get in Newport?
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Kimi Clark
Great meal in Newport. We had the salmon and spicy linguine. We were on a trip from WA state and were bummed we live so far away and not able to come back and eat again soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nurdan Kilincoglu
If you visit Rhode Island and don’t try the spicy seafood spaghetti here, you’re seriously missing out on something special. It was easily one of the most flavorful dishes I’ve ever had. The oysters were also top-notch — fresh, briny, and perfectly served. We ate everything so quickly, we didn’t even manage to take a single photo. Highly recommended for seafood lovers!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kim A.
We had our post-wedding dinner at Scales and Shells in Newport and it was absolutely amazing! The manager and staff were wonderful to work with—so accommodating and attentive throughout the entire process. I was able to customize our menu, which made the night feel even more personal and special. They were also accommodating with decorating, which I premade, and set up for the tiny details.
We reserved the upstairs space, and it was perfect—cozy, elegant, and just the right atmosphere for our celebration. Our guests loved it, and we had such a memorable time. I would highly recommend Scales and Shells for anyone looking for an incredible dining experience in Newport!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cam Cameron
Such a great spot! Delicious food & friendly staff! Shout out to Alastair! Overall 10/10! Will be back again!
Wow it’s changed from years ago. The bar is gone and the lights are dimly light, inhibiting you from watching the chef cook. The bar from the main dining room is gone and the restaurant lighting is not as bright. I thought the food would be as delicious, but had to send back my shrimp scampi, because it was Luke warm which was odd since the restaurant was not busy. However when it came back it was delicious. My daughter enjoyed her salmon and risotto. We ordered the clam chowder and buratta salad. The chowder was a touch too salty. They say you can never go back and relive some experiences. And I’d have to agree. Not as fabulous as I remember, yet a nice meal after all said and done.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
We had a lovely memorable evening. The waiters were very gracious, had delicious drinks, calamari, shellfish sampler and seafood linguini
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We went out for seafood to this place last night after my daughter remembered eating here a few years ago and it had been good. I am sad to say, Not any more...Both my husband and I ordered swordfish. I think they cut a piece in half and rolled each piece flat! Ive never seen swordfish served flat, floating in a watery sauce. 3 of us ordered clam chowder. 2 had to give up some of the bits that. I think was minced clams because she only got milk chowder. That same person got tuna, sushi style. The tuna was mushy and an almost turned color. Totally not edible.
When asked if we wanted dessert, he asked, laughed and said they didn't have any.
To top off paying $235. Plus an $80. Tip I was sick all night...
Ive lived on Cape Cod a major part of my 70 years and can always sense when a business is in trouble. This place will close its doors if they keep serving bad seafood in a coastal community. i I hope that Im wrong!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Fantastic food and great service. A real surprise.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
We ordered the warm lobster roll and the shrimp scampi with linguine. The lobster roll was good but the portion was small for the price. The shrimp scampi was tasty. Service was efficient. The restaurant has great ambience. There were both bar and table seatings.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Not the same Scales and Shells from yrs back.
Linguine and clam used to be there best. Not so anymore minced! Dry! Tasteless!
Such a shame!
Being a restaurant here and not making that dish good doesn’t make sense.
The chef is not a chef if he lets that dish leave his kitchen!
Very disappointed!!
Now I know why the place was empty!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We had dinner there last night. One of the worst meals I've had dining out in a long time. Shrimp Scampi was served cold, 5 very dry shrimp on a cold bed of pasta with a bland sauce that was lacking in flavor and presentation. My wife's linguini with clam sauce was almost as bad. The focaccia bread was good as were the martini's. The server and staff seemed to be in a hurry to close down - the food came out within 5 minutes of being ordered (can't be freshly made to order that fast), the staff was cleaning and sweeping around us as we were eating. We felt super rushed. From the time we sat down at 8pm, we were done, paid and out the door at 8:35pm. We ate here 3 years ago and it was much better. It was bad. Never again.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
We had the Caesar, crudo, sourdough, tuna and salmon. Everything was mind blowing except for the crudo, which was a good sashimi with some oil. One of the best meals we have had in a long time. The sourdough butter was salty Thanksgiving seasoning heaven. The Caesar was one the best, each bite was perfect. The crudo (sashimi) was basic the fish was good and fresh but we would have skipped it next time. The tuna and salmon entrees were incredible. Not sure if I’ve ever had a better cooked salmon. Crispy char, with a flaking moist interior. We have (2) notes. We wish there was a door on the back of house; we had inline view of the dishwashing station and bright fluorescent light, maybe some curtains. Also every person that walked into the far door was confused where the host stand. They eventually figured it out, but maybe a sign directing or close the door entirely. We wish we lived closer so we revisit time and time again. We will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Great seafood place. Excellent chowder
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had lunch here. They need to get better cook
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Mediocre experience. My lobster roll tasted good but it was very small for the high price. The chickpea side it came with was also too small. The raw clams had a few bits of shells in it. My partner’s BBQ pork roll was ok. I guess this is what you get in Newport?
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Great meal in Newport. We had the salmon and spicy linguine. We were on a trip from WA state and were bummed we live so far away and not able to come back and eat again soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
If you visit Rhode Island and don’t try the spicy seafood spaghetti here, you’re seriously missing out on something special. It was easily one of the most flavorful dishes I’ve ever had. The oysters were also top-notch — fresh, briny, and perfectly served. We ate everything so quickly, we didn’t even manage to take a single photo. Highly recommended for seafood lovers!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had our post-wedding dinner at Scales and Shells in Newport and it was absolutely amazing! The manager and staff were wonderful to work with—so accommodating and attentive throughout the entire process. I was able to customize our menu, which made the night feel even more personal and special. They were also accommodating with decorating, which I premade, and set up for the tiny details.
We reserved the upstairs space, and it was perfect—cozy, elegant, and just the right atmosphere for our celebration. Our guests loved it, and we had such a memorable time. I would highly recommend Scales and Shells for anyone looking for an incredible dining experience in Newport!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Such a great spot! Delicious food & friendly staff! Shout out to Alastair! Overall 10/10! Will be back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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