Locale Profiles: Norey’s Bar and Grill

Craft beer enthusiasts and wine aficionados come together under one chic roof for swanked-out twists on classic American-fare. Norey’s Bar and Grill merges the upscale dining Newport-goers have come to expect with with a laid-back atmosphere.

Opening its doors under founder, Norey Cullen, in 2000, Norey’s began as a bistro that put Newport on the map as one of the first restaurants in the northeast to offer a craft beer selection. Over a decade later under the ownership of Norey’s son, Tyler, Norey’s is yet again twisting the culinary norm with with its extensive wine bar.

If the wine and beer fridges and racks lining the walls don’t impress you, Norey’s wine tap will. Admittedly, bottled wine poured from a tapping system does not affect the flavor of the drink as tapped beer does. But it’s about the cultural strides in the way we consume our trendy poisons.

The craft beer revolution has been widely approachable. Brewers take pride in their art while maintaining an honest, relaxed outward show. The masses are invited to tasting festivals and brews are given amicable names like “Bring Back the Beach” and “Raging Bitch IPA.” But wine, by and large, remains daunting to most. It’s the drink that waiters in ties present to you to sniff and slosh around before pouring a glass while you uncomfortably stare up and answer “umm … yeah, good,” when asked about the opulence of its body.

Yet wine is the second most popular alcohol in the country. It’s something we as the masses (for the most part) want to drink. So why are are there so few offerings at bars and restaurants in between the Sutter Home “house white” and the Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame? There is certainly a population in between the perpetually-tipsy-off-moscato housewife and the knowledgeable connoisseur. And Norey’s is leading the way in the potential foodie trend of giving the masses what they crave.

But of course, the American bistro also caters to craft beer heads. Norey’s pours up more than 165 beers both internationally and Rhody brewed. Their tapped selection is constantly changing with weekly updates to their website’s “On Tap” list.

The grill keeps its patrons on their toes by frequently changing its menu as well. Comfort food standards are given a modern-day upgrade by incorporating unconventional flavors like their classic crusted lemon chicken’s kick of hot-pepper jelly. What remains traditional, however, is Norey’s sought-after desserts. Cakes and custards are made in-house daily. “I admit, they don’t look perfect; symmetry isn’t my forte,” explains Chef Norey, “but my cakes are made with lots of love … and butter!”

Norey’s Bar and Grill

156 Broadway, Newport

4pm Monday – Saturday

noreys.com