PRESS
"NO BETTER PLACE TO INDULGE"
"For fresh seafood cooked just the way you like it, there’s no better place to indulge than at Scales & Shells. The blackboard menu presents items like grilled swordfish and dayboat scallops alongside preparation options."
- TripAdvisor, Valentine's Day Travel Ideas in the Most Romantic Cities
"BEST SEAFOOD TO BE HAD"
"With a name like Scales and Shells, you'd expect to find a hearty roster of some of the best seafood to be had in this port city. And, you'd be right. The word on the street with suppliers is that this spot accepts only "top of the catch" seafood. It's a casual sort of place that has a menu packed with goodies from the sea. The open kitchen allows guests to check out what's on the menu for the night, prompting many to make their dinner decision on the spot. Try the mesquite grilled tuna, the broiled scrod or the plenteous raw bar. A second floor dining room called Upscales is a bit more formal than the main level."
- USA Today's 10Best, 10 Best Restaurants and Dining Venues in Newport, Rhode Island
"THE RESTAURANT THE LOCALS WISH YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT"
"It's famous for its open kitchen, chalk menu board, [...] and some of the freshest seafood around. Yeah, I'm talking about Scales & Shells on Thames, and if you don't want to wait an hour (or longer) for a table, then this is the pefect time of year to go have dinner there. Before all the in and out of staters start making beelines for downtown Newport.
...For apps, we went with oysters which were oyyy-standing. For mains, we had the John Dory special, grilled salmon, and a grilled John Dory, a completely boneless white fish that apparently hails from Europe. And the verdict on all of our dishes was a resounding DELICIOUSO!"
- PattyJ.com, The Restaurant The Locals Wish You Didn't Know About
"INSANELY FRESH AND DELICIOUS SEAFOOD"
"There’s something about the open kitchen, laid back atmosphere, insanely fresh and delicious seafood and casual vibe that keeps us coming back. I’m even going to go out on a limb and say they have the best clams and linguine, ever."
- She's Cookin' in Brooklyn
"HARDLY IMAGINE NEWPORT OFFERS BETTER"
"For dinner, we chose a place called Scales and Shells, and I can hardly imagine Newport offers better. . . . Among the specialties of the husband-and-wife chef team, Debra and Andy Ackerman, are sizzling servings of lobster fra diavolo over linguine in huge sauté pans and marinated toro tuna."
- The New York Times, by Robin Pogrebin
"HIGH-QUALITY ... WITHOUT ANY PRETENSION"
"As we wandered down lower Thames Street, the delicious aroma of spicy garlic tomato sauce lured us to this storefront restaurant. . . . You'll see no written menu, just a large blackboard that lists an enticing array of offerings-with nary a choice for the non-seafood lover (a fact that didn't bother us at all). Here is high-quality seafood without any pretension. Lobster fra diavolo, thick spicy tomato sauce peppered with clams, mussels, squid, and lobster is served on a bed of linguine and comes to your table in a steaming hot pan. We had this dish here eight years ago and today it's still a top favorite."
- The Discerning Traveler, Vol. 10, No. 4