Brine

$ 100.00 with tip for 3 Duxbury oysters, 3 Plymouth oysters, 6 little necks, tuna crudo, 2 beers and 1 glass of wine. Oysters were small, but fresh. The tuna crudo had 3 dollops of mashed tuna and some kind of sauce for $ 15? Absolutely flavorless !! Way too expensive and pretentious ! It’s State Street, not Newbury Street? First time and last time ! There are too many great restaurants in NP to go back to Brine and get ripped off.

Went to Brine on a Monday for date night, having been there in the past I was looking forward to a great meal. The food was tasty — if you could find it. We ordered the large 75 dollar power tower which came in a large bowl of ice, I don’t believe there was a a total of 24 items offered for the price. This was a complete let down, we actually thought they forgot to being the rest of it. Clam pasta with meat sauce was very tasty however, there was literally four rolled up noodles for a 24 price tag. 220 dollar dinner for two people and we were still hungry, I can’t even say the portions were appitizer size. Dollar oyster night is the way to go, we will not be returning otherwise. If we would have been with others for dinner I would have been embarrassed.

I would love to give Brine 5 stars and would based on their oysters, which were fantastic. However, the steak filet I ordered was dry and tough despite being medium rare. When I said as much to the staff, nothing was done to correct the situation. Definitely a disappointment given they include chop house in their name. And a small thing I guess, but they charge extra for the bread, really odd

I went here for a Sunday lunch. My husband was craving raw oysters so we thought this would be a good spot. We entered on a whim (without checking the menu online).
My husband loved the oysters but the menu is extremely limited and we struggled to find something else to order. I ended up getting the deviled eggs (deep fried with a blob of mayo on top. Greasy and not worth the calories. Left me nauseated) and my husband got poached egg with oysters (the egg did not have salt, and the oysters were fried of couse). Service was good and pretty attentive (although the place was almost empty). In terms of cost, I thought that the oyster prices were what you’d expect for oysters, but other items (like deviled eggs) were definitely overpriced.
Overall, I’d say that if you don’t want to eat raw food, brine is not a good choice.

I have no problem spending 9 dollars on a cup of chowder if it’s THIS GOOD! The pork belly was a unique but wonderful edition to this clam chowder. Also, what makes for the best experience is a friendly and knowledgable staff. Bartender was helpful in making a decision for drinks and my server was new but passionate about food and learning new things!
Also had the eggs and bacon. Just wonderful.

Great Mother’s Day experience. Our waitress was phenomenal — very knowledgeable. Would go back in a heartbeat.

Great bar atmosphere and I love their rib eye– blown away!

I felt special here because of the intimate seating and knowledgeable waitress. Nice clean oysters, and presentation.

Pricey? Yes. Outstanding? Also yes. I always laugh when other reviewers complain about the prices at a restaurant. Have you heard of this thing called the internet? Try it out! You can go to Brine’s website and look at the menu… and they have prices/​pictures of their food too!
Aaaanyway, I’m a fan of frequenting Brine for their dollar oysters and getting some of their small plates/​crudo/​cocktails while I’m there as well. The oysters have always been tasty, super fresh, and well-​cleaned when I’ve been there. Some of my favorites dishes include: the bacon and egg (this is probably my favorite thing on the menu), the clam chowder with pork belly (the pork belly is a really nice touch without being overbearing), and tuna/​salmon/​fluke crudo among other things.
Also, everyone who works here is super friendly/​attentive and they have great service. Just be sure to make a reservation if you can because it is a fairly small establishment and can fill up at a moment’s notice.

Brine — Newburyport, MA — 3÷28÷2016
What a neat little town… A slice of old time americana… Brick buildings and light posts line the street… And nessled in the middle of all this wholesomeness is a gem of a restaurant called Brine… I just got a very good vibe about this place from the minute I walked up to it…
My server Jenny was extremely friendly and was quick to point out the specials on their menu…
The bread… Housemaid focaccia bread made fresh every day with an all natural olive oil… really, really good…
The Appetizer… Clam and pork chowder… Crispy pork belly, potatoes, littleneck clams… all of this in a white broth… Quite delicious…
The Salad… Laughing bird shrimp Panzanella… Escarole, avocado purée, pickled red onion, thinly sliced radish and old bay vinaigrette… The shrimp are native to Belize… Very nicely put together quite different the usual salads you get in most restaurants today! After so many dinners out its nice to get something different…
From the sea… The Arctic Char… Grilled to perfection and then topped with a herb & Pig crust, cranberry beans– almost like a kidney bean but different…, butternut squash and a smooth cranberry sauce artfully spread onto the plate…
What a totally different and amazing place! The desserts look absolutely fantastic but given the number of meals I enjoy out during the week I felt it in my best interest to just have my signature cappuccino… Thank you for the awesome service Jenny…

We came here on a Monday night. It was not busy at all, but I can see how this place would be very busy closer to and on the weekends.
Excellent. Service was great and the food was fantastic. I had the 8 oz sirloin and my husband had the 12 oz sirloin. He substituted the set up for the prime rib meal that came along side and they were more than accommodating. Don’t miss out on the brûlée for dessert. Delish.

Seriously, it must be townie friends and employees writing the four star reviews. Unfortunately we had to attend a gathering here after swearing we’d never step foot in the place again.
The main complaints is the lack of atmosphere and value. The oysters were undersized for the price and full of shell fragments. Our entrees were over salted and under-​sized. The service was aloof, and the background music, annoying. The seating must be designed to be uncomfortable to turn the tables over. Charging for bread? Really?
I hate having to return home from a costly dinner out and having to head for the fridge looking for something to eat. Ugh… again :-(

After hearing so much hype about Brine, I was super excited to dine here for lunch. Unfortunately, I was a bit disapppointed. The oysters were tasty but a bit pricier than similar restaurants in the north shore area ($ 2.25-$ 4 an oyster). The server was knowledgeable and able to describe all the Oysters to us, and it was fun being able to watch the Oysters being shucked, as we were seated near the raw bar. I also ordered the Fried Oyster Roll ($ 14), and was a bit disappointed. The sandwich was pretty skimpy with not much in it. The oysters were a bit soggy, and in turn, the roll was a bit soggy. The aoli was tasty and the cole slaw was good, but I wish there had been more crunch to this dish. Overall, I thought the food was just ok, and overpriced for what was served to me.

I came here over the summer, and what a quaint little space. My girlfriend & I had some oysters & crudo and midday cocktails. The oysters were delicious, and shucked right in front of us. Bartender was great, & had helpful suggestions for us.
An overall wonderful experience, a must visit if you are in the area.

Even though they are known for their creative seafood dishes, we are crazy for their rib eye steak! Love the bar, it’s intimate and cozy and the bartenders do their best to get you the «perfect“‘wine! They are open later then most places too which comes in handy since I work late.

The good: nice ambience, welcoming and cozy. Good wine selection. Lovely server. Great bread. Inventive menu.
The not so good: We ordered the cod and the arctic char. Both way too salty — just this side of send-​me-​back. Some of the combinations of the overworked dishes just didn’t… work. Pureed parsnips next to polenta? No. The char was completely overwhelmed by the herbs in its herb-​and-​pig (?) crust.
We didn’t know that lovely bread was EXTRA. The music — 90s pop — was fun for about half the meal and then became distracting.
Overall, «trying too hard» is the phrase that comes to mind for the food. Love the concept (s) — artisanal, local, etc. But for the price, it’s a gamble.

Great service, amazing and innovative cocktails and great food. Brine never disappoints, when guests visit from out of town this is the place to take them and show them what Newburyport has to offer for a trendy and enjoyable dining experience. For the oysters lovers out there this is also a great spot (I am not an oyster fan). You can’t go wrong with the homemade sausage of the day. We went here for lunch just for the sausage of the day and a cocktail. Drew is the best bartender around!

Overrated. The limited lunch menu reads well, but execution needs some work. The flavors don’t burst and seasoning is lacking. However, oysters and raw bar items were fresh and tasty. The dessert menu was disappointing and espresso pound cake tasted stale and dry.
For a sleepy lunch crowd, service was slow. As the dinner staff rolled in, their personal banter was loud and distracting. What’s worse is that we had to listen to an entire Dave Matthews album while we were there. We won’t be rushing back, especially with some strong, new competition in town.

Everything was amazing! Ordered the seafood stew and oysters. Friendly service and very attentive. The bar was a great place to sit because you could see everything that was going on. Will be back again!

As fans of Ceia, my wife and I decided to check out Brine… the place looked inviting and the menu looked intriguing, so we finally ate here last night.
Service was great; friendly and knowledgeable. We made reservations and got a great seat in the window at the front of the place. We started out w/​some oysters and prosecco, always a great pairing. They had five different oysters on offer, including one from the West Coast. Pemaquids FTW, though the Standish were nice too. The only thing that wasn’t so nice was the price… at an average of $ 3.50 per, it can get expensive in a hurry, esp when you add in a bottle of wine. We sampled the mignonette and the habanero crème fraîche. The mignonette could have had some chopped shallots in it, and the crème fraîche was tasty but a little goes a long way. The first oyster was obliterated by pepper taste, so go very sparingly.
We decided to do some small plates and a salad rather than the entrees. The grilled baby octopus were good but not great; a little bit dried out and slightly chewy like jerky, but the garbanzos and peas were great. We also opted for the steak tartar, which had a clever arrangement of various things piled atop the short stack of chopped raw meat. egg (both slivered whites and tiny crumbles of yolk), caviar, pickled mushrooms, etc were great flavors to accompany it, though more than two small triangles of toast would have been better.
One note on the plating; they seemed to go out of their way for a super arty arrangement, sometimes to the point of unintentional comedy. smears of unidentified substances were painted with a swath, and the food (cf. salmon crudo) was piled in a small crescent at the end of the dish. Speaking of the salmon, it was fine but overall kind of uninspired. Basically lox and cream cheese in terms of flavor. The scallop ceviche was far better, and probably the best thing we ate all night.
The pace of the meal was great, and as noted our server was really nice. The place filled up to capacity but the noise level wasn’t too bad. The wine list is pretty deep, and I would imagine that the crudo plates get rotated around as the weeks go by so even though the menu is somewhat limited, I would imagine there’s always something new on offer.
The downside here is the price. After oysters and wine, we each had a salad, and split two small plates and the two crudo. Looking at the dessert menu roped us into the panna cotta, also delicious. The amount of food is fine, and we weren’t overly stuffed, but with tip it was also over $ 300, which is a lot of cash to drop for a non-​Boston restaurant.
We’d likely go back, but I think Ceia is overall a better value with just as good food.