This past Sunday, I was driving down the main street of my hometown to run a few errands for my parents while they were gone. I felt a sense of comfort while I was driving through and a nostalgia thinking about all the fun times I’ve had and look forward to having this upcoming summer. As a huge homebody and someone that loves their hometown, I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and comfort. You genuinely don’t realize how beautiful your hometown is until you leave, and you don’t realize how much you’ll miss it until you go back. Not only do I love my hometown for the way it is, but I also love it for its neighboring city, Newburyport. Since the weather is beginning to change and the sun is shining a bit more, I felt an even greater sense of nostalgia when driving home this past weekend. Now, sitting in the science library writing this article makes me want to share with you all my favorite restaurants in this special city, Newburyport.
NU kitchen. My favorite place of all time. I get the same thing here at NU, and I’ve never gotten tired of it. I could, in all seriousness, get NU kitchen every day for the rest of my life. My all-time favorite meal from NU kitchen is the pesto chicken panini with chips on the side. The panini is a lifesaver if you’re craving something delicious but also want something healthy & gluten-free. My go-to drink from NU is a strawberry-banana smoothie with almond milk; this is a sweet and savory dessert drink. It’s especially good on a warm sunny day when all you want is to sip on something cold, healthy, and delicious. Besides the NU kitchen panini, I love getting the South Western salad. I’m not usually super amped about this salad until the days I’m really craving one. When I’m craving a good salad, NU kitchen is usually where I go, and the SouthWest Salad has just the right ingredients. The SouthWest Salad consists of avocado, corn, cilantro, black beans, freshly squeezed lime, tomato, and tortilla strips served over romaine lettuce with a chipotle lime dressing. I also like to add bacon to this salad because bacon is just too good not to add.
Lexie’s. This is one of my favorite places and has been since middle school. Unfortunately, due to COVID, this restaurant was close to shutting down, although, this past year, they were able to pull through and save the business. Everyone in Newburyport and the neighboring towns have loved this restaurant for so long, so everyone is incredibly grateful for its reopening. Lexie’s is a small burger joint with only a few locations; Newburyport MA, Dover NH, Portsmouth NH, Exeter NH, and Epping, NH. The smallness of the Newburyport location allows a closeness between the workers and the customers, which is one of the reasons I love it. My favorite thing to get at Lexie’s is a classic and a bit boring, as it’s a bacon and lettuce cheeseburger, but the side of fries I get is killer. The fries are called Bistro Fries and are topped with parmesan, bacon, herbs, and a phenomenal aioli. For a drink, I usually get a vanilla milkshake, but aside from that, I get root beer.
The Paddle Inn. This is a classic spot for my parents and me during the summer. This is a small but wonderful restaurant; they have an assortment of foods and are always very pleasant. One of the only reasons I’m bringing this restaurant up is because of their appetizer. As an entree, I usually just get a classic “Big Island burger” with fries, but if you ever do go here, you have to try the Thai fries…unless you’re allergic to peanuts… then definitely don’t get them. But these Thai fries are absolutely killer; they consist of scallion cream, carrot, cilantro, peanut, and a Thai chile sauce. I absolutely love these fries and could seriously eat them as an entree. As a drink, I usually go for a Shirley temple.
Abraham Bagels. If you’ve ever been to Newburyport or are from the area, you know how crazy of a line Abe’s can have, especially during the summer. This is probably the most common place to go to in Newburyport, as their assortment of bagels and breakfast sandwiches is crazy good. The line moves decently fast when it’s super busy, and on regular days with a minimum amount of people, you’re practically in and out. The parking can be sort of annoying, especially if you’re only popping in for a second, but the bagels are so worth it. I’ve been going to Abe’s since I was little and have never regretted going. My order was always perfect (knock on wood), and if there was a mess up, the workers were always so kind and helpful to fix it. I typically get pretty mundane and boring orders (according to my boyfriend), like a toasted everything bagel or a toasted plain bagel, but the cream cheese is the best part about it all. Abe’s is the perfect place if you’re like me and love loads of cream cheese on your bagel. They always give a little more than a perfect amount, and I absolutely love it. I recently just shared the maple bacon bagel with my boyfriend a few weeks ago, and honestly, it was way better than I expected it to be. They have an incredible variety of cream cheeses, such as chive, blueberry, vanilla, walnut raisin, and many more. If I’m not feeling a bagel, which is uncommon, the breakfast sandwiches are killer here too. I usually always get a simple bacon, egg, and cheese on a toasted plain bagel or English muffin. This place is and will always be one of my all-time favorites; I highly recommend it.
Brown Sugar by the Sea. I had never really been into Thai food, but my parents actually got me into it a few years ago. This restaurant is a classic for my parents and me whenever we want take-out, mainly because my parents adore this place. I’ve never actually eaten inside, so I can’t say much about the service, but the food is so so good. I usually start with crab rangoons and chicken satay as an appetizer. The peanut sauce on the chicken satay is incredibly delicious as well. As an entree, I usually get the cashew nut chicken, which consists of a light spicy saute of pineapple, scallions, onions, red and green peppers, roasted cashew nuts, and mushrooms. Still, I hate mushrooms, so I get this without them. This entree always fills me up perfectly, and I’m never too full or hungry afterward.
Jewel in the Crown. I love this place so freaking much. Not only is the food incredible, but I have so many fond memories of eating here with my great-grandmother, who recently passed away about a year ago. This was her favorite restaurant in Newburyport and might be on the rise for mine. The best thing ever here is the Kashmire Naan, which is so sweet and tasty. I adore the vegetable samosas as an appetizer and could seriously eat a million of them. We usually always get three plates to share of chicken curry, chicken korma, and chicken masala for entrees. Everything about this place is fantastic, and I recommend going. There is rarely ever anyone there which would usually make me hesitant about going if I were unfamiliar with the place but take my word for it, and this place is phenomenal.
I could go on and on about so many more restaurants since there is a solid amount of good ones in Newburyport. But, in the interest of article length, I will list a few more that are my favorites.
- The Juicery
- Hana Japan
- Guiseppe’s
- Tuscan Sea Bar & Grill
- Agave
- Angie’s Diner