Newport’s Season of Reclamation

By Andrea E. McHugh
| December 2, 2025

As Winter Settles In, This Coastal Enclave Eases the Sails and Locals Come Out to Play

In October, Gov. Dan McKee announced that Rhode Island welcomed a record-breaking 29.4 million visitors in 2024. If you ask any Newporter, they’ll likely tell you every one of them spent their time in the City by the Sea. Newport is busier than ever and, like many globally adored destinations, is experiencing an ever-diminishing off season.

Winter, in many ways, is Newport’s dark horse. It’s the season when the see-and-be-seen take a step back; when the most coveted hot spots dim their swank; when red velvet ropes are traded for quiet, fire-lit nooks and crannies; and when the sun’s early bedtime invites people to slow down and experience flavors that seem to be made richer simply by the audacious act of lingering a bit longer at the table.

SEIZE THE DAY

Offering an instant fix to winter’s chill by daybreak, Beaucoup Café pours coffee, popular espresso drinks, teas and matcha and offers pastries and simple sandwiches in the heart of the neighborhood Newport long-timers call the Fifth Ward. Brightening lower Thames Street at the southern edge of

Newport Harbor, the design-forward café with European energy was the unexpected vision of Cheryl Guibone, a former attorney and mother of four who just couldn’t help herself. About a decade ago, she opened a home decor shop bearing her surname, but when the nearby Wellington Square space became vacant, Guibone took it down to the studs and got to work while her brother, a professional coffee roaster, began sourcing beans from around the world. Just shy of three years in, with almost 30 predominately female employees, Beaucoup has built a welcoming, well-coiffed, caffeinated community.

A bundled winter’s strolling distance up the street, Matriarch, a small but mighty shop on Thames, has similarly cultivated a growing community not only for its feminist-and food-forward fashion, books, art and extraordinary finds but for events and food-and drink-centric gatherings.

WHET THE APPETITE

Though Aurelia at Castle Hill Inn is open year-round, winter’s grace makes the historic surrounds of this dining room—a three-story oceanside Gilded Age mansion—especially cozy with handsome architectural detail throughout and the warmth emitting from the woodburning fireplace. A six-course tasting menu changes regularly but always centers on the spoils of land and sea, typically sourcing from local farms and fishers.

While the privacy of Castle Hill’s 40-acre peninsula offers a peaceful respite, the bustle of Thames Street outside Audette’s iconic bay window is a reminder that while Newport takes on a more reserved persona in winter, it’s a city that never sleeps. A love letter to French dining, the team from TSK and Mission picks up where longtime institution Restaurant Bouchard left off, but with a fresh set of eyes and hipper point of view.

Nearby on Hammetts Wharf, Giusto buzzes throughout the calmest season. The James Beard–recognized restaurant, spearheaded by Chef Kevin O’Donnell, continues to wow with “freestyle Italian” dishes—reinterpreted favorites (leave any longing for marinara-drenched chicken parm behind) with a Rhode Island rhythm. But hands down, the best way to experience his talent is via the multicourse tasting menu, coming in at a cool $55.

**Morning break at Beaucoup Café. PHOTO BY ERIN MCGINN ErinMcGinn.com**

**The dedicated team at Leo’s, including store namesake Leo Campos (on right) and his mother Alba Campos (second from right). PHOTO BY ERIN MCGINN**

**Beaucoup is also filled with unique finds for holiday shopping. PHOTO BY ERIN MCGINN**

**Locals turn to the Newport Wine Cellar & Gourmet for perfect pairings. PHOTO BY ERIN MCGINN**

**Beaucoup has built a welcoming, caffeinated community. PHOTO BY ERIN MCGINN**

Winter’s pause is arguably the best time to try those new spots that have been on the “must-try” list, like Little Clam. As the name suggests, the signature restaurant of the Wayfinder Hotel under Consulting Chef Jake Rojas and Executive Chef Antonio Wormley is seafood-centric but through a global lens, incorporating Wormley’s palate for international flavor.

Broadway, the longtime culinary artery for locals who proudly “don’t go past Washington Square” to dodge the densest visitor stretch, has seen the closure of old favorites and emergence of new names throughout the pandemic years. Through it all, Leo’s Market & Restaurant has been a stalwart. Alba and Juan Carlos Campos’s first edition of Leo’s in 2009 was a small Latin market, but the Salvadoran couple were soon encouraged to expand with a restaurant. Today, Leo’s is known for traditional Latin American cuisine: tacos, enrollados, burritos, chimichangas, pupusas, tamales, quesadillas and more, dished up morning to night. Chef Manuel Corleto, behind the line for a decade, brings belly-warming specials into the mix this time of year, including a Central American take on chow mein (Guatemalan Chow Mein is sometimes “Chao Mein”), beef stew on Mondays and chicken soup with vegetables, called Gallina, on Thursdays.

Yagi Noodles has been intrinsically winter-coded from the beginning. Since first opening as a pop-up in 2019, Chef Basil Yu has been lauded for his ramen noodles handmade from freshly milled regional wheat, earning him a James Beard Award Best Chef Northeast semifinalist nomination. This time of year, if it’s not steaming bowls of ramen, it’s the firefly kick of dishes like tempura-fried kung pao cauliflower made with Thai bird chili that warms you from the inside out.

SIP AND SEA

While dining out is a winter pastime, so is dining in. From a well-planned dinner party to a casual, impromptu gathering, locals turn to the Newport Wine Cellar & Gourmet for perfect pairings, plus all the provisions for mouthwatering cheeseboards. Owner Maria Chiancola has stocked the entire wine and gourmet shop with picks from small producers worldwide, in addition to her own boutique line of wines, Tipsy Rose, sourced from grapes grown at a handful of sustainable California vineyards practicing organic, biodynamic farming.

Lest one think Newport packs away its outdoor exploits when the temperature drops, you’ll still find plenty of folks soaking in Aquidneck Island’s natural wonders this time of year. Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, a captivating idyll in any season, shows off in the winter months. You’ll lose count of frolicking white-tail deer across its 242 acres plus throngs of migratory birds and other wildlife. Insider’s tip: A warm beverage and brisk walk around the 1.5-mile Ocean View Loop at sunrise or dusk is an invitation to take those much-needed deep breaths in our very digital world.

Just down the road from the refuge, Sachuest, better known as Second Beach, equally offers a quiet respite. It’s a gathering place for year-round surfers and the bravest among us who love a wintertime cold plunge. This year Small Wave Sauna, a tiny but charming public mobile sauna, just steps from the edge of the sea, offers 60-minute sessions through April, luring guests to defrost and take in the serene scene.

Perhaps with a whole new point of view, and an insider’s look at what is its secret season, experience winter in Newport before spring’s inevitable thaw.

Andrea E. McHugh is a freelance writer who has written for the Hartford Courant, Baltimore Magazine, Daily Candy, Design Sponge, Providence Monthly and more. She resides in Newport.