Brine Oyster • Crudo • Chops

Went to the cocktail tasting dinner, and I simply have not recovered. The cocktails? Unhinged (in the best way). All four were absolute bangers, each one somehow topping the last. That first gin cocktail needs to be locked onto the menu immediately because it was that girl. The food — I’m sorry, WHAT? I did not expect carrots to steal the show, but here we are. Life-altering. The duck was flawless. My partner and I devoured every course like it was our job and enjoyed every second. Brine is a full-on gem. Not our first time, not our last. Zero regrets, no notes, obsessed.

We came to Brine for their Valentine’s Day special the other night and were super impressed. It was clearly one of the busiest nights of the year since it fell on a Saturday but all the staff were terrific and handling it with aplomb. It was a pre-set menu which was delicious in itself. Ribeye, halibut, split pea soup, burrata ravioli and red velvet cake finished off the meal. We went with some oysters to start and were left with full stomachs. My wife and I haven’t been out on Valentine’s Day for a while due to the general chaos that surrounds it but the front of the house staff and clearly the chefs handled it magically. Thanks for an amazing experience!

My husband and I made reservations for Brine for a night out. We predominantly chose brine because of its extensive fresh seafood selections… we went all in on seafood and ordered the Large Tower and a small plate of Octopus. The seafood in the Tower was very fresh, the shrimp were very good…. Not over cooked and great flavors (not strong). The octopus plate was wonderful, it came with a Cucumber, Celery, Cayenne Butter Hot Sauce with Dill Ranch. The flavors in the sauce was out of this world… I like spicy food and thought the heat in this dish was perfect, not too much to overwhelm, but a nice amount of heat. We shared a bottle of French rose sparkling wine along with sparkling water. The service was good and the atmosphere was vibrant… it was a little on the loud side due to all the hard

Loved this restaurant and can’t wait to return. The bartender was terrific, atmosphere was upscale and comfortable. We started with oysters, and they were delicious and sweet. They were on special. Ordered the duck pasta, and it was one of the best dishes I have ever had at a restaurant. The house Pinot Noir was perfect with everything.

There's a lot to love about Brine. Nice atmosphere, different from the other options in Newburyport. Delicious food. But at least for now I have to seriously dock the rating (particularly on the food side) because, come on: it's 2025 and you're in Massachusetts and you can't have a single vegetarian entree? Or even specify on the menu that one of the entrees can be made with a vegetarian option? In the current menu, even the small plates only give hummus and pita as a vegetarian option. Yes, of course I realize the kitchen is happy to make a veggie dish upon request. But not having any indication of that on the actual menu basically tells folks who don't eat meat/fish that they're at best an afterthought, and at worst actively scorned. I go out to eat a LOT, and it's extremely uncommon to