The Grog is located in downtown Newburyport, MA. With three floors, they offer something for almost everyone. Downstairs, at the basement level, they offer live music several nights a week. The first floor features a spacious dining room and a bar with a multitude of cocktails, several wines, and a nice selection of beers on tap. Finally, there is a quieter dining room upstairs on the second floor with a small bar area. The second floor features many small tables with large, cushy leather chairs – trendy and a bit more masculine in tone.

The Grog’s food ranges from burgers and sandwiches to grilled items and seafood, and even a few Mexican and Italian inspired dishes. I especially enjoy their Sweet Potato Burrito and the Greek Spinach Salad with Marinated Lamb Tips (I’d love to know what their marinade secret is!). They also offer several soups, chowders, and chili daily, and they typically offer a soup of the day. On a recent chilly night in May, I sat in the first floor dining room, which was especially loud and crowded that evening, but the food and service were good.

I opted for the soup of the day on my visit, which happened to be a Southwestern Chicken Soup – perfect to warm up with! It was a hearty soup that included large pieces of chicken, pinto beans, corn, onions, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. It was seasoned with black pepper and perhaps a bit of chili powder. It was quite good, not as spicy as I would have liked, but full of the flavors of the many vegetables within. I look forward to trying the Grog’s tomato parmesan soup on a future visit – mmmm!