Restaurant in Newport, United States
Five tables, two seatings, book ahead.
Cara is Newport's only fine dining room with direct Atlantic Ocean views, operating as a nightly blind tasting menu (5 or 8 courses) inside The Chanler at Cliff Walk. With AAA 5 Diamond status, a 2,635-bottle wine program, and just five tables, it is the strongest choice in Newport for a special occasion dinner. Book the 8 p.m. seating with wine pairings for the full experience.
If you have been to Cara once, you already know the answer. The five-table dining room at Newport's Cliff Walk does not change dramatically between visits, but the menu does — it is written fresh each night, so a second dinner is never a repeat of the first. That alone makes it worth booking again, provided fine dining at the $$$ price point fits your occasion. For Newport's upscale dining scene, Cara sits near the leading of the shortlist for a special evening out.
Walk through the black wrought-iron gates on Memorial Boulevard — easy to miss on a first visit , and you step into a candlelit room with a gold-leaf ceiling and direct Atlantic Ocean views. Five tables. Dim lighting. Soft jazz. The room is deliberately intimate, and the ocean backdrop is the visual anchor that makes it read as a special occasion from the moment you sit down. There is no comparable waterfront fine dining setup in Newport; the setting gives Cara a clear point of difference from every other restaurant on the island.
The dress code is business casual, and the crowd skews toward a more mature, occasion-minded diner. The atmosphere is warm rather than formal , described by AAA inspectors as romantic without being stuffy, which is an accurate read for a room that holds this few guests at once.
Cara operates as a tasting menu restaurant with two seatings: a five-course blind tasting at 5 p.m. and an eight-course blind tasting at 8 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Both menus change daily based on available product and Chef Jacob Jasinski's direction. You do not choose dishes from a printed card; you commit to the kitchen's call that evening. If you are uncomfortable with that format, this is not your restaurant. If you are open to it, the seasonally-driven approach means the eight-course dinner in winter (expect venison, squab, exotic shellfish) reads very differently from a summer seating (foie gras, wagyu, bluefin tuna, uni). Optional wine pairings are available alongside the tasting, which makes sense given Cara's wine program: 440 selections, 2,635-bottle inventory, with particular depth in California and France. Wine director Katarina Aleksic and sommeliers Karen Hatcher and Kevin Kilavey staff the list, and they are reportedly helpful if the selection is overwhelming.
Cara holds AAA 5 Diamond status for 2025 and earned 86 points on La Liste's Leading Restaurants ranking in 2025 (dropping slightly to 80 points in 2026). The Star Wine List awarded it a White Star designation for the wine program. These are meaningful trust signals for a restaurant of this size , AAA 5 Diamond is held by fewer than 100 restaurants in the United States.
Summer is the most visually rewarding time to visit, with ocean views at their clearest and a menu that leans into premium warm-weather ingredients. That said, summer is also Newport's high season, so book early. The winter menu , venison, squab, exotic shellfish , offers a compelling reason to visit off-season, and the room is easier to secure. The 5 p.m. seating is the practical choice if you want a lighter evening or have early commitments; the 8 p.m. eight-course sitting is the move for a full occasion dinner. For a date or anniversary, the 8 p.m. slot with wine pairings is the stronger experience by format alone.
Reservations are required for both the dining room and private rooms. There are only five tables in the main room, so availability is limited even though booking difficulty is rated easy relative to comparable tasting-menu restaurants. If you have dietary restrictions, call ahead , the restaurant will also contact you the morning of your reservation to confirm details. Corkage is $75 if you bring your own bottle. The restaurant is inside The Chanler at Cliff Walk hotel, which is worth knowing for guests considering an overnight stay after dinner.
| Detail | Cara | Typical Newport Fine Dining |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Blind tasting menu (5 or 8 courses) | À la carte or prix-fixe |
| Seating capacity | 5 tables (main room) | Varies, typically larger |
| Wine inventory | 440 selections / 2,635 bottles | Smaller programs typical |
| Corkage fee | $75 | Varies |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Easy to moderate |
| Dress code | Business casual | Smart casual to business casual |
| Dietary accommodation | Call ahead required | Typically noted at booking |
| Private room available | Yes | Rarely at this scale |
For broader context on where to eat and drink around the city, see our Newport bars guide, Newport wineries guide, and Newport experiences guide. For comparable tasting-menu experiences at the national level, Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Alinea in Chicago, Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Tarrytown, Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg, and The French Laundry in Napa all operate in the same format category , nightly-changing blind tasting menus with serious wine programs , and offer useful benchmarks for what $$$ to $$$$ buys at this tier nationally. Closer to Cara's coastal-occasion format, Providence in Los Angeles and Addison in San Diego are worth comparing if you travel frequently for this type of meal. For East Coast inn-based fine dining, The Inn at Little Washington is the closest structural parallel. Other Modern American references at this format: 1919 Restaurant in San Juan and Aria in George Town. Emeril's in New Orleans operates at a similar occasion-dining register, though with a very different format. Le Bernardin in New York City is the benchmark for serious seafood fine dining on the East Coast if you want a direct quality comparison for a future trip.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cara | The Chanler at Cliff Walk, a boutique hotel situated on Newport’s famousCliff Walk, is home to Cara, one of the area’s newest upscale restaurants.; Cara is a wine bar venue.without_translation_and restaurant in Newport, USA. It was published on Star Wine List on July 20, 2022 and is a White Star.; La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 80pts; WINE: Wine Strengths: California, France Pricing: $$$ i Wine pricing: Based on the list\'s general markup and high and low price points:$ has many bottles < $50;$$ has a range of pricing;$$$ has many $100+ bottles Corkage Fee: $75 Selections: 440 Inventory: 2,635 CUISINE: Cuisine Types: French Pricing: $$$ i Cuisine pricing: The cost of a typical two-course meal, not including tip or beverages.$ is < $40;$$ is $40–$65;$$$ is $66+. Meals: Dinner STAFF: People Wine Director: Katarina Aleksic Sommelier: Karen Hatcher, Kevin Kilavey Chef: Jacob Jasinski General Manager: Ray Minias Owner: Lani Shufelt; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 86pts; AAA 5 Diamond (2025); **Our Inspector's Highlights This venue exudes a palpable air of romance. Dim lighting, soft jazz background music and glimpses of ocean waves rolling ashore create an enticing environment for a special occasion.Cara offers two tasting menus Wednesday to Sunday: a five-course blind tasting at 5 p.m. or an eight-course blind tasting at 8 p.m.With an extensive vino list, Cara is a great choice for wine aficionados. And don’t worry: if you get stumped, the knowledgeable staff can help with pairings.Relax in a sophisticated candlelit space beneath a lustrous gold-leaf ceiling. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Cara is the only restaurant in Newport offering fine dining in an exquisite waterfront setting.** **Things to Know On first visit, the venue’s entrance can be easy to miss, so look for the black wrought-iron gates. Coming from downtown Newport, it’s the last right before approaching Easton’s Beach.There are just five tables set in the intimate waterfront dining room. There are also private rooms available for larger parties —reservations are required for both.While it brings in a more mature crowd, the place is far from stuffy. Still, the dress code at Cara is business casual.For any food allergies or other dietary restrictions, call the fine-dining restaurant ahead of time to let it know. Or, if you make a reservation ahead of time, a staff member will call you the morning of your visit to check for last-minute details.** **Treatments:** The Food For a memorable culinary adventure, try the eight-course blind tasting menu. Optional wine pairings also available.During the summer, the menu may include foie gras, caviar, wagyu beef, bluefin tuna, dry-aged duck, lamb and uni.In the winter, expect foods such as venison, squab and exotic shellfish.The menu is new nightly to take advantage of the best available products and the chef's daily inspiration. **Amenities:** 117 Memorial Boulevard, Newport, Rhode Island 02840 | — | |
| Le Bernardin | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Atomix | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Lazy Bear | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Alinea | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Atelier Crenn | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Business casual is the stated dress code. That means no jeans or sneakers — think collared shirts, blouses, and dress trousers or a skirt. The room has a candlelit, gold-leaf ceiling feel, so erring toward polished rather than casual will fit the atmosphere at this AAA 5 Diamond property.
Yes, and it is one of the stronger cases for a special-occasion booking in Newport. The five-table dining room, ocean views, and blind tasting format create a contained, deliberate experience that works well for anniversaries or milestone dinners. The staff calls you the morning of your reservation to confirm dietary details, which is a practical signal that the kitchen is paying attention. La Liste rated it 86 points in 2025 and awarded it AAA 5 Diamond status, both of which support the price at the $$$ tier.
Cara is not particularly set up for solo diners. The dining room has only five tables and no documented bar seating for the tasting menu format, which can make a solo visit feel awkward in a small, couple-oriented room. If solo fine dining is your goal, a counter-style omakase format elsewhere will serve you better.
Yes, and the process is more proactive than most. If you flag restrictions when booking, a staff member will call you the morning of your visit to confirm any last-minute details. For allergies not noted in advance, call the restaurant directly before your reservation — the blind tasting menu format means the kitchen needs lead time to adjust.
For a less formal but still high-quality dinner in Newport, look at Clarke Cooke House or Pineapples on the Bay for waterfront options without the tasting-menu commitment. If the wine program is the draw, Cara's 440-selection list with California and French strengths is hard to match locally, but Providence restaurants like Gracie's or Oberlin offer comparable culinary ambition with more à la carte flexibility.
Cara operates as a wine bar and restaurant, so bar access may be possible outside of the formal tasting menu seatings, but reservations are required for the dining room. If bar seating is your priority, check the venue's official channels to confirm what is available on a given night — the five-table setup means walk-in options are very limited.
Larger groups should request a private room, which is available but requires a reservation. The main dining room seats only five tables, so groups of more than four to six guests will not fit comfortably in the shared space. Call ahead well in advance — this is a venue where private room availability determines whether a group booking is feasible.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
