NEWPORT BLUES CAFE

“Serving Up So Much More Than The Blues.”

The Newport Blues Café is a world class, live music venue located on the renowned Thames Street in the heart of downtown Newport RI. The home of the NBC is an historic multi-stored brownstone built in 1892 to house the Newport National Bank. It remained a bank for over one hundred years until it was purchased and converted into a restaurant and nightclub by Brian Foley. Today, overlooking the bustling downtown and Newport Harbor, the building reflects a bygone elegance while retaining many of its original features including the tellers’ grilles and the bank vault with its three foot thick walls of concrete and steel.

The centerpiece of the first floor is the massive door to the vault which amazingly glides along its hinges even though its weight is estimated to exceed 12,000 pounds.

The NBC has received both local and international acclaim as RI’s premier live music showcase. In a city known as a world class destination, the Blues Café offers the very best of local talent and national acts ranging from classic rock, blues and soul to progressive and indie rock and hip-hop. Numerous performers have played to sell out crowds including Jackson Browne, The Neville Brothers, Dicky Betts, Joe Bonnamassa, Johnny and Edgar Winter, Roomful of Blues, Deer Tick, James Montgomery, Dave Mason and The Felix Brown Band to name a few. In July the NBC provides an intimate evening setting for many of the performers who play the world famous Newport Folk Festival during the day. You never know who might show up to sit in for a show!

With a 300 plus capacity, our two level interior features a live band/dance atmosphere on the first floor while the second floor affords a unique view of the stage below and a comfortable place to sip your favorite cocktails, dine on an item for our menu and take in all the action happening downstairs without being in the middle of it. You can even watch the live feed from the stage on our numerous closed circuit TVs.

Much has changed in Newport since the Newport Blues Café first opened its doors in 1995. Our commitment to offering the finest in live music, food and drink remains the same. Come by and check us out for yourself and you will understand why we say we are………”Serving up so much more than the Blues.”