Budget-Friendly Seafood in Newport: Flo's Clam Shack in Rhode Island

If you are looking for delicious budget-friendly seafood near Newport, look no further than Flo’s Clam Shack in Rhode Island!

I can’t believe that almost a year ago we were walking down the coastal town of Newport, Rhode Island enjoying the warm weather and fresh seafood. While I’ve loved every place we have had the opportunity to visit for different reasons, Newport has a special place in my heart for a number of reasons and one of them being the seafood.

When doing some research on seafood in the area, we learned there are plenty of options to choose from, but quite a few of them are pretty pricey. For example, there was this beautiful place we wanted to try right on Bowen’s Wharf that had great reviews, but we also wanted to stay close to our spending budget. That’s when we found out about Flo’s Clam Shack.

Flo’s Clam Shack is a seafood restaurant not too far from one of the beaches in Newport. It’s technically in Middletown, Rhode Island, but it is so close to Newport that’s practically bordering it. You can’t miss it when driving down Route 138A not just because of the sign, but also because of the unique exterior. Hence the name, the restaurant’s exterior is like a beach shack, with cedar shingles, a blue walkway leading into the restaurant and this beautiful shaded pathway leading from the parking lot to where you can order your food. As we said when we were walking up to the restaurant, it feels like you’re entering a totally different place when you walk there.

THE FOOD

When ordering at Flo’s Clam Shack, you have the opportunity to order food to go and enjoy either on the beach or elsewhere, or you can purchase food to enjoy inside. Regardless of where you decide to order, you have to place your order at the register as they will not bring the food to you. Once your food is ready you pick it up from the window and can enjoy your meal inside.

For our meal, my husband got the fish and fries while I opted for the calamari with french fries. I wasn’t sure what to expect when we ordered it, so you can imagine our surprise when we received the order and saw our plates full of delicious seafood and fries. We finished the whole thing because we were hungry, but our plates were pretty packed with food.

When I say the food is incredible, I am not exaggerating as it’s some of the best seafood I’ve had and definitely the best seafood we had that summer. In fact, we could not stop talking about the meal after we tried it and acknowledged that it was one of the best meals we’ve had the entire time we were there.

“When I say the food was incredible, I’m not exaggerating as it’s some of the best seafood I’ve had and definitely the best we had that summer.”

The calamari was fresh with just the right amount of tenderness and chewiness that you’d expect when eating squid. The fish was very well fried and fresh. The french fries were well seasoned and had a nice crisp to them. When we finally finished our meal, we were a bit bummed that it was over so soon. Even as I’m writing this, I am drooling over our old photographs and reminiscing on how delicious this meal was.

Not only was the food delicious, but it was very affordable. As I mentioned, seafood in Newport can be pretty expensive and understandably so. However, we couldn’t have been more thrilled that one of the best meals we had in Newport and one of the best seafood dishes we’ve had in a long time cost us less than the dinner we had the night before with less food on the plate. It’s a really good deal and definitely something my husband would call, “a bang for your buck.”

In our opinion, if you’re planning a trip to Newport soon, you have to go to Flo’s Clam Shack. If you’re looking for affordable dining with a nice view and incredible food, Flo’s is your place to go. You won’t be disappointed with your choices while dining there.