Scampi

The food here is quite good, really liked the pizza. Wife and daughter liked their food as well. Service and wait we’re fine and waitress was friendly. It was quite pricey.

Caught a late lunch here during a disgusting cold blustery day. While the restaurant could have been cozier temperature-​wise, our server was very warm and friendly and accommodating. I took a bit of a chance on the shrimp Mozambique served over linguine and I was very glad I did. It was delicious and not too heavy as I wasn’t starving. The shrimp were crisp and fresh and the sauce was flavorful without being overdone. My lobster bisque was exceptional with a good amount of lobster chunks and great flavor. My husband really enjoyed his gigantic helping of fish and chips which can be really hit or miss at many seafood places. Others enjoyed pizza, oysters (which were raved about) and a lobster roll. I would definitely go back here and I really appreciated how nice the staff were here.

We have found a new place for a waterfront beer on the way home from 2^nd Beach. Not elegant by any means, the outside bar is made of plywood and underfoot is the painted over former parking lot but the beer is icy cold, the view beautiful, the staff friendly and efficient and the regulars at the bar welcoming. We felt we fit in with the first hello. First stop we just had drinks. Next stop we added apps which ended up as dinner. Beer prices are fine, apps a little pricy but the scallops were wonderful. Eventually, we’ll go for dinner, if not outside then in the cute interior section but for the summer it’s drinks+ on the patio.

My family and I were vacationing in Portsmouth and someone highly recommended Scampi as being a reasonably-​priced restaurant with great food. Very wrong on both counts! Long story short, this place pretends to be something that it is not… a gourmet restaurant. Since the meals were so pricey, I assumed that the portions would be big and the food top-​notch. Wrong again! The marsala sauce in the meal that I ordered looked like soy sauce, and had absolutely no marsala wine in it. The two tiny pieces of over-​cooked chicken certainly didn’t warrant the $ 17 price tag. I never add salt to a meal, but did this time, and even that couldn’t make the pasta less bland. My wife ordered the Mediterranean pasta dish which said that it came with artichokes in it, but when it was served, sure enough, no artichokes. Would have complained, but was so tired of waiting for the food to come at that point. Even the one thing that should be their signature dish — the scampi (which three people in my dining party ordered) — was very bland and had no traces of garlic in the sauce. To top it all off, there were only six shrimps in the whole dish (for $ 24 a plate!).
Even though there were only two or three other parties dining there, the service was very, very slow. It took one hour to bring our appetizers, which only consisted of mussels (which take about 5 minutes to steam) and a regular old garden salad (less than 5 minutes to prepare). I am guessing from the waitress’s well-​rehearsed apologies, that it was all on the kitchen’s end, and is something that is commonplace. The only thing that kept me from losing my patience was my blind faith that the meal was going to be delicious. When that was not the case, I actually complained about the food and the wait (something I almost never do). Our server’s solution was to offer us free drink tokens for a future visit, a gesture that might be perceived as less-​than-​sincere, seeing as how she only offered them after we told her we were heading back home the next day.
When all was said and done, the final bill was just shy of $ 300 for six adults and one child. I don’t mind paying a lot for food as long as it is good food. This food was very disappointing… not even mediocre! Needless to say, I felt ripped off! I guess there’s a reason that the locals don’t seem to go there. The dining experience at Scampi is definitely not worth the time and money!

We were excited to try Scampi. Unfortunately, our expectations where not met. Service was extremely slow — took 1 hour to get mussels and a salad. After waiting all that time to finally eat, Our dinners were not flavorful and not prepared with ingredients as expected. Mussels were the worst I’ve ever had. Ironically, The place is called Scampi, so we assumed the Scampi would be top notch — no such luck. On top of everything, a seagull decided to «leave its mark» as we waited for our meals. Just an overall frustrating and disappointing experience.

Had dinner there tonight on the patio. Service was great (Michelle). We grazed rather than having dinner:
Clam Chowder — really fresh tasting, nice seasoning, clams very tender
Steamers — tender and sweet. Only complaint was the way they were served — on a flat tray — couldn’t really dip the bread in juice.
Crab cake — surprisingly good. Good crab to cake ratio. Remoulade very flavorful.
Garden salad — crisp cold greens. Blue cheese dressing tasted home made. Nice
Dessert — they get their cakes from Fatullis in Middletown and they positively divine. Had the lemon/​raspberry and chocolate/​peanut butter cakes. Out of this world good.
We sat on the patio at the bar and it was really, really nice. Great view, comfortable, overall great experience. It is PRICEY. $ 100 before tip which includes 2 drinks and a beer.
Will we go back? Absolutely. Not sure how the inside is, but this will be our go to summer spot.

I had heard a lot of good things about Scampi, but I was a bit underwhelmed.
The restaurant is in a good location, across the street from the water. There is a nice view of the water from the dining room. The décor is slightly outdated and could use a bit of freshening, but it’s not that bad. Honestly, I think the menu needs more of a freshening up.
First off, it’s pricey. Most entrees are $ 24. I don’t flinch at a $ 24 entrée and I do realize everything is more expensive in this area. I just felt the food didn’t live up to the price. We paid around $ 135 after tip.
We started with the Portuguese littlenecks. The portion was generous and we enjoyed these. They were a little on the salty side, but that is to be expected with this dish. I had one of the specials, Scallops casino. It was sea scallops in a casserole dish with bacon and breadcrumbs. It was OK. Not the best scallop dish I have had, but not the worst either. I had rice pilaf as a side and it honestly looked and tasted exactly like a boxed rice from the supermarket. My veggies were only lukewarm. My husband had the salmon and he also felt it was OK, but not the best he’s ever had.
Service was a bit odd. The place really wasn’t that busy and our waitress disappeared a few times and the bartender would come over and check in on us.
The waitress did mention that in the summer they have couches and firepits out on their patio. I would consider coming back to sit on the patio for a few drinks and maybe an appetizer, but I don’t think I will be back for dinner.

My Husband and I came in on Saturday night around 5:30. We expected to wait considering the time, wait we did!!! No one insight! We stood there for 10 minutes before Anyone came over to seat us. The hostess was sooooo rude! «This way»! I placed my handbag down on the third chair at our table, she was grabbing at saying, «I need this chair! The Nice waitress said, «no we don’t»! The hostess continued on Three times, she wanted this chair! «Fine»! Shaking the chair and walking away. NO, «enjoy your dinner «etc. RUDE!!!
I found it to be very, very expensive! The music was not the kind of music you listen to when you are eating. That is for sure! Very Loud! I was NOT very happy Saturday Nigh! We will NOT be going back for certain!!! STAY AWAY!

The calamari was well plated, delicious and a very good amount for an appetizer.
The view of the water and the nice breeze that was coming through was very relaxing.
(We sat on the outdoor patio)
I would recommend sticking to seafood at this place…3 out of 4 of us went for the burgers and while they were huge and served with yummy sides (pickle slices, fries, sweet potato fries and onion rings) the burger patties themselves were not great.
We did arrive right as they were opening… so I expected it to be somewhat slow… but this turned into a 2 hour lunch! Thankfully on this day we were in the area for the parade… so we were in no rush… but I would have been annoyed if we had plans afterward. (Again, being outside with the view helped us enjoy the time we were waiting for our food).
The waitress was very nice but seemed stressed with only 4 tables to wait on… she forgot add ons for the burgers (i checked the bill and we were not charged for the missing add ons so at least thats good!) and we had to ask for drink refills but all in all it could have been worse.
Letting the cook smoke outside between the patio and the dining room seemed odd… I get that everyone needs a break… but 15 feet from the customers tables? I smoke and even I found seeing that off putting. The waitress was also eating in between serving food in that same area and It just seemed tacky… your shift just started. do you really need to be stuffing your face instead of waiting on your customers ?? …maybe if they walled the area in so they can have a break area that the customers don’t see… it would work better for everyone?
Would I drive to Portsmouth just to go here? Probably not. BUT, based on the calamari dish, if you are a seafood fan, it might be worth a try.

Since my first time here, Greg and I came back for a celebratory dinner. At this point, I forget what we were celebrating… but I know he did NOT want to wait in a line anywhere, or go to Newport.
The first time I came there was a loud, band. This time, it was trivia. It again, was very loud and didn’t really give you an option to NOT play. It made it really hard to have a conversation with Greg, especially because a lot of the questions were sports related. I picture Scampi being right on the water, and having a nice romantic candlelight dinner. with great seafood. All the band, trivia etc. really kind of takes away from the mood and appeal that I was expecting. However, after being here twice, I definitely think they go for the live entertainment, rather than quiet and candlelit.
For food, this time I got the swordfish and it was amazing. They come around with a dessert platter that makes it SO hard to say no. but we really wanted Frostee Freeze. But the desserts looked amazing!

Scampi’s location is nearly perfect. It’s about as close as it gets to being on an island without actually being so. The building is humble and there’s evidently an outdoor seating area, but since my GF and I dined in the dead of winter, dinner by the sea wasn’t an option.
Scampi’s downsides are largely its furnishings and the general absence of décor. Vinyl table cloths — more than a few of which were stained — and artificial table candles are a slight put-​off. The colors are drab, bland and generally depressing. The walls are mostly bare and there exists a huge opportunity to feature some artwork. The Chinese motif appetizer plates didn’t seem to be appropriate for a seafood restaurant. However, the nautical light fixtures are, though the approach is in a nascent stage.
The idea should be brought to fruition, given Scampi’s proximity to the water.
Cloth napkins add a degree of refinement, but coupled with what turned out to be generally average main courses, did little to justify pricing. Her fried Haddock was the taste of incarnated mediocrity. My entrée’s scallops were on the undercooked side, the clams were a poor combination of small and dry, the shrimp was over seasoned so as to negate any inherent seafood flavor and the Haddock was… meh.
Our appetizers had been far tastier.
The littlenecks with chourico were seasoned so as to allow for the rich saltiness of the ocean to grace the palate. The scallops were virtually gift wrapped in bacon and the flavor combination was wonderful. Our dessert was a double chocolate concoction that arrived with small adornments of strawberries.
We were enamored by its artful presentation and exhilarated by its excellent taste.
My martini was well mixed and the fact that Scampi stocks its bar with Hendrick’s Gin is a major plus. The wines are limited in variety and, as an industry norm, are vastly overpriced. An otherwise $ 6.00 bottle of Pinot Noir will cost you $ 23.00 at Scampi.

The service we experienced here was excellent. Our waitress’ name was Danielle and she was the picture of politeness and attentiveness.
Ultimately, Scampi doesn’t seem to be a regular go-​to spot, a hip place or much more than a local haven. I’m somewhat ambivalent of its overall value. Some of their seafood is excellently done, but much of it seemed to be standard fare. The mixed drinks are great but the wine prices are in lockstep with a market that’s all too happy to price gouge. The interior is blah but you have the option of eating outside by the sea.
See what I mean?
So take from this what you will. I for one will give Scampi another try when I can eat outdoors.

Great atmosphere and food. Twin lobsters were delish! Service and patio were top notch. A beautiful evening by the water.