The story
Aurelia at Castle Hill serves a seasonal six-course menu at 590 Ocean Drive in Newport, Rhode Island, and holds a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating for 2026. The restaurant sits inside Castle Hill Inn, on a private peninsula overlooking Narragansett Bay.
The restaurant occupies the wooden mansion Alexander Agassiz built in 1875 as a summer home. Agassiz, a Harvard professor known as the father of marine biology, studied the bay's moon jellyfish, Aurelia, and the restaurant took its name from them. Dining happens across four rooms that Forbes describes as lively yet intimate, with the bay in view.
Guests choose between a chef's tasting menu and a vegetarian one, both in six courses. A sample chef's menu pairs shy squid and Alsatian gnocchi under an ink thyme veil, then moves to Hopkins Farm lamb with watercress and rock seaweed. It ends with apple, French meringue, chamomile and hibiscus. Seafood comes from waters around Aquidneck Island, and many greens are grown in the Inn's own kitchen gardens.
The cellar spreads over five small rooms in the mansion and holds more than 800 selections. Aurelia lists the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence from 2004, and the restaurant says it has held the award for more than ten years. The sommelier also curates house-made non-alcoholic pairings for the menu.
Recognition
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History
Inside Aurelia, which is spread among four spaces in the mansion-like Castle Hill Inn, the scene is lively yet intimate. The rooms allow for easy conversation in a relaxed and sophisticated setting.Outside on The Lawn and terrace, the atmosphere is a bit more casual, as guests enjoy oyster martinis (Crop tomato vodka, sambal-cilantro purée, Clamato and a Rhode Island oyster) and lighter picnic fare (steamed littleneck clams with housemade kielbasa in a smoked seaweed broth with chiles and crostini; or a lobster roll with tarragon-crème fraîche dressing) while lounging on the picture-perfect Adirondack chairs.Set on a private 40-acre peninsula minutes away from downtown Newport, the beautifully maintained grounds of Castle Hill Inn overlook the breathtaking sights of Narragansett Bay. From the sailboats casually coasting by to the unobstructed views of the Newport Pell Bridge, guests of Aurelia at Castle Hill are treated to a quintessential New England experience.The six-course prix fixe menu is simplistically elegant, offering a selection of delicious New England cuisine. Each course is a guided culinary journey through the season and provides the story behind the locally sourced ingredients.
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