OUR STORY
Tradition Built Locally
56 Years of Bringing the Neighborhood Together
The Grog has sat on Middle Street for more than fifty years, long enough to become part of the rhythm of Newburyport life.
Regulars have watched their kids grow up in these booths. Friends have turned first dates into anniversaries here. What started as a neighborhood pub has stayed one, through award-winning burgers, a beer list that keeps growing, and a stage that never stays quiet for long.
The business itself traces back to the years after the Civil War, when Alfred W. Thompson, great-grandfather of Newburyport Yankee Whit Kimball, opened a “Ladies and Gents Eating and Oyster House” that served Newburyporters, sailors, statesmen, and travelers until Prohibition.
After repeal, Spud Leary opened the Pilot House and served the public until 1964, when the McCarthys took over. In 1969 the place was renamed The Grog, after the English Navy’s tradition of a ration of rum and water started by Admiral Vernon, who was nicknamed “Old Grog” for the grogram cloak he wore.
Richard Simkins and his wife Pat took ownership in 1971, and The Grog has been continuously family owned and operated ever since, still serving fresh food, good drinks, and entertainment with the goal of keeping things lively for everyone who walks through the door.
A LOCAL LEGEND
Visit Us
Looking to support a cause you care about?
Host a GrogRaiser night and we’ll donate 20% of that evening’s sales directly to your organization.
Fundraiser nights run any Sunday through Thursday, and every guest gets full access to our menu while helping your cause.
We’ll also help spread the word with a flyer, a few social posts, and an email to our mailing list, so turnout builds itself.
Groups need an active 501(c)(3) to participate.
Give us a call at 978 465-8008 to find a date that works.
Grog Around the World
From Yosemite’s granite cliffs to the streets of Santorini, our regulars
have carried a little bit of The Grog to every corner of the map.
have carried a little bit of The Grog to every corner of the map.
Been somewhere with a Grog story to tell? Send us your photo to [email protected]
WE ARE
Open
Mon – Thu
11:30AM - 10:00PM
Fri – Sat
11:30AM - 11:00PM
Sun
11:00AM - 9:00PM
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