Cap Club

For its 100th birthday, one of Newport’s grand old hotels traded Gilded Age formality for banana daiquiris. When Hotel Viking reopened after a major renovation in 2026, its rooftop emerged as Cap Club, a tropical rum bar inspired by Newport’s sailing culture. Think retro loungers, nautical details, Caribbean cocktails, and sunset views across the city, all wrapped in a distinctly 1990s America’s Cup aesthetic. The menu delivers papaya and burrata, tuna tartacos, banana daiquiris, and other dishes designed for long summer evenings above Bellevue Avenue.

The sailing reference runs deeper than decor. For more than half a century, Newport was home to the America’s Cup, the world’s oldest international sporting trophy. Harold Vanderbilt successfully defended the Cup here in 1930, 1934, and 1937, turning Newport into one of America’s great sailing capitals.

Hotel Viking itself opened in 1926 to accommodate the overflow of visitors arriving for Newport’s famously exclusive summer social season. Wealthy summer residents, including William H. Vanderbilt, joined local businessmen in backing the project. A century later, the hotel is still catering to Newport’s summer crowd, only now the dress code comes with rum, coladas, and a little less starch.