Restaurant at Smuttynose — Restaurant in Hampton

I usually don't leave bad reviews, but this was a rough visit. There was no wait for a table, we were happy about that, but now we can guess why. I had been wanting to check this place out for about a year. We were finally in the neighborhood so we stopped in. The venue is gorgeous, inside and out. Pleasant patio, live band, we were psyched. The hostess sat us down and gave us menus and utensils, but no beer menu. I thought that was a little odd for a brewery. I grabbed one from a table that had just cleared. About 1/2 hour later the waiter showed up and took our drink orders. We ordered the food at the same time to save some time. Twenty or so minutes later our drinks came. 2 tables that arrived after us already had their drinks. An hour and a half after arriving we asked about our food and if at least we could get the appetizer and our child's meal. The waiter apologized, didn't ask if I wanted another beer on an almost empty cup, but he was polite. About five minutes later the child meal came out, fries were hard, like they were sitting out for a while. Our appetizer also was delivered, was not tasty. Another 15 to 20 minutes later the rest of our meal came out, mind you this was 2 hours after we arrived and we seated. I felt bad for the waiter, as he kept checking on it up to that point and apologizing. Obviously the problem was in the kitchen. We had been about to get up and ask for the check when the food showed up. The food was not great on top of it. We overheard two other tables complain about the wait, which was hard to understand because they were not packed. Several tables were empty. We did not complain to the waiter, he was polite, but he felt bad due to the wait and did not charge for a few items. We told him it was not necessary but he insisted. At least he was ok. My family and I eat out just about every weekend and we are creatures of habit when we find a good place. Unfortunately Smuttynose was such a disappointment. Such a shame, because the place is beautiful. Needless to say we will not...

I rarely write a negative review as I always give the establishment the opportunely to address any challenges, especially as an almost 30 year veteran of the service industry. I found this restaurant as a half way point to meet my sister-in-law and her family for a nice dinner, I was excited to try and the food was good, but the service left a little to be desired and the bill caught me by surprise.

1. Since they do not have a printed Children's menu, I was surprised to be charged $7 for a hot dog and fries.

2. My biggest pet peeve is being charged for drink refills, but was very surprised to see being charged for an iced tea refill? It is flavored water, the waitress said it was because it was homemade, REALLY, that itself should warrant it not being a refill charge.

3. I was also very put off by the fact that they charged me extra for a gluten-free wrap for my sandwich, I would have been OK with it if it had been disclosed, but the menu item indicated that it was gluten-free with a (GF) symbol.

4. When we explained to the waitress that the bottled Root Beer, ordered for my nephew, was very sweet and asked for a glass of water instead it took quite a long time to get the glass of water. My nephew was still thirsty and unconsciously took a sip of the root beer, just as she was finally walking back to the table. When I pointed out to her that the root beet was still on the check, her response was "Well he drank it", to which I responded, "He only took one sip because it took so long to get his water, go check the bottle!" I found her response a bit condescending. Half way through the meal, my wife and I were discussing the fact that we would gladly come back, by the end with the lack of service, the "hidden costs", but mostly the pure lack of empathy and response to my concerns push me to write this and vow to never return to or recommend this establishment ...

For the past couple years we have visited a few times -- we loved the ambiance of the interior in the Winter and the energy of the exterior in the Summer. The live music is always a pull -- but the food and drinks were always so fun and delicious. My wife and I always looked forward to their Margaritas and Bloody Mary's. Unfortunately this past visit was one of the worst experiences. We were told that they don't make Bloody Mary's anymore -- a severe disappointment, as Smuttynose had the best around -- and also, we aren't really sure how a full bar isn't able to make a Bloody Mary. Their Margarita was one of the worst I've ever had. It tasted like sour mix on ice. Any bar that makes a Margarita with sour mix clearly doesn't understand Margaritas. The kids had chocolate milk that came as white milk with a little bit of chocolate syrup in the bottom of their cups. Their menu has changed dramatically. It's always been small but packed with variety and flavor. One of our kids got the macaroni and cheese -- but really it was pasta swimming in a very loose butter/cheese juice. I ordered the wings with buffalo sauce -- which were dry, but they went right along with the theme since their carrots seemed intentionally dehydrated. Our daughter's Caesar Salad was the size of a side salad. You could fit it on a plate with an actual meal. Two people at our table got the Cubano and half of those people did not have a burned roll. We waited almost an hour for mediocre food, when people after us were served more promptly; and our server was surly and seemed as though she would rather be anywhere else. I certainly am hopeful that some of the feedback I've been seeing gets back to the right people so that we can get this place back on track. The two stars are because we're suckers for live music -- and that was on...