The Portland Ale House — Restaurant in Portland

So, I've been to Portland Ale House no less than 25 times. I'm local, and I always found the service to be perfectly acceptable when I've dined in. Tonight, a rainy night with my 9 year old, we decided to get take out. I got what I almost always do: a grilled chicken Caesar salad with tomatoes and cucumbers. The boy, a grilled cheese (which comes with fries, a fountain drink and an ice cream sandwich). When we went to pick up, we asked for some popcorn to go (my son loves their popcorn). The hostess asked another employee and there seemed to be some confusion. Me, thinking they're out of to-go containers perhaps, ask if they can just throw a bit in a to-go cup. She then relays that they no longer give popcorn on to-go orders. "Why not?" I inquired. Again, some awkward glances until I realize they're looking over at who I assume is the owner for the answer to that question. I turned my attention to him. He reiterated that they don't do that anymore. "How come?" I ask. He stares at me with a strange smile. I erroneously think he didn't hear me (it's a fairly loud evening in the bar). So, I ask again, with genuine curiosity. Same response. On the third ask, where I'm confused as to why the man hadn't said a word to a fairly easy question to answer, he said, "It's for the people in the restaurant to enjoy."

Um.

So first of all, I was asking for perhaps a handful and a half of popcorn. I wasn't about to load the machine into my car. Not for nothing (because it was my choice to do so), I had also just tipped 18% on a take out order, because up until that moment I really liked the place.

He dug his heels in on a ridiculous hill. He doesn't want to give what probably amounts to .25 of product to a paying, loyal customer. If this is now a policy, it's one that hasn't been well thought out.

I get it. They're the only game in town. My absence of business won't shut their doors. I'm sorry to say that I won't be back. I'll go over the bridge every time.

When we got home, we realized they also didn't include the ice cream sandwich, nor did they dress the salad or include dressing on the side. Maybe those two things are also for the people "in the...

My wife ordered a coke. Can’t get an easier than that. It wasn’t until she got close to the end, did she notice black spots at the bottom of the plastic cup. We both hoped the spots were in the plastic. She scraped them with her straw and could smear them. We thought it was mold. We called the waitress over and she immediately stated that it was pen ink, because that cup had been used behind the bar to put pens in. Absolutely gross that it was then used to serve a beverage in. We’re not the type to start yelling, whip out cell phones to take pictures and cause a scene. We had already put our food order in and were hungry, so we stayed. We checked the silverware, plates and food very closely when it arrived. Any additional issues and we would have politely left. We started with the loaded tater tots. They were golden on the outside, but a bit undercooked on the inside. We ate about 3/4 of them. We both had fish and chips which was good. My wife didn’t eat much of hers. It was clear that she had lost her appetite after the pen ink issue. This occurred at dinner time on 6/11/2022. We paid the bill in full and gave the waitress an 18% tip. Not the best dining experience for us. Suggest you still go and judge...

Waited an hour for our appetizers to be served and two hours for our to go order. The to go orders took so long one of our party had to leave and go get dinner elsewhere. When the to-go food finally came out and after we took it home, the food itself was disgusting! The soup we ordered was spilled in the bag, and the sandwiches looked like they were thrown into the containers like a big pile of slop in addition, some of the lettuce was rotten....gross! One of the to go salads was suppose to have medium-well steak, however what was served was semi raw steak, it looked like it had been cook for 5 minutes. When we went back to discuss this with the owner, his comment on the steak was "I would eat it!," from the look of this man, he would eat the steak if he had found it on the ground while he was out for a walk! The owner was rude, obnoxious, disrespectful and tried to blame his poor service and awful food quality on us, his customers. Instead of a refund, he offered a $50 gift card to come back to eat more of his disgusting food. Unfortunately, Portland Ale House does not live up to the same standard of the long time Portland Restaurant. If you're looking for a place to eat in Portland, go...