Portsmouth Gas Light Co. — Restaurant in Portsmouth

The restaurant has 3 entrances street side; 2 were blocked off and the 3rd wasn't identified. When looking at the available entrance it leads to a set of stairs leading up. After figuring out how to enter the restaurant, we were not greeted. We walked in, proceeded to the host/ess station or podium and a young lady came from behind us and stood at the podium. Several seconds past and she finally said "Hi". We requested a party of 2 and a booth. She lead us to the booth and dropped 2 menu's and walked away. The restaurant was NOT busy.

Ten minutes later a young male waiter came to our booth and we were greeted with another "Hi".

While sitting, we noticed another couple being sat by the same hostess. She did the same with them as well: placed the menus on the table and walked away. They were greeted by a different waiter who also said "Hi". Uncertain if they placed an order, but shortly after they were greeted, they left the restaurant.

I ordered a Draft Beer and my wife a sparkling water. We ordered it, not asked "can I start you off with a drink?". We were asked if you would like water also which we accepted. Our drink were brought to the table: the beer was cold and refreshing. My wife was served a bottle of sparkling water with the cap still on and a paper cup with a lime and lemon in it. No glass was accompanied with the bottle of water. A couple minutes went by and and I had to get the waiter's attention. He approached and I asked for a glass for my wife's water. My wife asked for a bottle opener. The waiter responded "Oh, it's not a twist off?". Obviously not, but we would expect the bottle to be already opened and poured at the table. He took the bottle from the table and returned it open. He also brought the glass. No ice.

We decided to place our order (not asked) and ordered a cup of chowder and our entress. He asked if we wanted the chowders to come out first and then he would bring out the entrees. We agreed and continued on. Our chowder came fairly quickly and was hot and tasted very good. We were close to 1/2 way done with the chowder and our entrees were surprisingly delivered. NOTE: When anything was served (drinks, apps, entrees and bread), it was placed at the front end/edge of the table. They were not served or placed in front of us.

We finished our meals, sat with our empty plates for several minutes before the waiter returned to our booth. He asked if we were "all set" and we told him we were finished. He asked if we wanted to take anything home. The plates were fairly empty and we said no. He cleared our plates and things and my wife noticed the bill had already been placed on the table. Never asked if we wanted anythingelse. We paid, he collected the bill and payment, returned it for signature and told us something along the lines of "take care".

THE ENTIRE TIME WE WERE THERE WE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE. We immediately left the restaurant.

NOTE: This is not a review to personaly target or attack the individuals that served us. It may have been there 1st day and we have all had our own 1st days. I also understand that waiting tables is NOT an easy job. THE ESTABLISHMENT needs to do a better job at selecting and/or training it's staff. Especially for the prices you pay...

My wife and I stopped there last night after driving back from up north. The place seemed busy outside and the outside deck was busy... inside didn't seem that busy at all we decided to sit inside. they seated us in a room over to the otherwise which was perfect . The Server came over told us her name and wanted to take our orders for drinks. We had to take a couple minutes which was no problem and she came back promptly and did so.. We placed our orders for meals when she brought the drinks back which were only 3 appetizers. After 40 minutes of waiting… she came over to explain to us that the kitchen was getting slammed and they were backed up and things would be out very quickly no real apology nothing about it. She was serving the people outside quickly with their drinks I noticed that it almost seems like we will forgotten in that room. Another couple came in 15 minutes after we did and proceed to get their food 10 minutes before we did . Just as I was ready to get up and say to my wife let's go the waitress brought our food over to us. I have to say I was very disappointed. The chicken tenders came out like golf teas very well overdone like they've been forgotten inside the fryorlater or sitting underneath a heat lamp. My chicken wings were rather overdone. The only thing that was good was the vegetables they had on the plate and the cauliflower that I had ordered.. The Server came over at 1 point and asked us if everything was OK, my wife had needed another drink so we never got a chance to really tell her that the food wasn't that good .When she bought the 2nd drink over which was only a Shirley Temple my wife had to reminded her to bring a straw which she went back and just placed it on the table in front of my wife eagerly getting off to another table. My wife barely ate her food and when the server came over at the end to ask us if there was anything else we said no and my wife explained to the server that the food wasn't that good and it was very overdone… no apology no Hey let me take the sodas you had off the bill or anything like that she promptly brought the bill over and said have a good day unfortunately I don't think we will be going back again.. too bad! understand in the restaurant business nowadays people are shorthanded and don't get me wrong I'm not trying to throw anyone under the bus but This just wasn't acceptable. I know people will say why didn't you bring it to their attention. We would of if we had a server that came over and...

Visited on July 2nd around 4pm expecting a pleasant happy hour experience but left frustrated due to misleading menu information and poor service coordination.

The Issues: Confusing Layout & Poor Initial Service:

-Multiple entry points with no clear signage about where to go -Staff watched us wander around the closed nightclub area without offering help -Had to hunt down someone to explain seating arrangements -Waited 10+ minutes outside before bartender told us to seat ourselves (despite "wait to be seated" signs)

Misleading Happy Hour Menu:

-Server provided THREE different menus including what appeared to be a happy hour menu -Made ordering decisions based on the smaller menu we assumed was for happy hour specials -When the $94+ bill arrived, only 1 out of 4 items had happy hour pricing applied -Server then produced a DIFFERENT happy hour menu with completely different items/pricing

Poor Problem Resolution:

-When I questioned the charges, server acknowledged the confusion but said "nothing she could do" -Offered to "tell the owner" but provided no actual solution -Suggested signing up for rewards program that takes 72 hours to activate (useless for current visit)

The Positives:

Food quality was excellent (crab cakes, Tuscan mussels, clam strips were all great) Our actual server was pleasant and helpful once we finally got one

Bottom Line:

While the food was good, the poor communication, misleading menu presentation, and unwillingness to address the confusion made this a frustrating experience. For a restaurant charging $90+ for appetizers and drinks, I expect clearer policies and better customer service when their own menu confusion causes billing issues.

Would I return? Probably not. Too many other great restaurants in Portsmouth that don't leave you feeling like you've been misled about pricing.

Note: The irony of the "Gas Light Co." name wasn't lost on me given how this situation...