The Works Cafe — Restaurant in Portsmouth

PLEASE READ THE REVIEWS BEFORE GOING HERE - Absolutely the WORST place I have every been to for lunch in my entire life.

4-5 girls standing behind the counter acting like they were incredibly annoyed that we entered and wanted to order something to eat. These people were so unbelievably rude - I was actually stunned by what I encountered here.

My friend and I drove up from Boston today with our mothers to visit Strawberry Banke and have lunch. After waiting 10 minutes at the end of the counter each person had an excuse why they couldn't take our order. "I'm cutting bread", "I have to clean this area", "I'm busy". We were the only ones there.

As soon as I moved toward the cash register to ask the next person for help, a guy got in line behind us and the girl immediately took his order. I asked her what was going on and she said, "You lost your spot when you moved toward the register. You have to get back in line and start over."

NEVER, EVER, EVER have I encountered more rude, dysfunctional, and inappropriate behavior. These people are beyond belief. For God's sake PLEASE don't waste your time and money.

Needless to say the food came out at all different times, the place was filthy, and the help is downright RUDE. A girl with a long braid who left at 3:00 on Tuesday, May 14th should be FIRED. The "Manager" is a joke. She should be fired, too. Maybe she could get a job in one of the local tattoo shops. I think she would be much more comfortable there.

Who the hell OWNS this place???? Don't you even read the reviews? Are you just raking in too much money to care? And the link you posted in other reviews to contact you - like your store - it...

Visited a few times this summer and so far seems running into the same issues. In one of the visits The girl behind the register when asked questions wasn’t sure what to answer, but gave an answer anyways without asking someone. We didn’t get asked if the order was for here or to go. Everyone looked stressed out and incapable of as much as a smile. It took more than 15 min for food and 20ish min for drinks. The Coffee machine looked rather lonely, while waiting for someone to start on our drinks. During the next visit a few weeks later, We actually got asked if we wanted our food for ‘to eat here’ or ‘to go’, so I guess it depends who’s taking your order. Preparation took about 15 min. Iced coffees at the coffee station were more than half empty. Place still looked filthy, including the bathroom(both times). Food pick up station was still a mayhem, looked like they were ready to loose it. The trash area was full of crumbs and dirty plates.

The latte tasted weak and deluded, the espresso was a bit bitter, it’s also served in huge coffee cup for some reason. The water pitcher by the coffee station doesn’t get refilled often.

Some employees are unprofessional: yawning, crossing their arms, giving you attitude when you ask questions.

It’s a shame because the food actually taste good. My favorite is Southwest chicken burrito (although the spice level is...

The Works is fantastic. I've been a weekly regular here for about 5 years. Their food is fresh and delicious and it's a terrific option for a quick and affordable lunch - soups, sandwiches, plated meals and a variety of drinks both hot and cold. I'm eating the Farmer's Veggie sandwich as I write this (my favorite). Their staff is a force to be reckoned with. They are diligent and determined and it's an impressive sight when you see 6-8 of them behind the counter working hard to prepare everyone's meals on a non-stop basis. Huge props to management for training and maintaining such an effective team!

Unfortunately, I have to dock one star for one simple reason: it's inconvenient to go in and order just a coffee, namely while it's busy. When it's not busy it's not an issue, but The Works is busy most of the time. Because all transactions are processed through one register you have two options: 1) wait in the (deservedly) long line which lengthens your visit ten-fold, or 2) awkwardly wedge your way into the front of the line (cutting off customers who are in line and ready to pay for their food). The layout of the cafe contributes to this but it's not very convenient for grabbing a quick cup of coffee.

Highly recommend for a quick lunch, less so if you want a...