Atlantic Grill — Restaurant in Rye

My wife and I went to this restaurant expecting something great, especially for the price, and we were met with the exact opposite. When we arrived, we were told we would have an hour and a half wait (this is not my complaint), I figured there would be a wait, it was a Saturday night and I didn't make a reservation. They told us they would text us when our table was ready, which was a much better option than getting a buzzer that reaches 200 feet. My wife and I left to head to do some window shopping in the next town over, and essentially as soon as we got in the parking spot, we received the text the table was ready. A whopping 21 minutes later. So we came back to the restaurant, and were promptly seated. Our waitress was friendly, a bit awkward, but still friendly. We ordered the Thai Tuna Lettuce Wraps to start, which were overly peanut-butter(y). My wife ordered 1lb of their king crab legs, and I ordered the surf and turf, and chose the filet and king crab option. After about 30 minutes we received our food. My wife was given the appetizer size of the king crab legs, 1/2 a pound, which the waitress apologized for, stating she had misunderstood that she wanted 1lb. Okay, that's fine, we'll just share some. We started on the crab legs, where were pretty much room temperature, we ordered steamed, and they were dry. Again, steamed but dry. And room temperature. After getting through the crab legs, I cut into what was supposedly a medium rare filet, to find no red, and nearly no pink. Effectively medium-well. And the flavor was basically non-existent, and burnt. We had basically taken one bite when the waitress asked us how everything was, and she didn't ask again the entire time, maybe it was the displeased looks on our faces. To top it off, we spent the majority of the dinner defending ourselves from flies that were more interested in the food than we were.

I have been to their sister store, and it was significantly better. And cheaper. I won't be returning to this restaurant. It wasn't worth the time or the money, and I'd advise others to listen to the lower star ratings that I ignored saying the food and service was mediocre for the price....

My partner and I decided to treat ourselves after a nice walk along Hampton Beach's boardwalk and lengthy sidewalks. As this was just a place we drove by a couple times, we thought why not. I thought it was wise to get a reservation, and was glad I did. It filled up quickly!

Our waitress was awesome! Very punctual, and made sure the kitchen accommodated a food allergy. She even explained that anything I got was safe or not in case we shared. At the same time, she gave us time alone without stopping by too much. We appreciate that immensely. Would shout her out if we got her name. Top notch service.

The restaurant itself was too loud. We sat near the bar, but the clientele in the dining area was so loud I couldn't hear my partner talking next to me; you'd think the bar would be louder. That isn't the restaurant's fault though, but I did take a star off the atmosphere. I will however say that whoever set the thermostat needs to not put the a/c on in the dining area in 40-50 degree weather. My partner refused to take his coat off he was so cold. Not cool (pun unintended)

For appetizers we had calamari and a cup of lobster bisque. Both were amazing. The calamari came with a toothpick saying "allergy" on it, emphasizing that needed attention to detail, which was greatly appreciated. We were also advised he was safe to try my soup. Also appreciated.

For entrees we made our own dinner of filet for me and NY strip for my partner. I got the sweet potato and asparagus and he got the wild rice and steamed broccoli. Again, attention to detail with the allergy toothpick and how the steaks should be cooked.

We tried the Flower Power cocktail and equivalent mocktail. It wasn't bad, loved the presentation with the lavender garnish. I noticed they are able to make other cocktails too; worth asking if they make your guilty pleasure.

The bill was pricey, but worth it. We enjoyed our time there and appreciate the accommodations made by the kitchen; not too many are willing to go to such lengths for customers. If anything we expected a more warm and intimate atmosphere, but alas. Worth it for...

With so many mediocre restaurants everywhere serving bland, boring and common faire, it is good to find a restaurant where they actually care about the quality of the food they serve.

The Atlantic Grill is an upscale restaurant in Rye, just on the outskirts of Portsmouth, in a new building. The inside is very nicely designed and attractive. The bar area was the only part open on the Sunday evening we visited, but it is very large and includes a dining area with tables and booths. The very large bar sits in the middle of the room and is surrounded with seating and hightop tables.

The service was attentive and polite, but not hovering and our meals were nicely presented when they were brought out.

My wife ordered the swordfish special which came with potatoes and peas in a creamy sauce and a special pepper emulsion for the fish which she asked for on the side. The menu said the potatoes were fingerlings, but she was served new potatoes. Her swordfish was a good size and properly cooked and she was very pleased with her meal.

I ordered the herb-crusted haddock from the menu. It featured a delicious piece of perfectly cooked haddock over mashed potatoes, "market vegetables", with a garlic butter sauce. The vegetables were carrots and a cauliflower that looked like a blonde broccolini and a small green leaf that was very tasty. I'm not a fan of cauliflower, but the vegetables were delicious and I ate all of them. My haddock was an entire fillet. cut in half and stacked on top of the veggies.

The drink menu features a good selection of craft beers, wines and wine by the glass. I love a good red wine and they had Rodney Strong, but I went with a Stoneface IPA which is a delicious and very hoppy beer.

Our bill was just around $85 with the tip and could easily have been over that if we'd ordered appetizers, more drinks and desert. It was worth the price for a very satisfying meal.

Atlantic Grill is now on our list of very good places to have an enjoyable and...