The Ice House — Restaurant in Rye

Worst experience ever. Let’s face it, somebody needs to address the elephant in the room of what this place REALLY is and I guess it needs to be me. I worked at The Ice House for a VERY short period of time back in 2017 and initially I was excited to work in an area I grew up in. Unfortunately, I was EXTREMELY disappointed with the unfair treatment I received by the owners and their lack of professionalism. First of all, these people give little to no training at all to their employees and are on top VERY mean and nasty to them. One of the “owners” Kathy (the old woman with the short grey hair) is an EVIL old woman not only to her workers but to customers and I hope she’s reading this so she can get a serious attitude check. I went home from work crying everyday because she yelled at me so bad I would actually call it abuse. Kathy expected everything from me but failed to give me any sort of proper training. Not sure why she’s in the customer service business because she clearly doesn’t know how to handle people. Meg (the other owner) at least was a little more compassionate but was still quick to blame me when something went wrong when the bottom line is she was ill prepared. I was put in a position by them where I was pretty much forced to quit. Lastly, and this is important for customers: the food there is extremely average at best and the ice cream (which they get from Richardsons in Mass instead of locally making their own) is below average. On top, the girls who work at the front window are pretty snotty. Do yourself a favor and never go to The Ice House. STAY AWAY FOR YOUR...

Value find in Rye,NH! Lunch total: $42 plus tip Open: Seasonal Seating: Indoor and Outdoor Parking: Off-street Bonus Stop: Fort Stark, Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, Great Island Common, New Castle Beach, and Pierce Island are cute places to walk, sit, and take pictures. All within 3 miles. Order: Two orders of fish tacos on special ($11 an order?! Unheard of!), Side order of waffle fries, 3 bean salad, coleslaw, lemonade, ice tea, and 2 free waters.

Pros: Tacos were a steal at this price, fresh, and lightly fried perfectly. Served over a dry cabbage slaw, pickled red onion, and flavorful crema. Pro tip, throw a couple scoops of the side coleslaw on the taco to add bonus flavor and moisture. Three bean salad was flavored cowboy caviar style; a sweet surprise and delicious pairing for the fried tacos. Great outdoor space with picnic tables outback to enjoy a Sunday afternoon catching up with a friend. Will return for food and must try the ice cream next time.

Cons: Sides are separate so you can go from cheap to moderate price quickly, but truly for the Seacoast and especially Rye these prices are beyond fair. Second con, you have limited time to enjoy the fare and vibe. I discovered this place a month before it closed for the season 😞

Counter Service: Sweet younger staff, very helpful, patient, and quick to list all options off for you. Even asked how we liked everything when we walked back up to use the...

The quintessential ice cream (and hot food too!) place you visit when on vacation. I say this because some of the best ice cream places I've visited were while on summer vacation on the Maine coast. This place is much closer to us where we daycation on NH shore often. People must know this place is great, because there's always a line during peak hours, but it's worth it. We've visited 3 times now, and I still say the Ice cream is among the best I've ever had. The chicken fingers and waffle fries are great too! It's all outside window service now, no inside tables because of covid, and we always take our orders to go like many people, but there are picnic tables around back if you want that option. There are also restrooms conveniently located just inside the...