I was surprised at the negative reviews. You must ask for John! He was so accommodating and kind and efficient and just phenomenal. The food was great and fresh and couldn't find one negative thing to say. Very cool old historic building. The scallops were to die for, perfectly prepared.I also came a few months ago for the dinner week and had the same wonderful experience so I'd encourage you to give the Oar House a try. Not to mention FREE convenient parking!I've been coming here for 25+ years and have yet to have a bad meal.
We found this place by accident . It is out of the way down a side street. We actually just followed the sound of the live music. They had an acoustic guitar player who was fabulous, the food was great and the staff was delightful. Very laid back and right on the water. Nice place to kick back and relax with dinner and drinks after a day of shopping.
I arrived at 2:15, long after the lunch rush on a Tuesday. The dock was quiet and The few customers had been served or were sitting after their lunch. There were two waitresses and a server at the bar. They walked by me for 15 minutes as I waited to get a menu and place an order. In a non- busy restaurant, when people have clearly seen you waiting, 15-20 minutes is too long to wait for a menu. A zero in my book.
A 16 dollar pizza, 3 glasses of wine and 1 beer... $58.00,,,,are you kidding me?? The service was good, but when I got the bill, I thought he gave me someone else's by mistake. I was going to go back and ask about it, but after reading of a similar situation, well, I'll never go back, period.
The Oar House is what you would expect. Quaint little place on the ocean with kick butt food. Can't go wrong with the chowdah. Caesar salad had authentic dressing on it. None of these bottle dressing. Filet was perfectly seared in a mushroom demiglaze. Then to top it off you have to get the flourless chocolate cake. Great wine menu too.
Really cool atmosphere in old brick and timber restored building. Service was good and food was solid. One small point, too much dressing on 2 of 2 salads.
We ate lunch at the outdoor deck after a harbor cruise. Looking over the harbor at the boat traffic on a sunny day was the only reason we were here. Food was average - Red Hook beer ok, prices reflected tourist trap.
2 disappointing experiences in one week. First ordered a "To Go" Greek Pizza - 16". When we got it it was 13" didn't have spinach like it said on the menu but did have ricotta cheese. We brought it back and they remade it. This time it was 14". Why advertise 16" if that's not what you actually make?Next went to the deck with family. Had a fried scallop "basket" for $16. It included 6 small scallops, french fries that were barely warm and tasted old and the driest, blandest cole slaw ever (actually inedible)Like the gentleman noted above I ordered a glass of wine, nothing special just a glass. When we got the bill I was really shocked to see the price was $9.50. Unbelievable. The Oar House better realize that Portsmouth has a ton of restaurants that are better and more reasonable with better food. Really a shame because they have a good location. So disappointing! Won't go back.
Fantastic decor - love the old-world, colonial yet upscale atmosphere. Appropriate lighting; good beer and wine selection. Service started out very good; appetizers arrived quickly and fresh. However, the entrees were mediocre: Lobster overcooked, took a really long time to come out. (We joked that they had to run out to Market Basket to buy some). Mussels were "not right" - difficult to open (undercooked?, bad??). The good news is that without our complaining, the manager came out, apologized for the wait, and offered free desserts for all 6 of us. Nice offering. If not for some of the food, I'd have gone 5 stars.
We had a less a relatively expensive and unenjoyable lunch there. The waiter was pushing drinks, probably to cover the quality of food.Waste of time and money