The Oar House

Cheap food for a stupid high price. Portsmouth has plenty of other waterfront view meals for a better price and quality. A tourist trap

I used to go here with my parents way back in the day. The food was much better back then… and don’t get me started on the service. One evening the place was empty. My dining guest wanted a bloody mary. However, due to a seafood allergy, he could not have the bar mix which had clam juice. The bartender acted as if we asked for a big bankroll. I’m too busy to get tomatoe juice. Then the food came… lukewarm and poorly prepared and served. Too bad. Never going back

Consistently great food here. Wonderful flavors. Always a pleasant dining experience; Paul, our server, was very attentive. Will definitely return!

We were 10 for dinner on a Saturday night. We made reservations but we’re still made to wait a while for our table. When we were finally seated we ordered a round of drinks and apps. The waiter was personable and attentive to start. The apps came and were ehhh. While we were waiting for the apps we placed out entrée orders. For over 30″ we waited for our entrees and the waiter never showed back up. When he finally came around he blamed the wait on the kitchen staff. Food was so so. wouldn’t return.

I really wanted to like this place but i just felt like for a $ 150 dollar dinner it should have blown me away. It didn’t.

Had thanksgiving dinner here. The place was packed but thank you for being open. I think.
Just a few issues. The corn and clam chowder should be relabeled potato chowder. Lots of potatoes zero clams little corn.
Mixed green salad was 100% spinach.
Waitress so disorganized all our later-​seated neighbors were served far before us
1.5 lb lobster? Ha! 1 lb at best, no lemon served with cold beans and rice. … What? Who serves that with lobster?
Then they ran out of dessert. FAIL. Best to go to a diner for holiday meals. You get the same service, food is crap at both. Why pay a premium price and get your hopes up? Get your act together Oar House.

We came here for restaurant week and we’re excited by the menu offerings. The restaurant is quaint a nice ambiance. The host allowed us to pick our table. The waitress was pleasant but not overly friendly. She was efficient and the food was timed well. First disappointment was that they were out of the bottle of wine we ordered. Secondly the food was just «blah». The bacon goat cheese empanadas were amazing. However, the mushroom soup was flavorless. It needed salt and seasoning. I had the shrimp pico. Shrimp wrapped in phyllo. It was so over cooked that the shrimp were tough and I had to cut it with a steak knife. The asparagus was well cooked but entirely lacking in seasoning and bland. My husband had steak frites and he was not pleased with that either. We will cross The Oar House off of our annual restaurant week list as its not worth returning.

Incredibly slow and inattentive service and when you consider the over priced menu, one would expect a lot more.
That being said the food is very good. I had the broiled haddock and my wife the seared tuna. Both were delicious.
One final note would be the charming atmosphere of the old brick and timber beam construction.

Excellent grilled haddock with a waterside table on a sunny afternoon made our visit fun and tasty. Added bonus was the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ beef and chorizo hamburger with spicy pickled peppers and a right-​sized sauce. If you’re going on a harbor tour this makes a good choice for a late lunch.

Friendly service, and yummy food! We were with a very large wedding party and therefore able to sample a wide variety of the menu. Loved the Bruschetta, Blue Apple pizza, and variety of cocktails!

On the way to Maine stopped in Portsmouth for sight see & lunch. Walked around a little & came here for lunch. We didn’t read any reviews. Just walked in since its out door by the water. 5 of us in the party. I was excited to have N.E. clam chowder. Boy it was so bad & watery it kills the mood for everything. They couldn’t do a simple fried calamari. Calamari was soggy. I asked everyone on the table. None of the dishes were good. Why am I giving 3 stars? Because I had a good beer by the water. Also the wait staff was nice. I think simply if you run a restaurant in N.E. you should know how to make Clam Chowder & Fried Calamari. Don’t waste your time & money. I am sure there are much better restaurants in Portsmouth.

Once one of my favorite places to eat and drink throughout New England, however that was a few years ago. Each time I go I’m more disappointed than the time before. I’ve finally decided no more chances, this place has become awful.
Although the easy parking and views make it so tempting, the food quality is horrible, I’ve lost complete faith in this place ever getting back to what it use to be.
Plenty of other options in the neighborhood take advantage of them!

We stopped here for a cocktail before we took the scenic sunset tour of the Portsmouth harbor… This place is nice as it is on the waters edge and probably would be very nice for dinner. Will review when we do!

The bartender was a word I can not share. Rude, rude, rude. For that reason we went inside. The bartender inside was better but the food was not great. It was mediocre at best. Ribs were terrible. The only decent thing was the salmon special. But for the price… not worth a trip. Go somewhere else.

We stopped by another restaurant that had an hour and fifteen minute wait. We wanted to try that out, but were pretty parched, so we walked around and discovered a waterside deck with no wait.
Most places nearby had an hour wait, yet this place was seating immediately?
Was something wrong with it?
I’m happy to report: nope. This place was great.
Friendly service, tasty drinks, a great tasting appetizer (that’s all we had — the PEI mussels, with chorizo sausage in them!), and no wait on a Saturday night!
Check it out. If the rest of the menu is as good as the PEI mussels, you won’t be disappointed.

Excellent service! We came to Portsmouth to celebrate our first anniversary and our experience at the Oar House was just what we were looking for! From the bruschetta and scallops as appetizers to the filet mignon, we were not disappointed! They also have a broad wine list and a quiet and peaceful ambiance. We are from NY, but we will definitely make the trip back!

The Oar House, Portsmouth New Hampshire
Its that time of day again… looking for the next great meal in my travels…
In my search I find The Oar House in Portsmouth. I was happy to find that they actually have their own parking lot. Something probably 99% of the other restaurants here don’t. Elsewhere…, you are relegated to off street metered parking or the giant municipal parking lot so right off the bat this place scores with me.
First up the appetizer… Asian Style Sticky ribs… Semi Boneless Pork ribs slow roasted with a hoisin glaze and apple onion slaw… Flavorful but I would have cooked them slower and longer…
The bread I had to ask for… Thats a pet peeve for me. Slightly warmer than room temperature with whipped butter… Not bad…
For my main course I ordered the Beef Wellington Special… A Filet with mushrooms, shallots and garlic in a pastry puff served with Swiss chard… Fingerling potatoes and a spinach medley accompany the Beef…
Skipped dessert (not enough variation) and opted for my signature cappuccino…
All in all it was ok but it didn’t wow me… You would probably like it so I do recommend it…

If you are from out of town and want a typical view with great food, The Oar house will do that for you. The fried oysters were fantastic, the bloody mary and the haddock sandwich. The place is not cheap but it is totally worth it for the food and the experience.

Huge bummer.
The food was so bad that it doesn’t matter how great the location is or that the service was decent or that the inside was pleasant.
The rolls were the first sign that things were going to be bad. They were old and clearly microwaved, the chicken was charred and tasted like a dirty grill, the lettuce was wilted and wet, the lobster was like rubber, the ribs were pure fat and barely chewable. And, even the cranberry juice was wrong — tasted more like grenadine.
This all stung a little bit worse because the prices are so high.
Definitely would never go back (_​_​_​Insert ‘Oar’ Pun here_​_​_​)

The Oar House is the type of restaurant that is ubiquitous in New England seaport resort towns. It reminds of the Brotherhood of Thieves on Nantucket or The News in Edgartown.
1. The atmosphere is low beamed somewhat dim with a nautical theme.
2. The service is very solid.
3. The food is your typical resort pub food. You can pretty much guess the menu before you open it up.
A salad with salmon was good as was the scallops wrapped in bacon. The lobster bisque was a bisque absent the lobster. There was nary a piece of lobster to be found. While I was unable to get a taste of the mac and cheese from my uncooperative wife it appear to disappear quickly hence my thoughts that it was well done. They make a decent but not outstanding martini. Probably not ones first choice but there are surprisingly few of the top rated restaurants open for lunch on Portsmouth.