Portsmouth Gas Light Co

I live in Boston and I have been to Gas Light and Co. numerous times ? every time I stay in Portsmouth. I found it surprising that this place was getting poor reviews and then I read the reviews. Since I like this place I want to take this post to set expectations. First, realize that Portsmouth is tiny. It needs variety. It is full of great little restaurants, but it doesn?t offer a lot of options for a younger audience who is looking for a night out on the town. Gas Light & Co. offers variety. Here are a few points on the food and the scene, at least from my experience here. The Food: ? Great food. They really do have great food. It?s not going to be the best meal of your life, but it is better than good. ? Great location. Right on market street. ? Reasonable prices. Each floor offers different food options, but all in my opinion are reasonably priced. They are not obnoxiously high, but I wouldn?t call them cheap either. I think they are priced well for the quality of food that you get. The Scene(s): There are three floors and a deck outside. The top floor is a club scene at night, the ground floor is the more upscale restaurant, which serves lunch and dinner, and the third floor offers pizza, wings and beers. Additionally, they have a deck, which is a great option to have for nice spring or summer days and for nights when you want to enjoy some good live music. I actually like having all of those options, but some people do not. That being said, from reading all of these reviews it sounds like most of the frustration is due to the time that these people went to eat and not having a clear idea of what to expect going in. So? here are a few things to know if you are going to visit. Lunch ? if you go for lunch you?ll get a nice quiet restaurant with great food and quick and friendly service. Dinner ? If you visit during normal dinner hours 5-7p you?ll enjoy a great dinner with a decent little beer selection and your average, busy restaurant noise. HOWEVER, if you go for a bite later in the night you won't have the tables and you?ll likely feel like you?re in your typical Faneuil Hall Boston bar filled with a younger crowd and a lot of noise. In short, if you?re going there to eat, go for lunch or go during regular dinner hours and I am confident you?ll enjoy it. If you go later on, expect a loud, noisy, younger bar crowd. more

Friends and I were looking for someplace with a patio and some live music in Portsmouth, and we stumbled across the Gas Light. We coughed up the $5 cover because paying a cover at the door to a bar usually ensures cheaper beers, better service, you know, some kind of benefit. We sidled up to the bar and placed our order. Three beers came to $15. Definitely on the high side, but not ridiculous. One of my friends and I wanted to have a cigar, but were told that we can't smoke them on the deck. All around us were people with cigarettes, but no cigars allowed?! WTF? The rules continued to pile up, and so did the prices. No drinks in the bathroom (not ridiculous). No shots. 1 drink per hour limit. If you want to order a round of drinks, you have to have everybody at the bar when you order. Once you go to the nightclub, if you want to go back to the deck you have to pay the cover again. You get carded all the time (once at the door to the deck, at the bar on the deck, at the door to the nightclub, at the bar in the nightclub, etc etc). No drinks on the dancefloor. If you want comfortable seating you have to pay $25 to get into the VIP section (really just a roped off section of the nightclub with some couches). No shots here either. Nothing straight up, nothing on the rocks, no drinks with more than 2 types of alcohol in them. The list goes on and on. Plus, even though it has a cover to get in, this place is EXPENSIVE!! $9 for a mixed drink, $5 for beer (a budweiser, no less!!). Even our DD had to pay $2.50 for a COKE!! Save yourself some money and a lot of hassle and go someplace else, this place isn't worth your time or consideration. Pros: unique patio lighting Cons: pretty much everything else more

I have to agree with the review of the establishment as a bar/nightclub. It was so corny and so rediculous. The staff are quite rude, as if to project some sort of self-importance or use some kind or reverse psychology to get you to think you are at some exclusive nightclub ( I hear they actually hava a roped off V.I.P section in the danceclub which I think is hilarious, as it is a business driven mostly by white tourist from New England suburbs. The approach they are taking to make sure yu know just how much you you need to be there, seems to be by creating as many lines to wait in as possible...maybe so from the street you think you are looking upon the next Studio 54. We waited in line at the mis-direction of one staff person just to be barked at by a ""Look at my tatto sleeve, everybody"" chick who was guarding the upstairs entrance like it was One-Eyed Willies treasure. She rudely demanded we go back outside and wait as it had it's own entrace. Confused as anybody in their right mind would be as we had just gotten in and paid 8 dollars each doing so, just to return to the line. We were aggressively directed to return to wait in line again, carded again, and met up with the same terminator lady, who cut my wrist bracelet and grunted at my ""Thankyou"". Aside of the entitled abusive treatment of the staff, the list of this club is total joke goes on...weird and police-state environment that monitors your drinking like you are at the prom...one drink limit ordering, no shots, bouncers grabbing your wrist to check your (completely unneccessary) blacklight stamp if you get too close to any entrance. Almost all staff were incredibly rude and abrupt, and we could not wait to finish our drinks and get out of there, as there are many places to choose from that turned out to be waaaay better even without the barely used dance floor and college frathouse disco lighting. Save your money and go to the irish bar around the corner to Ri Ra for friendly staff, fun environment, live music, and a good time. Pros: Sour service... not worth a penny of your money! Cons: Air of self inflated, self-importance, and Disrespect more

Like many of the other reviewers, two friends and I recently paid the cover at Gas Light and before finishing our first drink were asked to leave by the bouncers upstairs. When we asked why they told us they had received complaints but would not provide details. Hmmm... all we were doing was sitting at the bar and talking amongst ourselves. They refused to refund our cover and literally escorted us to the ""mandatory"" coat room and then down the stairs to the front door. As a group of professionals in our late 30s who has frequented many establishments, we found the whole thing QUITE odd and somewhat discriminatory as the majority of clientele in the nightclub were in their twenties. We agree with many here, stay away. There are plenty of other places in Portsmouth to frequent. Pros: nothing Cons: bad service, cover more

I LOVE THIS BAR!!! The Gaslight offers a great atmosphere with no hassle. They have: game night on Mondays, Dancing on Friday and Saturdays (the only place in town by the way) and they offer pizza downstairs and great fine dining food on the street level. The staff is friendly and knows how to make just about every drink known to man but they have zero tolerance for rude and offensive behavior so if you want to be a [******] go to DStreet. more

One of my worst dining experiences. My wife's cocktail was without flavor; the noodles in her stirfry were so overcooked they were coagulated. The meat in my entree was overdone and tough; the rice was without flavor, overcooked and barely edible. Our server was inexperienced and forgot one of the before dinner drinks. As stated by another reviewer, I telephone the owner and asked for a call back. Not surprisingly, he has not returned my call. Considering the high price of the entrees, I sis not expect to be served Denny's quality food. Stay away. Pros: Location & ambience Cons: Overpriced and horribly prepared food more

Having formerly lived in Dover, I am familiar with the nightlife in Portsmouth. I recently enrolled in law school and decided to bring some friends for a night on the town. After dinner we went to some bars. Our last stop was the Gaslight. This was a mistake. I remember there being a dress code, but what ensued this night was just ridiculous. Pros: Good music - that's it. Cons: Everything else. more

I don't go here too often because I love the food and ambiance more at Flatbread's down the street, but the... more

I don't go here too often because I love the food and ambiance more at Flatbread's down the street, but the pizzas here have always been good. The... more

Previously, I had an above average opinion of the Portsmouth Gas Light Co.; however, after today’s... more

Good pizza. The beer from the tap was fresh. Service was good considering the large size of our party. On another visit with a smaller party, the s... more

We were very disappointed with our experience here. We came to Portsmouth to celebrate the wedding of a friend of mine, and we had great plans to head over to the Gaslight. However, we were refused service at the door because they ""don't allow bachelorette parties"" inside of the club. HUH? I don't see why. I can't see them treating a group of GUYS the same way, even if they WERE celebrating a bachelor party. Pros: Nothing... maybe the fact that I'm never going there again? Cons: Service, Bouncers, Sexist Attitudes and Policies more

Okay. We sat in the main restaurant. We went in expecting to spend about $60.00. We walked away spending... more

Okay. We sat in the main restaurant. We went in expecting to spend about $60.00. We walked away spending $100.00. The food was okay. The servic... more

After leaving a nice meal in Portsmouth, 8 of us headed to the Gaslight to dance and have some fun (usual at Bachelorette parties). At the door, the grumpy bouncer instructed the bride to remove her veil. He said that they do not like the atmosphere bachelorette parties create? Confused, we paid our cover charge to get upstairs after trying to get an answer to why that was so. Bachelorette parties not welcome? Our mood went downhill, so we ask for shots. No shots. Not after 11pm. Fine. The bartender spills a drink on one of us, the bouncer instructs the bride to remove her veil again after she sneaks it back on with a smile on her face, and lots of nice people congratulating her. The bouncers get nasty, and after asking again why we can't a group of women celebrate her big day with a veil, the bouncer leaves us and returns with 6 policement to kick us out. This all happened in the span of about 15 minutes. Portsmouth has recently started cracking down on rowdy crowds (I can see their point), and binge drinking. I'm all for cutting sloppy drunks off. However, they are going off the deep end with ridiculous tactics, sexist attitudes, with no explanation to customers. The Gaslight is a joke, and do NOT go here for anything but harrassment and a miserable time. Go to the ""Red Door""- not too far away. Stellar martinis, great DJ, and a welcoming atmosphere. Pros: Nothing Cons: Everything more

I cannot even begin to describe how many bad experiences I have had at this place. I have finally learned... more

This is a sorry excuse for a bar. After a $5 cover (hey portsmouth - you're no Boston) to listen to a mediocre band, our group was kicked out of the deck area...for dancing. I'm serious - dancing. A bouncer informed us that their liquor license ""did not permit dancing"". Not crazy gyrating, just normal head bopping type dancing. After about 10 minutes of civil disobedience another bouncer came over to yell us us and then pushed one of the girls in our group, in an attempt to get her our of the bar. That was our cue to leave. So much for Live Free or Die. Definitely not worth the cover, or the attitude! Pros: Umm...location? Cons: Everything - service especially more

Portsmouth - ""Where old money lives and no money parties."" more

The Gas Light recently renovated a third floor into a dance club. Marketed as a ""Big-city"" club it falls short in several areas. An ambiguous $7.00 cover is manditory to check your coat (even if you don't have one.) The dress code is arbitrarily enforced, and the dance floor is strangely located and obstructed by a partition. In one month I returned three bottles of spoiled wine. Mixed drinks are strong. The bar is enhanced by well positioned lights that ""merge"" colors. Security is visible. Finally, watch your drink or it will be prematurely removed by a passing doorman or waitress. Pros: Good for a NH "club", Smoke free, Seems safe Cons: Pseudo-Boston feel, Bathrooms on 2nd Fl., High cover $ for NH more

Without a doubt, this is the best pizza in the seacoast area. Great local names for each kind, Gaslight has a tight local identity, and pizza to dream about. It's breadsticks alone(get them with cheese...) can make a meal, so make sure to order with a big group. Kinda dark and small, but nice- not like a chain restaurant or some antiseptic pizza joint. Real flavor, and diners can choose betwen the brick oven in the dining room, or sports on over the bar. A bit pricey, but worth it. Pros: best pizza, great appetizers, good atmosphere Cons: dark, may need reservations, bit pricey more