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
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