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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Porters
Porters is a bar/restaurant with a seating area aimed at diners to the left and a bar to the right. Five hand pumps are supported alongside a premium keg range. Gastro food is available, a burger is priced at £11.50 which is not expensive for the area. There was some background music playing during my recent Friday afternoon visit with Steve of N21 and I didn’t note the presence of any televisions. There are ramps throughout so fully accessible by wheelchair. I found the service to be polite, but I prefer a more traditional pub so don’t plan to visit again.
On 30th May 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about Porters
What looks like it was formerly three different retail properties on the Albert Road is now a fairly large Gastro type food orientated bar with three internal sections. Two of those are clearly aimed and set up for dining, but the flag stoned section housing the bar was actually quite a good space for a spot of vertical drinking, especially as the bar supports five ale and cider hand pumps. Apparently Doom Bar and Otter Ale are the permanent house ales and then for our visit Vintage Black Rat Cider was alongside the two guest beers from Electric Bear Brewing Co. mentioned below. I went for the Whirly Bird and very good it was too.
This is another of those places that I couldn’t see myself spending an evening drinking session in, but for somewhere to eat with the knowledge that there is good beer as well, it seems to fit the brief.
On 4th April 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Porters
A trendy sort of bar, with tiled floors and ceiling fans, which extends across three former shops but is not as large as first appears. It has a fair selection of beers on offer though, with four ales (and a cider) on handpump, being Doom Bar and Otter Ale, plus Electric Bear Whirly Bird pale ale and Werrrd! American IPA.
On 30th March 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Porters
A modern gastro bar split into three areas and set out obviously with eating in mind, the bar area is though suitably laid out for drinking as well and the five handpumps were providing four beers on the day,Doom Bar of course along with Brighton Heyedaze, Otter Ale and Irving Iron Duke. Decent enough but not somewhere I'd make a bee-line to.
On 3rd November 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Porters
This large modern bar on the main street through the centre of Southsea has a distinct three room layout seemingly created by knocking through three adjoining properties. The main bar is in the right hand room - an oddly dark space on a blazing summer's afternoon - and has the servery running down the right hand wall with a tongue and groove counter which matched the panelling throughout much of the rest of the room. Seating is fairly limited, with a good deal of people out on the pavement, but a few standard tables and chairs have been arranged at the back and in a raised seating area beyond. The middle room is a lot lighter and has its own, beer-less servery to the rear, the purpose of which is unclear. There are some decent sofas to the right, but otherwise it's more standard seating, giving the impression that the room plays host to diners rather than drinkers, although this wasn't particularly evident on a busy Saturday evening. The left hand room has a mix of benches and chairs, including a couple of short pew booths. The ceiling beams are lined with hops and there is some great breweriana on display as well as old horse riding themed photos and various sketches and paintings. I think this was my favourite room of the three, having a vaguely pubby feel to it and being much more bright and welcoming than the drab main bar area. The food seemed to have a slant towards Spanish dishes but I didn't try it and in fact didn't see many plates coming past either.
The pub doesn't seem to be the sort of place you'll find a well kept pint, with most present drinking lager or wine, but the bar supports four handpulls and these were dispensing Sharps Doom Bar, Irving Invincible, Otter Ale and Hogs Back Crop Circle. The latter, at £3.50 a pint, defied expectations in that it was in terrific condition and it went down very well as I poked around the various rooms and endured a good ribbing from a Pompey supporter who somehow clocked me as a visiting fan.
This place lacks the charm of Southsea's numerous excellent traditional ale houses, but instead provides a pleasant enough contemporary setting which is likely to attract a varied clientele. The beer quality was a real bonus and whilst I wasn't entirely won over by the pub's ambiance and set-up, I think this would work well as the sort of venue you could convince non pub-goers to visit, safe in the knowledge that a decent pint awaits you.
On 31st August 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about Porters
A fairly decent modern pub in a former commercial premises. Three rooms front onto the main road, two restaurant/dining rooms and the main bar, while there is a smaller bar on a raised area at the back. Decor is pleasant, the jukebox tolerable, there are various beer barrels dotted around, the floor is a mix of flags and boards, and it has weathered well since Farway's initial review. We found the clientele largely agreeable (yes, even the children eating) the staff pleasant, and it was a pleasant relief from other local venues of a similar ilk. Four ales on draft - Doombar, Crop Circle, Otter and Irving, all in very good condition. WiFi was available. The food was a mix of pub staples, faux-Mexican and burgers, and they offer meal deals some evenings. One of Albert Road's better establishments and worth including on a crawl.
On 15th March 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3285 recommendations about 3250 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Mona Mcquade-Staughton left this review about Porters
my husband and i recently spent a week in southsea and went to porter's twice. we were so impresed the first time we had to go back again! the food was fantastic, each dish came in amazing portions & were priced just right! there are also daily specials that include a drink. what i really liked about the menu was that it was *different*, not just usual pub fare. there were a few things on the menu i hadn't seen on any other menu before and that alone made me like the place! and there were a good amount of vegetarian options, too :)
the overhead music was good (rodrigo y gabriela!), the staff were friendly, and the toilets were on the same level! (i had an injured knee, so climbing stairs, which i get so sick of in pubs, would have hurt!) my only "complaint" is that maybe the furniture could use some fixing up/ alteration? the small wooden chairs weren't very comfy. but that's it, everything else was great!! :)
On 9th November 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Michael Wright left this review about Porters
Basic sort of interior, one large bar, flagstone floor
Beers are Courage Directors, Crop Circle, Summer Lightning & Bombardier
Also sells food [but not tried it]
On 25th February 2009
- rating: 6
[User has posted 526 recommendations about 382 pubs]