British Beer Company

Went here on New Years eve with my fiancé. They let our entire party into the restaurant but only served one of us drinks because they said they were closing. Then they told the rest of us that life isn’t fair. Miserable people working here! That’s understandable but the bartender was extremely rude about it. Why would you let us in anyway? Never giving this chain another chance. Terrible staff. Skip this place!

I have not had anything that I disliked at BBC. The coconut shrimp is great, and the pulled pork sandwich is good too. I don’t normally like chain restaurants as much as I like this place.

Down to one star after most recent trip there. Service was horrible again. I’m done with BBC. I gave them multiple chances and thought I just caught them on a bad day… Too many bad days. Many other choices in Portsmouth. Try another… Guarantee you get better service.

Stopped in for beer and to watch the Bruins after dinner. We asked if one of the multiple TV’s could switch to the game at puck drop, no go. The bartender said college football (no local teams involved) half time shows took precedence. We’ll have to agree to disagree on that. Not the place to go to watch local sports.

I love a good Ruben, served on Grilled Rye with just the right amount Brisket, Saurekraut and Thousand Island… BBC has you covered and the ambiance is great on a cold day with the fireplace ablaze and the games on. Even the new kid in town doesn’t come close to flavor…

Had dinner here with friends tonight. Our server David was attentive, but not overly so. I am not a beer drinker, but those in the party who were, were quite impressed with the extensive choices.
Dinner was wonderful — a party member got the chowder as an appetizer and pretty much inhaled it. Two of the four of us got the New England Pasty (basically Thanksgiving in a crust) — which they both raved about; one chose the steak tips — which were reported to be excellent; I got the baked macaroni and cheese with chicken — delicious. Atmosphere very comfortable. As another reviewer wrote the lack of background music made conversation very easy.
For dessert –Double Chocolate Brownie Sundae was chosen to be shared. Again — very good.
Overall-​a wonderful dining experience. The ONLY drawback — nowhere to hang our coats!

Love the chicken fingers! We have been to BBC many times and will continue to go back! The atmosphere is great and the food is great if you are in the mood for bar food.

Multiple bad experiences.
I’m friends with a band and helped them load in equipment, bought dinner and drinks all night, then helped them load out because they were my ride. The bar staff started yelling at us «if you’re not F**king a band member, get the F**k out we want to go home!». Comments like that went on to heckle the band and other members actively carrying things out throughout the entire load out. Great way to end the night.
Went later with about 15 coworkers after a company outing. Place was empty because it was 2 PM on a rainy Tuesday. After waiting at the table for 10 minutes with no wait staff showing up we started to migrate to the bar area that was empty. Some waitress then started yelling at us saying that we needed to remain seated. Note, no one had ordered drinks from the waitress yet so there was no bill that needed to be settled. We just wanted to get a few drinks but weren’t being waited on. Anyways, I’m never bringing my bosses and coworkers there again.

They have the best food ever I like that crispy bacon cheeseburger W/​ranch and mayo I would recommend going here

You shouldn’t feel like it would have saved time & frustration if you’d just lit your money on fire.
Décor — attractive. FOH Staff — pleasant. Food — poorly prepared.
My wife & I went for lunch. She had been there once when they opened and it’s been open quite a while now. I was wavering between pizza or Bangers & Mash. British right? So I went with Bangers. The dish is served in a shallow bowl with a wide rim. The sausages (2) are sliced lengthwise and stacked crosswise on top of the mash like Lincoln logs. A few pieces of veg and topped with deep fried onions. All for $ 14.99 Ok, first the wide rim and the stacking approach is designed to give the illusion of quantity without providing it. The reality is, this was a dollop of potato and WHO in their RIGHT MIND precuts sausage? All the juice and heat are gone. Not sure what kind of sausage this was. They were dark and were definitely not a classic English banger. The fried onions were greasy and the dish was not served hot. I sent it back, then I asked if I could order a pizza and was told it would take a while… ugh. Not sure why since a pizza oven at 800 degrees takes about 3 min to cook a 10″ pizza. So, I ordered fish & chips. Meanwhile my wife was eating her «crock» of onion soup. Same complaint: not very hot and make no mistake, the crock is a cup. The cheese was not crispy on the edges. Sort of floating like a gloppy mess in the middle.
So my fish comes and it’s simply huge. But, greasy. The batter is oozing oil. I peeled the fish out and ate unseasoned fish in tasteless tartar sauce. Ugh. I was starving at that point and could have eaten the table leg.
Overall, I’m betting this kitchen relies heavily on warming drawers and line cooks with no hands on chef. This is a lazy kitchen whose biggest daily challenge is to fill the stomachs of the bar patrons. I agree with Nicholas, it’s a bar that serves food.
What a shame. First & last visit.

Went in to have some appetizers and a drink or two. The bartender was fine, good actually. We had ordered a dozen wings and the buffalo chicken dip. Half of the wings were Thai and the other half was SUPPOSED to be buffalo but came out as barbecue instead. So the barbecue was sent back, and we had waited about 15 min for the buffalo wings. About 10 min passed and I asked the bartender about my buffalo chicken dip. Apparently there were new cooks and they had burned the first two buffalo chicken dips, how do you manage that? Pure negligence clearly.
We had started to eat the buffalo wings and they were uncomfortably moist on the inside, as if they were thrown in the cooker and rushed.
Later that night my boyfriend had food poisoning, safe to say we won’t be back for awhile.

Service and staff friendliness is 4 stars.
Food quality, temperature, and taste is 4 stars.
Time from ordering food till it reaches the table is 2 stars. (it takes a long time. The last few times I was there it took approx 45 min for a large pizza)
Cleanliness of building and restrooms is 4 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars but will round up to 4 stars as 3.5 stars is not an option.

We went there today and the food and service was fantastic. The waitress was so patient and nice !!! We will always recommend.

It’s about average.
The place opens like a restaurant, but really, it is a bar with a restaurant. The pricing is odd, with some dishes priced way over and others way under. Extensive beer menu, but the hefeweizen I had was a little flat and disappointing. My dinner companion had a blueberry beer with the blueberries, so she was elated. I had the chili, and it was average. It wasn’t overly spicy, and it wasn’t overly meaty. At the very least, it wasn’t sweet, like if there was ketchup in a bowl. The asian noodle special was middling. It wasn’t spicy, the portion was decent, but the chicken had a odd text. Almost like the grilled chicken breast you get at a Wendy’s. It was a nice try.
I’d probably go back again, but I’d be wary of the higher priced options. Judging on the performance they had, I’d probably be able to find the same fare at a cheaper price with better quality. So thumbs in the middle.

Always a pleasurable experience. Food is good & atmosphere casual & relaxed, but fun. Was here 3 nights ago & had the New England pasty — loved it!
Tonight I had the crock of chili and not only did it come hot but hearty. Soooo good! A place we always come to when visiting Portsmouth.

This review is strictly for the bar scene as we did not eat there on our most recent visit (but have dined at various British Beer Company locations in the past.)
It was Father’s Day and there was live music which was an excellent surprise, however, they were startlingly loud at times and I was happy when they took a break so I could talk to my companions.
We were quickly served by the bartender and the draft list was pretty decent compared to other locations I’ve visited; I’ve since learned about restrictions in NH as to what beers they can serve (as in, they cannot get certain local beers that are not from NH).
While I tend to stick to more food-​centric spots in Portsmouth, I’d definitely pop in here again for a brew and some live music.

We were meandering down the street and saw the side of the building: Good Food Good Beer Good Fun… Or something like that. We agreed that’s exactly what we were looking for.
We entered and were seated quickly. Group of 6. Big stuffed lion above the bar, which was neat. The old English pub style feel was welcoming and our server, Joe, was on the ball.
I drank the BBC Vanilla Porter. It was like a smokier, darker New Castle. Yum! I also had water which was, well, cold water. No complaints.
I chose to try the cup of seafood chowder as an app and the fish and chips for dinner. Best decision. The chowder was filled with various seafood… Including hunks of haddock and some salmon. Really good.
The fish… The fish was a fresh full filet of haddock. White, flaky, cooked precisely. The batter was crispy and nice and thin, not overwhelming or heavy in the stomach. The chips (fries) were good. Not amazing. I didn’t really eat many because I had had the chowder, was getting very full, and was enjoying the fish. The plate was also served with a few onion rings and coleslaw. Didn’t try the onion rings. Coleslaw was a bit creamy but still quite crunchy.
Two guys with me ordered burgers and were both very pleased with the taste and size of the burger. (I didn’t try the burger). They also were given pickles on their plates and I had the pleasure of eating one. I think they are house made. If not, they are pickled by a skilled pickler and brought to the pub post haste. Good stuff.
Our experience was good, beer was good, and the food was good: delivering on the promise made on the side of the building. Well done chaps!

I so wish I had read the reviews before stopping by this place late for dinner today. Sigh. I ordered a glass of red and lettuce wraps. As folks have said below. Skip the food and skip the wine too. That’s the price you pay when u try to drink wine at a pub and eat lettuce wraps instead of deep fried madness. The service was slow too. Man how many ways can this place go wrong. Oh well, Live to try another day.

Good spot to grab a beer and some pub food while you watch a game or step in from a cold Seacoast night.
I travel to Portsmouth, NH a few times a year and usually always make an effort to come here. Their pub food menu is what I always gravitate toward and their tap list is extensive. I’ll always try the local brews, and typically their bartenders will recommend something good.
Oh, and during their happy hour they have free wings! Can’t beat that, I’ll be back.

Friends, Husband and I went here for dinner. I had shepherd’s pie which was very good but it could have used a bit more hamburger in the gravy mix. They also gave you an extra side of gravy to add to the dish. I ate all of it!