I was a bit sceptical walking into a pub(haven’t had great experiences with pub food) but when we were led upstairs the place completely transformed into a fine dining restaurant(with fine dining prices). The menu mainly consisted of seafood. They even have their own oyster bar but I ordered venison(£18.50) from their specials menu while the rest of my party went with the Christmas crowd pleaser turkey(£16.50)(also from the specials menu). My dish completely exceeded my expectations, it was cooked to perfection with flavourful sides. I also ordered a Moscow mule and it was one of the best Moscow mules I’ve had! Pretty cheap at £8.50 too. Would definitely go back for a fancy lunch or dinner.
Aron B.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Scottsdale, AZ
Wow. I would just come for the toffee dessert with ice cream on top. I also had the venison special that particular night which was very good, but the dessert would bring me back. There were a couple of German girls sitting right next to us and they had been there 3 of the previous nights so apparently they liked the place as well. A lot of the downstairs pub area tables were reserved when we stopped by for dinner so keep that in mind, but it sounds like there is more seating upstairs.
Sarguru N.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
Awesome place. We did a small birthday celebration here. The staff were really cool, helped me get a cake from outside etc. Pretty decent and quite ambience upstairs. The food was great. I had like probably the best fish and chips in the town. The chicken roast was quite good as well. Overall a great place and pretty economical !
Oliver Z.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Haibach, Bayern
Schöner Pub für Afterwork Beer oder Absacker vor dem Schlafengehen. Restaurant haben wir nicht probiert. Guter Service. War nur 50m vom Hotel
F O.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Borås, Sweden
Very cozy little bar/pub in a nice neighborhood. We went for breakfast just after they opened and as long as we were there, it was a very nice and quiet atmosphere. The breakfast was good, except for the coffee that was a little watery. Definitely worth a visit!
Aylwin L.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Toronto, Canada
Decent eats, though a bit on the slow side. Coffee was a bit bland. The menu is a bit thin on options, made thinner by their having run out of croissants by 9am! I appreciate having been able to order a hearty breakfast on a Monday, but I wish the others at my table could have had more options. Service was good.
Dwight A.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Galleria/Uptown, Houston, TX
I’m no expert in Fish & Chips. But I believe they have the best going. I came to realize they have a white tablecloth restaurant upstairs and a full menu– not just you typical pub food. Instead of having a fry basket behind the bar, they have s full kitchen, thus I believe the reason for the top notch food. Now if I can just figure out which British beers are served cold… Update — ate today in upstairs restaurant. Slightly different menu with more upscale dishes rather than pub menu. But still same fish & chips with mushy peas. Very good.
Rosie A.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
We had a fairly impromptu work christmas meal here last week(impromtu for 25 people is hard to find around December time) so big props to the portman for housing us at short notice! We ate upstairs in the smartish restaurant and followed with drinks downstairs. Food was excellent, I had the turkey(you’ll see a running theme in my reviews this month, I love the stuff) and it was very good. Missing bread sauce but that’s often omitted(it’s the best part, you’re killing me!) The main thing I liked about our meal was the service — it was relaxed, and our waitress was so sweet and friendly — it made all the difference to our night. By the end we were suitably merry and she wasn’t phased at all — far from it. Food was all delivered on time and to the correct people — and I didn’t come across anyone in our party unhappy with their meal. When I was scouting around with food envy I noted the calamari starter looked good, as did the rib eye steak for main. If I went back, I’d be looking to try those out. Once our meal was over, we slowly transported downstairs to the main bar, which is really a standard British pub. Again, the service was fantastic — very friendly and very patient with regards to our unusual drinks requests(yes, you can get B52 shots made up here on order). By around 10pm it was lacking in atmosphere a little bit but it was definitely a great spot to get our night started.
Shannon A.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
I recently returned to The Portman for dinner with my boyfriend, to re-live a date we had 2 years ago. Originally we found the venue when we were staying in the neighborhood and simply stumbled upon it. We stopped in for dinner on a cold Wednesday evening and had a delightful experience — cozy space, delicious dinner, and a warm ambiance. The Portman is a beautiful little pub situated at the end of a beautiful little street of cafes and boutique shops. In fact, that street made me instantly love London during that first visit of mine to the city. This time — bound by the exact date of our happen-stance dinner two years ago — we found ourselves faced with the Friday night crowd. I assumed it would be bustling so had booked a table. We had a cider downstairs beforehand, though, and I enjoyed seeing the busy pub for what it was — a great hangout for locals and nearby professionals overflowing into the street and taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and ample outdoor seating. However, it was simply too noisy for a sweet date conversation. We went upstairs to our table and were faced with a perfectly empty — albeit darling — dining room. Unfortunately we were the only guests and so it was dead quiet — and since the room is segregated from any other business or bustle in the venue, our waitress had to standby to await our needs. We were acutely aware that she could hear any word we spoke, and thus my boyfriend found it very uncomfortable. The space really was pretty and had there been 3 – 4 other tables dining at the same hour I think we would have decided it was cozy and pretty. We sat at a small table right at the window — very cute under other circumstances. I would recommend visiting the ground floor pub during the week for drinks or dinner, and if you wish to sit in the dining room just make sure you choose a reservation later in the evening so you have the ambiance and ‘privacy’ that comes with a quiet buzz in a public space.
Fernanda S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 São Paulo, Brazil
Truth be told: I was looking for hash browns on Unilocal,and the Portman popped up on my list. I got their and they didn’t really have hash browns, but I love eggs Benedict so I was just as happy. Nice sunny day in London, hard to get, so you must enjoy the sun! Sit outside, and don’t worry the waiter comes and serves you there too. You can order breakfast, brunch or lunch and they have amazing options to choose from. Since I was having a late meal, and didn’t want to skip the next, I decided I should opt for the small eggs Benedict with a cappuccino. The price was a little high, but nothing insane — you can afford it. Service was nice, but not great. They should be a little more welcoming. I would come back to try the lunch dishes and maybe drink a pint.
Linda J.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
We’ve walked by The Portman many times living in the neighbourhood. My husband and I wanted something easy and casual for dinner so we decided to finally give it a try. Food: We ordered the soup of the day which was a tomato soup, the salmon fillet and the chicken and bacon sandwich. Everything was delicious. The chicken and bacon sandwich was simple and very flavourful. They have an extensive menu with everything you could want. Drinks: We ordered three glasses of prosecco. Price: 59.51GBP for two people. Ambiance: Inside on the ground floor is a nice and cozy pub feel. The bar in is in the middle with seating on the outside. They have great outdoor seating as well. Service: The service is was very friendly and helpful. Would I go back? Yes! We were very happy overall with our evening. They have a great breakfast menu that I’m excited to try and this will definitely be a go to place in the neighbourhood.
Noelle A.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Los Angeles, CA
Even if it is past breakfast hours, they can likely accommodate a full English. They checked with the kitchen & happily obliged. However, the free wi-fi they advertised didnt work and no one was available to help, so they had to wait a few hours for me to post this review. The food was pretty good– not amazing for the price. Full English cost 9.75GBP. Flat white wasnt anything to write home about. The people there were lovely and they were very accomodating overall. If I were bakc in the area I might go back, but I probably wouldnt go out of my way for it.
Stan M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Pasadena, CA
Had dinner here last night. Food and service were great. Our server Jana has a beautiful European accent and was very efficient and friendly. And the lemon posset dessert was a super finale. Very reasonable prices too.
Tom G.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Nice pub nice staff nice time As I recently said about the Grazing goat, it’s hard to find genuine places like here near this end of Oxford street, probably because very few people actually live in the area. As I did not know this area i turned to my fellow Unilocalers for guidance, and they served me well. A nice island bar with tables around the outside of the room, I think there was an upstairs also, but I may have imagined this. A few hand pumps with local beers, and a standard Euro range, I think I had a guiness. A good selection of red wines, and the staff were eager to advise — though a little training could go a long way here to make the difference between good and great service. They do food also, but we didn’t eat, it looked like nice pub fare…
Ann Beth C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Carlsbad, CA
Wanted a quick lunch, and this was perfect. Placed my order and within minutes my dish arrived. Sat in the pub, great service. And very reasonably priced. I ordered the Braised Rabbit Ragoût Pappardelle, Tomato & Parmesan. It came in a side order portion, perfect for lunch! This was a very generous size so you don’t have to worry about coming out hungry. Had fresh herbs on top, bonus!
J P.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
Genuinely good food, the guinea fowl really is up to their hype. Decent service, good atmosphere among the guests and not over priced.
Lovet O.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Jersey City, NJ
The Portman was the first place(besides the hotel) I checked out once I arrived in London. It was pretty early(around 11am) and I was hungry. Luckily they had a breakfast/brunch menu. I ordered the French toast with two boiled eggs on «soldiers», and bacon. What I got was French toast with two boiled eggs on «soldiers». Did you catch that??? I am often wary when waiters/waitresses seldom write down my order. Because 9 out of 10 times they get my order wrong. And its not difficult. Anyways, the service was«eh» but the prices were reasonable. Unfortunately it was my first and last time at The Portman. The only thing memorable was the bad service.
Wanna_
Rating des Ortes: 4 Leicester, United Kingdom
Great décor and very good wine. Can be very busy and hard to find a seat. Outside seating available. Staff is quite good.
Katherine R.
Rating des Ortes: 2 London, United Kingdom
Looks upmarket inside and out. Service was not though, had to ask bartender to put the ice in my drink first, then gin, then tonic. Do not feel I should have to explain how to make such a simple drink, especially as they charged me £5.50 for a single, with tonic from the tap. Most of the rest of the staff seemed very affable.
Jimmy Q.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Spring Valley, CA
What a gem, good beer great food very relaxing and yes great free wifi.
Vanessa G.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Vancouver, Canada
Cute pub, with great service. The bar man couldn’t tell me about the beers though. My beer came and it was luke warm, but it was a nice beer. It would have been nicer if it was cold. It was a little on the loud side with the music and many people talking.