A Bar Bistro in Portsmouth

My husband and I visited the A Bar Bistro last night for a rare night out on our own. The food was amazing, we both had the ham hock which was delicious. The wine was lovely , but the desserts were truly outstanding, beautifully presented and tasted divine. I had the rice pudding...which was a far cry from the traditional sloppy variety and my husband had the rum baba. The bistro had a lively atmosphere and the staff were friendly and attentive. We had such a lovely evening.

Wonderful food, fabulous wine, excellent service and a great ambience. I can't recommend this place highly enough. 10/10.

The smell of the roasts was drifting down the road so we decided to see if we could get a table and luckily they squeezed us in. We had beef and chicken. Both meals were massive and cooked perfectly. Staff very friendly.

Visited the restaurant with a colleague as it was recommended as a good seafood restaurant. The catch of the “catch of the day” and standard fish and chips was about it as far as seafood go, however the food ordered was very good nevertheless. The atmosphere was also great and the service very good.

We had a family birthday celebration on 2nd November, 13 people. The food was great as always, service fantastic, not rushed but well-paced. This restaurant is run by true professionals.

A rare combination of factors combined to enrich a luncheon experience - taken in the open air on a warm and sunny Friday afternoon. Menu choices varied and enticing. I chose the saffron gnocchi which was faultlessly presented in a colourful plateful; generous portion size made for a very satisfying lunch. Elsewhere the fish (very locally sourced) and chips looked equally impressive. Smart, unhurried but attentive service made for a very enjoyable occasion at what is evidently a very popular bar within the iconic ‘Old Portsmouth’ quarter

Visited on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Monday 2pm. Pint of Directors, nothing special but sat outside in the shade and had a reasonable time. Tuesday 11.45. Passed by the Still due to a recent bad experience (see review). Passed by the Bridge as it does not open until midday. But the doors here were not yet open. Lots of custom missed! Wednesday 12.30. Doors open! Pint of Directors served with an inch of head. Much too much. Topped up grudgingly. Beer was not clear and a bit hazy. Not quite, but very nearly sour. When will pubs learn to draw a bit through the pipes to clear the overnight beer. Won't be going next week.

Visiting for the first time since moving to the area, but a bit disappointed with the food and value for money. The ambience is very nice with a large conservatory and garden area - but my not very large (main) portion of Moules was overpriced at £20, many shells were closed and the dish was accompanied by a dull shop bought French baguette. There are some wonderful bakeries nearby, local granary or sourdough would have elevated the dish - along with a few more open shells.

The food was poor, my wife had the flatbread and humus for starter the humous was very dry and unpleasant. We asked for the bavett steaks to be cooked medium, three times the waitress told us the chef serves it rare and three times we requested for them medium. After consulting with the chef they graciously allowed us to have the steaks cooked as we wanted. I had mussels that were ok. The steak was served with a knob of marmite flavoured butter, it had been taken straight from the fridge and didn’t melt as intended because the steaks were luke warm and the butter stone cold.. As a gesture of goodwill the restaurant removed the cost of one of the steaks from the bill, but actually all we wanted was decent food. I got the sense we were considered as philistines for asking that the steaks to be cooked medium, so pretentious and so unnecessary.

Had lunch on Friday 15th of March . Our waiter Harry was great . He was friendly, jovial and attentive . It was a pleasure to have him as our waiter. He could not have been more welcoming. He advised us well when we were asking him about the dishes on the menu, clearly very knowledgeable. He came across as genuinely wanting us to have a good experience . Thank you Harry .

Had a great lunch. The menu is simple but everything is very well prepared and the service exceptional. Food is accompanied by a really good wine list. Love this place and definitely recommend