Merchant House in Portsmouth

Fabulous selection of beers. Great atmosphere and good service

Great burgers and a buzzing atmosphere

my partner and i have ordered from need street food a few times before and loved it, so eating it fresh was amazing! everything tasted great and there’s a good amount of vegan options. it was pretty loud, there was a downstairs area but it smelt weird so that’s why i’ve only given 4 stars.

We were in the Festing and it was mobbed (first game of the season). Went over the road to the best bar I've been to it ages. First class service and product knowledge. Really friendly and excellent, and food that was a bit different. Top drawer, definitely go there.

Great selection of beers and the burgers are terrific.

The vegan burgers are so, so good. Always a decent beer selection, too.

Great atmosphere just stopped for a drink from a long walk and the merchant were very accommodating.

Went for dinner last night. Great service and the food was incredible. Good ipa selection to was it down.

Never have I ever written a review of a pub until now . Myself and my family popped into this pub simply to get a seat for my mother whilst walking down Albert road ( as she is elderly) . We planned to just pop in , get a drink for myself and my partner . Then walked back home . As we walked in the manager of the pub approached us and told us my mother was too drunk and we have two minutes to leave the pub . We explained she hadn’t even drunk any alcohol and that she just needed to sit down for a moment , and myself and my partner were happy to buy a drink for popping into the pub ourselves . Without any hesitation , the manager continued to kick us out . Although he was reasonable with asking us to leave . I really feel that we were unfairly treated. Never have I met a manager or a pub that is unkind , judgemental and simply did not let us sit in a bar/ pub because we did not “fit” their idea of the type of person that should be in there . Little did they know the person we were with had medical issues , which we explained at the time and were dismissed.

Undoubtedly the best burgers and fries in Portsmouth

Tristan, Jak and Adam gave excellent service! Best place to eat and drink in Portsmouth!

Cozy place, but the service is not good... The burguers and chips took 50m to be served. It's true that the waiter informed me of the waiting time when I ordered, but it's still a lot of time... The waiters never smile and refused to charged my mobile phone. I asked some explanation about the different kind of beers and the waiter couldn't inform me...

Great selection of beverages and meals great atmosphere 😁

Great place to drop in for a drink and taste what specials they have on draught. I love the Deya! That is a drop of juice. it hits the spot every time. Check out the food here. We had burgers and loaded fries, and it was absolutely delicious. Will be returning for another pint soon.

This has recently become a regular place to pop in for a drink

Solid selection of beers, the burgers are top notch. Recommend getting there early, once tables are full they're full for the evening.

Very disappointing. Arrived at 10.36 was told that last orders was at 10.30 and that time was at 10.45. By my understanding that means I should be served but apparently not. Very weird.

Amazing burgers and fries. Great selection of beers too

Located on the main road, so you need to find a place to park on a local street, but there is always something. Seating outside. Inside 2 floors of tables and chairs. Team are helpful and professional. Menu has good variety and so is the drinks, with TVs showing some the options. Food service was quick. Food we had was great - great flavours.

The drinks here are amazing. A varied selection that apparently changes regularly. And the food was amazing. A bit pricey but you pay for quality. Good atmosphere, friendly staff. Will definetly be returning.

Came for a drink on Saturday night. Pleasantly surprised it wasn't too busy but still lots of atmosphere. Loved the cosy log burner. Pleased to find they had gluten free beer but only one can left! I hope they order some more!

Great place for meeting friends and enjoying great IPAs, sours, and porters. No food this time but had the gyros in the past, really good, tasty and good temperature. Well done to everyone involved in the Merchant House.

Love that you can get Stout on tap! Just a cool place to go 👍🏻

Great pub and selection of real ales and great food. Highly recommended

Lovely food, ordered to take out. Quick service.

Met lifelong friends for a midweek session and catch up. One of my fave pubs if im being honest.

Great selection of beer, in a busy, jovial atmosphere

The food looked delicious and there were plenty of seats and loads of booze options but I found the decor a little soulless and bland. I think it would be a very cool and trendy pub if they try and jazz up the space.

Great craft beer venue, fantastic food cannot recommend highly enough

Food was spot on, couldn’t fault it at all. Had the Benny Burger double up, Cajun tater tots and loaded vege Mac ! Tots were perfectly cooked, liked the fact they use thighs for the burger too, smoked garlic mayo adds to it all too! Had two pints of The Merchant House Larger, which was also really nice and good value. Thanks very much!

The loaded fries are really good but the bar atmosphere is awful (very loud and unpleasant), the beer is extremely expensive and the staff are bizarre. We had drinks removed from our table by an angry member of staff for no reason. No idea what the issue was nor did the bar manager when we raised it. Really bizarre and hostile place. Don’t go.

An easy pub for a natter and a drink

Excellent craft beer pub in Southsea with a wide range of keg and cask beers. Great food with multiple vegan options 👍

Very cosy laid back and friendly. Food is top notch and plenty. Hand is on the pump before we speak,they get to know everyone's topple. Dog friendly which looking around gets everyone interacting with one another . I love the place .

The Merchant has the best beer in Portsmouth. Bar none. Food is great too. friendly staff. All you need in lfe.

Great selection of craft beers.

Have been coming here for a few years now. We absolutely love the food. The last couple of times we've come to visit we just haven't been able to get a table due to it being so busy and popular. This is a shame. One evening we did manage to get a table downstairs which unfortunately was right by a cupboard. When the staff would enter the cupboard we were engulfed with a strong smell of cleaning bleach smells. This overwhelmed the taste in food. Having said this, we love it here we just wish the venue to house the amazing menu was bigger.

Cracking pub for beer, lager excellence. None of the mainstream mass produced slop. Cracking pint of London Black and other tasty delights.

Used to come here often when it opened, a real breath of fresh air among the tired "traditional" pubs of Albert Road, the beer was excellent and the clientele trendy. But having returned a few times I feel it's become a victim of its own success. The beers are still excellent, but that's not enough. The trendy crowd have found somewhere even trendier, that's understandable, but what's unacceptable is that standards have slipped, each of the 6 beers we had over 2 days was served in a dirty glass - and when I complained I got a confused look - hopefully my pic demonstrates this, the part of the glass the beer goes in was equally dirty. It's very simple, it doesn't matter how good your beer is, don't disrespect your customers by serving them in dirty glasses

Friendly quick service, great beer and tasty street food menu. Busy in a good way 👍

Disappointing visit. Attended after reading the reviews. We decided to sit downstairs as up top cigarette smoke was blowing towards the tables that were free. Down stairs smelt damp and mould, however old building so ignored it. Drinks and food were slow, staff not overly friendly. Food was expensive for what it was and quite bland in taste. None of us finished our meals. Overall quite disappointing.

Great beer! It can get very loud on a Friday night when it's super busy.

Great atmosphere and great food

Fantastic bar with friendly atmosphere. Had wings and a burger and quite frankly, made some faces I wasn't completely comfortable making in public. Some of the best food I've ever tasted. Particularly recommend the Hanoi wings. Great selection of guest beers to wash it down with too

Lots to pick from, and the house beer was very impressive.

Really good place with some great beers and a nice atmosphere. The food is good but wait times a bit tough, just over an hour for burger and fries on a Monday eve.

It's okay only been in there twice , my partner painted the outside of the pub last year , but it is lovely place

Amazing beer selection, great vegetarian burger 👌🏽

Only popped in for lunch but burgers were banging and haloumi fries were the best ever

Love this place! Always come here as they have an excellent rotation of craft beers. Also have a good food menu with plenty of vegan options.

Decent ale bar with great choice of taps. Good dirty food!

Fantastic selection of beers and a great atmosphere

A brilliant option at the far end of Albert Road.

Good food and lovely staff. Only concern is how long the food takes to get out! Overall would recommend to anyone.

On paper this is a great place but nowhere is perfect, it's all about personal taste. Pros: fashionable modern rustic wine bar feel. plenty of seating. always VERY popular. good choice of fashionable citrus beers. ideal venue for builders in their 20s and 30s. Cons: dirty glasses. condescending bar staff. no British real ales.

Such a great find, lovely craft ales and variety is amazing!! Chilled vibes👍

Good food & drinksat a reasonable price, friendly service . Could do with some airflow on hot days as it was a bit stuffy inside.

Great pub, great food, great beer love it

Good food, great service, good beer 🍻

Excellent atmosphere and good range of beers. Although it could do a bit more of session beers for me. Food took ages to be served although very nice

Love coming here on a sunny afternoon. Dog friendly, and some seating out front in the sunshine. Great vegan food options too. Great craft beer options, some are on the expensive side, but somw reasonably priced so something for everyone.

Very busy bar, food is good. I guess it's trendy. I'm probably too old.

Such a fun pub with friendly staff. It has a cool vibe and is deffo a highlight of Souhsea

Too busy for me but nice customer service

Great food and lovely staff. Always very busy which is a good sign.

Great beer and food, friendly staff.

Wow!!!! Burgers…. amazing; loaded fries…… amazing; chicken wings…….. superb!! Great selection of beer too.

Nice ales and a good menu that looked like it would go down very well after a beer. We didn’t eat, but the food that came out looked mouthwatering!

A great selection of beers, with regular 'tap takeovers' from your favourite breweries. A selection of tasty street food. My favourite is probably the Popeye burger. A chicken burger made with thigh meat rather than breast, which is must tastier. Also much more including loaded fries, Gyros, and a delicious vegetarian burger (possibly vegan - not sure). They are dog friendly and there are often quite a few dogs in there, including mine. My dog reacts to the word Merchie in the same way she reacts to the word Walkies!! Seating upstairs and downstairs, and even some outside seats to catch sun most of the day. Friendly staff who are happy to talk you through the beer selection. All this seems to attract a good bunch of customers. Often seen families with kids in there enjoying the atmosphere

Lovely pub, great selection of beer and drinks and dog friendly 🐾

We ate at the merchant house today and it did not disappoint, the food was fresh and tasty the staff were very accommodating and my boyfriend enjoyed the selections of beer that he had. We love it and always recommend it to anyone who wants good tasty food and beer!

Chill vibe, great selection of beers and best burgers in Portsmouth.

Great place with lovely beers and a few lovely wines. Staff are very friendly and extremely dog friendly ... Everyone wanted to say hi to @cocothecocker_21. Fabulous selection of burgers which were delish and very reasonably priced. Just visited again (24/03/23) and still fabulous! Hoping @cocothecocker_21 wins dog of the week 🤣

Amazing beers and very knowledgeable hosts

Great atmosphere, food and drink

A modern pub with craft beer in cans and a good selection on draft.The food was really nice too it was served in what I would describe as a plastic basket, but good portions and very tasty. The young people had burgers and fries and I had a Gyros, washed down by a beer. Very light and airy pub with a great atmosphere, the staff are knowledgeable and helpful.

Great selection of beers, lovely burgers and nice atmosphere

Food was great, will definitely be back to sample more of the menu.

Amazing place with excellent beers and food. Very dog and child friendly

Great choice of beers and the food is good too. Staff are very helpful.

Amazing food and beer. Recommended

BRILLIANT staff and real ale. Thanks

One of my favourites in Portsmouth, great food and great beer.

Nice pub, perfect when you want to catch up with your friends and talk. It has two floors, the bar is small, but has everything you need. Nice selection of gins and whiskey. The food is also nice.

Nice little pub, lovely staff. Good selection of ales and gins, really enjoyed our few hours in there with friends. Lovely place.

Bright and airy. Craft beer choice is constantly changing - and tempting. Food choices are positioned well and definitely keep and eye on their IG account for the mouth watering food pictures. Only thing I don’t like is the noise when it’s reasonably busy (and very busy). Could definitely do with with the sound deadening ceiling foam.

Really friendly, lovely street food.

Highly recommend the two swallows rum

Awesome Southsea boozer. Great food, great selection of fab beers, friendly staff, chilled atmosphere. Definitely one of our faves when we stay in pompey.

Huge selection of craft beers to get stuck into and the food is reassuringly calorific meaning it’s very tasty. The laid out is welcoming and the place seems to attract a good crowd.

Good pub but please sort the lighting out, it’s like sitting in a goldfish bowl and takes away any feeling of cosy/intimacy!

Cracking little craft beer pub, options on keg and Cask. Would have wished for bigger fridges, but it isn't a bottle shop so no points lost. Good range of styles, friendly service, comfortable and clean. Highly recommended

Nice burgers great music and beer selection

Highly recommend, great selection of craft beer and the best burgers in town!

Great beer, great food, great atmosphere.

Great little pub with a good selection of drinks and friendly, efficient staff.

Great selection of beers and possibly the best burger I've ever eaten.

Food and drink were both excellent. Great place really.

Awesome beer selection and friendly staff. Cheers!

Very mod/hipster/middle class "pub", but the beer is good and reasonably priced.