Spice Island Inn in Portsmouth

Lovely views of the Spinnaker Tower, easy parking and good food.

Lovely pub. Beautiful location. Staff were cheerful and happy to help. Very good for a Green King pub.

Lovely food, great view, nice staff.

Old Portsmouth is a great area to walk along the promenade walls. There’s also an old tower fortification you can visit while on your way to this pub. The pub itself is in a wonderful location allowing for nice views of the Quays and area. I can’t comment on the food as we didn’t order any but I can say that what we saw looked pretty tasty. The pub has plenty of both indoor and outdoor seating. The interior is very nice. There’s a full menu and a full selection of drinks/beers. I can highly recommend this place for relaxing outside on a sunny day.

We had a table of 12, and with no waitress service, that makes ordering a logistical nightmare. Food wasn't as fabulous as it used to be. However, shout out to the fabulous female server who noticed we had an autistic child on our table and catered to him perfectly, she separated his food and went and got him fries instead of chips, and we didn't even ask, she just noticed and did. You're a diamond....thank you.

Visited here recently with friends for a birthday celebration, food was tasty and fresh and very filling.

We came here yesterday for a family lunch. The food was amazing, but, what really blew us away was how friendly, attentive, and polite the staff were! Huge thanks to Sam, Luke, and George for being amazing. You guys made a real difference to our visit, and you were so attentive with my toddler, bringing over colouring, chatting to her, and making sure we were all happy and enjoying the food. Thank you! Greene King, please give these guys a bonus or something because honestly, I’ve been to loads of your pubs and this is hands down the best one and the staff clearly take pride in their work!

Had a light lunch outside at a table. Food and drink fine. Toilets cramped and a bit old and tatty. Pub is in a fascinating area giving views of harbour activity with yachts and ferries coming and going, from both outside and inside.

Sam was better than any bar tender I ever met I want him to be the best man at my wedding

Sam the man was a legde! Love the wake crashers

We booked a table of 14 on Bank holiday Sunday . Sam and the team were super friendly and organised. We were delighted with everything and we will be back! Thanks so much

Definitely a place for a visit when ever we’re in the area.

Love the Spice Island Best Bitter! Can't get this anywhere apart from here (as far as I know!)

Me and partner had a beef roast dinner we waited 45 mins for our food which it’s fine as we no they were busy. Food finally came out it was cold, potato’s was dry, Yorkshire was hard the food overall was not good at all. Will not be coming for food here again.

Disappointed at the quality of food today. £18/19 for fish and chips, overcooked and chewy. I knew when I seen the lemon it wasn't going to be a great experience, after visiting here a few times for drinks I can't fault to pub for it's drinks and outdoor vibes. I've just moved to Portsmouth sadly I now know where not to get my pub grub. No complaints made, I ate a good half to three quarters of the food in my attempt to figure out if it was just me or the food quality.

Excellent Que management from Sam Luke and George on a busy day with a big line! Lots of jumpers caught out - bosh

Great service from Sam, and all the lovely staff!

Had a fantastic visit, Sam was a brilliant server and the food was amazing.

Sam was insane, scotch egg was banging!

Sam was amazing and the food was “banging”

Great pub, great food and really friendly and ready to help staff.

Queueing at the bar, woke nonsense and must be stopped

Decent chain pub food with brilliant outside views

Such friendly, welcoming staff who couldn't have been any more hospitable. Lovely and very filling Sunday roast. Beautiful location!

Great food. Best Fish and Chips ever. A relaxing environment for a great Sunday lunch. With definitely go again. Sit upstairs if you can, the view is fantastic.

Lovely food,friendly staff and a great place to sit and watch the boats go by would highly recommend it 😀 👍

We had a lovely meal upstairs, food was great as was the service. Special mention for Kitty who was attentive and friendly 😊

Popped in for a light lunch on Easter Sunday, it was busy with many reserved tables but we managed to squeeze in. Ordered and were told it could be 35 mins, was only about 20 mins though. Ordered Toasties and chips from the light menu, very nice food but the toasties and portions of fries were huge, I wish we had bought one between us!

Great atmosphere with a thought out menu that isnt overcrowded with choice. Busy in the evenings but booking is easy. Great views of the harbour too.

Great views, good and kind service. Food was very nice

My friend and I had a lovely time at Spice Island, the food was lovely and Sam and Harry made the experience even better by providing amazing customer service! Will definitely be recommending Spice Island to others!!

The place is nice. The view is breathtaking over the bay. There are tables outside on the terrace and the space inside is very large. The Mac and cheese was very good, the nachos were disappointing. The salad was ideal. The staff was very friendly.

Beautiful pub overlooking the Portsmouth canal and opposite the Spinnaker tower. Classic and typical dishes of the area well served and well prepared. SALT & pepper squid are very good fried calamari, the Salmon & vintage cheddar are salmon batter on salad and it's a must try. I absolutely recommend coming!

Great place to sit in the sun with a drink and look across to Gunwharf, watching the world on the river go by. We didn't eat here so I can't comment on the food

Lovely dog friendly place, staff very attentive, good menu & Sunday roast. Would have given 5 stars, but some of the inside seats could do with a clean

Not so many pubs in this area, but this was a nice one.

Visited Spice Island Inn for Sunday lunch. The staff are friendly and attentive. Service efficient. The food was good quality and fresh. The views are amazing, right in the harbour entrance, so good for chilling and watching the comings and goings of the various boats etc.

Quality food. You do get what you pay for compared to cheaper establishments. Friendly staff. Lovely location with great views. Clean toilets, and spacious interior.

George, Kitty and Andre served our large-ish group efficiently and without errors - friendly and professional - food lovely and a special evening made even better - thanks x

Towny pub. Great views over the water and spinnaker

I recently had a large booking at Spice Island for a family celebration. From start to finish the team were absolutely fantastic. They reserved the upstairs area for us which was amazing on a beautiful evening. The staff (in particular George) were really organised and helpful in getting our orders ready. On the day, the pub was really busy but Luke informed us when we arrived that the food might be a little later than the 7pm we had discussed. This wasn’t a problem for us at all. The food was served all together (baring in mind there was 20 of us!) and it was absolutely delicious. I have been coming to Spice Island since I was a child and it is one of our favourite places to come and visit. The whole evening was amazing and a lot of that has to do with the staff - in particular Luke and George. Thank you so much for looking after us so well. All 20 of us had a fabulous time.

Beautiful place to just hang, have a drink and watch the ships go by.

One of the best selection of food and drink available

Just a drink, but the front door slamming forced us to sit outside. Otherwise lovely and the menu looked good.

Lovely pub in a stunning location. Staff so friendly and helpful. Myself my grandson and his mum ordered the Nachos sharing plate, chicken and bacon sandwich and steak sandwich and chips. Bread on both sandwiches was really dry, meat over-cooked dry and chewy and not hot. My grandson ate half of the nachos and we shared the chips which were the only good part of the meal. Very disappointed with the food and it was a Mothers Day treat. Wish we had just stuck with the drinks then it would have been 5 star all round. There was a large queue at the bar when we left or I would have asked for a refund.

A decent Greene King experience.

Very expensive but they do armed forces discount, you can pay just shy of £20 for a beer..

Very expensive drinks , a small coke and a pint of " spice island " £9:70 ! Nice and clean pub, though.

Had a fantastic afternoon at Spice Island on Sunday the 16th March. Great service from a young guy Finlay who made sure we were well taken care of even when it was a bit busier. Was very impressed with his attitude and they definitely need to hang on to him! Highly recommended 👌

Reasonable price for soft drinks, no food consumed this time.

Superb location, views to die for. Excellent food and drink, great service from friendly staff.

Amazing views overlooking Portsmouth Harbour!

So lovely there and the food is amazing! the staff are so lovely too, will definitely be going there again 🤞🏼

The food was really lovely , the staff were really helpful and friendly

Thank you for a great evening with friends, food was good and made for a good evening watching ferries depart....

We had our valentines meal here and it couldn’t have been any nicer. The service was incredible and the food was amazing!!! We have been coming here for years and this is the BEST it’s ever been under Julio and Fernanda’s leadership. Sam is also a credit to their team and is so friendly, helpful and lovely!

Had a fantastic time at 'Spice Island Inn! The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, the staff were friendly and attentive, and the food was absolutely delicious. We especially enjoyed the mussels, which was cooked to perfection. Great selection of drinks, and the service was quick despite being busy. A big mention to Luke and Fin who were super professional and could not do enough for their guest. We will definitely be back.

First time in Portsmouth, and what a great venue, great location over the waterfront watching the ferries and to top it, although we had plans to eat elsewhere, on seeing the specials, we opted to stay, live music arrived supplemented with the Mussels and Squid, very reasonably priced and an amazing service. Many thanks, will be back again! Ps very dog friendly, which was nice to see.

Spice Island hosted a reception following a family funeral. They catered for 100 guests and it was hosted by George and Luke who were absolutely incredible and so attentive to our needs. The function room is ideally arranged for such an event and guests could easily access food and there was plenty of seating. George and Luke were very courteous and sensitive to the nature of the occasion.

Brilliant evening, good menu, fair pricing and great atmosphere .......Great place to enjoy the views and watch the ferries

Excellent service by a first rate team of staff. All without exception were great! A pretty good Sunday roast too. Thank you

I have frequented this pub in my time working in Portsmouth. The staff is friendly, the beer is tasty, and the food is good. All around a great place to visit.

A big advantage of this destination is the fascinating view of the Spinaker Tower in Portsmouth - so it's no wonder that when the weather is right, it's hard to get a seat on the terrace at dusk. We also really like the interior design, even if the rooms are a bit angled. More of a pub than a restaurant, you have to order your food at the counter at lunchtime. We cannot judge whether this is also the case in the evening. Solid pub cuisine is offered, which is nicely complemented by some seafood dishes due to the location. The location is both a blessing and a curse, as the rush of visitors in the evening leads to a noticeable level of noise. We particularly like this destination as a pub or for a nice sundowner. More on turtlesurf eu.

We visited the pub on valentine's day. Julio and all his staff were outstanding. I will go back. Felt very welcome

Sit out and watch the boats and ships. Eat and drink 👍 beautiful❤️

My family ordered two special pulled pork daily special, two fish and chips meals, two chicken nugget meals, and a sirloin steak meal with peppercorn sauce. Personally, as the person who order the sirloin steak, it was highly thick and juicy. Definitely would come again.

We had a large family gathering today and we had really good service from Kitty, Luke, Freya & Lago. We were seated upstairs which was nice and had that whole area to ourselves. There were a mixture of food choices being such a large party but from our end of the table we were all happy and enjoyed our Sunday roasts. We asked for extra gravy and condiments, sadly some people had finished already but no complaints. A very enjoyable afternoon, 👏🏻 to the staff today. Thank you.

Great food great atmosphere had a great time

Food was great and excellent value. But what really set things apart was the service. Our waitress Kitty was great. My partner has a gluten intolerance and Kitty’s diligence ensured her requirements were catered for. Together with Kitty’s colleagues, Freya and Tiago, were courteous, attentive and friendly. Was an absolute pleasure to eat here.

Excellent service. I have a gluten intolerance and our waitress, Kitty, was very diligent in ensuring I was correctly advised and catered for. All of the staff (Kitty, Freya & Tiago) were courteous, attentive and friendly. The dish I had, Hake & Romesco ragout, was absolutely gorgeous.

Great pub, good beers, in a quiet bit of Pompey

Very large group of over 30 people. Managed so well. All good in good time and really lovely. Very friendly service

Luke and Andre looked after a large group incredibly well. Good food, haven't left a restaurant feeling that full in a long time. Quiet Thursday night.

Delicious food, lovely views of the harbour, and a relaxed atmosphere in historical surroundings.

Fantastic food in a great location with lots of choices of beers on tap.

Went for Sunday lunch, excellent service, tasty food in a great location. Will definitely go back….

fantastic location , in a traditional old pub with bags of character. Very friendly approachable, caring staff and great food.

Sam, George and Andre were an absolute hoot. They looked after us for a 50th birthday last year and remembered us for our latest visit. Bucket loads of fun. Great place to be even in the depths of winter. Looking forward to our next visit. 👍👍

George and Luke were very personable and friendly. Customer service was second to none. Food great! And will be back soon. Thank you

Really great pub, the best spot in Southsea. Warm and Welcoming. The staff are always polite and helpful. George the barman always greets us with a smile and pours a lovely pint! Decent food. Reasonably priced. 9/10

Definitely an experience in an original, established pub that is frequented by many locals

Popped in here by chance, to dodge the rain, the food was divine and a great view. We had the Beef and a Pork Belly roast, the food was plentiful and the gravy something else. Well worth a visit.

Very good food, very nice service, staff were very friendly and helpful. Definitely a good pub to go visit and also very nice views looking out to the sea. 🌊 ⭐️

Impeccable experience. Came here with the grandkids and thoroughly enjoyed the service we received. Made the day all that much better! Younger man named fin served us and wonderfully entertained the youngens. Would come again.

Didn't eat. Great service and beer.

Lovely place. Staff always friendly. Very clean. Definitely a place to return to every time we visit Portsmouth.

Great food and service. Andre & Kitty were great, there was a large party in another room but the service was faultless

Nostalgic visit, good food and drink. The spinnaker tower was a superb backdrop.

Good place to watch cruise ships

Amazing pub, in an iconic location. What's not to like?

On what turned out to be a particularly cold, early January day, (and, oh boy, was it icy in a Force-whatever wind!), my fellow-retired pal suggested a long over-due visit down to the D-Day Museum sited on Southsea's long sea-front Promenade. After a 30 year hiatus, our trip was absorbing and well worth it..even freezing to death on the magnificent WW-II Landing Craft-Tank moored on dry-land outside the Museum, it was still a riveting visit, though so blustery was the very strong wind that visitors to the uppers decks of the craft were forbidden..just in case any hapless tourists pitched over the side! Not having felt such a wintery blast as that in this country for many a year, aforesaid mentioned pal & I decided we needed a 'serious' warm-up and so lunch beckoned in Old Portsmouth.. a location just half a mile or so hence as 'the crow flies' that I've been very fond of since my time as a young Royal Naval Petty Officer Cadet Instructor in the CFF at my old grammar school in Winchester in the 1970s, but somewhere that, alas, I've not often returned to in the intervening years. So parking up near the quayside in the old part of the city, (formerly home to Charles Dickens, born amidst these evocative cobbled streets in February 1812), we took a wander past some of the splendid ancient buildings, interspersed between more modern-looking properties that were, to all intents & purposes, built in the gaps of the former bombed-out houses, courtesy of the Luftwaffe visiting this most famous naval port numerous times during WW-II. As we rounded a right-hand bend on the cobbled pavement, and caught the icy blast again, there before us lay the impressive harbour, the Gun Wharf Keys shopping centre, the incredible Spinnaker Tower and just beyond that, our nation's two new, mighty aircraft carriers sitting quietly at their moorings and, standing under an old Victorian street lamp, a half-memory started to form. But keen to get out of the cold, we turned around and found ourselves in front of a gorgeous looking Inn called Spice Island..and happily it now being mid-day and stomachs begging to be filled, we opened the door, immediately revelled in the warmth therein..and headed to the attractive old wooden bar. The Inn itself is literally right on the quayside and the first thing that caught my eyes as I looked about me, were the wonderfully large picture windows overlooking the harbour.. and so the two of us immediately bagged a vacant window seat in front of one of them, grabbed a menu and, as is always our 'test eat', plumped for the battered fish & chips.. and for me, as the non-driver, a pint of my favourite Aspalls Cider..! Sitting on the comfortable bench seats looking out of the window with our pints in front of us, (all served by the lovely Freya), I gazed across at the docks and the, now, shopping centre on the opposite quay-side beyond,..and it suddenly came back to me as I happily sat there on this cold January day as I realised that Gun Wharf Keys was formerly Shore Establishment HMS Vernon back in the 1970s, (sadly closed down and built upon, I later ascertained, in 1995) The echo of the memory I was slowly recalling was because some 50 years ago I found myself sitting on the open bridge of a WW-II Minesweeper moored alongside HMS Vernon, undertaking the 3am watch, as a busy 24-hour a day naval harbour around me busied itself for the sailings due on the dawn tide..and at one point I had actually been looking across the water... at the very pub I was now sitting in..! It was probably called something different back then... but it was amazing to think that all those years on, here I was looking back in the opposite direction, recalling the ghost of HMS Vernon when, as a young naval cadet instructor, I was a temporary member of ship's company aboard the inshore mine-sweeper HMS Isis for a weekend of sea training..wishing back then that I could have popped into this very pub for a pint..! Safe to say the rest of our very enjoyable lunch in this fantastic old Inn, in a very historic part of Old Portsmouth, was a most happy journey down memory lane..allied to the fact the fish & chips were fantastic the cider spot on and the service & friendliness of the staff was most welcoming...and I think that a return trip to Spice Island is very much on... when the weather outside warms up a bit. So thank you for a smashing welcome, a delightful lunch and the rekindling for me of some happy Pompey memories from 50 years ago..😎

My Mum wanted to take us out for Christmas day lunch. I usually cook so I agreed to this with a little trepidation. I need not have worried as Julio's said his job was to make us happy. And he didn't disappoint. Food served promptly and was delicious. Each time a course was due Julio asked if we were ready for it. My sister's steak was not cooked as she requested so a whole new meal was brought out for her. I asked for a cuppa this was given to me on the house( we all had one free drink given to us as well) So thank you to Julio and his team. Sorry done later than planned as the review seems to be struggle to save.

Started our New Year’s Eve with dinner at Spice Island where we enjoyed excellent steaks with great views of the illuminated Spinnaker Tower across the harbour. Shout out to their fantastic staff: Sam, Freja and Colette who are always willing to go the extra mile. Happy New Year guys - see you again in 2025!

Started our New Year’s Eve with dinner at Spice Island where we enjoyed excellent steaks with great views of the illuminated Spinnaker Tower across the harbour. Shout out to their fantastic staff: Sam, Freja and Colette who are always willing to go the extra mile. Happy New Year guys - see you again in 2025!

Great service on New Years Eve. Sam, Freya and Collette provided an efficient service, always with a smile. Great Steak and Christmas pud. Even at night great view of the Harbour and Spinaker tower.

We had the best time at the Spice Island Inn for Christmas lunch. The team were brilliant. The food was delicious and plentiful. Service was great and even when there was a small issue it was dealt with quickly. We had booked in for Christmas lunch and were staying nearby on holiday. Because of the fabulous service and great food we ate here on four occasions. Each time the service was excellent and the staff were friendly and helpful, Sam and Finn in particular. If we are in the area again we will be back. Thank you so much.

Cosy interiors. The spider crab burger absolutely slapped!

Excellent family meal at the Spice Island yesterday. The staff - particularly Sam and Tiago - were so friendly and accommodating (with all sorts of dietary requirements!) Delicious food and puddings and great sea views. Always a warm and welcoming pub, thank you to Julio the manager!

One of my first times in this establishments, had the absolute pleasure to be served by Fin and George who bring so much life to this bar. Had so many chats with them tonight and you cannot ask for any better service. Highly recommend this place to anyone who finds themselves this side of town

George and Finley great service, went above and beyond! Definitely would recommend!