The Alchemist Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth

It was a great place,the food was great and the service was amazing

Visited for my birthday on a Monday night. Waitress was rude, never smiled or even said happy birthday. Portions were small, deserts were past their best and the cocktails although very expensive did not have the wow factor or very much alcohol. A shame as have had good experiences there before.The waitress stated the tip was optional and then added it on automatically. Had to ask for it to be taken off.

Had my daughters Hen party here on May 2nd and wow what a night cocktail masterclass was excellent so much fun and very friendly staff amazing cocktails

I visited this place with my son who is 30 my daughter 25 and daughter inlaw I am 63. My son came down from London and they took me there for mother day treat. My son forgot his ID but the guy Duncan on the door refused to let us in even though I confirmed he’s was over 25. But then we said a table was booked as we were eating the said we could go in but my son wouldn’t allow to have alcohol .We were shown to the table to find that Duncan had come up to tell the manager not to serve alcohol to my son. This totally ruined our evening as we had not seen each other since Christmas and wished to experience the Alchemist and its theatrical cocktails together. My son may not look 30 but he does look 25 and definitely old enough to drink alcohol. Common sense should have prevailed rather than ruining our evening. I feel Duncan the door man was just arrogant in his attitude and he acted unreasonably in his bullying tactics. My daughter did ask him why he was being difficult as she had visited the venue the previous weekend and was not asked for ID although she is definitely under 25 and looks so. The staff in the venue were great however the restaurant manager could have rectified matter but chose to do as the doorman said. My son did have his passport photo on his phone but this was not accepted. As I say this was clearly a family night out which was ruined by the situation needlessly

Good food, starters were amazing and fajitas were good and very tasty. Cocktails were ok, great theatre of them. Waitress was extremely helpful didn’t catch her name unfortunately

Visited here for a surprise birthday lunch. Menu has changed since we visited last year and some of our favourites including the black cod and Cherry Poppins have disappeared but the food was still fantastic. Great service, good atmosphere. Only criticism is that my daughter had called beforehand to explain it was a surprise, requested a table upstairs and asked that the greeter didn’t mention it was a party table; however when I arrived the greeter welcomed us with “your party is over in the corner” which dampened the surprise a little but we still had a great time!

Lovely place and welcoming staff. Cocktails are unique and reasonably priced. Had a tasty meal in a relaxing atmosphere. Clean and tidy.

Delicious food, love coming here. Drinks are fun, and service is always friendly and quick.

This place is just average. Food, cocktails and service were very uninspiring and the hostess was extremely unhelpful.

My wife and I popped in for a couple of pre-dinner drinks. Her ‘French Kiss’ was overly sweet and my Smoky Old Fashioned was a rather watery and sweet pre-mixed drink. The drinks look fun but if you’re into good cocktails, this is not the place for you.

My wife and I popped in for a couple of pre-dinner drinks. Her ‘French Kiss’ was overly sweet and my Smoky Old Fashioned was a rather watery and sweet pre-mixed drink. The drinks look fun but if you’re into good cocktails, this is not the place for you.

We wanted the magical theatrical fanfare they advertise, so we went in for cocktails expecting smoke, fire and colour at the table. However, we had to order at the bar and by the time the drinks got to our table, there was no magic, we did see a few bubbles and colour, but no fanfare. None of us could taste the alcohol and the serving sizes were small. We all felt it was a lot of money to spend for such small drinks with a little colour and a couple of bubbles.

Great theatre for the cocktails, food is very much bar style food, servers are all very friendly and welcoming

The food is 5 stars for sure, the cocktails are very over the top but in a good way, dangerously easy to drink and Frankie our server was fantastic! Definitely recommend 10/10

The service was really bad… we weren’t even informed that they were closing and one of the bartenders told us rudely “we’re closed now if you don’t mind” I think that was very unprofessional and we felt so unwelcomed, such a shame the drinks are really good.

Just visited for lunch for my son’s 20th birthday - age range 19 to 70 and we all enjoyed the food and drinks. Best of all was the service - what a lovely friendly team! Brought out a cake with candles on that we’d provided after dinner and let us have a slice with coffee. Also gave my son a birthday card which I thought was very sweet. Great menu, would definitely recommend.

Stopped in for a couple of cocktails post shopping, delicious and theatrical, great fun.

Such a nice place. The customer service is amazing and the restaurant is just overall beautiful. 5 Stars for this restaurant.

I love everything about this place. I didn’t even know it’s a club. Went for the nice food and great drinks. They gave lots of non alcoholic options too.

We had a waitress called Irma and she was lovely. Very attentive and lovely she made sure our table was okay at all times. The food was great and the drinks were tasty, would definitely recommend and come again

I had their “signature” sandwich and it was awful. Hardly any meat and overbearing sauces. The sandwich just doesn’t work. My gf had the rice box meal and was very unimpressed. It look better than it tasted.

Been here a couple of times for the brunch deal. The breakfast burrito is really nice and the cocktails are dangerously delicious as well as very entertaining. The service is nice and friendly and the mixologists put on a great display while preparing the drinks.

We went to The Alchemist near Halloween and the food and drinks were very good. Service was a little slow at times but then this is a big restaurant and a clear favourite at Gunwharf. The cocktails are a speciality and for pudding I tried their Halloween special the "Cereal Killer" which was as delicious as it was witty. I really like this place as the food and drinks are an event, served with a flair for the theatrical. For a special occasion or just for something a bit different I really recommend it, but I suggest booking as it is very popular. We have also been in a few times for tea and coffee during the day. Its one of the only dog-friendly restaurants in Gunwharf and our boy was made to feel very welcome.

Came here as a reservation for 9 turned up at 9:05 and table wasn’t ready. We then waited over half an hour to be served for one drink and after finishing wasn’t even noticed by staff and needed up leaving at ten due to the extremely poor service. Very disappointed.

Few days ago me and my friends were excited to visit this place, but unfortunately, our experience was quite disappointing. When we arrived, there was no one at the door, suddenly a lady with very serious and tired face approached us. When we sat down at the table I asked her something about the menu she even did not respond and left. The rest of the staff were looking so unhappy and not even a single person smiled at us and ask how was the food and came for check, this is something that is just one of many key factors for good customer service. The other thing is pint of beer is arriving after the food and it wasn’t even busy. It seemed like people who order cocktails are treated better than those who go for few drinks and some nibbles. Mediocre food most of the food I believe is not even prepared by the chef’s and it’s cooked from frozen. Those are only few of the reasons we will never visit again. I hope the place takes this feedback seriously and improves their customer service.

Food was amazing, I had the steak, Mrs had a rib chuck burger. With sides. Drinks are expensive but very theatrical.

Absolutely amazing service from the goth girl at the bar.

Xmas meal here. Food was ok. Chicken/turkey in a basket wasn't a knife and fork meal. The staff were great. Very attentive, always on hand for drinks.

Terrible service. Management did nothing to improve it. Bar tenders rude Make their own rules up. Usually do our Christmas do here with 25 people but my experience here today for my sisters birthday with 14 of us including kids was so poor we won't even bother coming here for a coffee at lunch time. The customer is always right- usually but not here sadly. The alchemist management in Portsmouth is going to be useless getting in touch with us but the management in charge of the chain need to get in touch

We walked in and took table, we asked for a drink and the manager was very rude and asked us to go to the bar and order, whats the point if taking a table then , we left and while paying she had the audacity to ask for a service charge ????, terrible service

This place is fantastic, food, drink and service all on point. 👌

good strong drinks and food is amaaazing

Drinks are amazing and can be found for every taste. Enjoyed that place. Have a suche good time. Recommend to anyone who wants something unique.

2nd evening meal here and it’s good, nice twist on their version of food, great drinks, good service. Good position and tables well spaced. Will be back.

a very nice place, we recommend visiting the wonderful cocktails and food, thank you Jasmin for the service

Great place and so cool drinks to choose from. Everyone with their own "equipment". Primarily a place for drinks.

You can’t go wrong if you want to experience a great night out with some theatrical drinks and food, Don’t expect it to be priced like a Wetherspoons, because it isn’t but then the food and drink are 10 times better here. Been here twice now as we live in Plymouth and so it’s not a close place. But will definitely come back again.

Great fun place. Watching the cocktails being made is great theatre. Good music and fantastic atmosphere. Not cheap but a fun experience.

This was great in every way, food, service, drinks, everything you could want for a great experience out.

Absolutely stunning cocktails, the theatrics and the knowledge of the staff amazing especially for the price £10 ish for a lovely cocktails. I'll be back anytime I'm near.

Just had to try this place out because of their unusual cocktail selection. More expensive than the other cocktail bars on Gun Wharf but worth a visit. Service was really friendly and professional so we loved our visit.

Love the cocktails and the staff were amazing.

Popped in Sunday morning. My friend had a few pints of lager I had cocktails and nibbles . I had panko halloumi and the spicy chicken they were absolutely amazing. I will be back. Lovely friendly staff . Lush cocktails.

Went here for lunch and what a lovely place with lovely staff, I will definitely be back

Awesome menu of cool drinks , however don't expect it to be cheap. The food was decent enough ,my main issue is that five of us went out to catch up and have some social drinks and chat, it was packed and we were sat upstairs and the DJ was playing, none of us could chat or talk as it was way too noisy. I found that a bit odd for a restaurant. It was like eating in a nightclub. However the food was good, the drinks were good ( although not much in the glass for the price ,but it's not that sort of place I guess). We had maybe three drinks each and a main , one was a salad the rest was sandwiches, the cost was £270 . So over all it's a quality place but don't expect reasonable prices. Very expensive but that's expected (I also had 20 percent discount on meals so would of been more) my only issue really is if your sitting down for a meal I want to be able to chat to the other people. Will definitely go there for drinks again but maybe not food

Beautiful atmosphere, awesome service, and probably the best food & drink I’ve ever had in the UK. Absolutely love it here!

Good food - recommend the chicken burger with hot honey and gelato desserts. The staff were very friendly and accommodating, would definitely visit again.

Very expensive, albeit tasty food and annoying waiting staff asking how u are every 5 mins, especially as I was in a 1st date and the convo was just starting to flow 🥺🥺🥺🥺

Visited this place last night for a birthday meal spent nearly £100 we had the table booked for 8pm then half way through our meal got told we had to hurry and be of the table.when I asked the waiter why he said because his boss said so,felt very rushed and disappointed how they treat there customers who spend a lot of money with them.definitely wouldn’t recommend for a meal.

Lovely helpful staff. Nice food but disappointing pinacolada and desert choices. Nice atmosphere and good music

On this our second visit, we seated upstairs, nowhere near as nice as downstairs. The Alchemist share platter was great & lovely mixed drinks but we felt some of the food was oversalted. Good quality steak, but fish n chips a bit disappointing. Good coffee.

Really tasty lunch, friendly and polite staff. Good value with interesting dishes

Amazing cocktails, theatrical and also great tasting. Great selection of food you wouldn't have tried before.

Great food, service and a good price. Our server was attentive today, very friendly and relaxed (isma I think her name was?) The food was reasonably priced and good quality as well. If your in the area and want food come here, if you want a cocktail then deff come here!

I’ve been to a few Alchemist bars, but today’s experience was just magical. My ten year old daughter was with me and we had so much fun sat at the bar as the mixologist put on displays for us! Thank you for creating all the smoky bubbles and making a little girl very happy!

£15 for a glass of wine and a pint and as the barman passes you the card machine which is asking you for a tip!!! Furthermore when ordering food I was told there would be a service charge - blimey- haven't experienced the service or tasted the food and I am told there is a service charge!!!! Hmmmmm!!!!

Well worth a visit I was amazed at the 🍸🍹 cocktail's served

Lovely experience here! Sick DJ! Food was delicious and well worth the price. The drinks tasted great also. Special shout out to Yasmin, she looked after us so well, and helped us with a rude customer sitting beside us, she's a star! Would definitely come again :)

As always, a great evening in here with fab staff, a lively atmosphere and brilliant drinks!! Always my top choice to go to the Alchemist for drinks in the evening. It was very busy in there but the staff were great, very quickly clearing tables and cleaning them to welcome more people and working quickly to make the drinks so although the bar was packed, it wasn’t a long wait to order. 10/10 will be back!

The cocktails were good and very nicely presented. We ordered salad to eat, it was soaked with way too much dressing. When we asked for bread, after a disproportionately long wait, we were told that bread was not served separately and no alternative was offered. Unfortunately not very flexible and customer-oriented. We would come back for a drink, but don't eat.

We booked a table of 10 and my bad, I didn’t specify downstairs (I’d never been and didn’t know there was an upstairs).. my Mum can’t manage stairs very well at all so when we arrived and she saw the stairs she was worried and when we enquired about our booking they said it was upstairs, they saw my Mum walked with a walking stick and instantly offered a ground floor table, I was really impressed how quickly they sorted it. Whilst waiting we went to bar to order a drink, the barman (pink hair) was lovely! Very chatty and friendly. Once the rest of our table arrived we ordered more drinks and food. Everyone’s order was perfect! Our orders included The Dip Steak Sandwich which is what I had and it was fantastic! Our party also had Cheeseburgers, Halloumi Flatbread and Chicken in a Basket - not one complaint from the whole party. The drinks were great too! I can’t recommend this place enough! And cannot wait to go back!

Shocking steaks to the point my father in law left without eating. The worst part being it was blatantly obvious the steak was cheap rubbish. The pepper sauce had cheese in it! Serving real foodies cheap cuts of meat that were different to what was on the menu embarrassingly unacceptable. The music was so load we could have a decent conversation on the table. The waitress was amazing and the starters were great. Most of the mains were described as bland and boring. Going back to the steaks the presentation of the food extremely POOR! I give my dog better meat than what was served to us! The worst part being they serve a cut of meat that’s not actually what’s on the menus it was almost like stewing steak extremely tough and rancid!

Great drinks, little pricey but overall defiantly worth it! Will be visiting again

Terrible experience, the children are now no longer allowed the dry ice so their drinks are just seriously over priced squashes, my husbands "sizzling" pork had no sizzle whatsoever yet the table behind us nearly set the fire alarms off! We were then fobbed off...

One of my favourite places to bring guests new to the area. The food is fantastic, flavourful and consistent. It's the drinks that lure me in every time as they all have a scientific twist with smoke and bubbles. They are one of the few bars that still do an old fashioned - my favourite drink! Staff are lovely and know what they are doing. The only negative is that they add a service charge to every order, even tables of 2 with a relatively small order. They rely on the guilt factor as you have to ask to have this removed and this brings negative feelings to an otherwise flawless experience. I'm sure most people would tip if they felt the service was exceptional but we don't live in America and forced tip culture does not belong here.

The worst service ever and management attitude. The fillet steak was literally raw and cold we asked to atleast reheat it it came out in like few minutes it looked like it was microwaved. The Staff even didint care about it we waited to pay for our bill the staff was all together just having fun and laughing they didint care about nothing!!!! That's absolute nightmare Very disappointed as we been here couple times last year and everything was perfect...

Cocktails where nice but the food is worse than waterspoons... Unfortunately not recommend...

Great place to try some new drinks, unique and varied menu

Food- amazing! Drinks- out of this world, better and crazier than I ever expected! We did not get the name of the guy who served us but he had glasses and a Rick and Morty top on and he was beyond amazing. Helpful, smiley and just great!!

Great little place. Drinks are a bit pricey but it's a lovely place to go if you want to try something different and unusual. The presentation of some of the drinks are just amazing.

Quick drink whilst sheltering from the rain, wow what a shelter. Great staff, great drinks

Great food...atmosphere and perfect spot for just a drink. Cocktails are good and presentation adds to the experience.

We were visiting Alchemist today evening and it was nice, drinks were amazing however the staff were not very helpful. I was not aware about the DJ playing there and we were planning to have a nice chat over a drink. We barely heard ourselves over the loud music. I asked if they can turn the volume down a little bit unfortunately nothing changed. I was talking to a one of the team members about possibility to sit upstairs and have a drink there. Customers were still siting there however the lady was rude and said it’s unfortunately closed (??) Staff were essentially not reacting to our polite requests. I would like to highlight that the ladies by the bar were amazing! We would have more drinks but we rather left for a different venue.

Amazing atmosphere, drinks and staff.

Very tasty food. Quickly seated in a good patio spot. Service was fine. I had calamari to start and a good fish curry... not something I often see. Lots f places to choose from in this area, but this was a winner. If I'm back,...

Wonderful food, gorgeous drinks and superb service! Would defo be back! Thank you Zac H and Urma, very helpful with drink suggestions and service!

Good atmosphere and location. Shame the conservatory area is so hot in the sun.

Me and the wife went to gunwharf to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary on the 19th of August, we arrived at the alchemist around 730 after being to a few pubs. Well what can we say, absolutely amazing, The alarm was going off but everyone was laughing think it was to do with the DJ it was very funny, we had a few cocktails what was amazing to watch them make it and also the taste, it was around 915 and we decided to have food there on the off chance as we did not book, we had starters and main what was OUTSTANDING best meal in portsmouth in our eyes. On behalf of myself and the wife we just like to say thank you to all the staff including the door staff (very friendly). Thanks once again hope to see you soon.

Dropped in to get some afternoon soft drinks for the family. The waitress was welcoming so it started well. The bar staff were a different story. Three were not involved in serving the single other customer, two were too busy chatting and the third too busy strutting back and forth. So much so that it wasn't even clear if they were bar staff. Eventually he managed to ask if I was waiting. Then he placed dirty glasses out, for our drinks.I asked if we could swap them out, that was an effort. Time to go somewhere else.

We waited 1hr 15 minutes for our food and the music was so loud we could barely hear each other and not to mention a really piercing alarm kept going off every 30 seconds for 10-15 minutes, not a nice experience at all. Our waiter was nice but that’s the only good thing I can think of.

Wow, probably one of our best nights out as family. We were made to feel like we were the only diners there tonight even though it was busy. The service was outstanding, I am sorry, but I didn't catch the names of the staff who were awesome tonight. It was a special anniversary treat tonight and we all were made to feel special despite them not knowing. We were a bit dubious as our girls can be fussy but they said they had the best night ever! My only regret was that I couldn't work my way down the cocktail list! The theatrics were awesome, definitely the place to go to for magic.

This place is by far a great place for a drink and a social night out. Friendly staff with amazingly tastings drinks with an great show and eye Appeal.

Ok, but would be much better with the music turned off, or at least turned down, in order to allow conversation.

We visited The Alchemist as part of my daughters 30th birthday celebrations. From the moment our server Irma showed us to our table she provided exceptional and friendly service. She was attentive and informative paying particular attention to a member of our party with allergies....

Nice location in Gunwharf Quays. We sat in the conservatory which was warm but pleasant with the doors open. We had cocktails which were spectacular and shared nibbles. The calamari was stringy and the chops were lukewarm. The staff were attentive and the service was...

Wonderful cocktails Wonderful food Wonderful staff Wonderful meal

Cannot fault this place. Service food and cocktails are first class.

Came here for lunch. I have no complaints about the taste of the food. All very tasty, however I ordered the kids bunto boxes and my son ordered the cheeseburger. This burger was TINY. Like a party bite burger. Around the size of a £2...

Love it love it love it!! The drama, the atmosphere,the quality.

Cheers to the cocktails at this joint they're so creative, they should win a Nobel Prize in mixology! 🍹🏆 The ambiance is a perfect blend of 'chill' and 'chic,' making you feel like a cocktail connoisseur extraordinaire! Now, let's talk about the food - mostly a delightful symphony of flavors, but oh boy, the chicken in the basket! It's like playing a challenging game of food Jenga! My partner's attempt to eat it had us laughing like hyenas! 😂🍗 But hey, who said dining couldn't be a hilarious adventure? If you're up for a fantastic time, sipping creative concoctions and laughing your way through dinner, this place is the 'Cocktail Carnival' you've been looking for! 🎡🍹🎢

Was a brilliant place to have a drink to selibrate one of our party's birthday.

Amazing cocktails but a bit pricy.

Dropped in here after a day's shop on a Sunday for my wife's pre birthday celebrations. The place looks very swanky and wouldn't look out of place in London. The staff were friendly and explained each drink and how you should enjoy them. It is on the pricey side, but there were no syrups used and everything was fresh and made in front of you by very talented bar staff/mixologists. Cocktails are amazing like being in Wonka's factory or Heston Blumenthal's restaurants as they are so creative. Didn't eat here so couldn't comment on the food, but what we saw looked good......... definitely worth a visit.

OK food nothing special, cocktails lovely

Great theme bar with friendly staff and an interesting menu! We only stopped in for a cocktail so can't speak to the food but will definitely go back another day.

Service charge for each time you even order at the bar?! CRAZY Wouldn't say this place was welcoming either. Ordered a Pina co lava lamp, assuming this would be similar to a Pina co lada, obviously not.... Tasted more like tequila and very watery.

good location, nice building, snacks limited if you want to sit in the foyer or outside. Service was okay, toilets clean,

Kitchen closes earlier so we couldn't try the food, but their cocktails were pretty good. Specially the presentation, very creative and super fun. Good music, but super slow service after midnight

Looked the cocktails so much fun

I’d have expected better for a £15 pound sandwich with a 40min waiting time. As a matter of fact, a half of my ‘French Steak Sandwich’ didn’t have any meat at all. The waiters were friendly, the atmosphere was great but food-wise this isn’t the place to go, no value for your money. The drinks we were served were very impressive and tasty though! That was a real highlight.