The Alchemist Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth

Fantastic Atmosphere, helpful and high energy staff. Great cocktails and the food was lovely. Try stopping me from returning soon. Thank you 😊 🍸💕

Second visit... Great atmosphere, fun to try their cocktails... Great food too.

Good place for cocktails and food!

We took my daughter to the Alchemist for her 18th birthday. She had been looking forward to going for months. My expectations were that we would experience a very special night. The drinks were amazing, the food was good, but I was disappointed that the staff were not more interested in making it a special night for her, they IDd her and there was no comment. Even when we ordered a birthday cocktail, nothing. Shame really because everything else was great, but I really don't think a service charge was justified. When I spend £250 of my hard earned cash I want to feel looked after. I didn't!

The crispy shrooms are a recommendation as they had umami, crisp and still with juice. I enjoy going to the Alchemist for their drinks which have a picture to show what container they would come in. However, I would point out that the rump steak was £20, and the portion size could be questionable. Perhaps in comparison to other places, this place feels that it could have had a review on their rump to have its value in comparison to other dishes. Overall, the atmosphere was ambient and good to converse in, music came louder when it got later. Service at the start was proactive.

Absolutely brilliant food and drinks, you have to try the doughballs!!!! Really enjoyed our experience, unfortunately for a couple of old farts on a Saturday night, the atmosphere was really vibing and so loud. Was lovely to see but not really our scene. There was a dj and a huge amount of noise. Would defo come back but probably not on a Saturday night 😉

Have been here a couple of times for drinks and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Nice place for cocktails but could not order anything to eat as visited with someone who has a severe mushroom allergy and no provision made by kitchen to cook food in oil that hasn't been used to cook mushrooms

Certainly worth the money. An experience everyone should have. Atmosphere is great, the bar service is a joy to watch, the drinks are just out of this world. Impressive.

Great atmosphere..Irma and Yasmine with rest of the team very pleasant as always 🙃

Food was very slow to arrive given how quiet it was. I ordered the bbq chicken with bacon and cheese and it came out with some horrible cheese sauce, a slice of processed cheese that hadn't even melted properly and a light drizzle of what presume was cheap bbq sauce. A disappointing meal and won't be visiting again.

Started with earl grey tea which was horrible. Then had duck pancake rolls which were OK don't know what the rice paper noodles were doing there because they did not add flavour to the dish a d could not be wrapped into the wrap. Not sure I would visit again

An interesting experience, and really good, but overpriced food. But the wildly overpriced cocktails are so watered down and pathetic measures. All in all, it was a very disappointing experience. We left feeling ripped off.

my friend and i loved the experience and chris was absolutely amazing. would definitely come again.

I like the restaurant. I asked the waiter for recommendations on what to eat and drink and the recommendations were excellent. I would like to thank Andrei

Had a fantastic meal, wonderful fun drinks, and Tom our waiter was particularly lovely and made the experience feel very personal, even though wr hadn't even booked and wrre just walk ins. Definitely recommended!

I should have done a review ages ago to be honest, because everytime I pop to Gunwharf for a day out or to meet friends I always visit here 1st, and it's always excellent. I have had awesome, friendly and knowledgeable service without fail, on every visit. Tonight, 9th Oct, I popped in and asked for an off menu version of a classic cocktail, the barman listened, made suggestions and created it for me! And it was fantastic. I love going here, it's beautiful, friendly and does superb drinks. Will be back!

Great Venue, favourite part was the oyster shots. Really delicious

Absolutely amazing place. came here with friends and the service was impeccable. very impressive cocktails and great atmosphere. thanks guys🫶🏼

Incredible venue, the atmosphere, lighting and music was lovely and the bar staff are amazing, they were so speedy but but so much effort into every drink, which were wonderfu!! Food was also super tasty and came out so fast too.

Amazing service, Chris was excellent on the bar. Really attentive and very engaging, took our order promptly and made our drinks swiftly. We had 2 cocktails, and 4 cocktail oysters all amazing quality. The food was also delicious and came out super fast.

Great experience at the alchemist today, the service was amazing, the “oysters” in particular were amazing with fab presentation!! Good was also really good and came in amazing time!

We came in for our managers meeting drinks, and we had the oysters. They were soooo yummy. Atmosphere was great, and the staff were so welcoming. Would totally recommend!

Chris served me and my friends this evening and was amazing! We tried both of the oysters and we all had different cocktails and he didn’t hesitate to give us recommendations!! Will deffo be back!

We have just returned from our first visit to The Alchemist in Gunwharf Quays. What a fabulous experience. Super cocktails with all the dry ice effects. Fabulous food and wonderful staff. We would highly recommend a visit. To the manager, well done to you and all of your staff. They were attentive, informative and extremely courteous.

Great place for cinematic drinks ! We were also very surprised about the food, and the quality of service provided, even though it's a smaller good menu they have quite some plates to cater to different needs.

Not a very warm welcome not even a smile from the lady who showed us to the table…we ordered the chicken basket with fries and slaw..chicken was immense! So crispy and fresh fries was nice we had salt and pepper fries 👌🏽 the slaw however was tasteless! I was so looking forward to the slaw too but honestly had zero smell and zero taste so a little disappointing. Ordered a apple juice which came with lime in which we thought abit odd and ordered a coke I assumed would be on tap but only a tiny 200ml bottle. also we ordered our drinks same time as food and got our food before the drinks to the point we had to ask if they had forgotten and was told they’ll be with you soon 5 minutes after we got the drink's. Asked for the bill… the waiter lady had circled with pen the amount payable was 44£… to actually read the total was 40£! There is an optional 10% tip which is entirely up to the customer whether they choose to tip the way she had circled the 44£ as total! Just assuming we’d tip is just rude in my eyes.

We have been here several times and always enjoy the meals and cocktails. Interesting menu. The atmosphere is great, our friends loved the place too, I have already booked to return for the next occasion, sitting in the conservatory is great for people watching

Booked a table for 11 people on a Saturday and the evening was phenomenal. Of course the cocktails were exciting, delicious and totally impressive. The cocktail menu was extensive with options you couldn't get anywhere else and old classics. The favourites of the night were French Kiss. The food was also incredible with some of the dishes having twists similar to the cocktails. The menu catered for everyone. We had vegans and meat eaters and fussy eaters. Not a single person was disappointed. This leads me to the service. The staff were put to the test with a table of 11 on a Saturday and the evening went without a hitch! The staff were friendly and so accommodating (even for picture taking) and nothing was missed off the orders - food and drinks. No matter how come complicated. Though it is not cheap, it is certainly worth the money. Especially for a special occasion.

What a fantastic evening! I recently visited and it exceeded all my expectations. Our server, Oren, was incredibly attentive and full of great drink recommendations, making the whole experience feel special. The cocktails were simply magical. I tried the Dead Red Zombie, and it was boozy yet smooth, just as he described. We also had the Colour Change drink, which was super fruity and fun—like drinking a chemistry kit! Both were not only delicious but also felt like great value for money. The atmosphere was spot on, super clean, and had a vibrant vibe that's hard to beat. We were even offered nibbles while browsing the menu, which was a nice touch. If you're looking for a place that nails both service and quality, this is it. Definitely a place I’ll recommend to everyone!

Exceptional restaurant, top class service & delicious food. It's a unique experience, you won't be disappointed.

Came in for our anniversary and there was a lovely card on the table! Was greeted by Yasmin who was lovely the entire time and made jokes with us as id we were friends which was so sweet. Starters were absolutely beautiful as were the mains. Food was good portion sizes was just enough that we didn’t feel too full but were completely satisfied! Thank you Yasmin again!!

"Ordered 'spicy' chicken wings, but they were about as fiery as a candle in the wind—still tasty, though! Perfect for nibbling with drinks. But the real MVP? The brownies. Rich, fudgy, and that caramel sauce? Pure gold. If wings didn’t bring the heat, dessert definitely brought the sweet!"

We didn't eat here, just had a bottle of wine. The staff were friendly and attentive, the venue was attractive and the wine was excellent.

Food was good : a culinary mixture of asian / indian / international cuisines, plating and presentation was excellent, cocktails were quite creative (I am personally skeptical about serving dry ice inside the drinks) other than that the service was good and Oren was an amazing host and the atmosphere is family friendly, I visited both times with friends and it was a good experience both times, I must say that the caramel staffed-churros were the best eva!

The drinks are fancy. Better than the food

Seating in doors over two floors and seating outside. Food good. Not much choice for vegetarians. Service good

We booked this restaurant for a family dinner, after a disappointing experience at a nearby restaurant that was our go to place. Menu sounded good and we were happy to pay the £10 per head deposit upon booking. We ordered some small plates to share as starters, disappointed to wait 30 mins plus for food, restaurant was not overly busy and food was standard menu items. Has to be said I also asked three times for some tap water for the table, despite being offered it as we sat down. The wine and soft drinks came quick enough. Long wait for mains, after starter, then the wrong food delivered (we were initially impressed by the order takers memory, appeared it wasn’t so good) half of our party ate whilst the others waited. My son had fillet steak with a side of fries, steak done and dusted before fries made an appearance! Food finally delivered, and was very nice, however the moment was gone. The family meal we’d expected was more of a botch job a bit here and there, not what you expect for a meal costing £200 plus for 5! Of course they forgot about the deposit I had paid, before issuing the bill! Shame really as it could be a great place.

Food looked amazing, atmosphere nice and the drinks are very theatrical and look great. The issue is that the two cocktails I tried tatsed awful. The pina colada in particular was the least sweet, most insanely strong (alcohol), worst tasting I've ever had and it was watery not creamy. It's ashame, a lovely little place, but the taste of the drinks was not very nice.

Eden was our server and very attentive and friendly. Food was lovely especially the french dip steak sandwich yum!

Great cocktail, good vegan options. Its worth the cost. Will be going back again at end of month with 2 girfriends ...can't wait!

Love your cocktails and vegan food choices

We waited over 30 mins someone to come and clean the table and take our order but nobody shows when we ask when we gonna be served they said they’re busy and the same time 3 waiters staying and talking

Food amazing, and drinks really cool price is about right for the area really good for a fancy date night out. If your coming sign up for there email list before you book and book using there link to get 25% your food order.

Great bar, great selection of drinks and excellent vibes. The DJ was very good and the bar service was brilliant. They had a good selection of non alcoholic drinks.

I visited this place a couple of times with friends. Everything is great there, no complains. The only thing you should be aware is a bit expensive, however they offer a unique experience, so it’s worth the money. I’ve been welcomed warmly, served friendly and fed with a delicious food. Will visit again for sure 👌

It would be an ideal venue for lunch Empty tables reserved for an event from 4.30 pm could not be made available to eat lunch at 1.30pm!! We were told in a very “couldn’t care less manner”. All it needed was a different approach and manner. Obviously the profit from the group would be enough to satisfy this venue - a one off probably not the individual returning customer. We will not bother with this restaurant again, not that they would care!

I do like this atmosphere. Although sometimes the bar tenders are very Cheeky and don't do good jobs with the drinks, but when they set up the card machine to pay, they put it on a screen where it is different languages but all mean "tip" and then you cant see a cancel button.. I mean I'm sorry but one of them who did this had spilled my drink allover my glass and didn't even clean it. So yeah. But either than that, good music and atmosphere

Great place to eat. Good service. Very relaxed, clean and friendly.

Food was very disappointing, what a shame

Great food good friendly service

Gutted to sum it up Have wanted to try here for ages I don’t drink often but the theatrical cocktails looked amazing but couldn’t have been more disappointing. Get there the table order scan app not working. Queued up at bar for 20 mins not even that busy The £35 quid for three drinks that we actually didn’t drink as the mojito was awful and I had lost interest in my drinks by the time we got them. Most expensive drinks in gunwarf and they weren’t great at all better cocktails as las iguanas real shame if you want a decent cocktail go to the gin and olive this does not provide the experience to warrant the price.

Great cocktails. Friendly staff.

Great friendly & attentive service Brunch was tasty and well presented. We'll be back 😃👍🏻

First time in an ‘Alchemist’, had heard good things and was not disappointed! Definitely worth it and definitely ‘theatrical’ combined with good food. I was lucky enough to be staying local for the night so was able to relax and enjoy not only the food but also the drinks! Although not a cheap night out it was nonetheless good value for money and I am already planning to take my wife to one of the six in London on a ‘date night’.

Food was great, drinks were better. Service was fantastic. It’s a fair drive for me (approx 1 hour) and I will be making the trip to go back soon.

WIZARD of all you see..ALL you can eat AND ESPECIALLY BEHIND THE BAR MIXING COCKTAILS..GREAT LOCATION EXCELLENT SERVICE FROM STAFF OUTSIDE AND INDOOR SEATING WITH ADDITIONAL UPSTAIRS WITH BALCONY...

Started with placing us in the conservatory which was so hot and asked to be moved. Waitress asked if any allergies, I said no but I have an extreme dislike to corriander, she asked is it the soap issues and I said yes. I ordered the chicken and chips and decided on the salt and pepper ones, it came with coleslaw. It came and I thought the coleslaw looked like it was covered in corriander, I thought no it would not be as surely she would have told me. Tried it and it was!!! I asked another waitress and she confirmed it was!! Wasn't happy I had a mouthful of this, if I d have asked to leave off. Our waitress came to the table and said sorry but for it it was too late. I had a mouthful of this stuff and wasn't impressed. I shouldn't be asked about allergies or dislikes if people don't know what's in it. I thought I was safe with this one. The rest of the food was ok because I had that taste, tasted like everything tasted of corriander now. Not impressed.

Nice pub with interesting drinks and delicious food. Unfortunately the music was very loud. Otherwise, the service could be friendlier and you are welcome to clean the furniture.

Had lunch with friends today . The cocktails were superb, the staff very friendly and food was lovely. However , we were only given a 1 1/2hr slot to have lunch. We arrived at 1pm and after having a cocktail, starters and mains, were promptly told at 2:10pm that if we wanted desert or any more cocktails we would have to move from our table and go to the bar area!! Even though we still had 20mins left!! Was very disappointed to a sad end to our afternoon. We would of spent more money but after that service just left.

Delightfully wonky creative cocktails, albeit normally on the sweet and candy side. The food is mostly functional and satisfactory but the French Dip sandwich and pork bonbons deserve a special mention. The Egg is good. Big reach, but wet delicious cucumber heaven.

Very good cocktails, even if the price is a little high. It's nice to sit at a table and watch the bartender prepare the cocktails

Love this place. The cocktails are so innovative.

Cracking place for food and cocktails with a great atmosphere. Just bear in mind the cocktails aren't cheap but are amazing and worth the money. Would definitely visit again

In the center of the old town harbor, a nice pkace to discover. We did for lunch but it should even better in the evening with the magic lights that can bring such places! Food is good, service great, we can only recommend!

I don’t like this place - as a waiter myself I was pretty shocked with the service. I called in asking to reserve a table for food and drinks for a few of us, the host said I can just come in and find a table. I go in to the place, and I think the same woman who was on the phone to me, was there. I ask her for a table, she gives no sense of direction whatsoever what tables are available, whether it’s table service or app/bar orders, looks like she doesn’t want to do her job. We left after 5 minutes since nobody was helping out and for a bar that serves such overpriced cocktails they have an audacity

I think this place would be good if you are going just for drinks but we went for dinner and it was shocking. We waited over an hour for our food and the waiter came over and questioned why we haven’t had our food yet! Considering you only get an hour and a half slot here it was ridiculous, also sat outside and an alarm was going on an off for about 30 minutes. Won’t be coming back for dinner that’s for sure

Great interior and very interesting cocktail menu.

Amazing drinks, bit pricey good food friendly staff.

I must say that first we went to The Liquorist a few doors down and what a disappointment. Bland pre mixed cocktails tasting like soda water. One drink and we were gone. The Alchemist on the other hand was a true experience with alchemy, theatrics and artistry. We stayed there all evening and were mesmerised by Frank and his concoctions. We also had dinner there. We spent about £260-£300 for dinner and cocktails. The prices were reasonable, just that we had many cocktails as along with them tasting so good it was also like going to the theatre. Full time score… The Liquorist 0% - The Alchemist 100% Thanks Frank, we will be back.

I had a fantastic lunch! Halloumi is great, the basket for chicken in a basket is incredible, as it is a chicken, the churros are delighful. Jaffa cup-cake cocktail is a cracking cocktail (drink it before eating the waffle cup)

We had a bottomless brunch today. Imre was super nice and attentive keeping us going with drinks. The food was lovely and had some great drinks options.

Lovely first time visiting. Nice atmosphere and great service. Halloumi flatbread was very tasty and tempura prawns. Popcorn is amazing and unique

Excellent innovative vegetarian food. Stopped off impromptu for lunch during shopping visit. Pleasantly surprised how good it all was, as well as amazing coffee!

Lovely female staff, bizarrely rude male staff. Three of them in a short period. Really odd for what should be a high end place. Disappointing.

Loved this place a little bit of theatre with your order!!!!

My Daughter and I popped in on Sunday for lunch. Great vibe.. service and fabulous food.. nothing was too much trouble. Highly recommend. Definitely going back 👏👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️❤️

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.