Old Customs Ho

Nice area. Great bay views and the plaza area is just charming. Lots of restaurants, bars, and shops here.
We brought a large team of around 20 here for dinner and drinks. Very nice bar and restaurant spaces.
We had a comfortable room upstairs that seated us all quite well. Could see just about everyone and chat them up across the room. Service was superb. Sophie took amazing care of all of us.
One of our colleagues engaged in abuse of beverage and tipped his beer. on the table (while supposedly pouring water for his side of the table — umm hmmm). Sophie was on the spot and not a drop hit the floor. She offered to help him get a new beer and we told her he had to walk to get it and pay for his misdeed! He did.
Great bar staff and the beverage selection is very solid. Something for everyone I suspect. The house red win was quite nice. I don’t believe any of had a bad meal. Several of us had the roasted half chicken. I didn’t see too many plates with stuff left on them, I can tell you that. The chicken I had was quite tastee.
You have to wander to the bar for a drink or a refresh — I LOVE that. I suspect you’ll not meet a stranger here.
We’ll be back.

The Old Customs house was a pub meal stop at the end of a day of exploring Portsmouth. We chose the «casual dining» option of ordering from the bar. I enjoyed the cozy atmosphere of all the different rooms, as it appeared to be converted from a real house, but at the same time it was a bit cramped for space with the number of people in each room.
I ordered the Brie Pie, thinking (based on the name) it would have a comforting amount of brie in it with some chopped carrots and broccoli, but it was the opposite — very little cheese but full of carrots and broccoli. The crust was good, but otherwise the flavor was very bland. The cabbage, mash, and gravy that came with it was meh too.
My friends shared an appetizer plate, which they were very disappointed in. Everything was bland and had an undercurrent of black pepper.
I’m still giving it three stars because 1) the wine list is good, 2) nothing went terribly wrong, and 3) because this is likely what some people expect and/​or like. But we’ve had better.

Great setting in the modern Gunwharf Quays area. It was a lovely day so I sat outside in the sun. Well, I sat reading the menu, then got up to order my food at the cash register, then I had to go into a different room to get my beer. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the English Pub way of doing it. The restaurant way of doing things is better I think. And of course, when I returned to my table, since I was alone and hadn’t left any of my belongings unattended at the table, three women were now sitting there!
The beer was OK, and the fish and chips were mixed. The fish itself and the batter were really good. Nice crunch to the batter. The chips were quite thick and a bit soggy. The tartar sauce was not pickle-​y enough to suit me, it tasted more like mayo. The mushy peas were ok.
Everything here was just ok. But the weather was fantastic!

Quite a regal building, this.
Spent a decent few hours here with the lads during the company retreat; cozy place to grab a few. Their scotched eggs are to murder for.

Favourite bar! Nice atmosphere good choice of drinks. Has awsum heaters outside.

It’s a nice pub. But is very over priced.

just went in for a drink on a sunday to celebrate our 1^st wedding anniversary, v friendly staff, especially a very pretty blonde barmaid who was very helpful when we were deliberating over the wine menu!
nice relaxed atmosphere, lots of comfy seats & space

Historic building in Gunwharf Quays Portsmouth. Lots of separate rooms, good atmosphere. Great food. Recommended. Had a Sunday roast. Free wi fi

Visited the Old Customs House in Nov 08 for a drink and a few bags of crisps.
Service was wonderful and choice of real ale good. Prices weren’t to bad either
The atmosphere of this pub is really relaxed. I love this place as its in a traditional pub.

Customs House is ok actually, I’ve been for wine in the evenings (lively, friendly) and for food during the daytime.
You can almost always find a table to sit at with some comfy sofas, and open fires in the winter.
I’ve also been for food during the day twice, you can almost have a room to yourself, great for families as you can get a big table. The food is traditional English style food and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. I’ve had fish and chips, and a nice burger. Nice both times.
They look after children very well, with plenty of space, high chairs provided, and the waiters will always make an effort.

I would give this 0 stars if I could. The Old Customs House is possibly the worst restaurant in Portsmouth — actually, the worst one I’ve ever been to anywhere! I’ve been here three times and each time I’ve had truly awful food. Two times I’ve ordered their house nachos, which are burnt, tasteless and entirely congealed in one mass to burnt cheese and bland salsa.
A few months ago I decided to give it another try and order a green vegetable curry. My friend who ordered a steak at the same time that I did got her food within 20 minutes, whereas I had to wait 40 minutes for mine. And what did I get? A few large chunks of white onion in a green curry sauce with rice. I’m not kidding — I searched the entire soup-​like concoction and there was not one single other vegetable, not even a tiny carrot or mushroom. Just a plate full of onions. I took it back and asked them to add more vegetables, but they took forever and barely added anything, and the food was cold. The restaurant setup is pretty tired-​looking, and consists of a series of maze-​like dining rooms. Avoid like the plague!

Nice place to eat and drink. Waiting times can be long for food. The pub has a number of little rooms with 4 or 5 tables in it. So it is not noicy.

If you visiting Gunwharf Quays and are in the mood for a drink, but want somewhere a bit more laid back then this might be the choice for you. The pub is still as busy as any of the others there, but the atmosphere is a bit more mature. I’ve always found the bar staff very efficient, and the price of my drinks was very reasonable. They also serve meals, but looking at their Christmas menu I wasn’t at all inspired, so have yet to eat there.