Coat of Arms Pub

Over the years, I've been to the Coat of Arms many times, frequently for lunch on Fridays when it's quiet.  I like the Coat a lot because it's relaxing and comfy, and doesn't try so hard that it comes off like something from Epcot.  The food, beer, and service have always been really good, and this place gets better with each visit.  That also means that it isn't necessarily going to impress someone new when they first walk through the door.  During the five years that I lived in Portsmouth, this became one of my favorite hidden spots.

The Coat is where I take my guests, my friends, and myself whenever I am in need of a relaxing and fun night out.  The beer selection is awesome.  The menu is really good.  It's definitely a dark, smelling-of-beer establishment, but the bartenders are great and there is some serious UK pride going on in there.

It was pretty quiet when we went in, but we got seated right away and ordered food. The wings were good, just hot enough...though when I splashed the sauce into my eye it was wicked hot. The fish and chips I had were good...flakey and hot. The other had a burger which was fine. The molten cake was decent considering that it wasn't made from scratch or was reheated. Its not a fancy place, but I could see this being a comfortable place.

The waitstaff was quite nice and left us alone enough to be ok.