We visited RiRa's during Restaurant week and while Brunch was being served. We started with the nachos, which were good, but they are made differently every time we have been there. Â A consistent product is important to know what to expect.
The other half ordered the Restaurant Week special & I had the Crab Benedict. His meal came with the potato cake appetizer, which I promptly snatched. Loved it! He enjoyed the cottage pie very much, while my Benedict was good, but the crab cakes were a little more fishy than I'd normally expect, but still quite good. We took the desert to go, which was a Baileys Chocolate Mousse and was most excellent.
One reason that we like RiRa's is that they have a great kid's menu. We have 3 kids ages 5 & under and they shared the pita pizza & grilled cheese sandwich. Our oldest complained that the pizza "had a top" - last time, it was not folded, so again consistency is important. I really like that they offer fresh grapes & strawberries as a side option with the kid's meals.
Oh and I can't forget, the Bloody Mary was so good that I ordered a second.
We always enjoy the food at RiRa's and it's a welcome change from the chain restaurants that the kids prefer.
After checking out this Irish bar this past weekend while away with my girlfriend, I was very impressed. I am always attracted to Irish pubs/bars, from dirty Irish dive bars to upscale Irish fare. Always extra points if they have traditional Irish music. Â
Ri Ra had it all.  They are in a great location in Market Square,  great  big bar area and tons of dining on two levels. The ambiance is great. It's inside of an old bank and that adds a lot to the overall theme and decor.
We went there to meet my old friend and her friends for drinks. Â Pretty much everyone in there was ordering food and it all looked very good. Â They had a half off burger special so the majority of customers were ordering them. I was drinking Guinness, and they do a great pour. My girlfriend ordered the Pink Lemonade which consists of Absolut Citron, Chambord and lemonade served in a sugar rimmed, Â which was very good. Â Myself and my friend I met there did some Irish Car-bombs for old times. Â Probably my first one in about 4 years, maybe?
The bartenders and staff were great and always on top of everything. The two guys singing Irish tunes were great and took all requests, even though my two songs they would not play. NBD. Â But they did all the old classic tunes and it was nice and everyone there was enjoying it.
This bar has a lot of locations all over the country and back in Dublin, pretty impressive and the quality and the overall service and enjoyment is great. Â Ri Ra has become my new favorite Irish bar outside the city. I'll for sure be checking out their other locations when I come across them.
A great spot to check out if your from Portsmouth or in town visiting. It's easy to get to, plenty of parking in the area, taxis and public transit. They have good beer and drinks specials, but you gotta get something that's Irish. Â Harp, Murphy's Stout or Guinness or something. Â This place i'm sure is a great spot to pick up some cougars on a random night.
Went here for a special event recently, so this review is most relevant for their on-premises catering. Food spread included two salads (garden and caesar), potato and leek soup, roast pork, some sort of hot pasta salad, baked salmon, rice pilaf, and mashed potatoes. Highlight of the meal was by far the pork, which was incredibly juicy and flavorful. Salads were both fresh and the soup was average. The mashed potatoes were the worst I've ever had in a restaurant (dry, unseasoned...just gross), but the rice pilaf was well prepared. Apple crisp for dessert was pretty tasty, although the oats were way undercooked (read: raw). Overall, food probably gets a B-. Service was friendly, although they stopped filling our waters after the first 15 minutes we were there... pretty annoying. They finally came around again after dessert but only filled our glasses about a third of the way up to avoid going back and getting another full pitcher -- who does that?? Anyway, wasn't a bad meal overall, but a few easy things on their part could have made the experience much better.
Review Source:Reviewing only the drinking situation around 10pm on a Saturday night: The $3 cover charge was a little silly, but the interior of the bar was pretty fancy, so I guess it was worth it.
Perhaps I'm used to Boston's exorbitant drink prices, but for all the drinks we ordered, this place was CHEAP. Or maybe they just forgot to charge us for some? Either way, 5 Long Island iced teas, 2 shots of Jameson, and 2 beers for around 50 bucks is pretty sweet. The bartender was cool and always seemed to be waiting right there behind the bar when I needed a refill.
I'd definitely go back to Ri Ra.
We were here this past weekend . It was our first stop. This is a great place to sit in the bar and have a perfect pint of Guinness. The old bank atmosphere is fun, and the service is good. A great place to meet up with friends to start the night or just to have lunch and a pint on a chilly fall day. There are also TVs above the bar so it's not a bad spot to watch the a game. Food is good for and Irish pub.
Review Source:The day we visited the hamburgers were half off. Â We tried different ones and both were cooked perfectly and delicious. Â Our Irish waiter, the manager, was friendly and very helpful in our selections which included sweet potato tater tots. Â He also introduced us to a new mustard by Colmans of England, it really finished the tater tots.
Review Source:I was looking forward to trying this spot this past weekend. Â A friend of mine RAVED about their veggie burgers. Â (I'm a veg and am always searching out yummy veggie burgers) Â Anyway, we arrived around 7:00 for dinner and requested a table on the patio. Â The hostess looked at us like we were lepers and said that there was a really long wait for the patio. Â I asked how long and she answered with 30 minutes. Â Me being a Bostonian, I am used to waiting much longer for a prime seat, so I said it wasn't a problem. Â She then said that was probably a conservative guess. Â She obviously did not want us to sit on the patio and instead sat us way upstairs near a few screaming children. Â We immediately left even without ordering a drink. Â I was really disappointed.
Review Source:I had lunch outside on the new sidewalk patio a few days ago. Â The location is probably even nicer that Popover's patio. Â The burgers and beer are just as good as ever and both the people- and dog-watching are an example of Portsmouth at its best. Â And a special shout out to Von, the little French Bulldog who randomly rolls over to scratch his back on the sidewalk (and his owner, who used to be my neighbor). Â You'll see it all from this spot.
The only problem with the location is that the local motorcyclists point their exhaust pipes directly at the restaurant and all you need to ruin a conversation is one guy who likes to idle his bike when he clearly isn't going anywhere. Â We had one, a short little old guy who probably bought his entire matching wardrobe at the harley store. Â Aside from 15 minutes of that guy, it was just an awesome spot to hang out and enjoy lunch. Â I look forward to doing again one or two more times this summer.
Ok for a chain, but it is more like the red lobster of Irish pubs. Â Neither of which belong in the northeast. Â We have plenty of real Irish and plenty of fresh seafood. Â Â
Converted bank is mildly interesting but in no way is this an Irish pub. Â Pogue mahone.
Good for a beer and a basic appetizer but don't expect to be immersed in "Irishness".
I love, love, LOVE the atmosphere and the architecture at Ri Ra, but the food that they are serving right now SUCKS. Â I adored their lamb sliders when they first were on the menu. Â I came tonight and the sliders were burnt and sad. Â Food shouldn't be abused like that. Â Some poor baby lamb died for my meal and the best you can do is incinerate its flesh beyond all earthly recognition? Â Murder should be tasty. Â Mussels tasted fishy and not fresh. Â Soda bread was reminiscent of sawdust. Â They were out of shrimp for the entree I ordered, so I went with shepherd's pie. Â Good shepherd's pie is a guarantee at an Irish place, right? Â Oh, SO WRONG my friend. Â My shepherd's pie tasted like dog food. Â Chalky, nasty, vomitously, awful. Â I hope I will never eat here again. Â God save those who follow me into the dungeons of Ri Ra's hellish kitchen.
Review Source:If I were a tourist, I would be disappointed to go to a supposed IRISH pub in just to learn that it's another middle-of-the-road chain establishment whose menu seems to be the same at all of the other Ri Ra Irish Pub locations across the country. Then again, much of downtown Portsmouth seems to be selling/buying into that reality lately - corporate chains passing off as local businesses or simply not even bothering.
That being said, it's still a lively, loud environment, easy to find if you're planning a large get-together, and the service was good when I went there a while back. I wouldn't go for fresh creative cuisine, in fact I wouldn't actually go again at all - but the mixed reviews from others here all seem to point to 'try it yourself', as opinions vary ... Â what may be awesome or "authentic" to some people might just be McMediocre to others.
Great Irish Pub in Portsmouth, but the food sadly has really gone down hill. Â I stop in once a month for lunch or dinner, and the past couple times I have really been unhappy with the food quality. Â Atmosphere is still great - very traditional. Â Sunday night jam sessions are wonderful - just eat elsewhere and come to Ri Ra for drinks.
Review Source:LOCATION: in the heart of downtown Portsmouth. Great area for tourists!
DECOR: the inside is probably the most appealing aspect of this pub. The building used to be a bank years ago, now remade into a bar/restaraunt. However the decor still holds the old bank look with real vault doors and metal bars surrounding some of the tables. Pretty cool looking but at the same time very classy.
DRINK: drinks were pretty good. Decent prices, around 8$ for malibu n coke which isnt too bad for a bar downtown. Small glasses though.
I definitely would like to come back and get food here. I heard the foods not too pricey and is very tasty, we'll see!!
I love the ambiance of this place... very large and open and yet somehow cozy at the same time. Â I came for some beers and some appetizers on a cold and snowy winter night.
 I sat and enjoyed some beers first...  a Guinness snake bite and then a large bottle of Chimay Rouge.  They have a great beer selection, ranging from your standard bar choices to an adequate craft and local beer selection as well. Â
For food we decided to just get the spinach artichoke dip which comes with a roll of crostini (bread)... the bread was nice and warm and went perfectly with the dip. Â The dip was super yummy as well. Â We needed more bread to polish off the dip, and that was an extra $1.50. Â I hate it when restaurants charge for bread. Â But, it was all that we were eating and it was delicious. Â
The service was great... she was very attentive but didn't seem annoyed that we were there for almost a couple hours enjoying the people watching and eavesdropping on other patrons' conversations.
Best thing about this bar is the amazing building. Â Insided the former bank lobby is a true domed rotunda-- ornate and gorgeous. Â Then a fabulous long bar, and balconies. Â We went on a weekend night, and we are clearly too old and uncool for the youthful throngs. It was PACKED, hard to move, and a college dude was playing acoustic Britney Spears. Â Hmm. Â But Stacy is a great manager, and she personally welcomed us. Â A good place for the party crowd, or for sophisticates if you choose a slower night.
Review Source:Ri Ra is Ri Ra. I know, this statement is probably very helpful for you, right? I guess I am saying Ri Ra is kinda whatever. The location here is great, right in the main "square" of Portsmouth. And the fact that it's an old bank building is neat too- we sat in a room with bars, so I'm assuming it used to be the vault. Location check, atmosphere check, food whatever. The soda bread they bring you is kind of bland (but I guess maybe soda bread is supposed to be bland.) Guinness Beef Stew was less than amazing and kind of peppery in a bad way. My friends enjoyed their Guinness BBQ burgers though, so I guess that counts for something. Wait staff was friendly.
As another reviewer said, Ri Ra isn't bad. But there's no reason to visit twice, either.
Fun to people watch, food has always been consistently good.
I enjoy this place for the atmosphere and the location right at Market Square means we can skip over to Breaking New Grounds for coffee and dessert!
I've seen a lot of families in the dining room so they must have a good kids menu too.
Terrible food! The first time we to Ri Ra there were four of us and all of us agreed that the food was terrible. This is an Irish joint and their corned beef was all fat and extremely salty. Well that was last year so my wife and I decided to go back and give them a second chance.
We ordered the crispy pork and the crab cake sandwich with curry fries. The pork portion was the size of a bic cigarette lighter. And, it was bland and rubbery. It came with 3 boring scallops that were not even worth eating. The entire entree was about 3oz of food. My crabcake sandwich was passable but the curry fries were soggy and bland, I've had this in the UK and it was phenomenal.
I informed the waitress and Dave the manager was supposed to stop by our table. He just chatted 10 feet from us with his friends and never stopped by.
The beer selection is great and some parts of the restaurant are quite beautiful (although acoustically it's awful if you plan on carrying a conversation without losing your voice). It's also nice that Ri Ra has outdoor seating (no beer served) where you can dine with your dogs at your side. That's the only reason for the second star.
I hate to say this about a local Portsmouth establishment but I will NEVER go back.
While Ri Ra may have a phenomenal location and a beautiful interior, there's not a lot of reason to go for a second helping. I'm left with so many questions: Why would the host be so incompetent about the restaurant's entertainment schedule? Why would a bar make such awful drinks? Why must the wait staff be so curt? Why didn't we go to the Brewery and what the hell was the dessert I ate?
We went to try their Monday night burger special. The host at the door seated us at a cramped corner table. Good thing we asked to move to a better seat because, only moments later, a band came in and the section in which we were originally seated was removed altogether.
The burger selection was varied and affordable (on Monday nights - wouldn't have gone otherwise.) I tried the eponymous "Ri Ra"- features fried onions and curry mayo - and a plate of curry fries. While the burger was cooked well, the curry mayo was flavorless and added nothing to the arrangement. The curry fries are excellent.
The "Arnold Palmer" my fiancée ordered was embarrassing: it literally consisted of vodka, water and a lime wedge. A lime wedge. When we asked our waitress what happened she insisted the drink was fine but offered to remake it (why was she making it and not the bartender?)
Our waitress' attitude was strange throughout the night. Inattentive and harried despite so few tables.
Finally, we shared a "Banana Tart" for desert. Now this was really pathetic: they had taken a square of frozen puff-pastry, placed three slices of banana on it, baked it a bit and then scooped some very plastic-y ice cream on top. Â The result was a soggy mess; bland and a chore to eat.
Look, here's what it comes down to: go once on a Monday night and you'll get the best value for a burger ever. Do not - I repeat - do not bother with ANY of the other accoutrements because Ri Ra is a "bar" in aesthetic only.
Had a wonderful late lunch at Ri Ra today with friends. This was my first time to Portsmouth and I was excited to find a fun place with a great atmosphere, a large beer selection and a delicious lobster roll!
Ri Ra satisfied all of these requirements and then some! The old bank building is beautiful and provided an extra bit of local flair to compliment the tasty food.
Don't forget to try the mussels, too. They're simmered in a cider with bacon - a great starter before any meal!
Meh. Â Bouncers here suck royally. Esp the squatty Ron Jeremy-looking dude who thinks he's working in NY or Vegas. Made our group of six wait in a line when there were like, five people (no lie) in the bar. Direct quote from the bouncer when I asked why there was a line with no one in the bar, "You aren't in Boston anymore"... Obviously.
Review Source:The ambiance at Ri Ra is great and so are the drinks, but the food is just ok. There isn't a more cool building in Portsmouth and I love the fact that they converted an old bank that had sat empty for years.
However, the Guinness Stew was just ok. The best dish we've had there is the Fish & Chips, they give you two huge pieces of fish with a very light beer batter and fries. The salads are also good.
The management should probably fire the door staff as I noticed that others have commented on them too. Â The door staff is rude and obviously tries to make things seems as if they're busier than they really are. Â Really, they're just a few fat guys who are angry that they don't have a real job like their clientele.
This chain bar is just about as sub par as every other one in every other city that pretends they're not a chain bar. Â If you want to go to an authentic Irish bar just drive an hour south to Boston. Â Oddly enough too, the doormen won't be nearly as snobby....
Liked the ambiance and the celtic music playing as we waited for an old friend to arrive. Â The food just didn't wow me, but I did just come from the Topsfield Fair and all that fair food sitting in my stomach.
I'd have to come back again to give a more extensive review, but I could see coming here more to have a pint, watch the game, and skip the full meal.
During my most recent 2 day little trip up to Portsmouth, the concierge at the Ale House Inn recommend we stop in here for a few drinks and a small bite to eat. Once he said the words "irish pub and converted bank," we were completely sold. Â Not to mention he gave us a little 40% off food voucher as a hotel promo.. Hello, really, am I going to say no to all that?
.. Probably not.
Seeing as how i'm not too familiar with Portsmouth, and honestly I cant read a map very well, we walked right past it the first time. The sign was pretty small so you have to be looking out for it. Or, just better at map reading than myself.
The decor was really quite awesome. High ceilings, the bar tables had small benches and were awfully comfy. Vaults were certainly turned into dining rooms for larger groups, which would have given you more privacy.
Our waitor was one of the nicer servers we experienced in town the whole 2 days we were there. Its honestly not that hard to get my vote. Be friendly, crack a few jokes, and be attentive.
We ordered french fries, crab dip, and the Ri Ra potato cakes. All were really quite good. I loved the homemade fries themselves. Nom nom! My gin and tonic tasty really ginny (complaining, I think not!).
Overall, I'd definitely go back here when in town.
A Monday lunch update with a business buddy, and RiRas was suggested.
We sat in one of the vaults. Great idea!
Nice renovation here, incredible bar which I heard was imported from the old country.
The dome adds a touch of elegance and grandeur.
Food, oh yeah, was typical lunch pub food, burgers and fries.
Monday is currently 1/2 price burgers so we saved a few $.
Wait staff was efficient, and personable.
I'll be back for lunch.
I am an "out to lunch" person. That is not to say that I am a "space cadet", despite being blonde. Â Lunch prices are more reasonable and that allows me to go out to eat more often. :)
So, I went here for lunch with a friend on a rainy weekday. We were one of about 5 parties in the place. We got great service from a sweet young lady with a heavy irish accent. She was a perfect hire!
The old bank atmosphere is beautiful. We sat at a high top table in the bar. The enormous, domed, stained glass ceiling was mesmerizing. The huge bank Vault door and bars (like and an old time jail cell) were fun to look at.
We got fresh pressed coffee that you let steep and then press on your own. This was delicious. I had two. Soup and sandwhiches seemed the best bet for lunch, only $6. The food was good and I ate it all. Definatley easy to find the same caliber of sandwich at any given eatery in town. But the coffee will bring me back.
I can see how it can get crazy loud when it is full. It is a large, open, museum like space. I would love to return in the evening for a beer and some live music in the bar.
I really enjoyed the atomsphere. Â A large group (12) of us went for my birthday and were seated in the vault. Â The service was great, beer selection excellent, but the food was really just mediocre with the exception of the Guiness BBQ Wings which were fabulous. Â
I would go back for lunch or dinner, but lower my expectations a tad...really just basic pub food.
Went here with a large group. We made reservations 2 months in advance, which meant they had plenty of time to plan for this large party. Wait service was frazzled and disorganized. They didnt know who ordered what and the drinks were very slow to arrive. Once we got our drinks, they were good. They have a decent selection of cocktails sure to please everyone.
I ordered the duck with blueberry sauce. The dish was just okay. The description in the menu was better than the actual dish. The duck was not seasoned. Just seared then glopped with blueberry sauce. Several people ordered the duck with differing temperatures ( rare- well done). We all got our duck rare. Â The duck didn't taste too fresh.
My fiance ordered the special- Tuna with swordfish medallions. The tuna piece was a little disappointing. It was a thin piece of tuna pan seared. Nothing special about it. I will say that the butternut squash rice that they paired with the fish was great. The squash was soft with a great velvety texture. The rice was cooked perfectly and not over done. I wish the rest of the meal was done like the rice.
SInce this place is new, I will try it again, but given the service and the food, it gets 2 stars for now.
First, let me say that the star rating here is a little awkward. You see, during the daytime hours, Ri Ra is probably a 4 star place, but at night, it's most definitely a 2. Don't worry, I'll explain.
We'll start with the good stuff-- the hours between approximately noon and 6 or 7pm. Portsmouth's Ri Ra is built in a refurbished 200 year-old bank building right in Market Square. The inside is beautifully redone, showcasing old marble floors and facades, a carved wooden bar, and a gorgeous stained glass dome ceiling that can only be appreciated before the sun goes down. The food is relatively good pub fare at a reasonable price, and joining the Pint Club is fun (if you finish all 63 beers they feature in a year, you get your name on a plaque... currently our friend Joe is in first place). The staff is friendly and there's enough room so that there's not usually not much of a wait.
Then, things go terribly, terribly wrong. Sometime around 8, when the dinner crowd starts to dwindle and the drinking crowd comes out, Ri Ra just doesn't know what to do with itself. Late into the night, the waitstaff reserves the tables only for people ordering food (even though there seem to be very few), thus leaving little-to-no standing room for the now multiplying groups of 20-somethings that are swarming in through the front doors. Then, by 9, one of the dining rooms is converted into a tiny little dance floor for whatever crappy cover band they have performing that night which really draws some interesting types out of the woodwork... namely, cougars. Don't get me wrong, if you're a good-looking older woman who wants to go out with her friends, more power to you. However, you may want to consider saying no to that third Smirnoff Ice and not trying to grind with the 22 year-old crowd control dude who's only interested in keeping you and your friends from falling down the short set of stairs next to the dance floor and breaking a hip.
Overall, it's a good place to catch up or catch a day game with friends, but beware the nightlife.
I was here on a Thursday for dinner with family. We all enjoyed what we ordered and the staff was friendly and courteous. The building is a converted old bank built like a fortress, and they still have the vault door. Decor is lots of dark wood (mahogany?). Â However, while we all enjoyed the food, I thought it was over priced for what it is.
Menu consists of items like fish stew, sheppard's pie, corned beef and cabbage, etc. Â Irish common pub fare. Â But ~$16 for fish stew? Â ~$12 for sheppard's pie? Â Too expensive.
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