State Street Saloon

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  Bar none the best cup of seafood chowder (New England style, of course) I've ever had. I also ordered chicken wings and was happy that the sauce was authentically Buffalo-style. Super-friendly service and a good selection of beer on tap. Free popcorn, to boot!
  
  Very much a local-yocal kind of place with a colorful cast of townies. The walls are covered with flat-screen TVs, mostly showing sports (and -ack!- Fox News).

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  Posted on 05.16.13 Michael G.

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  Stopped in to the Statey once again. This place never let's me down! It's always great to see locals hanging out. And smiling faces! Everyone seems to have a fun time when there here! The seafood chowder they claim to be the best, really is the BEST! They just expanded and opened a dining room, the place is huge. We didn't eat in the dining room, but it definitely looks nice. We always make it a point to stop in to State Street whenever we get the chance to go out.

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  Posted on 12.08.12 Anne S.

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  Great prices.  The $4.99 lobster roll with chips and pickle! They also once had a special for homemade lobster mac & cheese for $6.99 OMG sooooo good. They have wing and app specials on monday nights. We stop for a lobster roll every time we are in Portsmouth. I'll post a picture of the $4.99 lobster roll... It would be 5 stars for me in the wait staff were a little more attentive and not so lazy. The burgers were also very good and cooked to order with fresh burger.

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  Posted on 10.31.12 Allan G.

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  This place is what it is. Friendly staff. Cold beer. Lots of old ass TV's and in need  of a serious remodel. for portsmouth, I would call this a dive. Which is exactly what I wanted to be in.

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  Posted on 09.10.12 Drew P.

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  I've never been to a restaurant or bar that had so many rules...or such bad service.  
  
  My friends and I decided to stop in Portsmouth for a bite to eat on our way back from Massachusetts last Saturday evening.  By 7:30pm, we pulled into town and realized that every place was going to have a long wait.  Until we saw the State Street Saloon.  Now, there's a reason why there was no wait (but we'll get to that in a minute).  
  
  After searching for a waitress or hostess to seat us, we decided to take a table on the sidewalk patio, only to be bombarded by an uncoordinated waitress who yelled at us, saying we had to order food if we sat outside.  "It's a city law," she screamed.
  
  She then berated us about our drink choices after two guests ordered water to start, then began lecturing us about how we were not allowed to bring our drink glasses inside the restaurant.  She repeated it three times in case we hadn't heard it the first.  After finally coming back with our drinks about fifteen minutes later (in which two orders were wrong), she took our order for dinner.  
  
  While waiting for our meals, someone in our party realized that their chair was broken.  After trying to get the waitress's attention, he put the chair off to the side of the patio and sat in another one.  This clearly infuriated the waitress as she grabbed the broken chair and moved it back onto the patio.  She then had the bouncer come out and stare us down, as if that was going to do something.
  
  When one of our guests when inside to use the restroom (and yes, she did leave her drink at the table), she saw the waitress screaming at the bartender and another bouncer about the broken chair and how rude we were for moving it (if she had been there, she could have done it herself).
  
  Our meals came out and they were edible at best.  I ordered a tuna melt and it was just a tuna sandwich on toasted bread - pretty gross.  The other meals were less than appetizing, as well.  We quickly finished our meal and left as soon as we could.
  
  Overall, the food was terrible, the drink service was slow, and the service was lousy.  I know this is a townie dive bar at best, but perhaps the wait staff could spend less time lecturing guests on their rules, and instead provide a little better service.

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  Posted on 07.05.12 Erin S.

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  WEnt here to have a drink while in Portsmouth yesterday so I can only review the bar side. You can't sit outside at the patio unless you are getting something to eat- I guess it is a city law according to the bartender. Bogus considering we were there at 2:30 and noone was sitting outside at all and it was a great day weather wise outside. So we stayed inside at the darkish bar. Bartender was nice and sweet and all. Prices of our drinks were decent. She seemed to know the regulars and be attentive to the non regulars like us. I would go back and give them a shot for food.

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  Posted on 07.01.12 Stephanie H.

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  Cheap beer, Buck Hunter, juke box, friendliest bartender in town! That is the best combo you can have at a bar.
  
  The bartender that worked there when I lived there was by far the best bartender I have experienced in the New England area. That not meaning much since there are so many who are jaded and rude. We became regulars at this place and if you don't count the random kids that come in starting trouble, this is a 5 star bar.
  
  It's a great place for a bite to eat and watch sports too. Me being a Yankees fan, it was hard to find a place where I could watch a game in the New England area. State Street Saloon was a different story. I could sit there and watch the game in piece without someone starting a fight. Oh and if they did, they were removed from the bar and told to never come back. That is the kind of bar I can respect when it comes to rift raft. I highly recommend this place if you are going through town.

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  Posted on 11.28.11 Chance S.

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  Another bar that we visited on our night out on Halloween after the parade was the State Street Saloon. The price for a pint was about $4.25 which was extremely reasonable. The bar was fairly large, shaped as a large rectangle. This was the last bar that we went to so things were fuzzy as to the decor and such....
  
  The bartender was prompt in bringing us our beers. After serving us, she just walked away and didn't even asked if I wanted to open a tab or state the cost. It was like we were locals and she knew us and knew that we wouldn't walk out and not pay. I actually tried a few times to get her attention to pay for the beer!
  
  I would definitely go here again for an inexpensive pint!

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  Posted on 11.04.11 John L.

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  Want crappy big-name beer for low-ish prices? How about 3 simultaneous baseball games played on 20 mismatched tv's? And crazy people manning the outdated video games? Well then, you've found your new favorite watering hole at the State Street Saloon!
  
  I can't really fault them too much. They are exactly what they look like from the outside. But in a town with so many great bars and multiple local breweries, there's just no reason for me to go to the SSS. Then again, if you love sports and want $2 beers, this might be your escape from the overly quaint and friendly town.
  
  Bartenders are generally nowhere to be found, especially when you try to close out your tab-- best to pay cash upfront if you're planning on ever wanting to leave.

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  Posted on 08.23.11 Vanessa V.

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  Went to grab a quick burger and this place was one of the few that wasn't mobbed with tourists.  Waitress was nice enough, but the food was reaaaaaaalllly slow coming out, considering that there were no other patrons in the restaurant when we arrived.  Food was decent and inexpensive, and I'm sure it's a good place to grab a beer and watch a game.  Probably wouldn't go there for lunch again, though.  Even though it's casual and there's a dining room area that's separate from the saloon, I don't think I'd recommend it for families...especially those with young kids.  I'm no prude.  I've been known to let go with an f-bomb now and again.  But the table and bar staff swear like sailors, even on the floor. Unless you want your toddler to sound like a little sailor, bring them elsewhere.

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  Posted on 08.06.11 Jessica P.

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  best bartender in the seacoast...

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  Posted on 03.10.11 Jason B.

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  On a recent getaway to Portsmouth, my wife and I were looking for a place to have a beer and a quick bite to eat. We happened upon the State Street Saloon which is a block away from the main downtown intersection. This place is definitely a favorite of the locals - a diverse crowd from twenty-somethings to retirees.
  
  The bartender was very outgoing and friendly and asked if we wanted to see a menu. It being a cold day, she suggested the seafood chowder and said it was "the best in town." (I think there was a sign on the outside of the place that said they had the "best seafood chowder in town" too!) We took her advice and ordered a bowl. Granted, this is the only place in Portsmouth I've ever had seafood chowder, but I can't imagine any place in town topping this dish! It was chock full of big chunks of lobster, scallops, and shrimp, and the base was excellent. Not too thick, not too thin. The consistency was perfect. I highly recommend it. The next time I'm in Portsmouth, I will definitely be hitting this place for another bowl.
  
  We also ordered the boneless buffalo tenders and they were very good. A nice size portion that came with celery and bleu cheese for dipping. I liked that the dish came with 3 cups of bleu cheese -- most places usually give you one and you have to ask for another halfway through.
  
  They have a pretty good selection of beers on tap too. In my opinion the best was Smuttynose IPA, a fantastic local hoppy beer.
  
  I really liked the local vibe of this place. It's a great place for a few beers and you can't go wrong with the "best in town" seafood chowder!

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  Posted on 01.05.11 Emmett P.

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  This was our third bar for the day -- so we were just there for one more beer and to relax for a bit.
  
  My first impression: Lots of christmas lights everywhere.
  Guys first impression: They have Golden Tee!
  
  We didn't have food. Service was good for the few drinks we had. Just another dive/saloon/bar.

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  Posted on 04.05.10 Mallory S.

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  This is my review of the bar, not the restaurant (I don't have much an opinion on it as I've only eaten there once).
  
  I live in Boston now but I always try to make a point to go to State Street when I'm in NH. I'm a bit biased.. I'll admit... because my aunt is the bartender, but whatever- she's an amazing bartender so I'm basically here to recommend her to everyone. She'll make you a strong drink and is always fun to talk to- trust me :)
  
  And to the guy who wrote the review below, referring to the bartender as "A capable bar woman who looks like she could kick your ass three different ways until Sunday", my guess is you were talking about my aunt Mo, and the answer is YES she could kick your ass, so be nice to her :)

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  Posted on 08.07.09 Masha B.

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  I wanted to like this place.  I really did.  And maybe someday I'll get a chance to say something nice about it, but here's the problem.  And BTW, this is a review of the restaurant...
  
  I've wanted to review the State Street Saloon for months.  It isn't much to look at on the outside, but it wouldn't be the first place in town that was nicer on the inside.  So a few months ago we went in there for lunch and the place was deserted.  No customers, no staff, just some noise in the kitchen.  After about 10 minutes of standing around waiting to be acknowledged, we left.  And even though I wanted to put my honest opinion of their ghost town ambiance here, I thought I'd give them the benefit of the doubt.
  
  Fast forward to today.  Again, we tried to go there for lunch.  This time there were people sitting at two tables.  But again, we went in, sat down this time, waited 10 minutes and left because not a single effing person could be bothered coming out of the kitchen.  There was noise in the kitchen.  Pots, pans, dishes... they were doing something in there.  But no one could look out of the window in the door to see what was happening.  And the atmosphere, it isn't any nicer inside than outside.  Meh.
  
  We went across the street to the Rusty Hammer and had a really nice lunch.  I can see why the Rusty Hammer is crowded and State Street Saloon is empty.  It's because people know how they're going to be treated, except maybe for the people at the two State Street Saloon tables.  I guess they're tourists.
  
  Oh, I checked "no" for waiter service.  This is because I have yet to see a waiter or waitress working there.  If I had, maybe I could talk about the food.  Two stars and not one because so far it's been impossible to actually taste the food so I can't say anything bad about it.

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  Posted on 08.15.08 Don W.

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  It's not the most happening place in town, but has a great bar staff.  Micah is my favorite bartender!  The prices are reasonable, but it can get very smoky at times.  When I have been there sometimes I feel very young, but I still had a great time with my roommates!

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  Posted on 02.14.07 Molly F.

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  Awright, awright, I'll admit it:  It's pretty damn nice to imbibe in a somewhat dive-ish bar in which it's (still) perfectly legal to smoke alongside your Smutty Nose or your scotch whisk(e)y or your shabbily-made top-shelf margarita.
  
  Is there an Internet Jukebox filled with somewhat questionable music selections?  Yep, there sure is.
  
  Is there a video game entitled "Buck Shot", in which you grab a fluorescent orange shotgun and shoot defenseless deer, after which a buck falls to its knees and collapses in the mud in the rain, its lifeless eyes staring at you as if to say, "Why on Earth did you do that?"  (Making you feel mightily bad, to boot.)  Yes, check.
  
  Smoky and decidedly blue-collar, hearkening back to Portsmouth's earlier and badder days as a major port-of-call for New England (and, for you history buffs, a pretty hard-core defense bunker in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War), the State Street Saloon is a good bar, I must say.  This is where I learned that I had slept with one of the singers for the French 80's cover band Nouvelle Vague.
  
  It was in Paris in March, 2004.  I'd met this beautiful blonde chanteusse through my father and a wine merchant friend of his at a restaurant called La Closerie des Lilas.  We hit it off and went to her place near Montmartre.  We smoked an endless amount of high-grade bud and played The Streets at full volume.  We made soft, tender love.  That's all I'll say.  I left before her lover showed up at 5 in the morning, and wandered the cobble-stone streets in a drunken haze before stumbling across a taxi queue with a snoozing cabby waiting for no one in particular.  I went home and slept it off.
  
  It wasn't until I was hanging with the wine merchant and a few friends I haven't seen in quite a while at the Saloon on State when I flippantly mentioned how I'd fallen in love with Nouvelle Vague.  "Remember the shag ya had last time I saw ye?" the Irish wine guy said.  "She sings two songs for 'em.  One on the last one and one on the recent one.  Listen to, I think, track # __ on the latest -- that's her."
  
  So I did, and it's actually one of my favorite covers.  He didn't know which one on "Bande A Parte" she did, but I reckon I'll find out.  Wow, a brush with celebrity, I guess.
  
  This has nothing to do with the quality or service or atmosphere of the State Street Saloon.  It's a handy place.  Good, cold beer.  Strong, freely poured shots (no Tuaca, though).  A capable bar woman who looks like she could kick your ass three different ways until Sunday.  I liked this joint.  I give it 3 stars because it's where I found out that I'd slept with the voice of an angel nearly 3 years ago.
  
  Nice.

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  Posted on 01.05.07 Thomas B.

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