Rudi’s Portsmouth

Came here for drinks and apps with couple girlfriends and everything was awesome from the service to the food. We enjoyed their Wednesday’s Happy Hour and half off appetizers! Here’s what we tried:
Calamari: The fried calamari was yummy! I especially loved the sweet chili sauce that it came with. Though I wish the pieces were bigger.
Chicken Satay: The meat could be a little more tender I thought but it was still good, I mean who doesn’t like peanut butter!
Fig Ravioli: These were SO GOOD! I loved the creamy sauce and if I could lick the plate without anybody judging I probably would.
Bruschetta: Personally not a big fan of crunchy bread. So these were just ok for me.
Crème Brulee: Just what it should be! Crispy caramelized sugar at the top and smooth creamy custard at the bottom.
Overall ambience: Just lovely! Romantic and relaxing with soft piano in the background.
I look forward to going back and try some of their entrees!

I brought my boyfriend here for dinner last night as a birthday treat, we made a reservation for 7:30 and arrived a bit early. It was very busy when we arrived and the poor hostess was running the door by herself (from my experience hosting there should always be 2 people on the door during peak hours so that way one person is always there to greet customers and the other is updating the seating chart). We were seated about half an hour late after being offered a couple of bar tables because they had got up sooner than the dining tables, so we didn’t mind having to wait for our table.
After being seated our server Jossalyn was fantastic, she was extremely friendly and did not once rush us to make decisions. Once she brought us our first round of drinks she informed us that they would be on the house to make up for the wait, which we appreciated very much. I got the grapefruitini which was delicious (grapefruit vodka, pineapple and cranberry. there might have been another ingredient but either way it was great) and he got his usual grey goose and tonic, they had a pretty decent draft beer selection as well with quite a bit of variety.
To start we were brought bread and butter, the bread was warm and we had two choices of butter. original and they had a special almond joy butter which I LOVED, might not be for everyone but it worked for me. In addition to the bread we ordered some hand cut fries that were served with garlic aioli and red pepper ketchup. also delicious.
For our entrees I got the White Truffle Alfredo and added chicken and he got the beef tenderloin with the house steak sauce served with mashed potatoes and veggies. The pasta was freshly made and the truffle Alfredo sauce was delicious and the beef tenderloin was cooked to perfection and tender.
We chose to skip dessert so I’m not quite sure how they are on that aspect. Overall the atmosphere was nice, very cozy, intimate and the live jazz is a good touch as well. Our server Jossalyn was great and made a lasting impression on us. I was a little skeptical about trying this restaurant based off of some negative reviews I saw but I’m glad I did! It’s worth a shot in my opinion.

Rudi’s Wine Bar is another Portsmouth best kept secret. Great drink and wine list, plus happy hour specials and delicious appetizers. The best part is the awesome bar staff, Lynn and Adam. Get there early for a seat.

This review comes a few months late, so I do hope the staff member has been let go at this point. I cannot believe how horrible the service is at this place. This is the third time we’ve tried to eat at Rudi’s because we’ve heard wonderful things, all three times we have left due to terrible and rude service. This last time takes the cake though. We sat down at the bar around 8pm and it wasn’t a very busy evening. We sat for about 5 minutes before one of the two bartenders (that were talking to each other) came over to us. Didn’t even look us in the eye and just dropped the menus in front of us. She then went over to a couple that looked like regulars and started chatting and laughing while the other bartender disappeared. After another 5 minutes, she came back and said «drinks?». That’s all she said. My husband asked what they had for beer in the bottle and she flipped the menu over and pointed with such attitude I’ve never experienced at a restaurant. She then walked away again. Never asked me what I wanted or if he had any questions. That was it. We got up and left and as we were leaving I swear I could hear one of them say «see ya». This is COMPLETELY unacceptable for a restaurant in this town. We are locals and eat out often but we will never try Rudi’s again and will not recommend it to anyone.

Came here for a quick glass of vino and a snack before our 9pm reservation at Cava.
Sat at the bar — they had live jazz music which was EXCELLENT especially since the 2 playing didn’t even look to be of legal drinking age.
We ordered the fried oysters and a glass of wine. Food was excellent as was the service.

Went for a work holiday lunch. Great food and worth the price. A little fancy for me. I’m not really a two tablecloths type of guy. But I’d definitely take my wife here without the kids.
Had calamari, bruschetta, spinach dip, and a blackened shrimp salad. All were great. I would’ve eaten a bowl of the blackened shrimp. Everyone liked their food and the service was good.

Consistently mediocre in both food and service. Please, put quality cheese and anchovies on the Caesar salad. Please, if an entrée is split, at least bring a 2^nd plate — not a bread plate! But why not offer to bring on 2 plates in the 1^st place, even if there is a split charge? And please the food is totally bland. No seasoning or sauce on the halibut or Brussels sprouts. The accompaniment could not be identified by anyone at our table of 4. Is it rice mush? Solid ²⁄₅

Visited Rudi’s for their Sunday brunch and struggled to eat the vegetable omelette I ordered.
I had to add jam to cover up the flavor of the garlic… It tasted like a giant garlic clove
The potato’s were made with either a moroccan spice, Smelled too spicy (and tasted horrible) for brunch and not edible for me… I was starving and could only manage to eat half of my food and then gave up. The service was excellent and I enjoyed the brunch cocktails
I will enjoy Rudi’s for dinner but never for brunch again… How can you get eggs wrong?

Surly, not so very friendly female head bartender last night who was clearly not liking having 4 people show up at 9:30 pm for cocktails. Last call was announced by 10:30 (oddly) and not so happy that another round was ordered. The younger female bartenders were nicer and more engaging. Cocktails were made quite well. It’s a shame we didn’t feel welcomed.

It’s been almost 24 hours since I had lunch at Rudi’s, which is good. The smell and taste of garlic, is finally starting to leave my body.
I’m not sure why every Chef in America has decided over the last few years, that garlic is the end all, be all flavoring, but they’re way wrong. Garlic is probably the most polarizing flavoring … most people hate it or love it. There’s not much in between. So why does the Chef at Rudi’s think that Mac ‘n Cheese needs garlic? Why does he think Lobster Salad needs garlic in the Mayo that’s served on the side? I’ll tell you why, he’s a pretentious idiot, who thinks he knows better than the guests.
It reminds me of the restaurants that only have brownies with nuts. Hey nit wit, 30% of Americans are allergic to nuts and 40% more don’t like nuts … so now who’s the nut?
Putting garlic on everything a restaurant serves, is like McDonald’s no longer serving hamburgers … only cheeseburgers, like the old Belishi Skit. If you want a hamburger, you have to order a cheeserburger and «hold the cheese». Are you seeing the absurdity?
The Caesar’s Salad should have been called the «Garlic Salad». Garlic is not the perfect flavoring, Chefs … get a clue.
BTW, the Lobster BLT was awful. I couldn’t cut the lobster with a knife, it was tougher than a Goodyear radial tire. The fries were cold. The service was average.
Mac ‘n Cheese with hunks of garlic? Geez … that’s even a new one on me.

The calamari appetizer was soo good instead of just frying it and putting it with marinara sauce they put it with an amazing sweet and spicy chili sauce. It was delicious and perfect for two people to share. My dad got the Atlantic char which came with Brussels sprouts that he said were awesome. I got the beef tenderloin and they give you 3 options of how you want it prepared (1. With house steak sauce 2. With torched Gorgonzola and port wine reduction 3. With pancetta and chive compound butter) I got one with the pancetta and chive compound butter and I had it cooked medium. It was AMAZING! It came with salted green beans and garlic mashed potatoes. One of the best meals I’ve had in Portsmouth. Highly recommend !

I loved the food and atmosphere of this restaurant! It was nice but also felt casual. I ordered the fig ravioli as a starter and the white truffle alfredo as my entrée.
I absolutely loved the fig ravioli! It was the perfect amount of sweet mixed with a very creamy sauce. I liked the white truffle alfredo, but it wasn’t as good as the ravioli. While eating the truffle dish I wanted to have a stronger truffle taste. The sauce went really well with the broccolini on top of the pasta.
If I were able to go to this restaurant again, I would order three dishes of the fig ravioli as my entrée hahah
I would definitely recommend this restaurant!

Rudis is an elegant feeling place without being over the top fancy. I wish I remeber the name of our waiter because he was attentive without bring at our table too often. My water glass was never empty!
We had the antipasta and lobster mushroom crêpe. Both were very good. The mushroom risotto (we added shrimp) was outstanding. They had a pianist and a bassist playing which was really nice.
Overall, a really nice experience with food that was very very good. Go there, relax and enjoy.

A solid OK but definitely disappointing given the rave reviews and price tag.
We had a rare day together, sans kiddos and took a road trip to Portsmouth. Looking forward to a relaxed and delicious lunch, we opted for Rudi’s over the other billion options in the Congress St area.
Cocktails were good (although mine came in a sticky glass due to spillage at the bar) — a Mule and a Berrylicious. We split the Oyster Po’ Boy and the Thai Salmon Wrap. Both were pretty bland. The fries were quite good and the pickles were delicious. But we didn’t pay $ 50+ for lunch for good pickles and fries. Overall, we were disappointed with the lack of dimension and flavor and probably won’t be back given the plethora of alternatives in the vicinity.

The best place to have a wedding, a date, a steak, a martini, fried Brie, have fun, hear jazz, fall in love, make friends, love life and smile.
Enjoy Rudi’s!!!

Bf and I were visiting portsmouth for the weekend, and unfortunately it was cold and snowy (wtf) so instead of doing some shopping downtown, we pretty much just wanted to get warm and popped into Rudis for lunch.
The ambiance is a little formal, so I was anticipating high prices, but their lunch menu is very reasonable.
Started with a glass of red wine. Bf ordered a beer, but the waitress thought the keg was tapped so she brought the beer and asked his opinion. He agreed, and she happily brought him samples of two others so he could choose a different option.
We started with the fried brie which was delicious. The grapes and crostini were a great addition, and the jam/​marmalade went well with it too. A few more crostini would have been nice since there was a lot of brie, but it was still great.
He had the mushroom/​Gruyère sandwich with fries and I had the cheesesteak. The only words I can use to describe my sandwich are «o.m.g.» There was a cheddary fondue along with mushrooms on the corned beef, and it was nothing short of decadent and heavenly. I was only able to eat about half of it, along with about half my (amazing) fries. If you’re looking for a meal that sticks to your ribs, order the cheesesteak!
The waitress was super friendly and knowledgeable. The sandwiches took about 15 minutes after our appetizer was done, so I guess if I had to knock anything, it could’ve been a little quicker.
Wouldn’t hesitate to come back next time I’m in town!

Decided to go out with a couple of friends for drinks and apps at the bar this past Saturday night. I absolutely love the bar and their outstanding wine selection. Unfortunately all 3 of the apps we ordered were a bust. The tuna was over cooked, mussels had sand in them and the bread on our bruschetta wasn’t even toasted. We were so disappointed, we decided to go elsewhere to get something to eat. I’m giving them 3 stars because I’ve had dinner here before and it was good. 0 for 3 on all 3 apps is a tough night, but I will probably return to see if it was just an off night.
Btw, we didn’t say anything to the bar staff about the food. We just paid the bill and left. The staff was friendly and accommodating so I wouldn’t be surprised if they would’ve done something about it if we mentioned it to them.

I’m so glad I gave this place another shot. SOOO good! I’ve been probably four times now. Twice to just sit at the bar because they have really awesome drinks and make a delish French 75 or mule. Bar service on the dinner side is a guy thats obviously a professional bartender — bar service on the lounge side is a bunch of girls and tends not to be so great, but I’ll still give five stars. Service in the restaurant has always been good.
The first time I ate here I got the burger and fries because everyone says how great the fries are. They were terrible. The burger was bland. I was thoroughly disappointed. I now chalk it up to a fluke because my mom got the burger and fries yesterday and it was great! I got the special — steak frites — and it was UNBELIEVABLE. It had buttery mushrooms on it, the fries were cooked perfectly, the steak perfectly and a nice 12oz portion! We also got the panko fried oysters before which were amazing. OH and the apple pie compound butter the served with the bread? DEAD.
I think its time for some leftover steak!

Good food, Bad service. I have to give this place four stars because the food was so damn good and I think that our one waitress just stunk! She was very quiet when talking, almost at a whisper… I am no grandma here, but please speak up! She would walk away when I was in mid-​sentence because she wouldn’t look around the table to make sure everyone was all set. Overall, she just didn’t have the personality of a Waitress and was unpleasant. Another Waiter stopped in to fill our waters and he was very pleasant and guess what, we could hear him when he spoke! We all know that wait staff can make or break your experience. It truly would have been a much better experience if we had the other Waiter. We are not a tough crowd and easy to get along with!
Onto the food. Delish! This was girls night so we got a bunch of appetizers. The Fried Brie and bruschetta were just delightful! The cheese plate was just exactly what you would expect. The mussels are the only thing I did not like. They are hit or miss anywhere you go and here it was a miss. The broth they were soaked in was a red salt bath and the mussels tasted fishy. A few of us were still hungry so we got Rudi’s Summer salad, which was delicious and the White Truffle Alfredo (to die for!). Seriously, it was that good!

Delicious, great food, and service. Lovely cocktail menu. Beautiful décor. Reasonable prices, private parking lot, which is helpful in this town during tourist season. Will look forward to returning next time we are in Portsmouth.