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The Puddle Dock, Portsmouth, NH

The Puddle Dock

4.9
4.9
751 Reviews
$31 to $50
American
  • Charming
  • Good for special occasions
  • Neighbourhood gem
Located on the grounds of Strawbery Banke Museum in historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire, The Puddle Dock Restaurant proudly offers Modern Colonial feel and fare! Led by esteemed Executive Chef Derek Clough, the Puddle Dock Restaurant will take you back to Colonial America featuring English and American favorites, then snap you back to the present with our modern twists.

Chef Derek takes great pride in growing a lot of our vegetables, foraging our mushrooms, and presenting beauty for your palate. His care is evidence in some of our best-loved dishes, Yorkshire Pudding, Portuguese Salted Cod, Pan-Roasted Duck Breast, and our signature Hoe Cake. Be sure to save room for dessert! All our desserts are made in house - Cinnamon Rum Breading, Dark Chocolate Pudding, and Posset are among the favorites!

Enjoy the ambience of our historic exposed beam building, once a general store offering penny candy, or enjoy our front and rear patios for dinner in the open air.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 12 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Cocktail Bar, Comfort Food
  • Hours of Operation
    Wed–Sat 4:30 pm–9:00 pm Sun 4:30 pm–8:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (603) 373-8192
  • Website
    http://www.thepuddledock.com/
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress Code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Derek Clough
  • Location
    66 Marcy St, Portsmouth, NH 03801-4650
  • Neighbourhood
    Portsmouth
  • Parking Details
    Private Lot
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 751 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.9
4.9 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.9Service
  • 4.8Ambience
  • 4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • New Hampshire

    Best Overall

  • New Hampshire

    Best Food

  • New Hampshire

    Best Service

  • New Hampshire

    Best Ambience

  • New Hampshire

    Romantic

  • New Hampshire

    Good for special occasions

  • New Hampshire

    American

  • Portsmouth and Merrimack Valley

    Best Overall

  • Portsmouth and Merrimack Valley

    Best Food

  • Portsmouth and Merrimack Valley

    Best Service

  • Portsmouth and Merrimack Valley

    Best Ambience

  • Portsmouth and Merrimack Valley

    Romantic

  • Portsmouth and Merrimack Valley

    Good for special occasions

  • Portsmouth and Merrimack Valley

    American

751 Reviews

  1. Geezer

    Hawaii

    21 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    21 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Quinn remembered us again which is such a nice touch. Steve was a most cheery server. Chowder & mussels. Mmm

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  2. Jane

    Charleston

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Lovely, lively restaurant. The food was excellent, only outdone by the service! Highly recommend!

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  3. Deb

    Greater Boston

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Fabulous experience from the minute we walked in to the restaurant! Service was exemplary and the food was a culinary delight! Definitely one of the best dining experiences we’ve had in years!

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  4. trish

    Greater Boston

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Seven in our party tonight, and everything was delicious and perfectly prepared. From appetizers to dessert, it was amazing! Our server was TOP NOTCH, as were all the staff members we encountered!! The historic charm of the restaurant definitely adds to the whole dining experience. I highly recommend The Puddle Dock and will happily return!

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  5. Lisha

    Greater Boston

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always one of my favorite places! Great food, amazing employees and fabulous drinks!! Highly recommend

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  6. DBB77

    Greater Boston

    52 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    52 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great service by Jess, and the food was excellent. We loved the Portsmouth fish chowder! It was chock full of fish and shellfish and potatoes with some bacon- really tasty! My husband really enjoyed the fried oysters appetizer ( but was quite happy he had asked for the “spicy mayo sauce” on the side. It was wayyy too spicy and hot! ) I ordered the Yorkshire pudding with braised beef appetizer. After eating a few bites, I mentioned I would love for it to be warmed up more, Quinn, the Manager, promptly brought out a whole new plate, fresh out of the oven. It was fork tender and fabulous! We give the Puddle Dock high ratings for food, service, and ambiance!, and we definitely will be back! They really know how to treat their customers right! Thank you Quinn & Jess! Denise & Tom of Newport RI

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  7. James

    Greater Boston

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on September 4, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We celebrated last night at The Puddle Dock and I have to share - it was our first time there. OVERALL AMAZING but here are details. Staff - ON IT. Attentive, friendly, recommending options. BAR STAFF - WAY ON IT and that's important because when you pay $15-20 for a beverage now and it's weak or just not good, it's a "no go" for us. We both had Old Fashions that were on the drink menu. FOOD: First, HOW can their bread be SO GOOD? We both had chowder - the special was corn chowder and it seemed like they grilled corn on the cob and cut it into the chowder, it was amazing. I had the Portsmouth Chowder, and it was THE best I have had (cod) - they also provide HOME MADE CHOWDER CRACKERS. Pan roasted duck breast with stonefruit puree, wax and pole beans with blackberry gastrique and that was to die for. And wait for it, out of all the options, I selected pan roasted chicken breast on crispy rice cake, grilled peppers and roasted corn that was SO good - it was the size of I would say a half Cornish hen, which might seem small, but it was not. DESSERT: Yes, we went all out! I had Key Lime Posset that was fabulous! The staff brought out the cinnamon rum bread pudding with a candle to blow out (we were celebrating a birthday). We got to thank the Chef and his team for a wonderful meal as we were leaving. It's a great location in Portsmouth with parking so you can't go wrong! Then walk along Prescott Park, the water, and Strawberry Banke! I highly recommend - lots on the menu to try and look forward to returning.

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  8. N

    Greater Boston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 1, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Excellent meal. The food was outstanding. Nice ambiance in historic setting. We were seated right at the kitchen so that was a little busier than other tables but it worked for us.

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  9. Lisa

    Greater Boston

    16 reviews

    3.0

    16 reviews

    Dined on August 31, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    the place had a great look and feel. First, I asked for a specific type of cosmopolitan and didn't receive that. Deviled eggs were good, others had cod chowder which was also good. I ordered a $62 steak that was tough to cut. Not what I had expected. Not worth the money Other dinners were fine. Desert came and I ordered the lemon/raspberry meringue. It tasted delicious until I found thick black hair. I had to ask it be taken off the bill, otherwise they were don't anything to make it right.

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  10. Steven

    Greater Boston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on August 31, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Place was great! It was our first time and we were a bit skeptical on what to expect. But the manager and our server team were really nice and super helpful. Food was amazing to boot.

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FAQs

The Puddle Dock offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (603) 373-8192.

The Puddle Dock is rated 4.9 stars by 751 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 12 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for The Puddle Dock

66 Marcy St, Portsmouth, NH 03801-4650

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Neighbourhood
    Portsmouth
  • Hours of Operation
    Wed–Sat 4:30 pm–9:00 pm Sun 4:30 pm–8:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    American, Cocktail Bar, Comfort Food
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress Code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking Details
    Private Lot
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Derek Clough
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Chef's Table, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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