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    Moxy

    4.1 (471 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Moxy Photos

    MOXY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Moxy

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    Reviews With Photos

    Pancetta Manchego Fritters
    Frederick C.

    Was beautiful day and being restaurant week this cozy restaurant in downtown Portsmouth beckoned. A quick check in and right to the table despite being a little early for our reservation. The restaurant week menu had some great selections and was a 4-course offering. I began with the Pancetta Manchego Fritters. What a start! There is a blast of flavor from the fritter with the smooth savory tomato sauce on the side absolutely had me scarfing the dish and looking for more! Only point of critique is that the fry was a bit dark, not sure if it was old oil or slightly overcooked fritters. Regardless the flavor and crunch was there! 2nd Course I went with the Pinchos Morunos. This is a curry forward skewer which is well balanced by the pickled red onion. The baba ghanoush was creamy and balanced well with the other components making for a satisfying bite. Just a bit of spice from the curry flavor but doesn't last. Pork was a bit on the dry side but definitely edible. The third course brought Moxy Chicken Thigh. This was a pleasantly tasty dish. The chicken comes off the bone along with the other components, including the hot sauce (harissa based) and the garlic sour cream. This dish requires that you assemble your own lettuce wraps using the provided Bibb Lettuce. Create your own balance of flavors but the hot sauce was delicious and well balanced with the sour cream. Wish I had a couple more lettuce wraps as there was plenty of filling for it! The finale was the dessert course. In my case I elected to go with the Whoopie Pie Sliders. Not sure why the use of the plural sliders as there was a single whoopie pie alongside a small dish of chocolate sauce. This was in my opinion the most disappointing dish given its simplicity and lack of creativity. Chocolate whoopie pie with chocolate sauce is just too rich for me and a single note. Chocolate lovers will disagree but I think they could have done more with this concept. I also elected to order a Mariposa Mango as a mocktail for the entree course which went well with them all. Overall a good experience and would gladly return to see what other offerings they have.

    Johnny Cake Community
    Liv W.

    My boyfriend and I ended up going here for a fun little dinner date. We didn't make a reservation and were lucky enough to get seated (it's kinda small so maybe make a reservation in case!). And I'm so glad we were able to get in! It was fantastic! So these are tapas style bites, but I would say they are a little larger than your classic Spanish tapas. They're also more American style which is fun. We ordered a few things including the tomato salad, fried chicken sliders, Johnny cake community, fried cauliflower, and honey glazed carrots. Everything was delicious! My favorite was probably the sliders. They came on such a delicious cornmeal biscuit. Our service was great and quick! Our server was attentive and very sweet. Overall, this was a great dinner and everything was absolutely delicious!

    mini fried chicken sliders
    Diana L.

    It had been 12 or 13 years since I'd last been to Moxy, so I was so excited to bring my fiancé for his first time on Saturday night. About an hour before opening, we were able to easily secure a reservation for 5:45pm and were seated upstairs near the railing. It was his time having tapas so I let him pick most of the dishes to make sure we got things he would enjoy. For our small plates, first to come out was the calamari. It was perfectly spiced and the peppers were a lovely addition. Then the Moxy bread was delightfully toasted. We also got the crispy pork belly (a top dish for both of us, perfect combination of flavors), the mini Italian sausages (this one fell flat for us), and the mini fried chicken (another top dish). We finished off with the whoopie pies, which to me the filling was a bit too sweet, but the dark chocolate sauce helped to cut that a little bit. We had a lovely time and can't wait to come back! For parking, there's some street parking available, but I'd recommend parking in one of the garages and walking, so you don't get caught up waiting for pedestrians and looking for a spot. The Hanover Garage (as of June 1) is undergoing some construction so certain entrances/exits are closed, which can prolong the parking and exiting process. There are signs that recommend the Foundry Garage.

    Madison P.

    Overview: delicious tapas and thoughtfully timed service We had a group of 12. They wouldn't let us make reservations for the patio or rotate the 4 top tables, but we made it work. Their drink menu was so fun. They had both cocktails and mocktails. I enjoyed their mezcal drink and their espresso martini. Both were very balanced. We tried pretty much everything in the first two columns of the menu and it was all very good. The carrots and pork belly were stand outs. The only thing I couldn't eat were the salt cod fritters. I guess I should have known from salt being in the name but I've never tasted anything that salty. It was like the lid fell off the salt container while they were making it. What I loved most about the evening was how the server timed out the dishes to come out at a perfect pace to enjoy the food slowly throughout dinner without the tables getting filled with dishes and some things getting cold. The outdoor eating area was really cute and decorated with bright colors and sunflowers.

    Michael R.

    Have not been to Moxy in quite some time, and decided to give them a try for restaurant week. While we enjoyed our meal overall, it was easily the weakest of all the dinners we had over the past two weeks. Moxy serves small plates, Tapas style and offered up 5 courses for restaurant week at $48. Most restaurants offer a 3 course meal for the same price, so the expectation was the portions would be smaller. Typically, portions are a bit smaller for restaurant week elsewhere as well, but I have to say some of the courses at Moxy were embarrassingly small, as in barely a couple of bites. Most, but not all of the dishes were tasty. On the positive side, cocktails were great and service was pleasant and food came out from the kitchen at a nice pace. One of our first courses was cornbread. Delicious but imagine three of the tiniest bites, see my photo. I don't think a plate like this should have left the kitchen. It was as if someone took a small melon baller and carved out 3 bite size pieces of cornbread. The chicken thigh with lettuce wrap was delicious, but there were four very small slices of chicken with huge lettuce wraps and barely anything else to roll up. It was like eating empty rolls of lettuce with a tiny sliver of chicken. I carefully rationed a matchstick sized piece of chicken into the large lettuce leave and sprinkled a thin sliver of ginger and tried to roll it up. It was almost comical as there was nothing to roll! As the "main" large course of the series, I was left a bit surprised. The beet course was the weakest, while there were plenty of beets, they just did not appeal to me. No sweetness, flat, bland, tasteless. On the positive side, the croquette was delicious, but just two small bites, and not even enough to share. Most of what we ate tasted pretty darn good. We are not big eaters, but we did not feel this was a good value. I rarely leave a restaurant hungry, but this was borderline. When dining tapas style, you can continue to order more plates to suit your palate and hunger, but for restaurant week this just didn't really work for us. I think Moxy may want to rethink participation in restaurant week.

    Patatas Bravas tomato sauce was the most distinctive part of this dish
    John M.

    Honestly had high expectations for an establishment that had multiple James Beard nominations over the last few years. Food was visually plated well but lacked unique and distinctive flavor. The space is a small, hip spot with a main dining area and loft. Service was casual but efficient.

    Eggplant dish.
    Barbara D.

    The food was SO good. Very nice to share plates and enjoy the evening in Portsmouth. Our server April was definitely a delight. Had the marinated beets, cauliflower, pork belly and the eggplant pasta. Flavors were outstanding. And generous small plates -- hubby and I had more than a few bites from each plate. My only question was whether the eggplant dish was meant to be served warm as ours was fairly room temperature. Meant to ask our server but since it tasted so good it wasn't a big deal.

    whoopie sliders

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    4 months ago

    Great people, delicious food, attentive service, and a very nice, inviting atmosphere.

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    Thank you. We appreciate your feedback.

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    1 year ago

    Hostess was incredibly rude. Didn't even look up when we entered. Found a much friendlier restaurant.

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    1 year ago

    Our go-to for pretty much every occasion or gathering with friends. The beautiful small plates and creative cocktails never disappoint!

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Everything on the menu is delicious! AJ at the bar makes awesome drinks. Thanks for a fun night.

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    Page 1 of 12

    Ask the Community - Moxy

    What is the difference between reserving dining room vs. a bar height table? Thank you!

    Our historic building spans three floors and includes both standard and bar-height tables. Reserving a 'dining room' table usually means standard height, while 'bar-height' tables are taller. If you need main floor or standard seating for… Read more

    Does Moxy have a menu marked for Gluten Free items, or if not, are there enough items that can be made GF to make a dinner worthwhile??…

    They are very accommodating. I do not think you will have a problem with trying to find GF items or at least asking for items to be made that way. I am vegetarian and they are always great about making certain items "veg friendly".

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    The Clipper Tavern - Steak and cheese

    The Clipper Tavern

    4.1(128 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    A great little downtown tavern. It seems like a locals hang out but close to hotels and tourist…read moreattractions. I stopped in on a Friday night for a drink before returning my hotel. The bartender was fast and friendly. The drinks were average prices and they have a late night kitchen. The best part was they had an acoustic duo singing and playing guitar. They sounded great and played fun songs you know but don't typically hear (Pretenders, Don Henley, The Cars, etc). If ever I'm in Portsmouth again, I'll return.

    This is still a spot my friend's & I stop in when I'm in town visiting. We came by on 12/26/2025…read more We were hungry!! One friend got the chicken tacos & didn't care for them. I had a small fried chicken finger from another friend's meal & their chicken still isn't the best cut of chicken. It still has a rubbery texture to it & isn't that great. They definitely look better than they taste. I got something new....BBQ pork nachos & even though they don't look very appealing they were sooooo good!! Even my friend's were stealing some from me. Our waitress was new but friendly & good. I didn't catch her name. FINALLY they fixed the ghetto toilet in one of the unisex bathrooms!!! That took many years to do!! No more having to hold the handle down to make it flush & no more electrical gray tape on the tank.....good job guys!!! That took way tooooooo long. It looks much nicer & no longer ghetto looking. We will be back & I will definitely get the BBQ pork nachos again & I LOVE their CC ice cream sandwich!! Soooooo good!

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    The Clipper Tavern - 12/26/2025 setting up for some live music

    12/26/2025 setting up for some live music

    The Clipper Tavern - Ribeye Steak and Cheese Bomb

    Ribeye Steak and Cheese Bomb

    The Clipper Tavern - Entrance

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    Entrance

    The Hammer Pub and Grille - Shaved steak mac and cheese

    The Hammer Pub and Grille

    3.8(48 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Not the biggest selection of drinks, so, if you're simple, it's fine. The menu is diverse, there's…read moreenough for even the pickiest of eaters. It's small, yet crowded, which speaks to the food and popularity of this downtown bar. And it's accessible, even if the the majority of tables are not. Service is ok, but for a small place it's to be expected. The food selection is ok, but nothing to go writing to mom about. You come for the atmosphere and the company, not the plethora of food options. I ordered the clam chowder just to wash down the alcohol.

    I have to say I LOVED the old RH set up when next door use to be part of this bar. I would come…read morehere all the time in my 20's. I had a favorite sandwich back then it was a turkey club. Not sure if they make it anymore?? This unfortunately isn't a bar I frequent when I'm home in Portsmouth visiting. Their new set-up is very small. I'm not sure how their food is anymore? I stopped in here on 12/26/2025 to grab a quick drink. I grabbed a seat @ the bar & don't have to wait long to order my drink. Male bartender was nice. He made me a yummy Stoli Blueberry vodka with soda water with lemon. He even gave me a lemon when most bartenders give me a lime when I ask for a lemon so that was nice, he listed & paid attention...thank you! I loved the glass it came in (see pic). I loved this cute winter snowman decoration in their kitchen window. They always had yummy Jell-O shots. I will have to come in here again for some food & see what they're serving these days. But I sure do miss their old set up.

    Photos
    The Hammer Pub and Grille - The Establishment

    The Establishment

    The Hammer Pub and Grille - All the chicken from the caesar wrap

    All the chicken from the caesar wrap

    The Hammer Pub and Grille

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    Thirsty Moose Taphouse - Fried Pickles & Peppers

    Thirsty Moose Taphouse

    3.7(495 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    This is now our favorite place to eat we ordered the Hummus Platter and Burnt Pork Ends with the…read morePeach Habanero Sauce as Appetizers and before it came out we also had ordered the Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders and Waffle Chicken and Bacon Sliders I don't even know where to start the Vibe was great the server staff was above stellar on top of everything fast informative everyone their should get a raise EVERYONE I didn't see one employee slacking okay back to the food the Hummus Platter was fresh and WAY bigger than expected and Burnt Pork Ends are a absolute must try my wife was worried the Peach Habanero Sauce was gonna be to spicy but the sweet off sets the spice completely The Nashville Hot Sliders definitely have a kick to them but that should be expected on any Nashville Hot Entree or Appetizer and it has the best Coleslaw I've ever had in my life on top of it The Chicken Bacon On Waffle Sliders were sweet and delicious and all the flavors blend well with each other and the bacon doesn't overwhelm it is perfectly crafted to perfection we got the Fried Dough Balls and Chocolate Moose Cake to Go and That's one of the Best Cakes I've ever taken a bite of the chocolate is sweet and everything with it is rich and creamy the Dough Balls come with chocolate sauce and maple syrup and those were perfection as well this is not just Portsmouth Gem this is a Gem for all of New England well deserved 5/5 Stars

    Pretty average. We arrived just as trivia was finishing. Got seated near the door which was chilly…read morewhen it swung open. Server took forever to get to us, I don't think we were sat in her section. First beer I wanted they were out of. Had the quesadillas which were pretty overpriced and nothing to rave about. Salsa was terrible, sweet not spicy. The restaurant seemed to have good vibes. Street parking.

    Photos
    Thirsty Moose Taphouse - Inside

    Inside

    Thirsty Moose Taphouse - Nachos; an appetizer worthy to be called a meal. My wife rated them "eh, okay" but I found them to be delicious and delightful.

    Nachos; an appetizer worthy to be called a meal. My wife rated them "eh, okay" but I found them to be delicious and delightful.

    Thirsty Moose Taphouse - 06/08/2024 H2O

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    06/08/2024 H2O

    The River House - Chowder

    The River House

    3.6(959 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    Lobster roll and chowder, 'nuff said! Friendly and fast service too…read more Was in town on business and stopped here for my seafood fix

    I went here for lunch and needless to say, I will not be coming back again. Let's start off with…read morethe water cup that he brought me which was dirty. I didn't notice it until I drunk The water down. Wasn't paying too much attention, because of the type of restaurant I was at. The seafood chowder was amazing. When it came to the entrée, I asked him should I get the muscles or should I get the pasta? I don't think he even knew what he was talking about or even care. He suggested a pasta that he said has a hint of redness to it due to the spice, but it was a creamy Alfredo spicy creamy Alfredo to be exact. The sauce is very delicious because you can tell that it was homemade tomato based sauce, but I can't eat it. He explained the pasta to me as if it was a cream sauce with spiciness in it. Which this was not the case the sauce, a tomato base sauce, which I cannot eat because of acid reflux. The pasta looks like something out of a children's menu not even worth what I spent on it, but I paid for it. I would have tipped him anyways, very well as I always do. I ended up tipping him his 25% but I should not have. The only reason I tip this was because you offered to take it back in a sarcastic manner like most Service do awe no trying to play dumbfounded! When you could have just said well, this is a red base sauce. Or I'm not sure ma'am, and I would have ordered the muscles. I probably would've tipped you more just because was honest. When I said you just got your 25%, which was not even worth it cause my food went in the trash. You even saw I did not eat it. You never even offered a second time to say hey I noticed you didn't eat this can I just get u something else? Let me take this off your bill or let me take it back. Not wanting to send the food back I just kept it and dealt with it and ate the seafood out of it. This was a waste of $30 for something I can't eat and did not eat. You guys should really make sure that your Service know they're menu you and know what's in it. The sauce was a full base tomato sauce no spiciness to it. No cream sauce. I asked for no salt in my margarita, but the margarita clearly was salty. Or maybe it was the mix I don't know it tasted salty. This restaurant was just not for me maybe for others, but it just didn't work out for me one and done! I was very clear on the sauce that I wanted, and you still gave me red sauce. This is what the food look like before leaving

    Photos
    The River House - 06/18/2025

    06/18/2025

    The River House - Lobster artichoke dip

    Lobster artichoke dip

    The River House - The view from our table

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    The view from our table

    Cava

    Cava

    4.3(427 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$$

    I honestly am not sure where to start and end with my wife and l anniversary dinner at Cava this…read moreevening. My wife and I have close to or more than 1000 dining experiences in our time together. If Cava wasn't the best overall, it was an extremely close second. Our server Dan was awesome from start to finish. On point, Attentive, professional, and exceeded expectations on every level. Cava is a very intimate dining experience with a warm comfortable indoor and outdoor seating option. It is also very practical as a stop before going to the Music Hall, an important date or like us an anniversary. Cava is unlike many of the places we have visited over the years in the food category. Every course was exceptionally prepared, thoroughly thought out and professionally executed with excellent plating. I won't go into detail on every dish but suffice it to say there was enjoyment with every mouthful of every course. I ordered: Espresso Martini An Italian Pinot Grigio (with dinner) We shared the charcuterie plate First course - Mussels Second Course - Italian Meatball dish Third Course - Braised Flank Steak Fourth Course - Torte My wife ordered: A wonderful Rum with blackberry cocktail An Italian Pinot Grigio(with dinner) First Course- Warm Potato Soup Second Course- Stuffed and wrapped dates Third Course- Shrimp with Polenta Fourth Course- Blueberry Cheesecake

    Food and drinks are incredible. Great atmosphere for a date night. The waitress was attentive and…read morethe atmosphere was intimate. Great for dinner.

    Photos
    Cava - Downstairs bar

    Downstairs bar

    Cava - Basque-style cheesecake

    Basque-style cheesecake

    Cava - August 2025 cocktail

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    August 2025 cocktail

    Moxy - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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