Reviews for Botanica Restaurant and Gin Bar in Portsmouth, NH

Excellent food , drinks & service! Don?t skip the chocolate soufflé.

This restaurant had a very unique menu. We tried new foods that were prepared so good they are no longer taboo, like venison... Meatballs and duck confit...yum! The gin cocktails were delicious too! Awesomeness! Read more

Stopped in for dinner to try the lamb but had the steak frite instead which was excellent. Was plenty hungry so started with... some delicious brie and cheese with fruit preservatives. The drinks were great and the bartenders were lovely andknowledgeable. Will stop in again. Read more

The service was not what you would expect at such a nice restaurant. Only one server was working, we had to refill our water... ourselves. Steak was burned not seared. Fries overly salty. Not impress Read more

A highlight in a city filled with culinary highlights. Billed as a French-styled bistro, it fits the bill in its miniscule... proportions (seats about 32 maximum, not counting a small patio), and especially in the refinement of the menu. While somediners might at first find the smallish portions on their plates rather...mmm...French...they will soon discover that this levelof quality outweighs lesser places which serve twice the quantity. The food has been painstakingly sourced (the burrata forexample is on par with the finest France offers though it's from a specifically chosen farm in Vermont), and very evidentlyblended and cooked with a self-respecting dedication to bring out the very best in the raw ingredients. A sign of fine, naturalingredients and attentive, caring cooking is that the body feels light and satisfied after eating - not stuffed, filled,bloated, heavy, as with the vast majority of fare in the vast majority of all restaurants. This feeling is so common we don'teven notice it. Here, you leave sailing - sated but having gifted your body food that is worth every penny. A suggestion, for aspecialised gin bar, would be to offer some form of a tasting set - 3, 4 or 5 1oz servings of different kinds of gins. It mightbe complicated to set up at first, but considering that there are gin enthusiasts out there and that the specific tastes of ginsare unrecognisable in a cocktail mixed with many other ingredients, it would be a massive draw to have such an option available.Otherwise, it's a nice thought that there are a dozen or more different gins, just to know that they are there in bottles at thebar, but blended with rose and juices, it makes almost no practical difference which is used in which cocktail. But to givepeople interested in the taste potentials in the wide world of gin an extremely rare opportunity to sample different kinds - nowthat would be a remember-for-a-lifetime opportunity! Read more

I had been looking forward to experiencing this place in my new neighborhood! Just returned from Paris and wanted to prolong my... French immersion, unfortunately it disappointed ! The food was ok but our server ruined the experience, she rushed us the wholetime, barely explained the menu , then totally ignored us. I know good servers are hard to find but for a high end restaurantshe did not compliment ! Read more

Stopped here for a quiet dinner before the crowds started coming out for Valentines Day. This was our third time here, abd we... sat at the bar. The drinks were perfect - thank you mixologist whoever you are - and the food was amazing, tasty tender steakfrites for dinner but the red cabbage and pork belly starter was outta this world - perfectly crispy on the outside. Read more

Great experience! Food and drink were excellent. The venue is very small but very chic. It was raining when we went so we sat... indoors. The bar area looked like a great date spot. I went with a party of 4 and we got a handful of appetizers (the halfshell oysters were my favorite) and every entree on the menu LOL!! I had 2 of the gin cocktails and liked both! We ended withthe Chocolate souffle and it was so fluffy and moist. Read more