Chiquito, Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth

Official site of Chiquito - www.chiquito.co.uk

Official site of Chiquito - www.chiquito.co.uk

Not really a pub but a Mexican themed chain diner. It sits on the upper floor of the Gunwharf Quays, next to the cinema and far enough away from the crowds to be less stressful than the other outlets here, provided you don’t mind the odd hen party getting legless on lurid cocktails. The room is large but quite pleasantly adorned with huge chandeliers and acoustic panels which still let you see the modern steel structure if you look hard enough. Food was really not that good given the price - ‘Spoons is better - and the beer represented even less value for money. No real ale, I had a pint of Meantime IPA which was good enough for the location but not cheap, and predictably too cold. The staff were mainly young and foreign and it took quite a lot of skilful negotiation actually to get a full pint and a snack without having to wear a silly hat. The background music was more African than Mexican (certainly not ‘Juan Direction’), the other beers were Czech and Spanish. It’s not somewhere I’d visit too often.