After a thorough, nerve-racking and extremely expensive investigation we are able to recommend following pubs specially:

Red Lion, Cosham:
good food!

The Mermaid, Port Solent:
three floors; food available; The most expensive pub in Portsmouth (it was also the most expensive pub to build) but it is very impressing and worth visiting. It is absolutely the best place for having your first date. (Go to the UCI - Cinema complex afterwards but let your friend pay. It is too expensive for a poor foreigner.)

Belle Vue, Lee-on-Solent:
Music Pub with its own DJ. Especially crowded on Thursdays when there is a so called Disco (nobody is dancing - but the music is good). Very cheap because you only have to pay one drink - all the others will be paid by sailors (if you are a girl). Look out for occasional fights - very interesting and recommendable!

A word about sailors:

As you can’t avoid them in Portsmouth anyway don’t try to (There are 2,600 in Gosport). Their reputation is much worse than they are. If one of them asks for a date and you say "yes" they are overjoyed.

 

The swordfish, Lee-on-Solent:
nice garden for the summer

George and Dragon, Gosport:
agreeable considering that it is in Gosport.

The Crown, Fareham:
with a car park right beside; fine for après-college.

 

If you feel the need for embarrassing moments join the Quiz Night in one of the Pubs.

 

O´Neill, Guildhall Walk:
one of the few Irish Pubs

White Swan, Guildhall Walk:
(is called "Mucky Duck") to get the right feeling for Martine´s (- or should we say the right partner?). Music is good but loud, people are nice but sometimes a little weird. It is full of students and sailors!

Don’t worry if you end up with a whole Rugby Team. You can choose the best of them and the others still "Enjoy themselves and get drunk".

 

Carry always pen and paper with you in case you get to know a nice bloke/babe with a phone.

Ellie Jays, Guildhall Walk:
Bar on the groundfloor, Dancefloor upstairs

Wetherspoon´s, Guildhall Square:
really big and quite crowded; has a library in case you are bored.

Fuzz & Firkin, Albert Rd.:
brandnew, in an old Police Station. The drinks are from their own brewery, it is always packed with all sorts of people.

Langtry´s, Southsea Terr.:
on chilly summer evenings they put the heaters in the garden on!

The Town House, Southsea:
huge and absolutely recommendable!

The Dolphin, Old Portsmouth:
crowded with students especially on Saturday evenings.

Student Union, Museum Rd.:
the only bar where you have to queue on every day of the week to get in (On Fri. sometimes an hour!)