Harden's survey result
Summary
“Our go-to local favourite” – “history is definitely on the menu here and one can feel it within the cosy sophistication of this 600-year-old dining room” – “a wonderful, intimate and historic” space that’s “great for grown-ups”. It’s been a restaurant since 1940 and owned by Mark Dodds since 2008, whose team provides “wonderful friendly and efficient service”. The “classic” cooking is not of the highest ambition but consistently well-realised and very reliable. Top Tips – “good value lunch and early evening menu which is wonderful for dinner before a play at the Chesil Theatre”; “lamb and game are favourite choices here”.
Summary
This “quietly excellent” destination inhabits a 600-year-old building five minutes’ from the city centre, and has operated as a restaurant for over 75 years (the current owners took over in 2008). It is second only to Rick Stein locally in terms of the amount of feedback it generates thanks to offering a “very high standard in everything”: “the setting is classical yet relaxed; service is discreet and effective; and the cuisine elegant and well-prepared”. “I am delighted that such restaurants still exist – there are so few like this”. Top Menu Tip – “the lunch and early evening menu is exceptional value”.
Summary
“Fabulous food in a wonderful setting” sums up the appeal of this “historic fifteenth-century building”, five minutes’ walk from the city centre. “There’s an air of restrained cosy elegance about it”, while “the food, too, is the epitome of good taste”. The restaurant itself is pretty historic, having been open for more than 75 years; the current owners took over in 2008.
Summary
The “delightful fifteenth-century dining room” in “one of Winchester’s oldest buildings, with cosy ambience to match” is “worth a visit” for “excellent food, and friendly and professional service”. A restaurant for 75 years, it has been under the current management since 2008 and serves a pleasingly contemporary menu.
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Chesil Rectory?
1 Chesil St, Winchester, S023 0HU
Restaurant details
The Chesil Rectory Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Excellent fix price lunch menu"
"We enjoyed a relaxing lunch here with friends. A good selection of dishes was available for each course. Flavours were delightful. "
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £23.95 | £28.95 |  |
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| Dinner | £23.95 | £28.95 | |
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Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Veggies | Pudding |
|---|---|---|---|
| £14.30 | £23.50 | £4.50 | £9.50 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
| Extras |
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|---|---|
| Bread | £5.95 |
| Service | 10.00% |
1 Chesil St, Winchester, S023 0HU
| Number of Diners: | |
| Required Time: | |
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑8:30 pm |
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