Hampshire, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

A hugely “charming” setting is par for the course at Winchester’s oldest commercial building – a timbered delight with a six-hundred-year history that has been a restaurant for 75 of those years, and under the same team of friends since 2008. The classical cooking doesn’t attract quite as much attention, but is never rated less than “good”, and the “well-priced set lunch” is also replicated for early evening, making this a handy destination before a play at the local Chesil Theatre.

“A Winchester institution that’s good for food, drinks and atmosphere” – this large ancient inn is “tucked in near the Cathedral and Winchester College” (whose teachers, known as ‘dons’, use it as their local, and whose ancient school desks have been put to good use in the bar). Nowadays owned by Fuller’s, it’s “a fabulous pub” that’s “always busy” – and old-timers feel it “may be getting back to its heyday 30 years ago”. Top Menu Tip – “it’s worth travelling a long way for the Wyk pie, a classy version of a shepherd’s pie”.

Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan was – as of mid 2025 – rumoured to be on the verge of buying a £1 billion stake in Richard Caring’s restaurant empire, of which this famous brasserie chain is the crown jewel. Presumably, he’s more interested in ‘rolling out’ the brand in The Gulf and beyond rather than dropping by for a Salmon Fishcake and ‘Ivy Chocolate Bombe’, but if he’d asked the opinion of our annual diners’ poll, we’re not sure that he’d sign on the dotted line. “How can a restaurant with this heritage produce such uninspired, tick-box food?” is a question merited by its poor ratings, ditto what explains the “very slow and disinterested service”? The answer may be that “you don’t come here for the food, obviously” but for the “gorgeous” interior design and “picturesque” locations that continue to underpin their appeal. Let’s hope for the Sheikh’s sake that the middle classes of the Arab World are as undiscerning as those from the UK!

Relaunched in January 2024 by the owners of the nearby 16th-century country house estate Avington Park – who stepped in to save the day after receiving a letter from villagers aghast at the closure of their beloved local – this “recently refurbished, attractive pub” is once again back in business. Nowadays there’s a “lovely outdoor terrace”, plus a village shop and deli, and rooms should you wish to overnight; on the food front, “good” small plates and pub classics, and it’s also “perfect for a traditional Sunday lunch”.

Opinions divide a little on this elegant chamber, where “fantastic views towards Winchester enhance the atmosphere”; and where MasterChef: The Professionals winner 2023, Tom Hamblet took over at the stoves in 2023 providing a nine-course tasting menu for £125 per person. The odd reporter feels that “it’s disappointing with uninspiring dishes and small portions at a big price… and without any table cloths!” The majority of reports, though, are more positive, and vouch that “it lives up to the hype in spades” .

“Calling this a gastropub is doing it a disservice” say fans of this Victorian village pub, which was refurbed extensively in 2018. “Never once disappointed – it’s a little out of the way, but well worth the trip”. The menu is a roll call of upmarket gastropub dishes: alongside burger and fish ’n’ chips there’s Chicken Supreme, Creedy Carver Duck Breast and Hampshire 36 Day Aged Chateaubriand for two.

2022 Review: “Have a lovely walk to work up an appetite” before visiting this laidback brick-walled boozer on the River Meon, handy for the South Downs Way, and with a “very nice little garden down by the brook”. To make sure of enjoying its “great” pubby staples “you need to book – even midweek – as it’s very popular”.

“Excellent and rather smart pub” on the River Test – a Mecca for fly fishing, where the Greyhound has its own ‘beat’ – with “an emphasis on fish, much of it (not surprisingly) from local rivers, on its really enjoyable menu”. Owner Lucy Townsend started her career as a pastry chef working for Marco Pierre White, Le Gavroche and Quo Vadis before setting up her own business.

The “idyllic New Forest location” is the big draw at the original Pig, where Robin & Judy Hutson set the template for their shabby-chic country-house hotel group that had grown to 11 branches by the time they stepped back into retirement at the end of 2024. The “food is perhaps not quite as adventurous as it used to be”, but its basic premise of “fresh local produce, cooked perfectly” still passes muster for most reporters. Black marks, though, for some “poorly trained staff” and “seriously overpriced wines”.

The building has a history dating back to the 1780s, and its current occupant has developed into a real local staple since launching in its current guise in 2003: an airy bistro with a conservatory and terrace. Adam Maker has headed up the kitchen for the past few years and, while he no longer seems to be doing small plates mentioned in last year’s edition, has settled on fixtures like fish ‘n’ chips, pizzas and a popular Sunday roast: cooking that’s “always reliable”. Oenophiles NB: Camber Wines sits above the restaurant, so top tipples are guaranteed.

This “local gem on the quay” at Emsworth is “such an amazing restaurant”, with a reputation that stretches back over three decades – chef Gary Pearce joined the kitchen at 17 then worked abroad at Noma, Old Sluis and other grand venues before returning with his wife Martyna, eventually taking over from Ramon Farthing six years ago. There’s plenty of fish and seafood on the menu, as expected from the location, but also an unusual selection of Australian wagyu and Japanese Kobe beef.

Little changed over its 25 years in operation, Lawrence & Julia Murphy’s small, sweet bistro is a short walk up the main street from the waterfront in Emsworth, and occupies a 17th-century fisherman’s cottage. The motto under the logo is ‘Friendly Food, Tasty People’ and its accommodating service has always been a key feature, alongside well-priced, traditional-ish cuisine. For whatever reason, it failed to inspire the typical volume of feedback this year, but we’ve maintained its ratings from 2025 on the basis of its very consistent performance over more than two decades.

2022 Review: Sailor-turned-entrepreneur Ed Collison set up his popular venue at Emsworth yacht basin at the age of 21 in 2016, serving everything from £4.50 bacon breakfast rolls to a splash-out seafood platter for two at £120 a pop. During lockdown he launched a fleet of silver catering vans, and in November 2021 announced a new branch of the Deck, replacing the Boat House Café, at Gosport marina.

This “beautifully renovated” 17th-century free house “in a wonderful position on the South Downs” has been “transformed from a run-down pub to a welcoming local with fantastic food” under the ownership of Clive & Tanith Cummings (whose previous project, an abbey in France that they ran for 17 years, was the subject of Channel 4 property show ‘Escape to the Chateau DIY’). “The historic building is now thriving again, with a roaring fire to welcome customers on winter days, and a restaurant of design and character” that serves “proper, seriously lovely food, not gastropub fare”, from a “tapas-style menu”. It’s a family business, with son Lewis managing the bar and daughter Georgia the wine list.

A wood-fired oven provides the dishes in this converted former outbuilding of Lainston House complete with high pitched wood ceiling (which also houses a cookery school) where smoked and roasted steaks, fish and other fare make up the menu. Reports are not numerous, but all excellent.

On a site previously occupied by Cargo, Daniel Rogan’s new June 2025 newcomer opened after our annual diners’ poll had finished. Run by the son of star Lakeland chef, Simon Rogan, this new venue is a parallel project to Rogan Jr’s fancier, tasting menu-based ‘AO by Daniel Rogan’ (which closed in August 2024 and which is awaiting a re-launch). But while this latest venue is in a simpler small plates format to ‘AO’, it is claimed to be ‘grounded in the same principles of creativity, quality, and craft’.

A former courthouse with exposed beams plays host to this rustic and tiny European restaurant run by chef Nathan Marshall and FOH wife Evi, a “lovely lady” whose Hungarian roots sometimes inspire the fine-dining on the menu. On limited feedback this year, there were reports of some “delicious” dishes and as we went to press, demand for a table was so high that they were already fully booked for 2024! Top Tip – to circumvent the need to book way ahead, keep an eye on their Instagram account (@n.marshall_chef), where they sometimes advertise last-minute cancellations.

2023 Review: “Always reliable, serving exceptional food for a village pub”, say fans of Dave Watts’s rural inn, where classic pub dishes jostle on the menu with somewhat more ambitious fare. Top Tip – “the plat du jour is unbelievable value!”