Southampton Restaurant Guide

For a dozen years now, Angela Hartnett’s “country restaurant with an Italian focus” has put in a “good but quite pricey” performance in the New Forest, as part of a “classy” 33 bedroom property, which fans say it’s a “sheer joy, from the venue, to the staff, to the best non-alcoholic drinks menu ever… and then the food!” No other reports demur, other than that it can seem “expensive”. Luke Holder is the chef in charge on a day-to-day basis here. Top Tip – for those counting the pennies there’s a ‘Pranzetto’ menu (which means a light, leisurely lunch) – two courses for £39.50.

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”.

This “special Chinese” in an “attractive” and “spacious building on the main shopping street” (an old outpost of HSBC) was launched in 2017 by a former chef of acclaimed international brand Hakkasan, and features ‘wow factor’ interiors including chandeliers and cherry blossom accents. By all accounts, the “excellent” cooking (classic Peking duck is a signature but the menu is notably extensive) is a “real treat” – and if you are in the mood to party, they also offer high-tech karaoke.

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’.

“Ideally placed next to a quiet marina” (Ocean Village), the two-time winner of the ‘Southampton’s Best Restaurant’ award (in 2023 and 2024) first snaffled the prize after just a year of trade. As you might expect, “the food is very good quality”, taking in classic Italian fare such as cicchetti, pizza, risotto and more, although “with pricing to match”. Success has also led to them opening an outdoor terrace with views over the water and additional seating for fifty people.

Near the seafront in Southampton’s Ocean Village Marina, this modern venue inspired positive feedback across the board in this year’s annual diners’ poll. In September 2024, though, it ‘temporarily closed’, with its Facebook promising: “after 4 wonderful years… the restaurant will temporarily close, this marks the start of something even better! When the restaurant reopens, a refreshed Blue Jasmine will make your experience even more memorable”. So we will watch this space.