Not just a pub -- an establishment! Locals tell me it's always enjoyed a reputation for good food…read moreand our lunch held up the tradition. The menu is extensive (sole, veal, pheasant, salmon, plus the usual suspects) and rich (in sauce as well as money). We ordered from the specials board: dover sole in spiced butter and manor farm pheasant in red wine gravy. Both were excellent and my only complaint is that the sole was drowning in the butter sauce. This seems to be a trend with English cuisine -- dousing the food with tons of sauce, whether it's gravy or butter or curry. We didn't have room for dessert (oh, sorry, pudding, as they call it here), but we ordered one anyway -- the panna cotta was light and delicate. And then we got humbugs with our check. That's mint candies, Yanks. The dining room is tiny and popular so do book a table in advance. If it's wintertime, ask them to hold the one by the fire for you -- very romantic. This place is down the road from some delightful thatch-roofed homes and English cottages, and horses share the road, so if you sit in the garden, you might see them. When I think of England, this is the kind of place I think of. If you're driving around aimlessly or on your way to Salisbury, this is a good choice for a pit stop.

I had this on very high recommendation, my parents went on a mini break at Fordingbridge. They…read moredined here twice as they said they liked the menu so much that they couldn't just go once and wanted to sample more of the menu. When we came back to this area on a family holiday they said they had to take me here. The pub was a bit tricky to find and we relied on sat nav, located in a small village its only slightly out the way. The exterior and interior is lovely with the traditional countryside pub reflective in even the traditional ivory looking handled cutlery. The massive fireplace was slightly modernised with white pillar candles that looked warm, cosy and elegant. I like a menu that is one page and this one was. I was immediately drawn to the Steak served in a garlic, oyster mushroom and tarragon sauce and knew I had to try it. It was amazing! The steak I ordered as rare and it was cooked perfectly, the meat was very tender. All are mains came with a side vegetable selection including a perfect potatoes dauphinoise, buttered carrots, grilled courgette and cooked beetroot. The vegetables were almost as good as the steak! I had a traditional Queen's pudding for dessert which I've only ever had once or twice at home. It was delicious and I was completely impressed by the meringue on top as it was huge and fluffy - making it very fun to eat

The perfect couples' retreat for a long weekend away from London. Highlights include wood burning…read morestove, bathtub with a view, nearby woods for long walks in fresh air and great locally sourced pub food. I booked a weekend at the Beckford Arms after searching quite a while for a British gastro pub with attached inn. I loved the idea of getting out of London for a long weekend and not dealing with an airport. And, most importantly, getting great food. It took a lot of Googling before I found Beckford Arms, which had good reviews, is about a 2.5 hour drive out of south London and had rooms avail for £95/night including breakfast in the attached pub (closest contenders clocked in around £150/night and upward). Then I found their lodges. The mini lodges (there are just two) are two minutes away from the pub/inn, and cost a bit more. But lodges include a kitchen, wood burning stove, living room/dining area, and an upstairs mezzanine level with a roll top bath with an amazing view over the Fonthill Estate, which included a lake, trees and lovely green fields full of sheep and horses. Breakfast is included in the price, and with the lodge, you could choose to have breakfast in the pub, or they would stock your kitchen and you could cook your own whatever time you felt like it. We went for the lodge and it was so worth the extra cost. Service: Everyone, from the person I emailed with back and forth leading up to the visit to set up dinner and lunch reservations during our stay (they are very popular) was really helpful. Servers in the pub were super friendly and efficient and the woman who popped by our lodge to offer clean towels and more kindling was lovely. We booked in-room massages from their recommended masseuse and she was wonderful, one of the best massages I've ever had. Food: Pretty damn good. I had a breaded chicken, bacon and avocado sandwich with fries and salad that was a huge portion though a tad on the greasy side. For our Saturday night dinner out we shared the 22 oz coute de bouf steak for two with heaping sides of salad and chips and peppercorn sauce. It was incredible, and per our request, dined by the real fire in the sitting room. The breakfast was fantastic as well, the eggs benedict divine. Accommodation: Perfect. The lodges are the perfect size and they do not allow children, they are set back from the road and there are only two of them - so it is the perfect couples' retreat. The entire upper floor is loft/mezzanine style, allowing views out the floor to ceiling windows toward the lake. The wood burning stove warms the whole lodge wonderfully. The bed was big and comfy, the bath is placed with a great view over the fields and lake. The kitchen is small but well stocked - it meant we could bring a few items from home to save eating in the pub every meal (like popcorn and sandwich fixings) and they provided a kettle, coffee/tea and milk. Wifi is provided and it was pretty good. Area: Beautiful! Driving in from the A303 meant driving through a beautiful stone arch into the grounds that feels magical. The Fonthill Estate is gorgeous and a five mile walk is plotted out (including photos so you don't get lost) on pamphlets you can pick up in the pub. You'll walk around a lake, through forest and fields and get a great view of the village from up high and see sheep, horses, dogs, swans and more.

YES: The rooms, the surroundings, the staff, the breakfast, the coffee…read more DON'T: ...expect scones with your tea - or gastro food (but it's very solid pub grub - think Soho House).

Visiting Bath for a couple days and stepped in here for a pint to cap the day of sightseeing. Local…read morefolk were welcoming, and we had an interesting chat. I'm thankful for this Yelp app and our reviews which is very helpful in finding great spots we might miss otherwise.

The bartender was really nice-she chatted a bit about the area and responded to my request for a…read morelocal beer.

From the owner: We are the perfect venue for private functions and are at the heart of entertainment in Chichester.read more

Arguably one of the best meals we had. Cookin from the stars i had my reservations about the…read morepulled pork but it wasn't bad. The soup was great. Overall we were happy with the meal and would go back here to eat.

I liked to stop at the oldest pub/bar in cities that I visit. The Haunch did not disappoint! I…read morearrived a bit on the early side for lunch and the waitress took good care of me. I had an excellent view of the old church clocktower. The restaurant is clean and remarkably spacious for such an old building. It was bright and cheery. The bar downstairs felt cloistered but I only passed through. I had the Scotch egg and fish and chips, along with some local ales. I only had 2 days in England and I feel like I got the exact meal I had been anticipating.

I just stayed here for a wedding. Decent sized parking area with a very nice garden. Beautiful…read moreplace. It was very welcoming and clean with all new bathrooms with cozy robes, complimentary beer, fizzy water, biscuits, and we enjoyed some great food. Breakfast was included. Also very dog friendly! They provided a dog bed for the family dog. Oh and very lovely beer brewed on side! Will be back for sure!

An absolute gem of a pub in one of Devon's prettiest, most tucked away coastal villages. The…read moreMason's Arms is, quite simply, a fantastic place in every sense of the word. I've stopped off for a snack or a quick drink a couple of times, and it's always really impressed me, and the lunch my parents and I had recently ranks as one of the best pub dinners the Andrews family can remember. Their crab sandwiches were fresh, as were the fish in their delicious creamy leek fish stew, while the ploughmans was huge. Desserts of chocolate and pecan brownie and banana fritters with toffee sauce were gobbled up. Ok, it's not cheap for a Devon pub, but the food is worth every penny - there was hardly anything on the menu I didn't want to scoff down. The pub itself is a charming sprawl of wooden rooms, and a small seating area out the front. It's homely and although the staff run a slick operation, they're still friendly and helpful. The pub was recently taken over by St Austell Brewery, so there's a good range of their beers, plus a couple of guest ales. This includes one local beer brewed in Branscombe. It's quaint, delicious, comfy and sits in one of the most stunning areas of the Devon coast. It is, quite simply, a perfect pub.

5 stars for the food and incredibly friendly service-…read more We popped in here after finding it on Tripadvisor. It gets good reviews and I now know why - it's GREAT! Open air bar/restaurant with a really relaxed atmosphere. The Miller lite cans were only $1!!!! Can you believe that? $1 ???? Seriously, that's a bargain even if they were only 10oz cans! Anyway, the food was super delicious as we had the jerked wings and curried goat. 3 wings were super spicy and 3 were jerked. The super spicy wasn't too bad though the owner gave us an unlabeled bottle of hot sauce to kick it up and umm....that was hot(spicy) - and I love spicy food. The jerked wings were delicious and meaty. The curried goat was incredible - moist and fell off the bone. I wish we would have gotten another order. A special note to the owner - thanks for the trick Long Island iced tea. That was funny and thanks for a great time at your place. We'll be back!!!

The $7 round trip water taxi almost takes you very close to Lazy Lizard. The food was Amazing;…read moresome of the best curries I have ever had. The Jerk Chicken Philly was excellent. The fried fish was super moist and tender. All the dipping sauces were excellent. Be sure to try the onion rings with their chili sauce. The yellow curry mustard with their fried calamari was awesome. Oh, the Pina coladas were excellent as well. All the prices were very affordable.

We stopped in Godshill for dinner after an afternoon sightseeing (Orborne house and grounds, and…read morethen the Brading Roman Villa), because I'd seen it recommended on Yelp. We parked down the street and walked here, and it was pretty busy around 4pm. I'd wanted to try some local cheeses while in the UK, so I ordered a cheese platter (6.95 pounds) as an appetizer and the Duck platter for my main. The cheese plate included crackers, some fruit paste, apple slices, and three local cheeses. I wasn't a huge fan of the crackers, which reminded me sort of like communion wafers in taste. The cheese was tasty, but I neglected to write down which cheeses we ate, so I can't really remember those. The Duck plate... Holy cow! Delicious! It came with gravy, on a bed of (red?) cabbage. I remember the way the salty, tender meat went together SO WELL with the gravy, combining the savory with the mild tang of the cabbage. As I was eating it, I was actually surprised by how flavorful the meal was. I can't say I eat duck a lot, but the way they'd prepared it really brought out the salty, savory taste. PROS: -Delicious, hearty pub fare. -Lots of locally sourced ingredients, from the meat and cheese, to the vegetables. -Cozy atmosphere, with a lot of exposed bricks and wood. CONS: -I wasn't a huge fan of the provided crackers... they reminded me of communion wafers, though I imagine there's some specific reason for that lack of flavor (to really highlight the taste of the cheese, perhaps?). -Small parking lot; I could see this place easily getting packed. THE VERDICT: This was the perfect place to stop for a meal after our long day. We arrived hungry, and left satisfied. The food proved to be delicious, simple fare, made from local ingredients and seasoned oh-so-perfectly. A fairly happening spot when we were there, I would definitely consider coming back here again if I was ever in the area.

After a day out sightseeing and driving around the countryside, we decided to stop into The…read moreTaverners to partake of happy hour. The interior is welcoming with a definite quaint, homelike feel, from the rustic beams to the uneven floor (fear not: cardboard coasters are provided with the express purpose of steadying any wobbly tables or errant chair legs). An interesting feature is the large blackboard on the wall indicating via colored dots what is at the peak of its taste and freshness (meat/fish/fowl) according to the season. There is a lot to see here, including pet-owners bringing their dogs to this pup-friendly pub (note: there is a container of dog biscuits at the ready). It seems like this pub also has an international following, as at one point I heard a group of tourists speaking English (but not quite) at a neighboring table. I later found out that they were visiting from Canada. Surprisingly for a pub, the wine list is comprehensive, even rivaling that of some restaurants. As happy hour was quickly morphing into the dinner hour, we decided to take a look at the menu. I appreciated that the offerings were accessible and local/seasonal in nature as it is often tricky navigating a menu in an unfamiliar country. After some deliberation, I decided on the dover sole (excellent and very moist with the bone still in) and my Aunt had the roast with seasonal vegetables. This was a leisurely meal, with none of the rushed feeling or hovering that often evidences itself in dining establishments. I wish that I could magically transport The Taverners to a corner near me so that it could become a new favorite watering hole, especially as the cold winter months approach. For now, I will just have to content myself with filing it away as a quality eating and drinking option for the next time I am in England.

Perfect pub for a local experience. Great STRONG ale, friendly bartender and a ton of character…read more What more can you ask for? Did I say the ale is strong???

Great local place and perfect after a Stonehenge visit. Good beer selection. Staff is awesome and…read morethe landlord is the cook and waitress and will treat you very well. Breakfast served all day and it is substantial for a good value. Eggs cooked spot on with great sausage and ham. Watch out for Tony, he is a character but also adds quite a bit too the visit. Come here is you want the local experience.

A country drive saw us visiting this country pub one afternoon. We will pop in for a drink if…read morepassing but it's very out of the way in a village so popping in doesn't happen too often. There is a picturesque beer garden at the front of the pub, but whilst it's in a sleepy village , there isn't a lot to prevent children escaping onto the road so one to watch. Food served in the pub is mainly traditional ploughmans and pies etc. The food is always good quality and freshly made. The clientelle is usually villagers who live in the area, and you can tell when you are a stranger walking in as it all goes quiet and everyone looks at you. This puts me off slightly but I understand the protectiveness of the locals. The pub itself is done out with beams and fairly low ceilings, but it appears cosy when you walk in which makes it a nice feel.

Great pub, good food ,local produce and provides the warmth of log fire on cold evenings and beauty…read moreof beer garden to chill out in listening to the sparrows chirping in the hedgerow on Summer days.... attracts locals, walkers, and visitors who enjoy the good things in the Dorset Countryside.