Very nice gastro pub in the centre of Winchester. Very welcoming and griendhout staff!…read moreGreat food, we had the lovely artisan bread, great crab cake and a very jummie steak with a glass of Malbec. The pub is nicely decorated, pub style, country style, but still modern.

My friend and I walked through the Winchester city centre looking for a place to have dinner, and…read morewe couldn't have gotten luckier when we chose No 5 Bridge Street. What a delight! Apparently the restaurant has been newly redone, and the interior is very cozy and inviting. My friend and I split some wonderful fishcakes for an appetizer, then I got one of the specials - Merguez sausages with beans and grilled baby gem lettuce. Sounded so simple, but it was really outstanding. So much flavor, so filling yet so light and fresh, and a really affordable price. I was quite pleased with myself for ordering it!! I asked for a side of rose harissa (!!) which was a beautiful, floral but spicy accompaniment. All of their sauces sounded incredible (broad bean and mint pesto, saffron aioli, etc). The blackberry brûlée with elderflower sorbet at the end was the perfect finish. This is one of those farm-to-table restaurants that support local charities, and you'd do well to spend your money here. The friendly service and inviting atmosphere only added to our experience. Highly recommended to anybody staying in Winchester!

Chesil Rectory is my very particular father's favourite, itself a rite of passage. From the…read morehistoric story behind the ownership of the restaurant to a phenomenal quality of inventive and exciting dishes Chesil Rectory has never failed to amaze and delight. Genuinely. Sounds slightly over the top but true.

We went for a day out in Winchester and found ourselves let down by so many things being closed,…read moreunavailable, etc. Finding Chesil Rectory was a treat. We were walking by and saw it and the look of the building stood out for its age and style. A sign outside proclaimed it had been rated one of the most romantic restaurants in Britain and after having dinner there I have to agree! We worried that due to nearby graduation festivities we might need a reservation, so arrived just after they opened at 6pm and were delighted that they had space available. From 6-7pm they offer a set menu option in addition to the regular menu, and we both went for this. I had a fish starter, potato dumping main and the berry fool. All were delicious - especially the dumplings which were a bit like big gnocchi, but absolutely melty and dreamy. In addition to the delicious food, the service was wonderful. I'd mentioned it was our anniversary when we were being seated and my dessert came with "Happy Anniversary" written in chocolate sauce on the plate! A really lovely touch. The building itself is charming and full of history from medieval to modern times. Downstairs there are 2 rooms for dining, and upstairs there are 2 more (plus a door that indicated a private dining room). Upstairs is a bit brighter than downstairs, but both are cosy and sweet. Ceiling and door heights are low, as to be expected in a building of such age, & there are lovely wooden beams throughout. It is truly a dreamy space. I highly recommend having a meal here if you're in Winchester!

Black Rat is a wonderful dining experience. We were lucky to be seated outdoors on a beautiful…read morenight, beautiful garden setting, very comfortable seating, wish my whole family (not simply my son) had been there to enjoy it. Started with the duck confit and beetroot on the server's recommendation, it was perfect. The duck was tender and plentiful, the pickled beetroot made worked great and made it interesting as well as tasty. The lamb shoulder was also delectable, to the point that I spooned out every bit of consommé that was part of the dish. Looked like a great wine list (good wines by the glass and half bottle) as well as a very interesting gin list, unfortunately I was driving so had to pass on both. I look forward to returning with my family as The Black Rat was a tremendous experience.

Although I have lived around Winchester for years, I have never been to the Black Rat and so booked…read moreit for a birthday dinner, remembering that it once had a Michelin star and hoping for the best food in town. Sadly that was far from the case. Disappointment started the moment I sat down - on one of the smallest and most uncomfortable chairs I have ever sat on in a restaurant. An old school desk chair made for small people's bottoms and certainly not for comfort. I stole another one from a nearby table and just about managed the evening, but 'good' restaurants must have comfortable chairs, preferably with arms. As starters we had 'lamb sweetbreads, cooked & raw peas, burnt onion oil, ash yogurt, charred onion rings' - an unfortunately they tasted of burned onion oil, ash and charred onion rings with a dull pea sauce! Not a good taste at all. The main course was guinea fowl, which lacked flavour, while the birthday girl had puntarella, which was seriously dull. Most disappointing. Matcha ice cream, sea buckthorn posset, manadrin granita, fennel meringue was ok but looked awful on the plate. £280 for four seemed a little over the top for such a meal.

Visiting from the US and came here on the recommendation of a local due to its location along the…read moreriver by Wolvesey Castle. The outdoor seating near the river gave a great ambiance. The espresso martini was excellent and the Half Roast Norfolk Chicken was good. As a member of the service industry myself, what really stood out to me was the service. Considering our status as tourists, James was very patient and helpful in taking my mom's order as she was a bit indecisive. Minashe (not sure if I'm spelling that correctly) was extremely helpful and accommodating despite it only being his second day on the job here, though you wouldn't be able to tell due to his exceptional service. All in all, I would definitely visit again if I ever find myself in Winchester again.

I went to this place with my friends for some drinks. We were not very hungry. They had good…read moreselection of appetizers. We ordered their hummus and pita plate. the hummus tasted very fresh and good. I ordered a Pinot. The server helped me to select from a variety of wines. My friends had Negroni cocktail and they liked it. The only thing that disappointed me was that they had very less option for vegetarian appetizer. Towards the end we ordered their sticky toffee pudding and it came out to be amazing. The place overall was very cozy and old fashioned but still luxurious. They had a cute patio but we went on a winter evening so decided to sit inside as they do not have heating outside. Would recommend this place.

3* Café Winchester 28-28 St. Thomas, off main drag…read moreall day breakfast coffee drinks were good nice porridge with fruit or jam Breakfast panini with ham and eggs; nice size, but the bread was doughy Nice counter service

How can this be considered pretentious? For a pub, this place has good food and in a great location…read moreto people-watch English tourists. On that subject, it's perfectly understandable that they charge a bit more than the next town over. I'd say go here, enjoy a few ales and a good meal before hitting the town proper.

Went here on my lunch break and had a nice experience, the food came out quickly and tasted nice,…read moreand for a £10 meal they give fairly large plates. I'm satisfied and will likely come back for more

Standard pub fair. The last person to be beheaded in England's ghost haunts this inn.... So we are…read moretold. I didn't get a visit from her when I had my fish & chips.

If I could leave a 0 it would be 0. Should have realised immediately as we walked in from the…read moremiserable bar maid that this wouldn't be a great experience. Queit bar, expensive pint (£5.35), dirty carpet and tables and decor that is neglected. The BIGGEST insult was being rudely interrogated on 2 occasions by 2 members of staff about my gender when innocently using the ladies toilets. This place is like going back in time, but not in a good way..if you're straight, male, white, British you'll love it...anyone else give it a wide berth. Shame on you.

Was looking at the menu of the place next door & saw the menu for this place, one flight up &…read moredecided to try it. Happy surprise.

I was informed by the fiancée that Forte tearooms (as listed on Yelp) has transformed into Forte…read moreKitchen We had brunch here on Sat before heading off to the new Star Wars movie. They do also serve different menus for lunch and dinner The fiancée had a full English while I had the smoked mackerel, slow roast plum tomato, spinach, poached eggs and toasted sourdough toast from the 'healthy' part of the menu The full English included some nice flavoursome sausage and bacon. My combo was nice and may have been lifted further something else sharp in the mix If Yelp had half stars, they would get a 4.5

Best pub in the world. But you can't got there. It's mine. All mine…read more I went there with my friends for their regular knitting night. They knitted, I drank beer. And, oh my, what beer. Sourced from the local Pots Brewery, I had a brand new Pots IPA and it's one of the nicest British beers that I've ever had. Plus the thing that I particularly liked was that it was a new barrel just set up behind the bar. The landlady then tapped it, took out a small sample, tasted it, considered it, and, seemingly based on that, decided on the price per pint. £3.50 if you're interested. I would have paid twice that. And at around 8% you don't need too many. Plus, Thursday is, of course, sausages night, so there were sausages to accompany the liquid gold available from the bar for a mere 70p a pop. Plus, there's a dog. Every pub needs a dog. This one was not only a gorqeous spaniel, but friendly and lovely. He was also even more excited by the prospect of sausage night than I was. He spent much of the evening resting his chin on the bar doing puppy dog eyes. This was much more effective from him than when I tried it. Plus, the third Thursday is also their poetry and story telling night, so I popped down to the cellar to take a look. Their cellar is, quite literally, a cellar, but crammed in there were a few budding poets and writers sharing their efforts. I felt kind of bad that I had nothing prepared. So, yes, stay away from this pub. I've bagsied it. I might move to Winchester just so it can be my local. In fact, I might just move into the pub.

The floors are wonky, the air is slightly smokey from the fire and the beer is warm, as is the…read moreatmosphere.. the perfect local!