Burley Manor Hotel Restaurant in New Forest

After a challenging weekend in the New Forest, (not the Forest’s fault) we decided to try and salvage something by having a posh afternoon tea at Burley Manor before returning home. We rang and booked the day before as wifey is both vegetarian and GF, and we wanted to give them a fighting chance. I wish we hadn’t bothered. Let’s start with the parking - there isn’t any if your vehicle is bigger than a small family gadabout. We were in our motorhome, and ended up parking in a field that was open for a separate event. Burley Manor assured us this was fine, and that neither gate (big or small) would be locked. You guessed it - wrong , but we squeezed out thanks to wifey’s skilful driving and steely nerve. Then let’s talk about the perfectly coiffed member of staff who seated us, took our drinks order, sent somebody else over with them, then ignored us for nigh on 45 mins. Finally our afternoon tea arrived and was placed by a disdainful waiter, who when he was confused about who’s was who’s and I pointed out the ramifications of getting it wrong snapped, ‘well I didn’t take the order, did I?’ The food itself was fine, just fine, not excellent or amazing, and certainly not worth £61! When we challenged our disdainful waiter on the horrific wait, he was more than happy to throw his colleagues under the bus, saying that his previous establishment had been much more professional! His excuse was that they had had been overbooked for lunch and had several afternoon tea bookings. They had our phone number, if they couldn’t handle the number of guests, they shouldn’t have taken the booking, or they should have cancelled us. To be honest, the nice man who had accidentally locked us in the field, on his Penny farthing and talked about deer and pigs, but reassured us we would easily get Buzzy the motorhome out was the highlight of the whole debacle, and he didn’t work for Burley Manor!

Sunday lunch with my wife and daughter. Service painfully slow, no pork so they recommended pork belly as a replacement. It was awful. All fat and zero taste. Also out of stick of the starter we all wanted. Alternative fish dish was so small if i were the chef I'd be embarrassed to serve it up. Cannot recommend.

We decided to try afternoon tea at Burley Manor, after a disappointing experience at Chewton Glen, last year. It was extremely busy when we arrived as there was a wedding on and we were taken to a sitting room off the main hallway where there were a few other people, including a fairly big group of ladies. There was a nice atmosphere in the room and it was very convivial. Our waiter came to us quickly and took our tea order and when the tea was delivered, he took our food order. We then had a short wait until our food arrived. The food was lovely, the cakes were delicious and the service was utterly attentive. Our waiter could not do enough for us. He was on hand for the whole 2.5 hours we spend and he chatted to us and was extremely professional. We could not have been more satisfied. When I saw the previous reviews on here about the poor service I felt compelled to write this, as we couldn't have had a more conscientious waiter. His name was Tiger and we would like to thank him for being such a professional and superb waiter.

Great spot lovely Sunday lunch and Amazing staff who were very efficient would definitely come again thank you all.This is a great location as wonderful views

£119£59+£64 We came here as a couple for birthday drinks and looked at the menus for gin and tonics to start with before we decide to eat here. The menu says different price than the till. My husband was charged more than we expected according to the menu prices. He went to ask the barman out of principle why he was charged more but he said that the prices changed in the till but not in the menu🙂‍↔️ Why do you have to misled your customers about the price differences maybe update your menu as soon as possible to avoid the misunderstanding ??? As a matter of principle, we should have given the difference back but not. And it’s a massive lost, as we were going to eat at the place…but didn’t feel like to be ripped of because of the wrong menu prices

Absolutely woeful! We came for dinner spontaneously on our way to Bournemouth. We all 3 of us ordered the chicken with doughnut potato . I have a dairy intolerance and they assured me they could adapt mine. Well it just came with no potato at all! And side orders of greens were a very small amount of kale and courgette. The doughnut potatoes were about the size of a 50p piece, one per portion! When I asked where my potato was, they brought some plain potatoes which were hot on the outside and stone cold in the middle. The kitchen also had no olive oil to go with the bread. When we complained they took my meal off the menu but it still came to £64 for 2 very inadequate main courses! Overall, don’t waste your money. Just terrible for the money!

Went for afternoon tea. Absolutely beautiful setting and beautiful building BUT service was dreadful. Food was ok. We were ignored, no check back. I had to go and find someone to ask for more cream and jam (one tiny ramekin for 3 of us !). I was ignored twice by a member of staff who looked up at me from the bar but didn’t offer any help. Really disappointed. We were the only ones in the ‘sitting room’ area so certainly wasn’t like they were rushed off their feet. Wanted to bring some girlfriends here who are crazy about afternoon teas as the setting is stunning but I would be embarrassed to recommend this for afternoon tea. The waiter even dripped tea on my husband!! I asked them to remove the service charge from the bill which they did but they didn’t ask why - I would expect them to have wanted feedback.

The setting is wonderful the food is terrible. Apparently a new chef i had a T bone steak which looked as if it was cooked in a microwave without any caramelisation, it was tasteless and i sent it back. The mushrooms were old and withered, sent those back also. I then had a pork chop which was overly pink on the inside and burnt on one side. Didn’t eat that either. The Taitinger was excellent as were the chips.

Excellent dinner We had an excellent meal, starters of Wild boar pate was gamey and tasty, the mushrooms on sour dough in a sauce was full of flavour with the sauce adding to the overall sense of beginning a special meal. Chateaubriand was our main, I have the outside and he has the centre as cooking preferences vary, chef managed this to perfection. I had the chocolate delice as a dessert, I have never had one better, will remember the taste and consistency for a very long time, mmm. The surroundings were old country house style and felt comfortable, service was good. Overall one of our better meals.

A picturesque setting and the deer at the front are stunning. Unfortunately the lunch was not as pretty. Four of us waited nearly an hour for the food which arrived and was average at best. The “hot smoked salmon bagel” was actually a bagel containing tinned salmon. Not really what we were expecting from a hotel such as this. Warning - they don’t take cash and wont split bill on multiple cards. Disappointing afternoon for what was supposed to be a special occasion. Certainly won’t be returning.

We went for an afternoon meal to celebrate our friend’s impending wedding. What a beautiful setting, the hotel was cosy and the fire was roaring. We watched the deer from our window and it was all rather enchanting. Until we waited roughly an hour for food - we were the only people in the restaurant. The food arrived and quite frankly was completely inedible for everyone. Pretty much everything went back to the kitchen and some of it totally untouched. I don’t know quite what’s going on in the kitchen but I won’t be returning to find out. None of us have the money to throw away and this was supposed to be a treat. We paid up - in hindsight we shouldn’t. I guess the disappointment was enough. The man at the bar was extremely rude on taking money (no cash allowed, no you can’t split the bill etc) We should have told him to do one but again just wanted out. So, dear Burley Hotel - if you want to get yourselves through this cost of living crisis can I suggest you sort out your kitchen and the man at the bar. What a totally underwhelming experience. Thank you to the deer for being the highlight.

Beautiful setting aside, this restaurant needs massive improvement from the service to the food. When we arrived we were the only ones there and still the service was very very slow. Sparkling water flat. Hot food was served cold. Steak tough, tapas order nothing as expected (not sure it was even tapas?) and tinned salmon in the bagels. No personal service by one waiter even though it was a quiet. We were served drinks by one, order taken by another and food delivered by another. Then another popped up to ask once in two hours if we wanted another drink. They all looked nervous as they were very aware that everything they were delivering was second rate. Not once were we asked if our meal was ok. When we went to the bar to pay we were then told they didn’t take cash and we could only split the bill in half and not in 4. Overall lunch with friends at Burley Manor was an absolute disaster apart from seeing the beautiful deer in the grounds.

Booked tapas afternoon tea which was advertised as tapas and sweet things (i.e. cakes etc) but instead we got sandwiches and tapas. I did not complain at the time as I thought I may have misread the description on their website. I checked the website when I got home and I was correct. I sent an email complaining and received one back saying ‘I will inform the manager of your comments’. I have not heard any thing more from them despite sending another email but I have noticed the tapas afternoon tea has disappeared from their website. Extremely disappointed with the afternoon tea and also their response.

Was a lovely evening and partook of our aperitifs outside. We were offered for our order to be taken and informed when meal available.....never appeared so we finally took our table as booked. Even though we were the only customers in the restaurant at that time (1915) it took 15min for order to be taken and at least 30min before the meal arrived. When meal arrived was obvious cooked fresh and of a very high standard. Unfortunately a side dish was overlooked. Sadly tho' only veg, it was a good 15min before served.....almost too late. I think some recompense should have been included in the bill but, sadly not

Verry slow service, disinterested staff, poor seating for eating (seats to low). Top heavy on sweet and lacking in savoury. I had to find staff to top up the tea pot and that is all they did topped up with water only. Fell short for the cost

Afternoon Tea We arrived at our booked time of 3pm and were showed to our table in the lounge, after about 10 minutes a waitress arrived and asked what we would like to drink which arrived 10 minutes later I asked for a jug of water and told that it was available by the door no offer of service, we drank our tea , then the platter of food arrived , no explanation of what was on offer, no spoon for jam or cream we asked for hot water to get more tea out of the pot, I had to ask for butter for the savoury scones which was delivered in prepackaged portions, which we discovered should have been filled so no need for the butter So to summarise, the staff made no effort to make us feel welcome , no one asked if everything was ok , would have been good to know what the cakes were, food ok but could have done with more savoury. A totally underwhelming experience , sad as this was a birthday gift.

Restaurant was booked as a birthday meal purely based on proximity to the rest of the day's activities. Mistake number 1 was not coming here to read previous reviews, as the majority of the recent ones seem to share the same sentiment. To note, neither the bar nor the restaurant were busy, and the staff numbers seemed more than ample for the amount of patrons. One of our drinks (on a table of two) had to be ordered twice. Even then it took 20 minutes to arrive. Not the end of the world but begins to set the tone. We ordered steaks. One rare, one medium rare. One with the regular fries swapped with truffle fries. To note, the other food coming out looked incredible, but if you're going to offer a steak, at a restaurant where it's also one of the most expensive items on the menu, you'd like it to be cooked the way you asked. The wrong fries came at first. The rare was closer to medium. The medium rare was almost well-done. Of course, you can allow a small margin for error, but if you're going to ask how you'd like your steak cooked, you'd assume that you're being asked because it will be cooked that way. The steaks were discreetly pointed out to be overcooked, so they were taken away, but not before three different waitresses asked why. One came back to ask how we'd like it cooked, as the chef assured her they were cooked correctly. I had secondhand embarrassment for her that she'd even come back to the table to ask the question and in that way after already having informed the previous two that it was overcooked and not simply that they weren't cooked to our liking. The fries remained and, of course, other patrons arrived so their food was prioritised. Rightly or wrongly is a matter of opinion, but if a table had half of a meal at their table, as a chef and a waitress, I'd like to think the other half would be served in good enough time to allow a whole meal to be eaten together at the same temperature. Another 20 minutes later, another 2 overcooked steaks arrived. A waitress came to do a courtesy check and watched me cut off half of what I was served into a pile of fat. I also showed her that it still wasn't rare, but ensured her that I wasn't going to send it back again. She looked mortified, her face apologetic and she stated that she'd leave us to eat but come and discuss it once our meal was done. Once said meal was done, we politely declined to see the dessert menu. One of the waitresses put the bill on our table as she was walking past, and told us to pay at the bar. Since politeness isn't a job requisite, I didn't expect her to be, but I also didn't expect her delivery to be so rude. On the way out, we came to realise our umbrella had also been misplaced or stolen. Nobody seemed to know where it went, nor cared. One star awarded because the chairs were comfortable.

I went here for dinner with a friend and it was amazing! Great service, location and fantastic food! We cannot wait to return!

Afternoon tea for two which was a 60th birthday gift from friends. We were put in the conservatory on one of the hottest days of the year. The food was awful 3 different types of scones which were small, over baked and tasteless. If I hadn’t been told what each item was it would have been difficult to tell as tasteless. The cream on the cake had a lump of margarine in it. Because it was so hot the bread was already drying out and the slither of ham was almost a waste of time putting it in. The cakes were melting and sticking to the serving stand. We were given a luke warm bottle of water and a small pot of tea each. No one came to ask us if everything was ok or whether we wanted anything else to drink. The waitress seemed to find everything an effort. Not a pleasant experience and I couldn’t wait to leave. Would certainly not go back or recommend. £28 a head and the worst I have ever had.

Burley Manor is set in an idyllic spot and has the potential to provide exceptional hospitality in amazing historic surroundings, the grounds are beautiful. That's where the praise ends I'm afraid. We are local so booked lunch as a midweek treat away from the stresses of a busy week. On arrival we waited a while to be seated as there was no one at the restaurant reception point. We chose a table in the dining room where only 2 other tables were occupied so there was no ambiance, unfortunately the table was very wobbly and the chairs stained and dirty so we moved, chairs were equally stained at the new table which didn't bode well. We ordered drinks and food and the drinks came quickly and with pleasant service. We waited a further 40 minutes and then the waiter came over and apologised and said the kitchen was busy so there would be a further 20 to 25 minute wait, this concerned us as the dining room had only 4 tables occupied including ours and two of those tables had been served before we arrived, the remaining table arrived and ordered long after us . After a further 15 minutes she came and said that it would be a further 10 to 15 minutes. At this point we were running out of time, we asked how 2 very simple dishes that could be cooked in minutes could possibly take so long, even if they had only started cooking them when we were informed of the delay. The waitress was clearly embarassed and couldnt give an answer except to say that was what the chef had told her. My daughter asked her to tell the truth about what was really happening and why there was such a delay ,she then admitted our order had been missed in the kitchen. When the food came one dish was totally inedible, a flatbread described as "Cypriot halloumi cheese & fire roasted red peppers, smoked chilli jam" arrived totally covered in rocket which was not as described(the diner hates it), she cut into the bread and the middle was just raw dough, the flatbread had not been kneaded or cooked properly and was floury, doughy and raw. It was studded with large numbers of huge chunks of raw garlic which was also not on the description. A different waiter took one look at it and said that was not how it should be at all and that there would be no charge for the meals as it was clearly not right. It almost felt like a punishment for being unhappy about the delay! A dish described as "Spinach wrap, shawarma spiced chicken & pumpkin, wild rocket, sumac, honey, yoghurt dressing" was nothing of the sort, yes it was a spinach wrap but it contained tasteless plain pan fried chicken pieces (no spices or seasoning whatsoever and definitely not shawarma!) with spinach leaves (not rocket) pumpkin seeds (not pumpkin) and about half a teaspoon of yoghurt in tiny spots on the wrap. The house fries were supposed to have paprika and truffle salt but were totally unseasoned. The whole experience was most unpleasant and not to be repeated. Such a shame as in the past this was a special place to me for lunch and I had been looking forward to visiting.

Very disappointing and underwhelming. Tables not cleared and not set up for lunch that we'd booked. Some items on menu not available. Food very average and expensive. No ambience despite lovely setting.

Dreadful food, burnt flatbread and dry falafel. Only saving grace was the dessert. Expensive bland food, should be offering better food than this in the heart of the New Forest!

The worst restaurant I have been to in a LOOOOONNNNGGG time! The service and food were SHOCKING! I wish I had just gone to a local pub or McDonalds! I would have enjoyed the food a lot more, expected and spent a lot less! Never, ever will return! My main was stone cold and tasted absolutely disgusting (I left it all), my starter (a normally tasty, quite straightforward dish of Gambas Pil Pil) was watery and extremely bland. We weren't even offered a drink over the whole meal (except when we first arrived), no one seemed to come to our table unless we called them over! None of the staff seemed to have a clue what they were doing. When we complained the manager told us she had not been there long and could we phone up Monday and resolve the complaint with someone else! It isn't a cheap restaurant either! It is such a shame as it is in such a beautiful setting, it could be great!

The service was interesting. One starter was off and so I had the substitute but the when it came to the table it was still announced as the off item and not the substitute. The steak was not particularly good with too much fat and very stringy. However, the young lady doing the cocktails was very good.

We found the Burley Manor set in a wonderful rural and private unique setting, with a herd of deer in the grounds that captivated by a keeper that would move the herd from one place to another by what was like well rehearsal of magnifying...

Popped in here on the off chance having attended. Family wedding many years ago. They were able to fit us in at short notice and dished up probably the best roast dinner I have ever tasted.

We had a very pleasant lunch. Hotel has lovely decor with a good mix of traditional and modern. Service very good. Good very good. Only downside was that we were only people eating lunch that day. No atmosphere. Second time this has happened at this...

Burley Manor Afternoon Tea gift. Not value for money-setting lovely, staff served wine, beverage, food all together - saw no one during 2 hrs there, wanted to buy another coffee but left as could find no staff - staff not friendly at all, all conversation...

Went for lunch. Not child or family friendly. No children’s menu. Service was fine but we were the only people in the restaurant on a Friday afternoon. They are trying to be a “pig” style but just doesn’t work and they are missing a real...

As you would expect from this type of hotel, the dining experience was acceptable, the ingredients of a high standard, but there needed to be more options in the menu. Personally I think 5 items for mains, the same for the three nights we stayed,...

We were recently invited by friends to join them for dinner at Burley Manor. They were very excited about the recommendation and said they had heard good things about the restaurant and the food. Sadly, their excitement soon changed to great disappointment. It was truly...

My husband and I visited on a Saturday evening. The lounge area is nicely upmarket, comfy sofas and great service. We ordered the sourdough bread and arancini for starters - both excellent. The bread was fresh and the arancini was flavoursome and had just the...

Dinner which was excellent the staff friedly the service ws a little slw but the food was spot on I recommend the Chateaubriand and thepudding was amazing

I booked Afternoon Tea for my parents pre covid, unfortunately it was cancelled 4 times due to covid measures- obviously something that was no ones fault! But meant that when we finally got to go in Dec 2021 it was highly anticipated. My dad had...

Awful? Menu choice poor. 1 slice each of fatty meat! Veg, - piece of carrot, parsnip & broccoli. 3 hard/ inedible potatoes! We complained. The staff didn`t really know how to sort this out so we left.

Tiny piece of meat full of fat, rock hard potatoes that the fork would not go into! One piece of broccoli! Nobody ever minds paying for good food but this was an absolute disgrace! The hotel manager did not want to come and speak to...

Very tasy but quite small portions & quite expensive . Good , friendly & efficient service . Breakfast was nice

We booked a table for 7 well in advance of my husband's 75th birthday lunch. We checked the menu and an example menu was emailed to us. We confirmed that one of our party was vegetarian. On the day, 19 February, the weather was cold,...

We have been regulars at the manor both staying and dining. Staff always friendly and Ofcourse the manor itself is beautiful. Last year we had our usual great Xmas meal and decided to do it again this year. Very disappointed indeed. When our lunch dishes...

Stayed here for a week and didn't have one bad meal, everything wonderful. The inside is gorgeous all panelling and tasteful manor house decor or do as we did and sit on the terrace enjoying the lovely surroundings and the natural deer herd.

The majority of the staff are not attentive or accommodating. Not a luxury hotel experience at all. Simple requests were ignored or not followed through on several occasions, which made our stay here one to forget. Upon arrival we asked about the hotels facilities and...

We had a wonderful meal, each course was beautifully presented. So many colours, tastes and textures. I was dining with a non vegan relative, she said the food was delicous and would choose to order it again. Service and surroundings also excellent.

We had dinner there and ordered duck terrine and backed prawns for starters. Both sounded better than how they tested. Steak Chateaubriand was not grilled properly, there was no charcoal, it was simply fired. Quality of meat was ok for £68.00 but nothing that I...

how this place is 5 star is beyond me. Restaurant staff need serious training . Sunday lunch is awful. table staff need training and the quality of the food is grim. The young guy who served us should be back at school not waiting on...

This place should be the `go to location` for the area but somehow today it let itself down, probably due to a lack of staff training or too many guests for what seemed a few more than they had anticipated. The food was pretty good...

We booked to have lunch at Burley Manor more for its location and grounds. But to our surprise the tapas surpassed all expectations and could not fault the service. Will definitely be back...for the food next time.

Stayed at the hotel for two nights as part of a mini-break, and used the restaurant on 2nd evening. Food was first class, and beautifully presented. the starters [lobster and terrine] were very good. We both had the rolled chicken main, which was outstanding. Menu...

As guests of the hotel we enjoyed dinner, breakfast and afternoon tea here - what a joy all 3 were. I am gluten and milk free, subtle amendments were made to dishes without a big fuss being made which was greatly appreciated. The Chateaubriand for...

We ate here as guests at the hotel. Good selection for the dinner menu and the quality was great as well. Tried food I wouldn’t normally have, including the veggie option, but wasn’t disappointed! Dessert was lovely too, I wouldn't normally have one but made...

I agree with a previous review that there was lack of savoury food provided. My husband and I visited as a birthday treat and there was only two small sandwiches each. The fillings were some sort of chicken paste and the other was very spicy....

Excellent service and great range of dishes to choose from. Attentive staff and food was of a very high standard. Can recommend the chessboard for desert!

The surroundings at Burley Manor are lovely and it was so nice to see the deer wandering around the grounds. We had a nice meal but unfortunately it was ruined by the arrogant attitude of the manager. Such a shame. You’d expect better service for...

We loved the food, the service at times where a little slow, it took 20 minutes to even order drinks which was a little disappointing but that can't takeaway the quality of the food. We wished we had eaten here both nights. We ate at...

We ate in the restaurant once during our 3 night stay at Burley Manor, the food was pleasant but in my opinion a little over priced. My Husbands chocolate fondant was the best part of the meal by a long shot. The staff were very...

We had a lovely meal in the restaurant excellent choice of food and the presentation and taste were outstanding one of the best meals we have eaten. Only downside was the drinks service apart from that cannot fault it - compliments to the chef looking forward to our return in a few months!

This was our first visit and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.We opted for the 'locally sourced' menu and the food was deliciousWe raised an issue with one of the main course dishes not being hot enough and this was dealt with politely and professionally by our waiter who immediately apologised and returned the dish to the kitchen.He returned with the chef's apology and the offer of a free desert or coffee.A fresh meal (not reheated) duly arrived a few minutes later.The quality of the service more than made up for a minor issue with one of our main course dishes.All in all, a wonderful experience.

The food at this restaurant is absolutely off the scale. Beautiful view of the deer park too. Can't believe they can turn out such well made, imaginative but beautifully balanced dishes for the price. Grateful that it wasn't busier, but it definitely deserves to be. The staff told me today that it was taken over about 4 years ago, so I guess news is still getting out. I can't wait to go back as soon as I can find another excuse.For those of you visiting with vegans, I'm not one but I do find milk a bit difficult, they recommend pre ordering. I will definitely do this next time, probably by email to be sure.

Such a beautiful setting that we had high expectations for our lunch today. However, our friend has an allergy to garlic, onion and mushrooms ( we informed the hotel of this a number of days in advance) and we were told when we arrived that there wasn't a single starter she could have from the menu. The waitress said she only knew about the mushroom allergy but we clearly stated on the phone the full list of ingredients, so the miss-communication was their end. Surely, when you are in a high class restaurant and paying over £50 a head the chef should have given her some options? We visit a different restaurant each month and have never been in this situation before. She ended up with bread and butter as a starter (at a charge of £3.50) and a half baked apology. The rest of the food was quite good but again this is the first restaurant where the key vegetables are not included in the price of the a la carte main courses which meant we felt the meal was overpriced. Also, there was no flexibility mixing the lunch menu and the a la carte menu, which we would have expected in a good restaurant. We would probably go back to sit on the terrace for a coffee but not to dine.

Saturday festive lunch with Mediterranean accents !Cocktails on arrival - all delicious A lovely restaurant greeting by a team that were clearly motivated to look after thingsSet menu choices that were tempting & could have been supplemented by the a la carte menu if necessaryQuality , presentation & flavours were exceptional with plates holding their temperature surprisingly well Overall - albeit quiet in the restaurant the atmosphere was very pleasant in a ‘Manor House’ setting overlooking glorious Deer park enclosure(s)Value ? - not bad at all for venue / qualityRe - visit ? ...... yes.enjoy

We recently ate twice in one weekend at the Burley Manor restaurant whilst staying at the hotel. The food eaten was excellent on both nights - on the Friday, I had venison (hopefully not from the neighbouring deer park!) whilst my wife had chicken done three ways. My venison was some of the best I have eaten and had delicious pearl barley alongside. The chicken was so good I had it myself on the Saturday. We had broccoli, courgette fritas and patatas bravas as sides which were all tasty. Puddings were a delicious lemon parfait for me and a fig tart for my wife. The only niggle we had was a 50 minute wait for our wine - which did eventually arrive with profuse apologies! On the Saturday, service was much slicker! Food was even better than the Friday. As stated, I had the chicken, my wife had pork cheek. We had the same sides bar swapping broccoli for kale. Everything was perfect, taste, seasoning, portion size. Puddings were a cherry and pistachio tart for me, saffron semolina cake for my wife. Both delicious. Overall, bar Friday issues, two superb meals. One note worth mentioning, on the Friday (6th December) we were sat near a couple who within minutes of receiving their food were vocally complaining about it, how crap it was, how she could cook better and had lived in France for over ten years so clearly knew everything about food. That spoilt the atmosphere until they left but I don’t blame the restaurant - they tried to address the issue.

It's been a year since we last stayed at Burley Manor, and not sure why we left it so long. With a warming real fire blazing in the recption hall, to the friendly and "nothing too much trouble" attitude of the staff, it was like we never left. Rooms are comfortable and warm, lovely hot showers in the bathroom and great food and wines in the restaurant, we can't recommend highly enough. As last time, the breakfasts are just the best. Won't leave it so long to return next time!

As others have stated a lovely location for a romantic meal. On arrival was informed a wedding was taking place but should not impact on the restaurant. Well it did. Seated in the conservatory. We were their for 21/2 hours and had only had our starter and main. Three other couples had been there for over 3 hours and were still wait to complete their meal.In the end 4 couples including us got up and complained. Other people in the main part of restaurant complained as well. Some people who waited the longest got huge discount. Ourselves got 60% of our bill.Could not fault the food but their was no staff for 40 mins plus as they were at the wedding. A big shame but never again.

On a whim we decided to stay in Burley for a visit to the New Forest... seeing the surroundings and the menu I thought I'd take my wife to the Burley Manor for Dinner as it looked upscale.Unfortunately looks can be a little deceptive. The food was excellent, the staff? Non existent.We arrived before the restaurant before it opened. and were told we could wait in the bar and we'd be brought in when they were ready... excellent, time to relax. 15 mins after the restaurant opened we decided to take a walk in to see if they were ready... huzzah they were, but it seems we'd been forgotten in the bar.Ordering went swimmingly, as did the first course. When the second course arrived one of the side dishes were not quite to my wife's liking (she ordered the Crispy courgette fritas expecting them to be a bit thicker, rather than like noodles), not the restaurants fault, but rather ours... however not once did someone come over to see if everything was ok... nor was anyone within hailing distance to point this out... we saw no one, at least not long enough to catch their attention as they delivered plates to other tables and disappeared instantly.When the bill finally came my wife excused herself to visit the lavatory, still no sign of the waitress by the time she came back. My wife decided that she was going to wait in the bar for me to pay... suffice to say she waited long enough to have a drink and come back to me without me having seen the waitress enter the room. We were about to leave to see if we could find someone and she miraculously appeared, and finally we could leave!

We were lunching to celebrate an eightieth birthday and wanted a pleasing ambiance, food and service. The drive from Burley village through the park was delightful, with deer and other animals grazing close by. The oak-panelled dining room although at first empty soon filled up. The tapas were of generous portions and the belly of pork ample and delicious. Unfortunately the fish was "not ready." Wine served by the carafe rather than full bottle is a good idea when driving. The sweets were artistically presented and the service was friendly if rather slow. Allow plenty of time. The set lunch menu is good value for high quality food. We shall return.

Visited here for lunch on a Friday in late August.

First visit as a recommended restaurant to go to . First impressions very nice setting and a nice welcome. Went in for dinner on time, ordered and waited and waited. First course came after 45 mins, food was very good. Ordered more drinks at time of food arriving, no show.

We can't fault the food but the service needs looking at.

We were very disappointed with our 60th wedding anniversary lunch at this restaurant as the first thing that happened is that they lost our booking even though we had received a confirmation by e-mail and a reference number. They blamed it on the transference of all bookings onto a new computer system which failed to transfer our booking. They then took our booking again but when we arrived the chairs at the table were so low we had to ask for cushions to enable us to reach the table to eat the food. When the food arrived the vegetables were nouveau quisine so I couldn't eat them as they were too crunchy. Therefore I would definitely not recommend this restaurant. - Sonia Willcocks

This visit to the restaurant on Saturday 3rd August was most disappointing as it was meant to be a celebration of our 60th wedding anniversary. We booked a table for 6 people and received an e-mail confirming the booking with a reference number. However, when I checked on the booking the day before, the receptionist said she had no record of it. She eventually admitted that the hotel had transferred all restaurant bookings onto a new computer system and in the process our booking had been lost. She then rebooked, us but when we arrived the chairs were so low at the table that we had to have cushions to sit on in order to be able to reach and eat the food! Once the food arrived the vegetables were Nuvou Quisine and I couldn't eat any of them as I like my vegetables well cooked. Overall I would not recommend this restaurant. - Sonia Willcocks

Laat je verrassen...... Verwacht geen restaurant in “Manor- Style” maar een gezellig mediterraans georiënteerde ruimte. De sfeer is informeel. Dat sluit aan bij het aanbod dat vooral bestaat uit gerechten die mediterraans zijn of daarvan afgeleid. De kaart biedt een ruime keus, de gerechten zijn creatief en redelijk geprijsd evenals de wijnen.

I took my husband out for a birthday treat, with our daughter and son-in-law. Having looked for somewhere interesting to go, I found The Butler's Pantry, which is an exclusive part of the Burley Manor Hotel restaurant. They normally cater for between 6 and 8 people, but I phoned and enquired if they would take just the 4 of us and they were happy to accommodate us. There was a choice of different styles of menu, which I had to choose at the time of booking - these included Greek, Spanish, French, Italian, Moroccan, Turkish and Lebanese. I opted for the Greek menu, as we all enjoy this type of food.

Beautiful setting, gorgeous tasteful building and amenities, polite friendly staff,however, shockingly poor service which I believe is due to very poor management and training.

We met my parents here for a Sunday meal, due to car issues we were late, Burley Manor were very accommodating to us moving our reservation.

June 20th, our wedding anniversary. We had wanted to dine at Burley Manor for some years & our anniversary gave us the reason. We had a very pleasant meal & drinks in the bar. When I received the bill I noticed that I had been charged for a drink we had not had (£7.00). On querying this I was told I would have to fill in a refund form which would then be sent to head office for processing. Four weeks on & several lengthy phone calls latter (at cost to me) I still have not received my refund. This experience has ruined the memory of a lovely evening out. I have now asked, with I think justification, to have the discretionary 10% service charge refunded as I feel the service since that evening has fallen short of standard that warrants such a charge.

Generally nice. Food was good. Certainly nothing bad, but I wouldn’t say fantastic. Quite expensive for what you actually get. Generally a bit underwhelmed.

Not somewhere we will ever go back to!!

I paid for my mum to have a massage as a birthday present. She had the drift away and loved it and afterwards we had some tapas in the outside seating area. It was lovely watching the deer in the field and we spotted a baby running around after it’s mum! Lovely food in a beautiful place and a special thanks to our waitress robin who recommended us some delicious tapas dishes and got for us a leaflet about the history of the manor. Will be back again for sure.

Booked in advance for two to have afternoon tea.

Picture post card timeless building that is inviting and grand at the same time. Beautiful landscape- lots of deer right over the front wall and situated in the New Forest village of Burley. Afternoon tea was terrific! See photo attached comfortable lounge area quiet and attentive service but not in your face. Timely and patient. Slightly limited in selection of teas have had a wider variety at other places great selection of food coffee offered too. Was asked about dietary and allergies requirements. Tea pot for two was particularly heavy and therefore a little tougher to manage. No offer of more sandwiches like other venues of the same standard offer. Delightful variety and we enjoyed everything but they do provide boxes to fill to take home - they were plastic boxes though.

Fantastic service and gorgeous food , breakfast and evening dinner were fabulous, prompt and polite professional service all round

Stunning meal in a superb location, staff all excellent and helpful, nothing was too much trouble for them. Food was amazing, and perfectly spaced out. 10/10! We’ll definitely be back, and next time to stay in the hotel as well!

Had a really nice 2 course lunch with friends. Excellent food and great service. Very comfortable and very nice decor. We had the special lunch which included a cocktail. Location Burley in the New Forest. Would recommend.

I had such high hopes for dinner here but I was a little disappointed. The building is beautiful and the grounds wonderfully kept. The food was nice and it is spotlessly clean but I now run out of positives. We were early and wanted a drink first but were shown straight to our table. I ordered a gin and tonic and received just the tonic, sacrilege surely. The young waiter was friendly, charming but slightly incompetent and when I ordered the Rioja he asked if that was red or white, I think that this was down to lack of training and with guidance he could be a real asset as he was very likeable. The food was good and well presented but the lamb in particular was a small portion and the ambience was lack lustre to say the least. When I asked what the cheeses were I was told sorry, I’m new. As I said the staff were ok but I would expect that level of service from Costa Coffee. Maybe my expectations were too high. I had high hopes but I probably won’t be back. Sorry. A generous 3 as the food was good.

We recently had the pleasure of afternoon tea on the terrace of the Burley Manor Hotel. The sun was shining and the views idyllic overlooking fields and the deer sanctuary!

Booking by email was straightforward;

Both the dinner on the Saturday night and afternoon tea the next day were really delicious and beautifully presented.

Great atmosphere both in the lounges and dining room. Food lived up to our expectations and more. Some may find the menu limited but is excellent food and friendly service

This was the 4th time we have been to eat at the restaurant, this time we took our friends as we wanted them to also experience how amazing it is. The food is always incredible and the staff are beyond courteous. This has become one of our favourite places to visit. The restaurant has a lovely, warm and comfortable feel and the food is delicious. I can’t wait until our next visit!

Beautiful manor house with a warm welcome.

Our last evening in the New Forest and wished to find a good restaurant where we could take our 2 dogs. The staff were friendly and made a fuss of the dogs and us. Beautiful restaurant and wonderful food. Perfect!

We stayed at the burley manor hotel and we choose to dine in the restaurant as it had such good reviews and we was not dissapointed! Food is pricey but you get what you pay for. Staff were amazing too.

We had dinner here on one of the evenings of our short break stay at the hotel (see separate review). The dining room has a classy and sympathetic baronial atmosphere, comfortable seating and well-spaced tables, with gentle music background at non-intrusive volume. The staff were friendly and welcoming, but also efficient and professional. The cooking and presentation was of a high standard. These people know what they are doing. However this is a 'slow cooking' establishment, so you need to expect your meal to proceed at a modest pace.

Good service, nice setting but deeply disappointing value food. Seriously over-priced for the quality - no finesse in the execution and mediocre ingredients (£40 per head without alcohol!). A passion fruit soufflé was flat eggy and overly sweet with no trace of fruit....it tipped me over the edge and prompted this post

Late , on the day booking on line via ‘book a table’ that worked out well on arrival with a warm welcome & pleasant surroundings / atmosphere

Had a meal here as we were staying in the hotel. Have had better experiences. First the table we were given felt like we were a bit of a side show. Easily changed and felt much more comfortable. Ordered white wine but given red. Had the mushroom tart, £15.00 just for the tart glad I order the side salad, another £5 so expensive for what it was. No atmosphere. Breakfast glad to see avacado and egg on sour dough on the menu. The avacado was mixed with mint which was very strong and took over the taste of the whole dish. Bit too much.

We consisted of a group of 4 adults looking forward to a meal to celebrate a birthday. Very impressive building beautifully decorated. Generally speaking, the food was 50/50. Two of us were pleased with their choices. However, with two of the starters being the same, only one was granted the wooden base on which the very small dish stood. From that point service felt inconsistent. My own starter, half was adequately warm, but the other half much cooler. Regarding the mains, the steak was served in a horrible frying pan, presumably to keep it hot.... Venison, beautifully cooked, but the amount served made us smile... Service was slow, truly slow. Strangely, not once at any stage of our meal were we asked "Is everything all right?" My first venue lacking in courtesy. Surely it must be mandatory, be it in your humble local pub or in a more distinguished establishment. Still, we managed to have a good time, courtesy of the wine, and perhaps that was the reason why they were slow. Special mention to the Lady in reception whom displayed a wonderful sense of humour. Not surprisingly, we will not return. Happy New Year!

A complete transformation since my last visit. The move up to a 4 star is certainly warranted with decor, ambience and country house comfort a definable USP. But the food. Incredible. And then some. Well done to the Team here, a most memorable visit and thank you for a great Xmas treat.

We visited on 1st December for the Festive lunch. The food was excellent quality served in generous portions by friendly staff. We both chose the Duck hash to start and for mains one of us ordered the Turkey Crown with Turkey leg confit and the other ordered Spanakopita, both dishes were served with plenty of crisp roast potatoes and other vegetables. We enjoyed eating our lunch in the conservatory area, which was nice and warm with fabulous views out to the deer in the parkland. Highly recommended and plan to return after the Festive season..

Pleasant surroundings efficient staff fine menu. The bar carries an exceptional range of preprandial drinks.

We were staying at the hotel and the receptionist asked us if we would like to reserve a table for dinner so we agreed to give it a try and see what the food was like. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and the experience. Firstly the waitress offered us bread and garlic oil which tasted delicious then she recommended the soup which again was lovely. We shared a main meal and had additional vegetables which were all locally sourced and tasty fresh. We found the waitresses to be very friendly and attentive and the price of the meal to be very reasonable.