Carnarvon Arms in Basingstoke and Deane

I’ve been here a few times now (at different times of the day) and it’s ALWAYS brilliant. Staff are lovely & food is excellent. Yesterday, a friend & I (who I haven’t seen for 25yrs) began with coffee at 10.30am and left after lunch at 2.30pm…would HIGHLY recommend. Thank you team 🥰

We stayed af the Carnarvon Arms two nights. Whilst the room was small, it was clean and modern. The experience in general, however, was lacking. A pub is usually very welcoming. This one is not. The signs in the carpark were prohibitive and off putting. We had early engagements each morning. We were not allowed to even sit in the pub before 7 am even though the cleaners were there at 6:30 am. We understood breakfast was at 7:30 but wanted to do work before our engagements outside our small room. At night, we came back late and there was no welcome. We will not cone back.

Excellent choice of local seasonal menu, prompt and considerate staff able to answer questions. Price suitable for this venue.

My first visit to this fantastic pub with an old friend. I chose it because it was about half way between us both but I lucked out with my choice! The pub is delightful - very attractive decor and well-spaced tables (a bugbear of mine) , smiley service and delicious food. I had the fish and chips which were the best I’ve had in years. Highly recommended.

We booked in to try their Sunday roast and were not disappointed! The lunch was absolutely delicious. It was a perfect family lunch in a lovely relaxing environment with friendly service.

Stayed following a visit to the area. Nice quiet location. Food very good had evening meal and the breakfast, cannot fault at all in fact probably one of the best I’ve had in a while. Room clean and everything there as needed. There is a little noise from the road but nothing excessive to disturb you.

Disappointing. Not much of a welcome from the staff, and not very engaging. The table was sticky and the menus were old and dirty. Dark table with one light out. The drinks were good, but the food was something I'd not like to experience again, or recommend.

Lovely lunch after a look round Highclere Castle

Chose the Carnarvon Arms for lunch with my Mum as the website promised a 'vibrant selection of vegan dishes'. Lunch was a little underwhelming for a couple of reasons, but the customer service when I mentioned this was exceptional. Ben could not have been more understanding and helpful. Mistakes happen to all of us, it is how you deal with them that matters and on this occasion that was the highlight. Will definitely be going back to give it another go.

Only 2 staff taking orders and serving so it was very slow. Had to chase a few times including when wanting to pay. Not the fault of the 2 women working who were professional and polite. Food ok.but nothing special

Great evening, pleasant atmosphere & lovely food. Attentive staff, wine list varied. Highly recommend for dining & catching up

I came here for dinner with my family last weekend, had an amazing experience. The food was fantastic, both starters and mains, and the service was very attentive and helpful. Defitnely would come back and will recommend to anyone.

Had a nice time using the hotel as a base to see Highclere castle. Charger for the ev was a bit slow charging at 2kw/h at pretty high prices (60p) food was good and drinks were good too

The service was good and the food came very quickly. The food was freshly cooked and very hot, which was great. Friendly staff and great value for money. Lovely location and a great meeting place . Thank you

Good food, it was a hot night so we had the windows open down side a lot of road noise from the A34. Ideal place for a visit to Highclere Castle

We only stopped by for some food. It's one of the few places in the area open a little later on a Sunday. Food was delicious and service was very fast. However the menu was quite limited with only one or two options for none red meat eaters

Fantastic lunch, great service, would highly recommend!!!

Sunday Lunch review. The food was really good. I appreciated the excellent vegan Sunday lunch options and my folks said their non-vegan meals were great too. However, the service was woeful. We were in the furthest corner of the place and felt forgotten a lot of the time. When we sat down, we waited a long time for the waitress to come over and at that point, I had to ask for a drinks menu, as she hadn’t left one with us. I then had to ask twice for some water. Once we had finished our main course, I had to ask twice for a dessert menu and then we were only given two menus for three of us. I then had to wave the waitress down after waiting ages to put in the dessert order. I had flagged in advance that this was a special occasion (father’s 84th birthday), so it was particularly frustrating to have bad service on such a day. When it came to paying the bill, I simply gave up and went to the bar to pay. Will not rush back.

Stayed for a night to visit Highclere castle the next day, had one of the best night sleeps ever will a well stocked and very reasonably priced minibar. Dinner was by fair the best part of the night with an excellently cooked steak and perfect sides to accompany. The fish and chips my partner had was also good with a wide range of sauces like tartare sauce, mushy peas and curry sauce. Plenty of parking and very easy to find. We would like to say a personal thank you to all the staff. The best staff ever!

Friendly staff, great food. Dogs were allowed whilst we ate which is always a sign of a good pub!

Very comfortable and cosy Inn. On walking distance from the well known castle 🤗. Good food as well. Delicious break first and diner!!! Highly recommended.

Lovely location, rooms well equipped and very comfy. Food was pretty decent. Not very welcoming staff members, one of whom made me feel I’d greatly inconvenienced her by standing at the wrong part of the bar when ordering. No biggie though, we all have bad days!

In for dinner with a large group. Fantastic service considering how many of us there were. Everyone enjoyed their food and it wasn't bad value. Would recommend!

Food is yummy and mostly homemade, even the bar snacks are freshly made! We loved the cheese sticks and sausage roll! Staff are very accommodating :)

Booked for Sunday Lunch, me and my wife both had the Roast beef which was amazing fair price too, they also had a great choice of children’s meals! Nice local ales aswell went down a treat Highly recommend

Love this place. Was a nice little find as we are moving to the area. Had a really nice Sunday roast. Will definitely be coming back soon for another. Great service.

We came as a family for a Sunday roast. The kids were catered to perfectly. We were put in a window book table, next to the games and colouring station which was perfect for our children. Both the adults and kids menus has great variety. And the food was amazing.

We stayed at the Carnarvon Arms Public House, a short distance from Highclere Castle which we visited. The staff were amazing, the food was 5star.

Lunch. Delicious, great service, atmosphere and venue

A great country pub not too far from Highclere Castle. Had the pleasure of visiting for a quick lunch with family of 5. Staff were very helpful and accommodating despite having not booked. Nice choice of well priced meals that were all prepared very quickly. Good beer selection. Will definitely visit again.

PLEASE AVOID!!! The worst experience. Under staffed and incompetent, tried charging £19 for a tea and toast with jam. The room was extremely unclean with soiled sheets. Dinner was terrible with cheap produce and a hair in the food. When my wife complained the waitress just picked out the hair in front of us! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Ate here. Fish was overcooked and quite oily. Minimal fish to batter. Big portions. Quite pricey.

A cosy bed, great service and well cooked seasonal food. Highly recommended.

Was fantastic pub fare at reasonable prices - very friendly and accommodating management and staff - (they were a bit short staffed on the evening but more than compensated for that in other ways) - highly recommended for English country pub outings.

Entered, basically ignored by staff for 5 minutes, walked out and went back to Red House for another great experience

Lovely pub lunch, delicious food (children and adults alike!) and very friendly service. Thank you.

We booked for 2.30 on Easter Monday. The food was great and service good, although they appeared a little short staffed. One set of toilets was out of action(blocked) and the toilet paper was out in the other set. Although this was mentioned to the staff, it had not been rectified when the toilets were revisited 90 minutes later. Despite this minor fault we had an excellent meal and will be back.

Unfortunately for the second time in a row the service has been very poor, it isn’t a direct reflection on our server but more a problem of being understaffed. No table check ins had to try get their attention for additional drinks, desert etc. Food was very average and the bathrooms both males and female were filthy which may be understandable if 11pm on a Friday but given we were there just before midday…. There are many alternatives in the vicinity which offer an all round better experience

Tasty food, quite a large place and the area we were in was airy and light. Friendly service and decent prices. A great place to stop!

Tried to contact them for three days email and many phone calls no one responded finally got through today needed 3rooms and one accessible room they said that’s ok but then someone else booked the accessible room today before they answered my calls very disappointed

Great place, food is excellent good menu and vegetarian included. Service is both friendly and efficient with a lovely atmosphere. Well behaved dogs welcome. We have been a few times and each time it has been a delightful experience.

Recommended. Good food, atmosphere and service

Absolutely loved the pork belly! Beautiful presentation. I could have eaten more of it though! The burger was great too.

Lovely place, great food and friendly service

We intended to eat here, but our experience was as follows: Restricted car parking which is also poorly lit. The entrance gate had no sign to say "Entrance" or similar. The actual restaurant was closed. There were only 2 staff working and one needed to be on the bar. We didn't stay so we can't comment on the food.

Lovely cozy atmosphere. There is parking behind. Less options for vegans but the food was good. Fries can be a bit better. Pet friendly and they have a nice little doggy bed and free treats. Staff are friendly and welcoming. The place is massive with many tables. Really good.

Carnarvon Arms was very charming. The location was perfect for our Highclere Castle tour. Plenty of parking. Great Sunday roast at the pub. Fun pub with lots of board games to play. Our rooms were simple yet comfortable. I appreciated the Nespresso machine and complimentary water. The breakfast was very good and I loved the menu. We had a bit of a miscommunication regarding an extra child's bed, but the new management was an absolute dream and so professional about making things right. Highly recommend this place for both their rooms and dining.

Lovely environment, great service however totally unsatisfactory customer service when I emailed about the bill to which I have yet to receive a response.

It feels like a proper stage coach inn.

Very, very welcoming staff, hugely dog friendly, nice atmosphere and good food … very enjoyable visit

Visited for Sunday lunch with the family, the food was excellent with very generous portions, we had very attentive (but not overbearing) service and the atmosphere was very relaxed. The dining room is spacious and very nicely decorated, it was very busy but parking was easy. All in all, thoroughly recommend the Carnarvon.

A very warm welcome, lovely cosy interior, food was very nice and dog friendly :)

We had an excellent Christmas Party at the Carnarvon Arms. Festive Menu food was excellent. Service good and unobtrusive. Very relaxed atmosphere - the staff even asked if we wanted the background music turned up or down! Would highly recommend!

After visiting Highclare Castle what a way to enjoy lunch, lovely location just a couple of minutes from the house

Dining room was too noisy, it just seems to have awful acoustics where the noise bounces around; couldn't hear the people at my own table but could hear others across the room. Food was good but at 7pm on Saturday night they had already run out of the bavette for the steak frites, the mains took almost 45 minutes to arrive with no explanation or apology offered until one of my companions complained about the delay, and then we got an apology but nothing in the way of explanation. Decided against dessert as the mood at the table had plummeted.

Excellent service, friendly and welcoming. Food first class,certainly plenty,my fish so big came in its own trawler,but so tasty. 100% recommend this establishment.

Was expecting more from the food as the menu was quite expensive. Drinks were expensive. Probably won't visit again as there are better places to eat for that sort of money

A wonderful Sunday Lunch. Perfect in every way. Thank you very much.

Very friendly and attentive staff. Enjoyed our restful stay after a day touring Highclere Castle

Never had the opportunity to visit this pub before, but I’m certainly glad I found one! Great classic pub vibe, Decor is wonderful and the pub is very well presented! Food is great and well priced for the quality, I attended on a Sunday so it was obviously slightly busier, but it didn’t make it unpleasant! Will definitely be back!

This is one of my favourite "out of the way" restaurants to visit. The fish and chips were astounding and the staff were very friendly! Mind your head while you're inside however, the doorframes are rather low.

Stayed here bed and breakfast twice, and dined here too, for two nights. Food, staff and rooms were lovely.

Lovely food, friendly staff and a cozy pub 👍

Service poor. Food poor. Experience poor

A beautiful pub and restaurant. Wonderful food With the added bonus of being the only place open for evening food on a Sunday within a 20 min drive.

Great food and service. Friendly staff. Will visit again.

We had a fantastic stay for the night. Amazingly comfy bed, bedding & pillows. Bathroom clean and functional. Bar service good. Dinner & breakfast food and service fantastic.

Stayed at the hotel and and had a few drinks at the bar, fabulous place.

Dropped in for Dinner, great food superb service.

Gem of a place to visit! Beautiful roadside pub near to Highclere Castle I recommend you eat here before you go into the Castle! Food much better by far!

The meal was over priced and not good value.

Lovely roadside pub, like the olden days

Good food, staff were great. Not for from downtown abbey/ Highclere Castle

Stopped off in Newbury on the way to Wales. Great typical English pup with hotel. Close to Highclere Castle and really quiet despite being located between two busy roads. The food was super tasty.

Stayed for one night, due to proximity to Highclere castle..worth the money. Was a clean room and check in and check out was smooth. Staff friendly and helpful and really welcoming.. Only issue was the bed wasn't the most comfortable 😂 mattress too soft for me.. but decent stay. Thank you.

We were a party of five and dined at the Carnarvon Arms restaurant today. Four of us had roast dinners of various types, I chose the vegetarian wellington option. It was a very disappointing meal made worse because it was expensive. The roast potatoes were leathery and my aubergine and mushroom wellington was fairly tasteless. My companions beef and chicken roast dinners were very dry. In contrast the decor and the staff were lovely and welcoming. I was sad to have not enjoyed the meal I was looking forwards to it. We won't be rushing back here to eat.

Very relaxed atmosphere and caring and attentive staff!

I fail to understand why having given a credit card in on arrival that the bar and restaurant bills could not be added to the overall bill!

Great cesar salad, super friendly and nice service

Stopped here after visiting Highclere castle for some lunch. Nice looking pub with quirky decor. Service was excellent and the staff were very friendly. I stopped here with my dad because the reviews about the food were pretty good unfortunately for us maybe the kitchen staff were having an off day. I ordered the fish and chips. The batter on the fish was over cooked and the whole thing was very very greasy. The tartare sauce was nice. My dad had the burger which was smothered in some kind of barbecue sauce so that you couldn’t taste anything else. The fries were okay but again very greasy. We didn’t bother with desert. I’m afraid we both felt very ill on the way home and had to buy packets of mints to clear the greasy taste.

A lovely country pub with very good food. Staff are friendly and helpful. They sorted a flower delivery and cake for us which helped make the day extra special. Thank you

Very nice family dinner. We came in after a hike (two adults and three children) and were welcomed warmly. The food was delicious from the amazing houmous we shared to start, to the sticky toffee pudding we were served as dessert. All our main courses ( a trout, fish and chips and burgers) were tasty and well presented. The place is well decorated in the style of a traditional countryside pub. Outstanding attention to details: nice choice of background music, our name carefully written on the reserved table, the lights of the car park and excellent kitchen to tables management (plates were served swiftly with very good timing). Waiters really did a good job: despite the place being quite busy, they regularly made sure that all was good at our table. We definitely recommend this place.

Had a nice few days here whilst visiting Highclere House. Staff were friendly and helpful. Food was very nice and good selection of drinks.

Nice old pub, cozy inside. The food was served very nicely, but unfortunately the pork was undercooked. The beef is tasty, only very spared the spices

Great pub, great food, nice atmosphere.

Nice location. Friendly staff and cool/relaxed ambience.

Great Sunday lunch and location.

Did not get the food that was ordered due to kitchen mix up, was booked in the restaurant, but due to the steps had to have lunch in the bar, so accessibility for disabled not good.

Always had lovely stays here. The food is great. The staff are lovely, and were extremely patient with one very trying customer who found fault with everything she could... despite the fact there was absolutely nothing wrong and the food she ordered (I overheard her ordering), she then it wasn't what she'd ordered.... you just can't please some people.... and even her husband said he was keeping a low profile haha

Stopped off here for a quick bite to eat. Lovely Countryside Pub. Nice and clean with a really well kept and recently renovated interior. I ordered a BLT with a side of chips and a Latte. Great sandwich, all ingredients were fresh and the Bacon!! 👌 The Bar lady was very friendly and service was fast (although it was quiet). Well worth a visit

Table of three had a very enjoyable evening

Friendly staff. Good pub fare at reasonable prices. Building a little tired. Average rating for Atmosphere a reflection of a mid afternoon visit, only.

Lovely place great food & our waitress was exceptional Keep up the good work 🥰

It was oke. They where very friendly !!!!!! (The ladies bathroom was not clean . And the plastic toilets seat was TO small. NOT really usable and dirty)....

Very enjoyable food was excellent waitress alyssa was very good

Forgot to put in ticket for our mains so had to wait ages for it when highlighted. As an offer of goodwill offered us a free drink or pudding, chose pudding. Got bill and paid then next morning looked at receipt, we’re charged for pudding! Called up and got apology and refund…but still. Did make up for it a bit by lovely Happy Birthday pudding dish for my boyfriend after l mentioned it to Elouise server.

Excellent food and service. Very nice place with good options

Arrived at the pub at 20:10 asked for a table and I been offered the menu and the opportunity to take the table I liked. At 21:00 and after a few check I received a beer after been assured at 20:40 that I had to wait for 10 more minutes. The pub is not full.

Fantastic service, extremely generous portions which are good value for money. Excellent atmosphere, very welcoming

Delightful: effectively the guest house for Downton Abbey!