Chesil Rectory in Winchester

Celebrating an anniversary at The Chesil Rectory was a memorable experience. Excellent food superb service and reasonable priced wine. Lovely old building and a warm friendly atmosphere.

Met up with friends for lunch on a very rainy day. Staff were very welcoming and friendly and showed us quickly to our table. The waiter was very helpful, nothing was too much trouble and very accommodating at the end of the meal. We did not feel rushed in any way. The sommelier was very helpful and guided us in choosing a perfect wine to accompany our meal. We course was delicious and we all managed to sneak in a cheeky pud at the end. I would definitely recommend this restaurant and will be returning in the future.

Really good find - located in a 600 odd year old house. Atmosphere was amazing, food lovely - my partner had venison and I had sea bream. The white onion soup was beyond tasty. Our waiter Craig was friendly and quite entertaining. Spent just enough time, not too little, not too much, chatting to us. The manager/sommelier recommended slightly different wine to what we chose and it was an excellent choice for fish and red meat combination. Not a cheap place, but worth every penny. Great spot for a romantic dinner or to bring your parents/in-laws. Oh and they had a Tokai wine from Hungary, that was a nice surprise. Overall, great experience.

We were seated in a separate room for a family celebration. 10 of us were seated in amazing surroundings in this 15th century house. Table beautifully laid, waiters very efficient and food very good. A bit more expensive than a pub but well worth it. Interesting menu.

After a very good morning exploring Winchester, we returned to the very well located Winchester Royal Hotel for a rest. After that we walked past the lovely Winchester City Hall, past statue of King Eldred. Past Winchester City Mill and to Chesil, with the wonderful old restaurant building from 1450. Beautiful

Fabulous service and delicious food makes this a real treat. The lunchtime menu is great value with good sized portions and great flavours. They dealt with our dietary restrictions without any fuss or diminution in the quality of the dishes. A superb find and well worth a trip to Winchester.

Fantastic food, excellent service, charming ambience. Not cheap but overall good value for money. My one objection is that they incorporate a 12.5% service fee into the bill - which is applied automatically and you have to look carefully to even notice. I often tip this much or more, but they have set things up to put a lot of pressure on you. The bill comes with this additional charge included (no notice or permission sought), so if you didn't want to tip this much, you have to make a fuss and ask for it to be removed. That is a really awkward position to put your customers in and I strongly object to this approach. Especially in the context of a place that would otherwise pride itself on its service - it really ruins the experience. Just raise the prices and I'll happily pay. (And as I said, I would often tip this much anyway - it's the way you are almost tricked or shamed into it that I object to.) At least it would be transparent. Also, on top of the service charge, they then prompt you to tip more on the machine when you pay. So if you're not paying attention, you could easily tip twice ie a lot more than you intended. Terrible practice that we should not allow to become standard.

Attended here for a family celebration. Great food, great service and a very cosy atmosphere - A delicious experience. Craig, our waiter was exceptional. Will definitely recommend and come to this lovely restaurant again

Absolutely fabulous ! Warmly welcomed and staff were very friendly , kind and attentive. The food was delicious and nice and hot - pork loin a great hit ! Wonderful choice of wine and a superb atmosphere! Very busy on a Sunday evening !! All in all can’t wait for our next visit - thank you

Came here today for a family reunion lunch and was sadly disappointed. Me and my mother arrived before the rest of our party of 5 and the greeting was less than warm, we were offered no drinks while we were waiting besides tap water and given no menus to have a look at. When the rest of our party arrived our drinks order was finally taken. Upon ordering our food the waitress was abrupt and seemed annoyed at my mothers question about the gravy, which she enquired about because it would influence her wine choice. My cousin is vegan and gluten free, and was only offered one choice of food which was disappointing. Unlike other tables around us, we were offered no bread while we waited, so I asked for some which the waitress seemed annoyed by again. I asked for a straw for my Diet Coke as I have very sensitive teeth which was brought 15 minutes later and by that time I had nearly finished my drink. The bread was tasty as was my chicken roast, however my cheese board desert was lacklustre. I was presented with a large board looking bare and scarce with only 3 bits of cheese (a Brie, chedder and Stilton) and 3 types of crackers all of which were bland and unsalted. Very unimpressed by service, did not feel looked after at all, and unimpressed by a place in my town that I’ve heard so many great things about. Would not go back.

Amazing Sunday lunch. Cannot fault it whatsoever. Best roast I think I’ve ever had out. The beef was so succulent, and all the sides were just beautiful. The syrup sponge and custard ended the meal perfectly. Attentive service and a beautiful setting in such an old building. Couldn’t go elsewhere for a roast now!

The best roast dinner I have ever had! Absolutely wonderful Sunday roast. Can’t recommend enough. We will be back. 6 of us had the 2 course Sunday lunch. Lovely, friendly staff and amazing food.

A group of us went for dinner. We had a delicious meal there. Mine was the cauliflower soup, followed by venison which was cooked beautifully. Would highly recommend!

Terrific restaurant.... food was exceptional and service at the table was fantastic... Cost a little higher than I anticipated but the reason for this dinner was for a special family occasion and it has left a great memory!! Comfortable, good ambience, excellent food... great menu and wine lists...

We were a party of 14 celebrating my daughter's 30th birthday. We had an exclusive area just off the cosy bar upstairs. The whole of the event was fantastic and we were well looked after by the Chisel team. The food was wonderful and the setting was totally unique. All gave it a 10/10. Thanks to all the team, especially Katie, Lucy and Oliver.

What an amazing meal tonight, food was outstanding, our waiter Craig was the absolute best, so caring and attentive, nothing was too much trouble. The building is amazing with some fantastic history behind it. Thank you for the perfect evening for our 60th birthday celebrations,...

First time at Chesil, delicious food, great atmosphere and very friendly front of house team, thank you, we will be back :)

This restaurant is one of our favourite in Winchester and yet again for our anniversary meal it didn’t disappoint. We were served by the lovely Katie. She is efficient, friendly and clearly very good at her job. We opted for the 3 course early evening...

What a fabulous experience from start to finish, on arrival it was impossible to find parking due to Christmas markets etc. but staff were incredibly helpful so much so that they went over and above to help us out, huge thanks to Mark, what a...

Excellent service with very attentive staff. Food was excellent with a good variety on the menu. Wine list very long and quite expensive. Would certainly recommend. Access is not easy for anyone with difficulty with steps and stairs.

What a lovely evening we had at Chesil Rectory with friends for a Christmas meal. The food was delicious. Excellent customer service from all the staff, Kayleigh was amazing and recommended a selection of lovely wines as well. We look forward to returning.

It's like a warm hug... With out shadow of a doubt, the..best restaurant experience of my life so far. I've been in hospitality for 10 years and I've never had an experience like the one myself and my fiance had in chesil this Sunday! We...

Wow, really special, dinner in a beautiful house approaching 600 years old. Service was great and our waiter was just brilliant. Food was excellent and not even particularly expensive. Shame we were just visitors otherwise this would be a regular haunt. Thank you for a...

Absolutely fantastic evening, beautiful building. Pigeon to start, best we have ever eaten, venison for the main course, was very tasty. Cheese board was the finishing touch, with a glass of port perfect end to the meal. Staff were brilliant, attentive but not intrusive. Will...

Came here for a friends 40th, was really looking forward to this as have wanted to come for years. From the start, including phone calls, we were made to feel like we were a burden. Then, when we arrived we were greeted with a face...

We had lunch here with friends after visiting the Xmas market. A lovely warm welcome after a cold walk around! We all chose the fixed price menu and thoroughly enjoyed every morsel. Perfectly seasoned. The restaurant has a great atmosphere, service and staff. Recommended

Lovely food, good portions and tasty. Cocktails & drinks menu, wine guy was knowledgeable. The service was amazing, friendly, professional staff who couldn’t do enough for you. Setting was beautiful

A fabulous meal . Very good chef : well made soups that also looked visually appealing ( pumpkin soup and yellow pea soup). Excellent pork belly or fish ( hake). Very enthusiastic and knowledgeable sommelier. Old oak beams and warm fire. A perfect evening, Thank...

Fabulous……excellent service ( Ollie ). Food and wine was perfect for the day . Monkfish etc. Chocolate torte was a treat. We are a lunchtime couple and we thought this was a ideal restaurant to celebrate our wedding anniversary and we were not disappointed ....

We had the most wonderful evening at this restaurant, the staff were very attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. Not once were we asked after ordering who’s meal was who’s, which made the whole experience outstanding. In particular Jerusalem Artichoke and Truffle Tortellini was filling and tasty amazing. The building itself has much history and dates back to 1425. We did book in advanced and we were very pleased we did, would definitely recommend this restaurant, it’s simply delicious.

Delicious place to catch up with friends. Myself and 3 girlfriends (plus a 7month old baby) came for Sunday lunch before a mooch around Winchester market and we had a lovely meal. Baby had a high chair at the end of the table and was...

Superb. We booked late but were lucky to get a table. The servers were excellent - attentive, friendly, not pushy. Our meal was outstanding overall - my Guinea fowl starter was a little overpowered by the accompanying pea purée but still good, my main of duck was perfectly cooked and beautifully served. My wife cannot eat a full meal, which was readily accommodated. Her chicken livers were tender and so tasty and then a local cheese was delicious. We had wine by the glass as we wanted different choices - both excellent and not overpriced. Go if you can but I suggest you book.

This is a very fine restaurant situated just a short walk form the centre of town. It is located in a wonderful old timber framed building. The food was locally sourced, freshly prepared and quite imaginative without being to quirky. Portions were very generous and I did not think it was too expensive. If I lived in Winchester I would want to eat here regularly.

A wonderful family birthday celebration in a private room. Superb food and cocktails expertly mixed. A great place to have a celebration

Lovely building, let down by the staff. Food was really nice, but it’s not better than some gastro pubs I’ve been to before. The butter choice is definitely a nice touch. There seemed to be tension between the staff, one of the waitresses with curly hair looked angry, and it made my husband very uncomfortable, as she seemed condescending, or maybe it was just her grasp of English. I think food is the most important in a restaurant, but if we feel uncomfortable, it spoils the experience. Parking is really easy, as it is just next to a multi storey car park, and the surrounding area is full of nice pubs.

The evening started of great with some great drinks and the building was absolutely stunning and then the starter came out and it was shockingly bad. The prawns were very fishy and tasted as if they had come out of the freezer, the pumpkin soup was fairly flavourless. Mains were definitely not worth the price, the steak (which was over £30) was severely lacking flavour. Didn’t stay for desert as we were so let down by the meal so far. Overall it had an underwhelming atmosphere and staff were somewhat slow.

Delightful food and building, but we were definitely served as second best upstairs after a small wedding party arrived. We'd also booked well in advance and were paying good money. At least got dessert on the house after waiting so long and being initially told by the waitress they had more important things to do.

We were in Winchester for a Saturday night stay. After the usual pre visit search through tripadvisor reviews, decided on this restaurant. We had a wonderful evening, the service, food and drink were all first class. Everyone in our group enjoyed their food, I'd particularly recommend the duck. Lovely relaxing evening in a fantastic setting. Highly recommended, I'd definitely go back there, if I returned to Winchester

A wonderful meal, with exemplary service We had the best lunch experience of the week having been to Brat in Shoreditch (1 M Star) and other restaurants that week. The service as well as the food was excellent. Special not to how well the team made provision for my 9 month grandchild. We will definitely return

ABSOLUTELY AWFUL! Staff are very rude and possibly racist - Ignore you when it's not even busy, leave you standing there clearly not knowing where toilets are, and clearly have decided that the beautiful building means they don't need to provide a good service. STAY AWAY! Total tourist trap. Hopefully one day someone will take over the building to provide something it deserves instead of this terrible experience. So many other wonderful restaurants in the area with lovely staff - BRASSERIE BLANCS HIGHLY RECCOMENDED!

I haven't here eaten because they do not serve any vegan food!! Why can't I even imagine. I was hoping to book a party of family for my birthday. My returned email was rude.

An absolutely delightful midweek lunch with a friend. Good offering on the set menu that exceeded all expectations. Traditional foods with an elegant twist. £38 per head including 3-courses and drinks. Facilities are super clean. Front of House team excellent - didn’t meet the kitchen team but everything spoke for itself on delivery. Highly recommend Chesil for lunch,. We will be back!

Great service, delicious food promptly served and all well prepared and beautifully presented. Highly recommend. An excellent choice in Winchester.

Approaching the building you are wowed by its historic splendour, I ducked through the characterful front door and was greeted by a very tentative member of staff. He showed me to my seat, offered to take my coat and brought me some table water, very...

Amazing service, amazing food and an amazing building. This is simply the best restaurant in Winchester. You can really tell this is an independent as restaurant the attention to detail is exemplary and you would never find this in a chain restaurant (The Ivy!!). Well...

Excellent Sunday lunch, roast dinner. Very good roast beef, also varied fixed price, 2 or 3 course menu. Good friendly service and acceptable prices. Will visit again.

As we were in the area, looked on google & found this place, looked amazing so we booked for dinner. First impression was that it was absolutely beautiful, very olde worlde with lots of history going back to Henry 8th. Had cocktails, then ordered. The...

Pretentious and overpriced menu. The building itself is an ancient house with uneven floors and having different levels. Very atmospheric albeit rather cramped and frankly some uncomfortable seats in the upstairs area. Staff casually dressed in this upmarket restaurant and are polite but somewhat pushy....

Went there for afternoon meal, great choice, three different dishes all very well prepared. Good selection of options at all points. Staff appropriately attentive.

We went to the Chesil for my Mother and my Aunts joint Birthday party. The food was terrible! The only thing more disappointing than the food was that I wrote a lengthy email to the restaurant explaining why the meal was so bad and they...

We keep going back, as the food is reliably good and the atmosphere and service excellent. It's best not to sit too close to the coffee grinder, but noise levels are low everywhere else, and the people are delightful. I recommend the Steam beer as...

For a birthday dinner, I visited this restaurant. Although the food was good, the ham hock with mustard seed caused some discomfort later on, resulting in a three-star rating.

If you are near Winchester, u simply must include this restaurant in your visit! Lovely food and lovely drinks in a lovely venue with lovely service. We enjoyed it from beginning to end. Not a bad word to say. Would come back here in an...

Loved it great food, great service. Eaten here loads of times. Worst experience was when someone put a little to much truffle oil on my potatoes - but that was 1 time out of 10. generally Stella experience with no complaints. and I’m confident if...

We had the lunch menu which was good value. The frittata was light and very pleasant for a Summer’s day. A nice stop in a beautiful city

Absolutely amazing - wouldn’t hesitate to go back. Service, atmosphere, wine choice and food couldn’t fault. Why can’t every restaurant be like this.

What a lovely restaurant! Amazing food, outstanding service and perfect ambience. Certainly worth a visit if you are in Winchester.

We visited last night to celebrate my sister in laws wedding earlier at Winchester registry office. From arrival until leaving at midnight the experience was amazing. The staff were so attentive and determined to make the occasion a superb success. They couldn’t have done more...

Lovely building, impressive wine list, and yummy looking menu, generous servings, almost too much food! Would recommend as a treat meal.

Is this England ? What shall we say here after one of the best evening meals we ever had ?! First of all a very friendly reception by Oliver who later practised his few German words with us, he did alright. My wife had the...

Quite the building to say the least, can see why so highly rated as a romantic restaurant. Beautiful building. We visited on a busy Friday, welcome was very good and we were seated quickly even though we were 15 minutes early. We went for a...

Lovely old building fantastic lunch with friend great service we love is best place to eat in town ..

It was my pre-birthday celebration. I love lamb, so I chose lamb for my starter and scallops prawns risotto was amazingly delicious. All staff are very attentive and friendly. Also, have a good menu selection. I definitely will come back and highly recommend the restaurant.

In short,the lunch we had for my wife's birthday was outstanding! The service was first class, the food was out of this world and the value was amazing. We went for the set menu and every course was superb, well timed and delicious, plus they...

Exceptional from the building it’s self, interior decor, the staff, impeccable service, wines, sides, food quality and presentation. Exceeded our exceptions and left feeling extremely satisfied 10/10

Fantastic food and wine Food was all perfect Staff were friendly and very attentive Espresso martinis were good

Wonderful evening - great service, excellent food and drinks We both started with a Pride and Prejudice cocktail, lovely combination of flavours. I started with the smoked trout which was very tasty and hubby had the ham hock terrine which he thoroughly enjoyed - clean...

A friend recommended this restaurant and we wanted to give it a try. We had a lovely meal, the staff was very attentive, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was very calm and cosy. I can't wait to come back.

We had a lovely meal at The Chesil Rectory. Staff were busy yet attentive. Service was timely. Drinks were fresh. Food was great. One small error with the cheese board quickly and pleasantly sorted. (Old brown grapes) Atmosphere good.

Madam and myself were presented with a voucher for the house by relatives to mark our twenty plus thirty five birthdays. Despite living in the area for the over thirty five years we had never visited before. A midweek lunch was taken a few days...

Review from Oct 2020. We visited as part of a birthday weekend getaway, so pleased we booked, it was super. We both had the prawn and crab to start, delicious and I had plaice and hubby had lamb, all cooked brilliantly and very tasty. Lovely...

This is a lovely restaurant in a 600 year old building. Excellent food, great service, reasonably priced. The only thing to improve was that the cheese was a bit too cold when it arrived, but it was excellent after a few minutes.

Excellent food, just lacks the attention to detail that you’d expect of a restaurant marketing itself at this level. For example, if I compare it to The Black Rat (now closed, but comparative costs), it would be nice to have: - A more personal welcome...

We ate here with friends for a celebratory meal. The food was absolutely delicious and our friend who has celiac disease was extremely well catered for too. Would thoroughly recommend for a lovely evening.

A fabulous meal with an interesting menu and great wine list, including some by the glass. Especially good was the venison in dark chocolate sauce - out of this world - and the crispy lamb starter with watermelon.

Total surprise to find the amazing restaurant. Very good cocktail with the black cherry’s in. Was a bit nervous about the chicken butter with the bread as we were vegetarians but our waiter explained it was actually vegan! Don’t know how they did it but...

Amazing food and service we couldn’t fault a thing. We ate off the set menu and there was something to accommodate everyone. Atmosphere was lovely.

We wanted to go somewhere special to celebrate our birthdays whilst visiting Winchester for a few days and we were certainly not disappointed at our choice of restaurant. We were seated near the open fire which just perfect on a cold winters evening. The building...

I treated a wonderful friend to celebrate her birthday. It turned out to be the perfect place, with wonderful food, attentive service in a lovely setting. Monday evenings can be limiting in terms of restaurant choice and were delighted Chesil Refectory was open. Our fish...

I went to Chesil today for a birthday lunch. I had the chicken confit which was nice. The chicken was juicy and crispy. I felt there wasn't as many potatoes or sauce and too much sweetcorn salad. Still highly recommend.

Absolutely delicious Sunday roast lunch . Sensible price and plenty of meat and veg. Delicious gravy ! The Chesil is such a special part of Winchester and the staff were so attentive and kind to my elderly Mum

We have eaten here a number of times and, sadly, this was a disappointment. We had booked our Valentine’s Day lunch on a previous visit but when we arrived, our booking hadn’t been recorded. There was no apology although we were found a table. I...

The service today was offhand and surly, the glasses and cutlery were grubby and the plated roast dinner was terrible. The Yorkshire pudding was soggy, the roast potatoes were damp and had been warmed through, the gravy was lukewarm and the presentation was pile it...

We ate there recently and couldn't fault the service and we always had someone to help us when needed. The restaurant is very old and has really lovely cosy atmosphere and they keep the rooms nice a warm. My husband enjoyed his food particularly the...

What a unique place, so old and gorgeous! The service is exceptional and the food even better, modern British and inventive. We loved the chocolate bakewell tart. From the chef's pastry to a chocolate combination filling with their damson jam and topped off with chef...

Approaching this restaurant only heightened our anticipation for the evening. It is a lovely old building full of character set just off the river Itchen. There were already plenty of diners there at only 7pm, which to me is a very good sign. As well...

Nettled in the old ex merchant’s house building , Chesil rectory has fire place running , heavy armchairs and low ceilings - think any of Agatha Christie novels , wonderful ! Typical of high end dining restaurant not a large , but compact and varied...

We dined here on the 28/12/22 to celebrate our wedding anniversary. This is one of my favourite restaurants locally in Winchester and once again the food didn’t disappoint. Service was attentive at the beginning but towards the end of the evening I did notice some...

A great luncheon at the Chesil . Great atmosphere, great menu and great wines all coupled with great service Recommend the Hake!

Each course is served to the highest standard. The food and drink speaks for itself. The quality of meat and fish is simply superior to the standard tripe in local eateries. List boasts a genuine selection of excellent quality wines. Entirely without pretension or clinical...

What a delightful restaurant, we choose it on chance, as we were staying in Winchester for Christmas, I didn’t even know if they would let us in for drinks only on Christmas Eve as it was clearly busy, but the girls hosing welcomed us and...

It has been many years since we last frequented The Chesil, a few years back it sort of went off the ball. Very glad to say it’s back at its very best. We had a table of 6 and everything was great from start to...

Although it’s really cosy and pleasant venue I’m baffled it has two AA rosettes. The service was polite yet seemed somewhat confused when asked the questions regarding food. The music played in the background doesn’t suit the restaurant itself at all as you might have...

My wife and I visited for lunch on a Friday. Every table was occupied, so our booking was indeed essential. On a Friday, the only option is the a-la-carte menu. My wife ordered two starters, a smoked trout salad with mustard sauce, then a chicken...

The last time we ate at Chesil Rectory, Tripadvisor was just a twinkle, in an entrepreneur’s eye - hence no review. The memory of that visit prompted another booking during our December trip to Winchester and once again - it was memorable. We began with...

We had our Christmas Party at the Chesil Rectory and were offered a beautiful private room upstairs which I believe is called ‘The Austen Room’. We opted for the Christmas Menu and it excelled in every way! The food and service was impeccable. I didn’t...

I had an amazing lunch with a friend here during a visit to Winchester Christmas Market. The menu is brief but caters for everyone, seasonal fresh produce and well thought out and presented dishes. I had a fancy named mushroom starter which was a deliciously...

Met with friends for dinner and we were all delighted with our choice. The food was splendid and the service strong as well. From the bread served with chicken butter (what a delight) through to the puddings all courses were winners. Black pudding and the...

Birthday lunch booking. Popular so booking essential but 12 noon was OK as you need time to settle in etc. It's a beautiful old building..watch out for the low beams and the stairs up to the loos. Plenty of character in other words. Two of...

Yes, it’s very expensive, but when you add in the fabulous service, a great wine list and great cooking and all piping hot then its amazing value. We really enjoyed the building, the quaintness was amazing and such history. Lovely, tasty and well presented desserts...