Dancing Man Brewery in Southampton

The Dancing Man Brewery is a charming spot conveniently located near the ferry terminal, making it an ideal choice for both locals and visitors. I visited on a Sunday with my daughter, and despite not having a reservation, the staff graciously found us a table, showcasing their excellent customer service. The food was absolutely delicious and served in generous portions—so much so that we couldn't finish it! It’s a great place if you’re looking for a hearty meal that’s full of flavor. Beer enthusiasts will also be delighted by the extensive selection of beers, ales and IPAs on offer. The variety ensures there's something to suit every palate. Overall, the combination of great food, a warm atmosphere, and exceptional beer makes the Dancing Man Brewery a must-visit destination. Highly recommended!

Best food in Southampton. Almost went back for dinner our second night there. Loved it!

Great place for drinks. Food is also great however not good value for money for small portion sizes at the price!

Amazing sandwiches, and their ‘Big Bad Stout’ is superb. Stout is a difficult beer to get right, and this is creamy, not bitter, balanced and delicious.

One toilet, constant queues which means half your night is stood waiting to use the loo. Bar staff were rude and sarcastic, we asked for a couple of Guinness’s as we thought we had seen others drinking them (and because the bar was so busy and we were round the side and therefore couldn’t see all the taps) and we were greeted with a short rude “ha no, don’t you know we are our own brewery”. When stated that we had thought we’d seen others with Guinness’s they said “yes, but they’re zero percent ones” - How were we supposed to know that, there’s more pleasant ways to explain to customers than sarcastic rude short responses.

We went to the Dancing Man for our daughter and her new husband's wedding celebration. We had the front section upstairs for 32 of us and we couldn't have chosen a better venue. It all looked beautiful with the lights and the staff looked after us really well. We even had fireworks in Mayflower park to look at! Everyone had pre ordered their food and were happy and the bar was kept busy so a good time was had by all.

Nice pub.. Terrible toilet facilities.. Rude staff

It's a great and old-fashioned design.. building since 800 years old

Kitchen closes at 3pm and reopens at 6pm. Fifteen excellent beers and ales.

Expensive and short measures. Edit - In response the below. No it was a pint, and once it settled it was a good 3/4” below the line of the glass. I asked for a top up and was ignored.

Was told by the bartender dining opened at 6p (seriously?), so waited 45 minutes, third up the stairs when they opened the upstairs for dining, to be told there are no tables. Spoiler: the entire place is still empty upstairs. So don’t go here expecting to eat. Left to find food elsewhere.

Great range of beers, four sprouts on tap, nice people and a good spot to watch the sun go down, out of the town (road quite busy, but ok, some flash cars cruising by).

Great selection of beers from their own brewery. Food was excellent, well presented and quality ingredients. The building itself is quite unique, and the decor is all theatre related. Will definitely visit again when I'm next in Southampton

It used to be the best place for a roast; however, during our last visit, we noticed a decline in quality, likely due to a change in the chef, which was quite disappointing. The gravy, which used to be excellent, now tasted more like instant gravy. We hope the standards return to what they once were. The atmosphere and staff were great as always.

Had the most amazing tasty roast dinner today. Gravy was to die for. Lovely meat veg and potatoes. Staff are really friendly and attentive. Lovely puddings as well. Great selection of beers for my other half 😁

We recently hosted our wedding celebration at Dancing Man Brewery in Southampton, and we couldn’t have been more impressed. From the moment we started planning, Jayne, our event organiser, was incredibly helpful, making the entire process stress-free. Her attention to detail and support in the lead-up to our big day ensured everything went smoothly. On the night, the staff were absolutely superb, and special thanks to Ellana for managing the evening for us. The whole team went above and beyond to ensure that we and our guests had an unforgettable evening. The food was outstanding, and we received so many compliments from our guests for the delicious dishes prepared by the chefs. A huge thank you to the entire team at Dancing Man Brewery for making our celebration so special. We will definitely be returning when hosting another special occasion. Highly recommended!

ELLANA This lady was amazing as our hostess. Kind, funny and very knowledgeable. Thank you.

Lovely place, and our waitress was awesome. Would like to see more choice of food, hence the 4 stars. Great beer and lager selection as you would expect. This is my second time here and I enjoyed the experience both time.

Beautiful old building, great atmosphere, lots of diff styles of beer and liquor to choose from. Def will be back the next time I'm across the pond!

In my humble opinion, the best beer in the City. We live 150 Mike's away but have been here 4 times in the last year. Would not consider any other bar.

The best way to enjoy the sunset in Southampton is to head to the Dancing Man Brewery, sit outside, and let yourself sink into the atmosphere as the sun dips below the horizon. With a beer in hand, it becomes a perfect evening – the kind I’d love to have for all my Fridays when I’m in Southampton. The combination of great beer, a vibrant crowd, and the warm energy of the place makes for a magical experience.

Great place, lovely staff, great choice of drinks, outside area to drink and look at the ships going places we're not 😊 and nice decor. I higkky recommend trying their own brewed lager, it's lovely, cross between lager and white beer, if you know, you know 🍻

Last Saturday, we dined at this beautiful pub in this historic building in Southampton and the experience was nothing short of exceptionnel. The food was outstanding. Everyone of us, six adults with diverse tastes, found something to enjoy.. it is rare that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the food. The service too was impeccable. The staff went above and beyond to ensure that we were taken care of, paying close attention to our every needs. They were friendly, attentive and professional, making the evening even more enjoyable. We highly recommend this restaurant. It goes above and beyond to provide a delicious menu, great service and in a great venue, close to the harbour and un a historic building. What more could you ask for!!

It has a really nice atmosphere and lovely staff. However, I wasn't happy with my smash burger, which was overcooked and dry. Also, the service was really slow - although this could be a temporary issue as the restaurant was pretty crowded. Overall, a nice place as a pub but I'm sure you can find better food options.

Popped in while doing the lighthouse trail. Great service, delicious roast, lovely building.

Lovely location and very nice house ciders and pale ales. Will come again for food!

There on a Saturday pm & pretty busy downstairs & outside, with upstairs booked for a wedding. Bar isn't large but good range of drinks & staff working hard. Sat outside overlooking the docks at long wooden tables & stools. Nice but can be a bit noisy with road & ferry traffic.

Rude bar men..from the get go.. drink here alot but the servers are terrible.. great beer though and great atmosphere until you want a drink at the bar..

Awesome spot for decent beer and clearly very popular as was quite busy. That being said, staff were very attentive and quick to serve, friendly and knowledgeable of the beer. Set within a quirky building with some very interesting history - It gave me "Monster House" vibes! Some very good local handmade biltong available from the bar too, a perfect companion to the excellent variety of beer on draught and cask.

Last night I booked a table for dinner it was " delicious " especially the main course. I chose the " Rag& Bone" it has left me speechless compliment to the chef/s. The starter wasn't as good it felt like I'm eating cold meat with a thin slice of bread I paid £10.50 which I believe it was over priced . Overall I believe it's a great place to visit and eat .

I have been going here for years and sadly this is the first time I had to post a bad review. Good points: beer, service Bad points: food So the table had 2 sunday roasts and 1 pie of the day. No choice of pie, so if you can't have beef (only option that day) too bad. Sunday had one plate with chewy beef where I was battling to cut down the meat. Carrot raw, was crunchy and barely managed to cut it. The roasted potatoes were hard to cut and bland. Vegetables were a dissapointment, for 2 people they brough a small caulliflower cheese and some mixed boiled or steamed veggies to share. They are now complementary for some reason and the fact that it was assumed to will share is plain stupid. Medical risks exist when sharing saliva with possible strangers and also it's just gross. Overall very dissapointed with this new chef's changes. We were put off a bit about the place now. Lady serving us was amazing and helped us to the best she could.

Great restaurant, we always moor up at Town Quay which is just across the road and come here when sailing the solent. Dog friendly and a great menu, slightly unusual which is the attraction. They recently changed their menu, we hope the bring back some of the old favorites, my dog loves his doggie dinner that they do too. We will come back next year and sure to enjoy whatever they do. Good vegan options.

Never had food but staff were lovely.

I've been here twice and I'm already looking forward to summer 2026 when we'll be back 😎 Truly a MUST when in Southampton!! See you soon 👋

I was unfortunate to attend the Dancing Man Brewery this evening. We arrived after making a booking a week ago where we had looked at the menus online seeing a good selection of burgers, pies and other meals. On arrival we were handed menus that had an extremely reduced menu that had apparently been put in place that same day. We were not warned when making the booking that this would be the case and were very dissatisfied with the choices on offer. We had booked this in advance for the special occasion of my brothers 30th who had specifically requested this restaurant as he was excited to try their well known pies, only to find they were no longer providing these. The only option on the menu we decided we would order was the burger, however we were told they only had 3 burger buns left and the rest would be served in bagels. If you are going to reduce a menu then it would make sense to at least order enough ingredients to provide these meals. However, this was not the case. It also stated on the menu that pies were still available but when asked about this we were told they were not. Very confusing. In addition to this the serving staff seemed dismissive and sarcastic when we raised our dissatisfaction and made little in way of apologies for the sudden change of menu or the fact that this was no communicated to us earlier and that the menu on the website remained in full as it had been previously, yet none of this was now available. Thoroughly disappointed and won’t be returning again.

Truly dreadful lunch : mean portions ; swimming in mustard mango chutneys hiding any evidence of actual fillings My ciabatta had a slim finger of cheese which barely filled a quarter of the roll - and it cost £10 No chips served - Awful - Poor waitress couldn’t argue but she was prevented from adding a comment Give this a miss

Often pop here if in Southampton for a drink, they do lovely French rose, Etoile De Mer, just perfect and sensibly priced. Always busy in there, a good sign. Good selection of beers. The upstairs has a small restaurant and we were lucky enough as a walk in early on a Saturday night to get a table. Atmosphere upstairs is fantastic as is the food. I am not a burger eater but wow the Patty Le Beouf was amazing and a sensible price. Our waitress Ellana was very attentive and nothing was too much trouble. They do add a service charge and on this occasion didn't mind paying. Would certainly return although would prebook. We got lucky!

I've drank in this beautiful brewery many times and there is always a great atmosphere, but on Sunday I ate for the first time and was blown away by the roast dinner. It was 10/10 had all the trimming and was delicious. I will definitely be returning.

Lovely drink selection, friendly staff

Cracking couple of pints… didn’t eat but the beers were superb

I'm going to give this place 5 stars but purely based on the food and the staff upstairs in the restaurant. The roast dinner was delicious and the staff serving us was absolutely amazing! The same cannot be said for downstairs In the bar. When we first arrived we went to the bar and ordered our drinks with a very miserable rude man! Apparently he is the manager! Larger guy, bauld head and ginger beard. His attitude stunk!! We ordered 2 Shandy's, he smirked at us and laughed to himself. I appreciate they specialize in their own beers and have a wide selection, but we wanted a shandy. Whats wrong with that? We then asked for a bloody Mary. He didn't even say ok or smile or acknowledge us...nothing....He just walked away and told the other bar man to do it. My partner then said to him "are you ok you don't seem very happy" he said " don't worry about me mate" slammed something down and he stormed off. Sort your attitude out! You work in customer service, stick a smile on your face and be nice to customers! Won't be coming back purely because of him. Happened today at 12:15 (9th June)

Popped in for lunch. Good selection of sandwiches and burgers. The sausage sandwich was delicious. Good value too. I enjoyed a pint of their Old Fashioned bitter which also was delicious - quality was very high. Very friendly service and quick too. The location is superb, right across from the ferry terminal, in an historic building. Plenty of room here, especially upstairs, for group functions.

A fantastic brewery with amazing drinks, food and atmosphere. I can’t recall the IPA I had but it was the best tasting IPA I’ve had in recent times. Join that with the day being wonderfully sunny and there’s plenty of seating outside, the drink was oh the sweeter. The seating upstairs was again a fantastic atmosphere and with a good selection of food in the menu. I went for a pie and it was the best pie I’ve ever had, plenty of filling. When eating there is a 12.5% discretionary service charge, this is mentioned in the menu before ordering so you are warned before you get the shock of seeing it on the bill. But there being a service charge and such a high percentage is a bit off putting. I’ll come again for drinks but unfortunately would consider other places for food first.

I came here a week ago and tried a Moloko Drengo - Vanilla milkshake IPA and was amazing, balanced, full bodied with vanilla after taste . Today, I order the same and unfortunately the beer barely taste to vanilla and very bitter. Clearly there is no consistency in this specific beer, and that is essential in craft brewery. Very disappointed. Usually beer tastes the same no matter the day of the week, but perhaps due to good weather and loads of people consuming it, was sold to costumers but wasn't the same quality.

Best beer in town and a killer roast dinner!

Lovely food, staff and service for a special occasion

Nice homey experience, food was amazing and service was kind and got our orders nicely

Went just for a drink. A bit pricey but a very pretty place!

One of the best pubs in the city. Clean, well run and good prices. The ales are their own but they are good. Its popularity means that it can get quite busy.

The beer is great. The live music is way too loud and makes it impossible to hold a conversation.

If you time in Southampton find your way to the Dancing Man. If you like micro brewery beer food and Entertainment this place has it all

Beer sample.... before you order a pint!!

A unique and characterful venue, set near the quayside in Southampton. I opted for the Coqadoodle Burger, which was very good but priced at £19.00 which is towards the expensive side for a burger, there was also quite a long wait but this could've been down to the fact there was a large group of us. It's definitely a place to visit for beer enthusiasts though, the beers brewed on site are very unique and well worth trying! Overall, I would definitely recommend a visit if in the area.

Thank you so much for looking after us all. We had a super time..we all enjoyed the food. The staff looked after us.

Great beer collection!! Loved the ambience inside

Best chicken burger on the island and very good vegan burger. Service very nice, ambience 10/10

Came here for a big group meal for 16 people, reserved in advance and couldn't fault a thing. Every element was perfect. The food was lovely, there were plenty of drinks options for everyone, the staff were very friendly and approachable, the venue is wonderful and the accoustics are great - even in a big group on a Saturday we could actually hear each other! No echo like in modern buildings. Can't recommend enough.

Huge selection of different and unusual beers. Very nice service, good advice, great atmosphere. Prices are completely ok!

Great pub tons of beers 🍻 we didn't eat thanks

I've been on the search for a good roast with my friend this year and DMB definitely rank highly with us both. We had the vegan and two meat roast options, which were well presented, portion wise it was great value and delicious. That's the important part. The roast potatoes can often be a let down when you go for a Sunday roast, but these ones ticked all the boxes. The vegan option was around £15, which I feel was a little steep, considering that my roast option was just all veg, not a tartlet, pie or similar but it was still enjoyable. We just wish we had been told about the specials, as there were pies and we didn't know! Also, there were no drinks menus on the tables.

We when to The Dancing Man Brewery for afternoon lunch menu was OK. We had the Jack fruit burger. However whilst eating the burger, to our surprise we found paper actual in the burger that should of been there. Which of course isn't acceptable, so the food was left. Upon complaining, they took the price of 1 of our glasses of wine of the bill. When in all honesty there should of took the price of the meal off. At £19 for a burger it's over priced and to find paper in your food is unacceptable. Will we be returning I think not.

Just been to The Dancin Man for a celebration meal and had a great time many thanks. Welcoming and attentive staff great venue super food and service

Best bar in Southampton, the geezer who makes the booze is a wizard and not a bad bass player as well.

Can't comment on the food, but the beers and ciders were excellent more pricy but worth it for the atmosphere. Cosy interior for the winter and fun to lay on the hill in the summer.

We booked a meal for 17 people to celebrate our wedding. Staff, food, atmosphere, everything was just fantastic. All my guests loved their meals and we couldn’t have asked for anything more. The staff worked so hard to make it a special and stress free afternoon. Just fantastic - Thank you.

Amazing food and service was brilliant got a chance to meet the chefs and they were just as amazing as the bar staff couldn't of asked for a better place or night hopefully next Sunday will be as nice as todays

We went to the dancing man for dinner and a few drinks. What a great Sunday lunch. Food was delivered to the table warm and delicious. Probably the best roast I’ve had out in Southampton for a long time. And the team were super helpful and understanding about the fact our table was reduced from 8 to 4 at very short notice. Lots of thanks.

Original pup with only home-brewed beer. Just fantastic! We enjoyed sitting there and would have liked to try out all the types of beer, but the women and children continued 😅 Pro tip, opposite the Pup there is a playground, ideal for keeping women and children busy.

Best beer in town Great service, great beer, I can only recommend it 😁🍻

Wasn't a bad roast, but service was a little slow.

Admittedly I love pubs so this place was always going to score high , however when my exploring companion, the redoubtable Mrs L accompanies me and exclaims that she loves it, then I'm in heaven. This wonderful establishment has it all. Highly recommended . 6 stars if such a score existed.

Good beers and atmosphere, didn't eat

Amazing beers and atmosphere - great place indeed for a couple of pints (and a couple more)

Absolutely recommended! Great atmosphere, great home-brewed beer and nice little things to eat! We'll definitely be back next time we visit Southampton!

Cracking little place to have a pint whist killing time, lovely pint and atmosphere.

Popped in for a drink whilst waiting to catch the jet. Lovely pub with extensive ales, drinks and atmosphere 👌

Had been recommended here by a few people and the visit was well worth it. The beer and food was fantastic and all the staff were extremely friendly and helpful throughout the evening. I can recommend taking a look at their specials board and sampling one of the pies. The building is also really interesting with plenty of things to catch your eye. A really nice place to spend an evening for dinner or drinks.

Struggled to find a decent place a few years ago, this has redeemed Southampton. Try Jesus !

stunner of a place great beer great food highly recommended

Visited for drinks with friends. Great atmosphere and good friendly service

Nice location and atmosphere however food is overpriced for what it is, also toilets very poor for such a large venue, not particularly clean either.

This is well worth the visit, excellent choice of beers. Will definitely be back again soon. Wonderful staff 10 out of 10.

Food was OK, but quite expensive. £19 for a burger which was a little dry. £10 for a dessert. Service was poor. Asked for mayo and didn't arrive. Cutlery had to be asked for after each course had arrived, when it was delivered there was not enough cutlery and had to ask again. Very inattentive, and it wasn't busy. Building is lovely and nice atmosphere. Go for a beer but would not advise eating there. Quite a lot of vegan and vegetarian options.

This was my first visit to the Dancing Man Brewery it was for our departments Christmas meal. I must say it was very good, the food was good and portions just right. On a busy evening the staff were attentive and kept up with everything. A good evening. Than you

Such an amazing place. The beers are superb. Especially "big casino"

Nice pub in old historic building with good beer and food. King prawn wrap had plenty of prawns and tasty sauce. Nice beer, had a couple of pints, only intended 1.

Lovely place . Lovely staff . Didn't have any food this time but I can imagine it would be great . Will definitely visit again

Great atmosphere, excellent selection of Ales and other drinks, highly recommend.

One of the best pubs in Southampton. Great selection of beers and a cracking atmosphere

Great pub for a decent range of beers

A pub that I have returned to many times. Food is pretty pricey but enjoyable and there isn’t a huge selection. The inside is really nice and feels as though there is a great atmosphere there! On a sunny afternoon the outside can be very busy but still an enjoyable experience and worth the trip!

Great place to spend a couple of ours, drinking beer or eating one of the great pies. The stuff is very friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is very nice and charming.

Ambience perfect and friendly personal service.

Visiting southampton on work and found this lovely place. Stopped in for a pint of clawhammer, delicious IPA. Lovely atmosphere, really friendly staff and beautiful decor. Highly recommend. Will be coming back tomorrow.

This is our 4th time here for Sunday lunch and will sadly be our last … waited 1 1/2 hours for our dinners, then they were luke warm, rock hard cauliflower cheese , tasteless gravy , and fairly small portions ( although that could have been cos I was so hungry by then) ! the service was okay but sooo slow, We have always brought family here when they come to visit us as for the Roast as it used to be amazing but it’s really not now and there are much better Sunday lunches around. Very disappointed family of 6.

Lovely brew house, great range of beers and food. All in an historic medieval Wool warehouse on the Southampton town walls walk. Didn't try the food but the beer is excellent. Don't drive here!

This grade I-listed 14th-century wool house must rank as one of the oldest buildings that’s a drinking establishment in the entire country! Lovely inside and out, and great beer too.

Great pub, great beers, great atmosphere. Dodgy gents toilets - windowed door without a working lock

Great place to sit out in the sun with a beer when you have just missed the red funnel car ferry… bar snacks are decent too.

We have been there many times for drinks & food, always excellent food and service. Last weekend took my partners parents for a meal, unfortunately Olive (Mum) passed out at the table. The staff were amazing and could not do enough to help us. Thank you to everyone (including the nurse at the table next table) and her family. Mum is fine and was discharged from hospital on the same day. BIG THANKYOU