Jolly Sailor Pub & Restaurant, Southampton in Eastleigh

First time I've been there for 10 years; excellent sums it up. Food really good, atmosphere friendly and staff helpful and attentive, Views not bad either!

We went as a family of 3 for my partner's birthday. Firstly, an absolutely stunning location over looking the river and boats. Our daughter loved the view! The food was fantastic. Superb service. The only reason I voted 4 star on atmosphere was it was a midweek lunch and quiet (which we didn't mind with an active 2 year old. Plus service was extra fast!)

A lovely location and really friendly staff, but the Sunday roast chicken lunch was disappointing, considering they are charging London prices. At the end of the meal the Waitress asked if all was OK, but clearly as one plate was hardly touched, all was not OK. Free drinks, a small discount on the bill or a free desert would have made up for it (expected from somewhere with these prices), but what we got was a "thank you for the feedback". Had the main been better we would have had a dessert. I think we would go again, as it's a great location, but I wouldn't recommend the chicken roast lunch.

Always a good experience. Quality food at reasonable prices with great setvice. Lovely location to view the river from whilst you relax but not always easy to park so get there early in case you have to walk up from the station.

Over priced and the selection didn't impress.

Stopped off here for a quick lunch and it was lovely. We had a nice table overlooking the river. The lunch menu was varied with some good options. The staff were welcoming and the atmosphere was pleasant. Would definitely recommend a visit. Only downside, parking is very limited.

Went there on a Monday evening. It is divided into two parts. An area with tables and dartboard. Another area where we sat with just tables. Waited 15 minutes with three staff members seeing us sitting there but no service. We left.

This place was highly recommended by our friends, whom we hadn't seen in years. They live locally, so we made a reservation on the same day and had a lovely catch-up over delicious food and a few bottles of wine. This is a great pub but a bit difficult to find if you did know the area. Parking is limited to on-street spots towards the end of narrow lanes. Alternatively, you can park at Bursledon Station car park (free) or arrive by boat. From the street, head down a long outdoor staircase, turn left, go down more stairs, and enter the pub. All this effort is definitely worth it. There are several large rooms with views of the River Hamble, as well as outdoor seating unfortunately a bit cold and wet for that today. The menu is slightly upscale but not overly expensive. There was a variety of beer on offer, as well as a long list of fancy cocktails. The servers were friendly, efficient, and attentive. Can't wait for a return visit especially for Sunday lunch

Beautiful location, a 'steep' climb with a special descent to get there, but really worth it

Absolute gem of a pub, we turned up on a bank holiday Monday - breakfast wasn’t on as it’s a weekend thing, but they kindly served us off menu anyway! Staff are lovely, super friendly. It’s actually the pub featured in 80s hit BBC yacht drama Howard’s Way - so anyone who vaguely remembers that will enjoy the nostalgia - will definitely go back when in the location

The location is fantastic, right on the river Hamble. The menu is not so big but it is a very good menu. The food was excellent. The service was very good except the waitress asked if we wanted to see the dessert menu and then never came back with it. I'm sure she was just very busy and it slipped her mind. I'm a person that likes to pay cash. I was only told it was card only when I was about to pay. Maybe this could be mentioned at the time of booking. Still 9/10 though

The Jolly Sailor has always been a summer time pub for me and I have to admit due to it's popularity I have avoided it for years. A Saturday afternoon in the sun, a good ale and the menu was a draw for us to recapture our youth. The pub was heaving with customers but a table was found quickly by the polite and courteous front of house staff member, the menu was good for pub grub and of course there is a good selection to drink. The waiting staff were as to be expected friendly and attentive, food and drink ordered then the wait which was average for our meals. One of us ordered fish and chips and the Eton Mess and I ordered just Caesar salad. I have to admit a pub that can serve a good Caesar salad is a sign of a good chef and their team. Many are rather bland and unappealing but the chef prepared the best Caesar Salad I have had in a long while. Mountains of crisp lettuce, chicken, croutons, anchovies, bacon, cheese and just the right amount of dressing with black pepper evenly distributed throughout made the humble Caesar salad a feast of pure pleasure. I have to award the chef and his team a gold star for creating this delight. I would like to praise all the staff at the Jolly Sailor for making our visit a pleasurable one and you are all a credit to this establishment. Thank you.

Lovely location. particularly when the sun is shining. Helpful friendly staff, good food and wide range of wines available. Will return

Generous portion of fish. Added scraps without asking! Attentive service and comfy decor.

lovely views of the harbour, but the sunday roast was cold, and you could tell it had been sitting around since lunchtime. (as we arrived we heard another customer sending back theirs because it was also cold.) we were there at 4pm so i dont think its too much to ask to have some fresh roast potatoes. 2 stars because the pudding was very nice.

Very nice, excalant staff, pleasent atmosphere food if a very high standard, will defiantly go again

Good pub, but busy at weekend with yacht and paddle people 😂

Love this please, view, staff and pub is amazing ❤️

Lovely pub, good selection of local beers, great food and service. Smashing views over the marina.

Great location, good service, but quality of the food is average at best.

Had a lovely Sunday roast sat on the pontoon on a beautiful sunny day. Table service was attentive without being overbearing and the food was of a good standard. It was busy though so I would advise booking to avoid disappointment

Lovely leisurely lunch outside over the water (with shade on a hot sunny day) with plenty of menu options. Excellent, attentive service.

Busy, but we didn't have to shout at each other, and it's a great location.

Amazing riverside pub best reached by water taxi and there is scarce parking and the neighbouring inhabitants really dislike car based visitors to the village. Food fantastic, great service.

Lovely restaurant, a hidden gem which is a must visit. Views are breathtaking.

Always a beautiful view of the harbour from the Jolly Sailor, food and drink was great, service can be a little slow at busy times

To celebrate our anniversary we chose well, beautiful pub with river view, awesome staff and really delicious food

Refusal to give information about ingredients as my intolerances are not covered by law. I've never had a restaurant refuse to ask the kitchen staff on my behalf before about ingredients. Fab waitress but this couldn't make up for the fact I didn't have the info I needed to ensure I wouldn't become ill after eating there. Won't return.

Kind staff, lovely atmosphere but terrible roast. Dry, tough and generally pretty flavourless. For the price, I was really disappointed.

This is a very quaint and charming semi rural pub restaurant that is set in a great waterside location right next to the Hamble River and which offers great views of the bustling Swanwick Marina. Moreover, this waterside location with its jetty, means that it is just as easy to get there by boat as it is by car. Incidentally I have been there a few times very recently and the cappuccinos/lattes that I had there have always been very rich and creamy. In addition, the staff are always very friendly and welcoming as well.

Jolly sailor was an incredible location with superb service from Jade. She was kind, polite and quite perceptive.

Fabulous location, enhanced by great food & great service.....& Dog friendly. Highly recommended

Nice setting, but very disappointed with the "Moules" .. 2 x covers, both were served almost cold. The accompanying wine & garlic sauce was very gritty. There were more empty shells with the contents at the bottom of the bowl (certainly not freshly cooked) I had to ask for a finger bowl! For £17.95, I was very disappointed.

Not a single bad word against this place or the staff what a gem to find, we paddle boarded out on the river and came across it. They had a mooring point and somewhere to store the boards! Proceeded to enjoy a beverage and the views !

Excellent, riverside pub with extensive menu and beer selection It's the best pub on the Hamble

Excellent spot with great views

Lovely visit sitting by the water watching the water world go by

Tide was in , just needed a bit more sun.

This is a really quaint little pub with fab decor and lovely staff. I wasdisappointed with the gravy on my roast dinner and dessert would've benefited with a scoop of ice cream for the price you're paying for it. That is reflected in the one star drop. Would come back as it was a lovely place but probably not for a Sunday roast.

We had a great meal at The Jolly Sailor. The food was excellent, the service good and they have a wide selection of beers and wines.

Kayaked to the jolly sailor in 30° heat. Was served by a rude girl at the bar who wouldn't tell us our table number. After she made me walk back outside to check we then ordered our food and drink only to be told they do not accept the legal tender of the uk, CASH!!! what a joke do not accept uk sterling. Unfortunately we had did not have a card with us and had to kayak away thirsty and hungry.

Loved the views and general ambience. Good choices for people in our party who are vegan. All enjoyed our food and the Helles lager which we tried for first time. Attentive and friendly staff.

The service was fantastic though the food is rather mediocre for high end pub food prices. The main meal of mussels were in my view not fresh & straight out of a vacuum pack & my burger was pretty unremarkable too whilst the "warm apple pie" was more of an underwhelming cold spongy flan thing. The table next to us had fish & chips & the fish looked rather dry & most probably frozen rather than fresh, a fish finger sandwich with what looked like bread crumbed fish fingers straight out of the freezer (& perhaps they were/), the pork belly dish looked the best, the steak once again looked nothing greatly special for what you pay. Oh, & £11.50 for a glass of Pino in a pub really? It's been a few years since our previous visit & definitely noted a significant decline in the standard of food served & the lack of fresh ingredients used to make it. Fantastic staff & service I have to say.

So pleased to have found this treasure of a place! Quite an idyllic setting, right on the waterfront awash with 1000 boat masts! Small but excellent menu and good quality. The outside area is an all-weather 'greenhouse' setting with 360° views. The sun was shining so they opened the roof! Pork belly was delicious! Cooked to perfection.

Nice place to eat and have a pint

Food a little disappointing 😞 Falafel starter not too bad. Had the plant burger for main, worst I'd ever tasted 😫. Other half had chicken terrine which they said was OK. Expensive food for quality I thought.

First visit as was recommended. Parking is a challenge but after that everything else is great. We were sat on the pontoon which is great for watching what is happening on the river. Great menu and gluten free options too.

Beautiful historic place, which oozes lots of charm and with the possibility of a view over the water. Definitely worth a visit for anyone in the area.

Very enjoyable celebration at perfect location by river and staff really pleasant and welcoming. Like the menu selection and sure to return.

Went here with friends for lunch. The food is OK but in my opinion overpriced. We only had the sandwiches and a drink each and the bill for 4 of us was over £90. Also they add a service charge of 10% which they don't mention. Very bad policy as far as I'm concerned. The steps down to the place are a nightmare for us pensioners. However we did survive!

Very poor fish n chips. Awful fillet badly cooked. Chips were fine. Grim.

Good service and food and fantastic location, quite the trick to finding this place but we'll worth it, a lovely spot

I went to the Jolly Sailor with a friend for lunch following a walk near the river. Everything was superb: the menu, the food and the service. There are plenty of nice places to sit outside, most with a view of the Hamble. Our seats were the best: at the end of the enclosure on the pier. I highly recommend this place. Note: there are a few steps to get down to the pub from the road (there's probably a better, more accessible way, too - best to check with the pub if that might e an issue).

Few drinks during the football, good atmosphere and great views

I love this place, from location to friendly service. Great views and plenty of room to sit outside to enjoy them. The free parking is a bonus in the Bursledon station carpark with a hidden little pathway straight up to the pub.

With the walk, Table over the river Excellent service along with knowledge of menu from our server.. Food was amazing, apart from the lamb that unfortunately was very tough,needed a streak knife to try to cut it... Were very professional when me mentioned it, and happy with there response..over all would really recommend Good price, fresh and good well... One last thing, cheese board is very disappointing in presentation and selection, ( no butter or chutney etc)

Never got a chance to sample the food or drink as was told they dont accept cash. Just lost six customers .Pity as it looks so nice

One of the best pubs I've been to for food and atmosphere. Standing at the edge of the water, it is a magical secluded place for both indoors and outdoors pub dining. Food is delicious, staff lovely, and in June you can get a nice sunset to enjoy from the pontoon. Lovely place I recommend. Fish n chips was really good!

The location is beautiful, tucked away down by the river, so the ambience and views are spot on. I accept that this is a 'chain' pub, but was underwhelmed by the over+priced food. You can eat far better elsewhere, but, you could just overlook that to sit by the river in the sunshine and watch the world go by.

Lovely tranquil spot by the River Hamble.

Great location and lovely staff Food choices not Great, for example no Steak pies but lots of vegetarian based meals. The steak was ok, sauce average, and was overpriced at 30 quid.

Lovely pub with great views. The fish and chips were delicious, as was the warm apple pie 🥧 Definitely worth a visit for a treat.

Limited menu of overpriced, average food. Not enough staff for the amount of customers hence service very slow.

Charlotte the server was super friendly and amazing. Food fantastic as usual. Also Sofia that serves us regularly is amazing.

Beautiful location, lovely roast and good portions. Lovely staff as well

Really nice pub, great location opposite the marina, feels like you are on a secret island. Only comment would be that some of the drinks are quite expensive but that would most likely be due to its location I imagine.

This is a great pub but a bit hard to find. Parking is limited, on street, towards the end of narrow lanes. Or you can park at Bursledon Station car park (free). Or you can arrive by boat. From the street, head down a long, outdoor staircase, turn left, go down more stairs, and into the pub. All this sounds like a lot of effort but it really is worth it. The lintels are low going from one room to the next - I banged my head. There are several large rooms with views of the River Hamble plus outdoor seating. The menu is a bit up-market but not expensive by today's (31/05/2024) standards. There was a range of beer on offer as well as a long list of fancy cocktails. The servers were friendly, efficient, and attentive.

A beautiful pub and a lovely cozy setting. Good food and beer, definitely worth a visit.

Very friendly staff, wonderful views, and good menus for drinks and food

Own floating jetty if you're arriving by boat .

Brilliant place to sit and relax by the water. Food is great, staff friendly. Went there Sunday as was passing on my boat. Would recommend

Friendly reception and staff; we were allocated a windowside table with a magnificent view of the river. What more could we want?

The scenery from the deck was great. Customer service way too rushed but good. Waitress was with god manner and polite. £20 dish was served way too quick. Just ordered my soup and chicken dish. Went to the bathroom. Justin few minutes as soon as, I was coming back from rest room, chicken was on the table before my eyes. Clearly, being chef myself, I know that chicken can’t be served at its best edible condition in few minutes, unless it’s been precooked before. It’s was dry, with good flavours however, the flavour didn’t compensate for dry and exhausted feel in my mouth. It felt dehydrated. With few salad leafs, no dressing offered, three new potatoes. I am sorry, I don’t have to be posh, but for £20 a dish by the river side, I rather get take a way for two with very nice fish and chips and very good cider x2 per person and sit by the beach.

The waitress is very friendly and polite… they love my dog Alfie very much

Lovely location and welcoming staff but the food wasn't up to scratch. The "pappardelle" was actually penne, food wasn't hot when brought to the table despite it being not very busy. Food was ok, but nothing special. Desserts were similar.

We enjoyed a really lovely dinner with friends overlooking the River Hamble. All staff were friendly and attentive

A very enjoyable evening with good food and great service from nice and friendly staff. Always worth the trip! Keep doing what you’re doing - it’s a recipe for continued success!

Lovely pub, great views, delicious food & excellent service. Can't wait to go back. Highly recommend.

Cashless venue = Extortionate and Discriminatory. Boycott for refusing legal tender.

Food not worth the price but lovely setting

Great setting, fabulous service, delightful meal, followed by the best brownie we have ever eaten.

Full of charm and in a lovely setting

Amazing, food was excellent, really loved it, staff very helpful as I was interested in Howard's Way..... we had fish finger sandwiches yummy 😋

Currently sitting here finishing my wine and just had to write a review. This was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. The hake was absolute perfection! Thank you.

It was really good and Chloe looked after us really well she went above and beyond helping with décor and serving us really quickly and even came to myself when I was at the bar to say I can take your order what would you like

Nice tucked away pub at the river bank. You can even stop here whilst on a boat, kayak, paddle board as they have jetty to access. Nice staff and pub is dog friendly.

When you choose a place that's hopefully brilliant for your family that are experiencing UK for first time. Waiters and waitress were stone-faced, not unfriendly but just not happy(one was friendly making coffee and very kind), meal was absolutely nothing special for the price, they have this crazy set up where they say chicken or pork roast, but there's beef just above that line so if you you don't ask if there's beef then you get chicken or pork. I guess beef more expensive to supply at the price of the roast? Won't be going back.

Very hospitable staff, especially our waitress she was efficient, professional and yet unobtrusive.

Beautiful pub. Waitress was brilliant Food was delicious.

Only had drinks. Service was good.

Terrible accessibility due to its location, nice views, horrendous prices, snooty barmaid/manageress.

Had a lunch at the Jolly Sailor after a long walk along the Hamble. Beautiful views and a great selection of both beer and food. Nice to sit outside even on a cold day. Couldn't fault the service either.

We went for Sunday roast and it was awful! The beef was very difficult to cut and overcooked. The vegetables were awful too. The only decent food was the pudding. This is the second recent visit where the food has been below par. I won't be visiting again anytime soon.

Friendly staff; excellent food and great ambience.

Lovely setting..shame non dog owners do not appear to be seated in the nicer dining area. Main disappointment was the food!

Lovely spot. Shame that they refuse cash.

Still Great location and still let down by the food !! Update to original review..... I originally wrote this review a couple of years ago and it still holds true - what a shame. This time the burger was still overcooked but smaller and tougher ( they always over cook them !) Bun fell apart on first bite and sauce is that cheap off the shelf rubbish... they used to make their own relish, or at least make it a special off the shelf job, not that muck - for the price and place you'd think they would. Where was the option to do your own burger options - mushroom, bacon, blue cheese - nah, nothing. Back to basics here I'm afraid. Scotch egg 'nibble' was too big and microwaved so it had little taste and little texture. Staff were better than usual last night - very good indeed. This is my original review.... Overcooked cheeseburger with chewy bun and poor salad. Burger sauce was clearly mass produced And, worse, had been squeezed out of its bottle ages and let to get a scum on it before being served. My better half had salad and chunky chips. Salad was a few leaves out of a bag and had to ask for a dressing which was like water when it came. Even her chips weren't hot! Such a shame that they rest on their laurels because of the location.

Good tasty grub. Lots of staff on hand. Quick service.

Me and my husband went there for a Sunday roast dinner but they told us they only had chicken and pork which we don’t particularly like. So we had to order fish and chips which we thought they weren’t great. After we ordered our food, they offered roast beef to another table, so obviously the waiters weren’t really aware of what was happening in the kitchen. We still finished our food as we both were starving and we didn’t want to wait for another hour to be served as the service was really slow.

Excellent food and reasonable price.Nice views.