Papillon in Southampton

We recently had a pleasure of hosting a company event at Papillon, and I must say that it was an absolute success! From the moment we arrived, the staff were incredibly welcoming and accommodating, ensuring that our event ran smoothly from start to finish. The venue itself was beautiful and provided the perfect backdrop for our function. The layout was spacious and easily accommodated our guests, while the ambiance was warm and inviting. Overall, I would highly recommend Papillion to anyone looking for a top-notch venue for their next event. And to all those who helped make our company event such a meaningful experience, I extend my heartfelt appreciation. Thank you all!!!

Here is one star to the staff this afternoon around 4pm for making my family and children feel like a rather unwelcome party there, this is two weeks before Christmas during a Pantomime season. Expensive mistake we will not make again.

Lovely venue for gigs, and close to the station for getting home.

1st coke I ordered come from the lines behind the bar. 2nd coke the guy behind the bar tried to gaslight me saying they only serve from the bottle to charge me more (downstairs) I didn't have a lot in my account but I had enough for 2 cokes. It was really embrassing as my card declined beacuse he charged me extra for something I didn't want You can see in the photo Coke from tap £2.50 Coke from bottle £3.50 I wanted the Coke from tap and I don't appreciate being gaslighted saying "we only serve it from the bottle" when I just had one from the tap This was on the 5/12/2024

Attended the venue for a pre-theatre meal and cocktails. Jay served us and was friendly, attentive warm and welcoming. He even took a picture for us which was much appreciated. Overall very pleasant experience and would come back.

As a restaurant this has to rate as one of my worst experiences in Southampton. However as a venue for gigs only... Brilliant

slow service and unfriendly manager. food was cold.

We had our wedding at Papillon and...wow! Everything was absolutely perfect! The staff (especially Daniel and Louie) were so friendly and great at communicating. The food was amazing, drinks were great and everyone said how incredible the venue looked! Best day of our lives! Liv and Ali

Had a lovely evening meal at Papillon! When you first enter it does smell and look a bit like a nightclub, so we were very glad not to be sat downstairs. Upstairs is absolutely stunning and has a much nicer restaurant vibe, such an amazing venue! Our waiter was really personable and chatty, and although they had ran out of one of the dishes, there was still a few good options to choose from. We had the gammon steak with incredible chips and a lovely runny egg, and the pork belly which was also super tasty. We can also recommend the espresso martinis, although couldn't say the biscoff one was any different to a normal apart from having a biscuit crumb around the rim. However, we'd definitely recommend for a nice meal (but just ask to be sat upstairs!)

The food was incredibly delicious and the service was great and welcoming. Shen was an amazing server and she is very charismatic.

Very nice place with a friendly staff.

We booked for early evening dinner on a Saturday and we're seated upstairs. The venue is really lovely, a beautiful conversion of a church, and the food and service we received was excellent and exceeded our expectations. My Pork Belly dish was perfect, in fact I can't recall a better one anywhere else. The accompanying mash was silky smooth. Well done chef whoever you are! A similarly well executed gammon for husband. Service was slick and friendly. Highly recommended

Food was excellent but unfortunately they were very busy and short of staff. It took some time to get some one to take our order for food and drinks

Papillon is a great place to go for food and drink. We were eating before a performance in the Mayflower opposite which meant we were more sensitive with time than usual. Whether it was people with the same plan or just to have a drink on a Friday the place was packed. They were clearly understaffed and overworked causing the initial service to be slow. Despite this, after ordering our food it came very quickly and was utterly delicious. Atmosphere was good in the converted church.

Booked for 7.15 on Sunday 27/10, place has the feel of a cross between 80s nightclub, cocktail bar especially if you are seated as we were downstair on the dance floor. Only ones in there at this time so they could easily have seated us upstairs which looked a lot nicer. Waiter informed us literally 70% of the already limited menu was not available. Ordered the burger, frankly save yourself some money and go to Burger King. We had to pick out many totally inedible pieces of meat and it was tasteless. Even though we were the only people in there it still took 30 mins for the food to arrive. Shocking experience all round.

Went to see a gig here and it was a great place for it. Fab atmosphere and friendly staff. Was drinking soft drinks and I don't understand why the price of their Pepsi doubled by the end of the evening.

Great fun night out for a birthday celebration. Food was lovely and service attentive.

Lovely drink with friends before the mayflower

What a lovely place for a special meal, or even a drink before the theatre! Very friendly and helpful staff, lovely food, unique venue and nice vibe - thanks!!

Absolutely fantastic night here honetsly couldn't of asked for a better staff on me and my partners anniversary honetsly highly recommend this place absolutely amazing.

Me and my partner came here for after drinks to celebrate our anniversary and the welcome was lovely, shen served us and was so polite and friendly and felt so welcomed, I would definitely recommend comming here the atmosphere was lively and all the staff where so politely and friendly would highly recommend this place for parties and other events honestly had an amazing night filled with wonderful memories with my partner.

Really enjoyed the cocktails here, and especially those made by the barman off-menu at our request! Really characterful venue, if a little quiet (although we did visit in early October). Wouldn't hesitate to pop in again.

Very disappointing. Most of the menus weren't available as they weren't able to cook chips. No discount or drinks offered and the menu which was available was very mediocre at best. The burger was less than I would expect at a funfair hotdog seller and the pork was fatty, soggy crackling, no salt and pepper on the table and plates weren't cleared for at least twenty minutes. I asked for the service charge to be removed from the bill. Not the first time we have been disappointed at this restaurant before a theatre show, but it will be the last time. There are plenty of other restaurants nearby where customers are still valued and the food is cooked and presented well

Having booked a table for 6pm, we had to ask a waitress to take our order at 6.20. by 6.50, neither our drinks or food had arrived so we spoke to a member of staff who said he would speak to a manager and look into it. At 7.00pm, we gave up as we would not have had time to eat a meal before the performance at the Mayflower theatre started. Appalling lack of customer service.

Great place to see music, really nice venue, great food

Really nice old church converted to a bar. They do concerts sometimes and also have garden seating area. The only downside during my visit is that it was very cold. I was shivering a lot so had to go over to the competition on the other side of the road

£25 Steak overcooked rock hard and was a very small piece of Sirloin, wine list says one thing about per glass purchases yet had to buy the £25 bottle, it then took 30 mins to arrive; no one asked if we were OK or enjoying the food at any stage, we'd been there less than an hour and were being rushed off the table. Partner ordered your main burger, she got a burger in a bun, scrap of lettuce with half a pot of fries.. Nothing else.. Looked like a Wimpy c. 1984. If you're going to forcibly levy a 12.5% service charge on every bill you need to do way better than this; also, can't tell you what a sign it is to have security before 7pm on the door of what's supposed to be a top class place. £120 bill for two mains and a bottle of wine and a spirit mixer, what a joke. You're plainly in it just for the money and rushing through the theatre crowd.

Didn't dine there went to see a local band.. staff very attention and polite at the busy bar. Good place to see local bands and good atmosphere. So nice to see people supporting local bands here as they need our support and to keep these live events going as afraid we will lose them if we don't. Update went to a gig recently.. when is alright to talk all the way through a performers set?.upsetting for them and those around you that have paid to see them and looking forward to hearing them play. And if they ask you kindly to support them by buying some merch because touring expensive don't just laugh support them and buy their Cd, take it home and listen to what you missed that night.

Amazing service, food and cocktails Benjy made me a Singapore sling to die for. I was shocked to find out this is also used as a live music venue, the cleanest live music venue i've ever been to. Staff were amazing and GM Louis was charismatic and helpful. Would highly recommend bringing everyone and anyone you know.

Stunning building. Visited twice during our stay in Southampton and Benji's service was very friendly and efficient. He made two off-menu cocktails for us, tailored to our liking, which were delicious. Would like to see this place a bit busier - but still a really nice atmosphere at 9pm on a Friday in October.

Thank you for supporting the Music in the City event, on Sunday 29th September 2024. The venue was great and the staff were friendly and helpful too, so thanks for that. All of the bands enjoyed playing there, and we hope you will support the event again, next year. Cheers.

Very friendly service from Tom, who also gave an insight into the history of the building and told us about the live music. What a cool place!

I visited the Papillon for the first time and didn't know what to expect. I went with friends for an early dinner. All the staff were welcoming and helpful. Our server, Jayser, was attentive and had such a friendly manner. I had the prawn and chorizo orzo pasta, it was really tasty. The staff surprised one of the table with a Happy Birthday dessert. It was so kind and unexpected, and really added to the experience, not to mention it was yummy!!

shen and louie are the best such good vibes and atmosphere!!

Dan was so amazing and friendly. He made my Sunday. The Sunday roast is amazing and the venue is pretty awsome

An Amazing Experience at Papillon I had such a fantastic time at Papillon! The young gentleman Ryan crafted a delicious "Biscoff" espresso martini that was so good, I had to order more. Jason provided such professional and attentive service, making the whole evening even more enjoyable. A big thanks to the chefs as well – the food was exceptional! Thank you, gents, for a wonderful experience!

New to the area, we stopped here for a very early dinner because it looked interesting, being a converted church. Inside was beautiful! The service was fantastic, efficient and attentive. And the food was great, 3 vegans in our group it’s often hard to find choice on a menu but there was alot to choose from here, and well labelled too. The cauliflower wings with whipped vegan feta was so good! Will definitely return!

Delicious food and amazing cocktails. I love that you can ask the bartender to make a drink and they will do anything. Stevie was so friendly and chatty. Will be coming back again soon!

We were here last night for a metal gig - Abyssal - run by locals. It was absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere and venue were perfect for a gig, lots of space upstairs and downstairs. Sound system was excellent and nice space out the front to sit in the evening sun. I really hope Abyssal is able to get this venue again! (Didn't get any food, but drinks were around £5-£7 for a pint.) Go Abyssal! Abyssal! Abyssal!

Stopped in for a drink and quick snack - great service and drink quality - excellent find will visit again

Came for dinner with friends and had the absolute best time, Daniel is an incredible member of staff, so attentive and kind!

Randomly stopped here because it looked cool. Was very pleasantly surprised that not only did it have amazing atmosphere (ask about the curved beams on the 2nd floor) but one of best bars ever. Alex, our bartender made some of the best cocktails I’ve had and was just super friendly! Would definitely recommend

This was a random stop off for us at lunchtime and one of the members of staff, Jamie, made our experience amazing. We experienced personalised service. What an amazing member of staff you have! We will definitely return again

Great lunch, very tastefull, nice atmosphere and perfecr service from jayser. we recommend papillon it was top we loved the place

I came to papillon the other day and i was served by shen. She was very attentive and very friendly. She answered all my questions about the menu and took good care of us.

Went for a gig, good music. Got very hot, no air conditioning. Would go again.

Jayser, our mixologist provided a wonderful service.

Not very clean inside, the floors had lot of dirt on them, it needed to mopped. There was only one staff member at the bar, when there was 14 customers, it looked understaffed. I was disappointed with the service of the food, we had the roast dinner, it was lukewarm. It took 1 hour and 7 for the food to arrive.

Popped by for a cocktail (or two!) of a Sunday afternoon and was greeted with amazing service and possibly one of the best negronis I’ve had in Southampton. Benji, Louie, Channel all made my experience top tier. Lovely venue, wonderful staff!

It has a good reputation for food but the staff are very strict about moving their tables to accommodate prams. If you are a party of six they make you sit on two tables rather than move two tables together. Apparently their boss is watching on CCTV. 😂 Your gelato is not worth the hassle lads!

Sadly the venue was extremely hot , we went to see a band . I had to leave early as the heat was too much for me. I have been to many gigs lots that were packed and very warm but this was on another level . I have no doubt that this converted church is a lovely restaurant, but definitely needs air-conditioning for packed music nights

Great experience. We chose here for lunch before the theatre. It is a lovely setting in a converted church. We had Shen as our server, who was fabulous and catered to our requests really quickly with great humour and grace. The food was really good too. We loved Shen, please say thank you to them. They are a great asset to your team. Many thanks,

A truly great experience, I went with my family for the roast and Shen was a wonderful server, kind and attentive they made our lunch special.

Saw a couple of band last Sunday..... Lovely, personal, small venue 🤟

Service was good but food average. It’s a shame as so convenient for the theatre. Next time we will just have drinks.

Didn't visit for food, but for the live music in the evenings for the first time. Beautiful building, music was great and sounded great. The staff were very attentive and the bar was well priced. Would return for live music again!

Bad experience - won't be returning. Booked to go before a theatre show as reviews looked good. However, a recent change in management has left us feeling disappointed as the experience didn't live up to expectations. We were told we would only be able to have the table for 1 hour because of live music at 7 pm. Upon leaving at 7.30pm because of delays with food, there was no live music as that event was apparently delayed by over an hour. Food was pre-ordered when arriving at 6 pm, but still didn't arrive until 6.45pm. The service overall was poor, we asked for water for the table, waited for 20 minutes, and then had to ask again before finally getting some. Some basic drinks like ginger beer weren't available. Pasta salad had two long hairs in it. Rather than apologising, the waiter said they would speak to the manager, and we had to negotiate to not pay for the spoilt food that was inedible. If you read other recent reviews, you'll see undertones about cleanliness and overpriced/poor quality food. My suggestion would be to look elsewhere for food and maybe just visit for events or drinks only.

Had a great night for a birthday party here and all the bar staff were so amazing especially Shen who was just so lovely it felt like she was a friend! She was so friendly and fun it just topped off the whole night! There’s nothing like a good night with the best bar staff and that’s what me and my friends experienced (10/7/24!) so much love and vibes, Papillon has the best staff and I hope to be back soon!

Attempted pre-theatre drinks. Queued(out to the door) to get to the bar. Slow - disorganised - disinterested Maitre disaster. Avoid.

I bought two large glasses of Sauvignon Blanc. The cost £ 32.00. Checked with them and was told I was charged correctly. Don’t be had like me !

The selector good place fir live music

The Beef Roast dinner was amazing so 5* for the food. We went on a Sunday early afternoon and there were no other tables so in terms of atmosphere, there wasn’t really one but the service was good. Only thing was there were too many staff members in comparison to customers so it felt a bit odd / over served (if that’s even possible?)😅

For £22 a roast and a high recommendation I was very disappointed 😞. Very very expensive for not alot. Two carrots, three over cooked potatoes , the meat was nice though. Friendly staff but won't return.

Don't bother booking anything with this venue by way of events or parties. We had spoken with them to get quotes for our wedding and viewed the venue and went to pay the hire charge 2 days later but upon phoning them to do so only to be told the manager doesn't want to forgo the dinner service to accommodate our wedding. Despite having told us during the visit that there are no other bookings for that month. Also despite the fact that they advertise as offering full venue hire so that should be taken into consideration in pricing the quote. If you aren't going to follow through with Saturday bookings why offer it on your brochure? Prepare for disappointment if you try to book with them. Wish I had read their other event booking reviews before I approached them now

Great venue for a gig friendly staff and excellent bar nice clean venue

My parents, my sister and I ate here last night before going across the road to see The Illegal Eagles (4.7.24) at The Mayflower Theatre. What a wonderful experience. We all agreed the food was amazing and the staff were fabulous. Thank you to all staff. See you again soon I'm sure.

Lovely Sunday roast in here, Yorkshire pudding was huge!! Only downside is not much of an atmosphere

Saw Band of Skulls perform an intimate set here. Stunning sound and cracking venue

Such an amazing meal and experience! The staff is so lovely, thank you again Jay for your friendliness. Will definitely be coming back! :)

Great service, great music, stunning venue.

Amazing venue!! A must visit every time I am in Southampton, love it!

Was here for a gig. So can't comment on food etc. Definitely would come again. Upstairs bar helps keep serving time down and the venue has a good layout and sound system.

Amazing music venue, loved it. Wish they had more bands playing that I want to see!

Lovely atmosphere and great food. Specific thanks to Naadhish for the fantastic service and hospitality - and for running out after me to return my wallet I left on the table!!

"The restaurant offers exceptional service with attentive and friendly staff. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted warmly and seated promptly. Our server(Jayser) was knowledgeable about the menu and made excellent recommendations. The food arrived quickly, and the staff frequently checked in to ensure everything was to our satisfaction. Overall, a fantastic dining experience with top-notch service!"

Great friendly service fromJayson

It was an amazing experience. The food is really good and the ambience is very relaxing. Thanks to Jayser for impeccable service. Will definitely come back

Looking forward to eating here again. Also, everyones friendly, special mention to Jayser, well-accomodating.

Excellent service. Thank you to Jayser for making our experience worthwhile. Will surely go back. 👍🏻

Food was okay expensive for what we had though.Service okay just too attentive in my opinion.

Great experience at a private event

I was looking forward to revisiting Papillon for Sunday roast after being away for two years but to my dismay was informed that the chefs had been replaced. The food was of a very low standard, dare I even say SLOP. I should have realised how bad it's got, being the only customer eating in. Paying £31 pounds for a drink and one main at that poor standard was very disappointing. I cannot emphasise enough how bad the food has become.

OMG - LOVE THIS PLACE! What incredible vegan/veggie options WITH incredible flavours!!!! We couldn’t get into our fave restaurant before the theatre, so thought we’d pop across the road for a drink, not thinking we could get food in the 40 mins before the show. Bar staff were sooooo lovely, and after seeing several yummy vegan/veggie options, we decided to chance ordering a few dishes. They were quickly served and sooooo delicious! We will 100% be back for a proper dining experience, as the flavours were absolutely perfect! Probably the best non-Asian restaurant I’ve tried in Southampton. (I love Asian, spicy food, so flavours are vital!)

If you’re thinking of booking this venue, I wouldn’t bother unless you are booking the whole venue, my partner booked a section of the venue for a party over a month ago and a week before they have the cheek to email (not even phone) and say they have now booked the venue out for full hire for a wedding and have cancelled our booking, no consideration for our booking just want the money and didn’t even consult us for a different date or call to tell us and apologise! Only after the money!

Incredible SundayRoast, I recommend it 100% Everything was very tasty Worth the price

We were here for the theatre predominantly however we wanted to get some drinks before the show. We decided upon Papillon. Jamie served us, and we couldn't have asked for more, he was charming, funny and knowledgeable. He had a great personality and laughed and joked with us whilst getting us our drinks and taking payment. Couldn't have asked for more, we were just unfortunate we didn't come earlier! Thanks Jamie we will be back soon.

Pre theatre drinks only. We were served this evening by Jamie, what a pleasant and personable young man! We will be back.

Jamie was very congenial, was asked about food, but came in for only a drink, pre theatre. Menu looks great, we will be back

Really busy when I was there so buzzing but staff were polite and friendly which makes the night really. Food was good but not amazing I would say 3.5.

"Recently dined at Restaurant Papillon and had an exquisite experience! The fish and fries, paired with a refreshing coke, were simply divine. Every bite was bursting with flavor, and the impeccable service made the experience even more enjoyable. Highly recommend this gem for anyone craving delicious food and a memorable dining experience!"😊🥰

Wonderful experience great atomosphere , bartender naked louis gave an incredible and friendly experience

Very good starter, but the main was no very good, the burger was cold. Atmosphere ok, Service ok, but not people enough to do the service.

Louie and Ben were amazing, brilliant service.

We love papillon! Louis is great :)

Service is amazing, decent prices

Amazing cocktails, attentive staff. Louie is amazing!

Amazing service and location! Wow! Perfect venue for events <3

Amazing Jayser really made my day, really helpful :)

Attended for a music event. Staff were friendly, bar had a good variety. Sound quality was very good. Was worried the high ceiling would echo too much, but I'd say it's the best sound quality I've heard at a Southampton venue

There's a lovely ambience in the restaurant which is upstairs in this interesting building. The service was excellent when I went and the burgers, delicious. I'm not normally a burger eater but I saw a waiter walk past with one and it looked good! A good place to have a pre theatre meal.