Portway Inn Brewers Fayre in Test Valley

Failed to have a sign on the door that they are only catering for the hotel only. Waited half an hour with four children for them to open the door, had to ring them ourselves to find out what was happening and person on the phone didn’t sound apologetic at all.

Nice place to visit on this day staff were not available front of house to serve anyone food was ok but fried eggs were like rubber

Good value for money. Starter chicken was exceptional

I do not recommend. Bad service. And do not recommend. Bad service.

Had breakfast here on a Sunday morning. The lovely gentleman on service was fab. Very cheerful even at 7am. Would defo use again.

Staff very friendly, although seemed a little short staffed at time of visit

Good food and service although the place feels a little run down nowadays.

Friendly and helpful staff. We stayed the bank holiday and restaurant was short staffed due to sickness. Staff were very busy and pushed. However, still provided a good service

Good food and beer for a chain pub. Staff friendly, service fair and food good value. Good for a family meal, not so much for a romsntic dinner. 15/05/2024 Quite on an early evening visit. The staff were great, curious and friendly service was good and the food great value for z nicely cooked light supper. Beer normal high cost for drinking out, but whole meal, seating and service were great

I ordered the big stack burger,(piccy looks good..it isn’t )there was more flavour in Ghandi’s flip flop then the ‘ house favourite’, my wife had the brewers MIXED salad which was iceberg lettuce which the staff swore they don’t use, the fresh chargrilled chicken was so cold it needed a hotwater bottle & the honey/mustard dressing was a none arrival.. To say it was a disappointment is an understatement…hence we reluctantly popped over to McDonald’s ( which had some flavour)..not impressed

Go regularly! Love it! Soft play fab for youngsters!

Dreadful service for Sunday evening dinner. It was fairly quiet, we ordered for our group all together to the same table number. The food took a little while to come out however there was a 30 minute delay between the first and last meal arriving. I had to ask for the children's ice creams 3 times before they finally arrived. The atmosphere was lousy. At 8.30 pm we were told they were closing, even though the website says they are open until 10.30pm. I made a formal complaint online 2 weeks ago, which I have since chased. Still no response.

Amazing Staff and welcoming people. Phyliss always makes sure our sons Allergy needs are met with high standards! Always a pleasure coming to Brewers Fair.

Amazing service as always from the guys at brewers fair. Everyone makes you feel so welcome and they are happy to cater to any and all of your needs!

After spending three months as a guest at the premier inn Andover I believe I am more than competent to place a truthful, Independent and unbiased critique regarding the food and service at portway inn, This in my opinion is no more than a up- scaled cafeteria that is sadly part of the hotel complex. First the food quality, It pains me to say this, but on many many occasions I had to wait in excess of one hour for my food to be delivered to my table, Inevitably as you would expect the food came cold and on numerous occasions, "far to many to count", may I add, undercooked this also included chicken, Moving on, and want for a better word...Management On raising my concerns to the management (Chris) He reacted totally different to my concerns on countless occasions trying to brush them off with an ad-lib attitude and excuses a politician will be proud of His management skills We're not only lacking but leaving a lot to be desired even for him. He tended to micromanage his staff constantly without offering to help I noticed Constant nitpicking for the smallest mistake this boarding on bullying, One word for the portways food and customer service ""shocking"" For those of you who would be interested, there is a family friendly pub 2 minutes Walk away with a great menu

Amazing customer service, so friendly and welcoming and food was delicious. Was on a long journey from kent to Plymouth and back again, stopped on our way back home tonight and they had already taken last orders for food but was extremely kind enough to still let us quickly order and with a genuinely friendly helpful attitude. Only wish they were closer to where we live, would happily visit all the time. Thank you Portway Inn, to the chief and staff behind the bar.

Great fish and chips and a mixed grill

Amazing breakfasts here, not just the food. Staff are exceptional ! Manager makes everyone feels so welcome. I stayed at the Premier Inn for 3 nights and its attached to the hotel x

Huge thanks to Chris and his new team! What a transformation - friendly, warm welcome, smiling team members who are focussed on delivering good quality service. Our team use the restaurant regularly from April to September - first visit of 2024 this week and we’re now looking forward to our next visit. Well done Chris, your hard work is paying off!

I stay in a lot of premier inns and eat at a lot of brewers fayre. This one is really bad. Chicken burger was rubbery and flavourless, one of the worst I have ever eaten. Chips 50% burnt ends. Cheesecake better but still dry and stodgy. Terrible menu choice also. Skip the meal deal and go across the road for dinner. Needs urgent attention to bring up to standard.

Really attentive staff, quick service, friendly. Food was amazing made for a really good visit.

Many people, some Noisy because of the children

The staff are brilliant, so friendly and great with kids. The food is good standard pub food and the soft play is brilliant for an evening out with kids!

Mother's Day meal. Online booking showed limited availability but empty when we arrived (4:45pm). Carvery was finished, so not an option. Limited vegetarian options.

I booked a table for 2 adults and 4 children for 10am on a Saturday. When we arrived most of the tables had not been cleared. There was only 2 members of staff working so were finding it difficult keeping everything stocked. This is not acceptable for a weekend they need more staff.

I stay at the Premier Inn above the Brewers Fayre for work every week, and eat downstairs every morning and night. Phyllis, the manager is extremely efficient and attentive. Every single one of the staff are polite, kind and caring and nothing is ever too much for them - especially Jess and Emily. The food is always very nice and I've never had to wait longer than expected. The restaurant is always clean and tidy. I see large families coming for birthday meals, down to couples having a quiet meal together. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who wishes to eat good food, in a friendly and relaxed environment.

Good deals on food. Good selection of dishes to choice from. 11 of us for a family breakfast. Children's breakfast s are free

Food was cold. Burger was like an old boot. My ale was off all in all go to Mc Donald’s across the carpark will be better food in there.

We had a good meal here with a very helpful manager who wasn’t happy when our meal was wrong. Happy to go back when we’re in the area. Really good play area for the little ones

Long wait for food, the battered fish was covered with a thick coating of uncooked batter, hard to find the fish. However, my wife's meal was perfect.

Stayed at the premier inn. Missed breakfast and politely asked if I could use their microwave but they refused. Had to eat my breakfast cold, thanks.

Awful, for dinner & breakfast. Unavailable food items were accepted by server but rejected by kitchen. Server had no ideas about substitute items. To get pre-dinner drinks needed a 30 min queue at the bar. Soft drinks machine was lacking some syrups. No ice in the ice machine, needing another queue at the bar. No checking back on quality of meals. Overcharged at breakfast. Dirty breakfast crockery. Breakfast buffet items were barely lukewarm.

Chips weren't that hot, but lasagne was very hot. Would have had dessert but only one person serving & 5 people ordering for well over ten minutes, so didn't bother. Probably won't visit again.

The staff are nice and friendly and helpful, this includes on the phone and in person. There is a good atmosphere in the restaurant area, with a log fire on to help keep you warm. The prices are reasonable for what you are getting. I had a gammon steak and it was very tasty, with the option to have pineapple and or fried egg on top. The restaurant is clean and tidy; except for the toilets. The toilets are looking rather dated, and some aspects were disgusting.

Extremely friendly staff, there was an excellent choice of food at the breakfast buffet and a clean and welcoming environment. Will definitely be returning soon.

Stopped in for a light lunch, we hadn't booked but the lady was very welcoming, friendly and found us a table. The atmosphere was nice, service was efficient. We chose a selection of sides to make up our meal. We couldn't fault the food, it was prompt, hot, and good value for money. Would visit again.

Standard for this type of pub. Disappointed that the festive menu was not being served even though it was advertised.

Lack of staff, no Christmas atmosphere & long wait for food.

Normally very good, but they had run out of bacon and tomato at 10.30, these are a staple for breakfast, so will give a miss on Sundays now.

Pleasant staff and a well kept play area, child friendly and good service

The food is amazing, very bubbly atmosphere and specially Martine was the friendliest person I ever met . Thank you !

lovely quality food at good prices. friendly service

I love y’all for having Parsnips unlike Toby Carvery who literally never provide any 😩

A long wait with no staff. The starter and dessert were fine but the main was remarkably poor. Don't bother with the festive turkey, the peas were like bullets, the roast potatoes were dry and tasteless, the turkey was obviously from a turkey roll, the gravy was the redeeming feature.

Very poor little or no staff so only certain meals could be made or warmed up had we known before we entered we would not have stayed and as we were visiting from Bristol not impressed at all although the place had been recommended by family member and had food there before with no problems

Disgusting service Don't have half of what is on offer Take your money, then decide to tell you they don't have it, then get shirty when you want your money back !!!

Give it a miss. Turned up at 6.30pm to be told on ordering there was no turkey. I pointed I was ordering chicken and was told this was fine. After waiting 10 minutes one of the staff came out to tell us they didn't have that either. Needless to say we asked for a full refund and left to go elsewhere. Not the first time this has happened here. Won't bother trying again.

Amazing food I believe they have a new chef and it has shown

We went here last night for my niece birthday We got here at 6 all 27 of us We had to pre-order anyway food come out a houand a half later but the food was so cold that we all left so I won't be going back here again it was a nightmare

Booked for a time of 6pm, when arrived told us they had no tables for an hour. So not sure the point of booking a time when they give you a poor excuse stating a reason they needed to oblige a table of 11. Although the food was OK the tables were sticky and the service was sub par. Have been to other Brewer Fares and they have been great bit would never come to this one again. Do better!

We went to the portway inn for a celebration meal for my retirement and I can honestly say the hunters chicken was the best I have ever tasted it was cooked to perfection and the service was first class and the price was also very reasonable

Thirty minutes to get a pint poured and I'm onky third in a queue.......if I see a queue if more then I may as well drive past........ one person on the bar doing it all and no front of house personel......... and at lunchtime.......what fantastic management you have

Family meal. Asked for all food to come out at same time (split orders due to having to pay at time of ordering). Half of party had to wait for over 15 mins for food and chase this up. Will not be returning. Place should prioritise getting more staff to support those working so hard to meet the demands on a busy Sunday.

I can’t quite explain in words how shockingly awful our experience at this Brewers Fayre was. When we first arrived the table we had booked was occupied by another party and was told that we had to wait until that party had stopped eating. After waiting around 30 mins with small 3 children we pleaded with staff to just sit us at 2 small tables together. Food arrived Stone cold and the steaks were inedible - 80% of the food was left. After deciding we could not eat what we were served we asked for the kids desserts which we had already paid for. 90 minutes went past where we repeatedly asked where 3 children desserts were and we were told that the kitchen were ‘working on it’. Due to the fact that we were waiting a ridiculous amount of time for just 3 scoops of icecream, after 7 ice cold over cooked meals, we had to leave due to 3 very upset children and having to purchase dessert elsewhere. Overall staff were rude, inconsiderate and not trained in customer service. Will not be returning.

Never again will I go for food. Went for breakfast for my son birthday it was awful food not cooked egg was still clear and not cooked at all we all left and never had anything to eat

What a bunch of amateurs. Was waiting for 15mins to be seated. No staff around...... Ended up walking out

We went there yesterday (Sunday) for the carvery, it was advertised on their menu as available until 6pm, when we got there at 4.30 we were told it was no longer available no explanation given… we were a party of 9, 7 of us were served our food about 20 minutes after we ordered, 2 of our party still hadn’t been served their food long after we finished! It still took over 10 minutes after the SECOND inquiry as to where the food was for it to eventually arrive! The staff weren’t very helpful, they didn’t seem to know what was going on with our food, and one of our party never got their bread that was ordered and paid for in advance! To be fair I had a steak and it was cooked exactly as I asked for… but that’s about as good as it got! Needless to say I WILL NOT BE GOING BACK!

They were not having a good evening when we ate there due to technology issues. Also, somehow although the staff cleaned the tables inbetween guests, they felt sticky to us. Lots of families with young kids were there as we had table booked for 6.30pm. It was good it was popular. The food was good when we got it. Between us we had Thai Green vegetarian curry, vegan Cheese and onion pie, vegan burger and meat lasagne. Desserts we had were Banoffe Cheesecake and icecream and Chocolate Sundae. However, the jam roll poly with icecream portion was really small! The drinks were good - raspberry and lemonade mocktails were delicious. Pinot Grigio and Apple Juice were good.

Stayed in the Premier Inn and this brewers fayre was attached. Generally speaking I wasn't expecting much from here as I had been in the year prior and the restaurant seemed to be falling apart. But they have had a serious revamp and it was an absolute delight. The food was incredibly well done with myself having the gammon and chips and my Mum having the rib eye (well done) followed by a cheesecake. Felt really full and happy with our dinner. If I'm competing at Thruxton Circuit next year, I shall come in again.

Service horrifilling slow, understaffed, food when eventually served was hot but the rest best left unsaid.

Excellent buffet breakfast tenner each!

Called and booked a table of 5 at brewer fayre andover and Explained we had vouchers for whitbread and was told they are accepted, only to get there to be told we couldn't and the manager(Phyllis)attitude was horrendous saying that she didn't know who picked the call, really? My problem was her rude attitude and been unapologetic. She has no managerial qualities whatsoever despite saying that she has worked there for 10years . Like what 10 years of that shiiiit. I know whitbread have been struggling with staff however can do better. This woman had the worst ATT I have seen in years.

Visit here regularly when down in Andover....foods good value for money. Friendly atmosphere. Beer is good . Sometimes the staff struggle during busy periods other than that no complaints 👌

Good breakfast and lovely friendly staff. Tasty food. However the cleanliness of the dining room is not great. Very dusty lampshades and disgusting amount of fluff and dirt on the radiators

Thank you for my 70th birthday with freinds and family, and your kindness for your fifth and card on our table

Thank you so much for all the extras and effort to decorate the tables for our meal to celebrate my parents 60th Wedding Anniversary it was very much appreciated

We popped in for an evening meal. They had run out of rice for the curry but didn’t tell us until some time after we ordered. We asked for something else, they didn’t have that so we asked for a refund which they accepted. Whilst at the bar, someone else’s meal had been paid for but they had run out of fish and then this happened to another person and there were all these awkward conversations going on with really stressed waiters and bar staff. It was a bit of a weird experience really as we felt sorry for the staff as they didn’t seem to have back up. I won’t go back to eat there.

We had a great time, our meals were delicious, first class service. Very friendly staff, clean environment what can you ask for. Wow it was a bonus to have unlimited cold and hot drinks, even water is a free service. I recommend everyone to go there.

Play area closed early, menu has been much reduced with some favourites taken off. Ended up at McDs as the kitchen had very little in the way of puddings.

We booked a table for 5 came in there was no staff one member taking orders so it was very slow service and once we had finally ordered food we was told they did have what we ordered witch I thought was a joke absolutely shocking will not be coming back

Reasonable pub, food order was not right but corrected

Service great, but give the place a clean, the tables wherever we sat were sticky, food stuck to walls and couches too. Shame as the beers great!

Food was great. Only one person serving so had to queue. Let down by rats running around the beer garden

Good food, reasonably priced. Lovely staff and a soft play area for the young kids.

Seems very rundown. Lots of food stuff is not available, toilet not working. To be honest, I could only recommend this place if you were trying to be disappointed.

Extremely long waits for food that was basically frozen. Appalling.

Three family members and myself stopped by here last week for a late lunch/early dinner. When we arrived, there was one other table occupied and after a difficult experience registering the vehicle (took far too long and it really didn't need to be that complicated), the waitress said "okay, I'll go and see if we have a table" (like I said, there was only one table occupied). We were a bit confused as we could see at least 10 empty tables from where we were stood! But yeah, go with it. We were seated right behind the only other customers in there on a sticky table (while I'm on the subject, it wasn't just the table that was sticky and dirty, the toilet's were filthy too.) Anyway, we went to the bar to order and the woman taking our order seemed to find it really difficult to even smile let alone be friendly and welcoming, huffing and rolling her eyes with certain things we had ordered like it was too much of a hassle to do her job. Order was placed and we went back to the table. A few minutes later, a member of staff came back to the table to tell us that 2 of the items we had ordered were unavailable (seems to be a regular problem here) but hey these things happen so we adjusted the order. One of the items was nachos (with sour cream, guacamole, salsa and cheese) which arrived with a tiny bit of melted cheese. We asked where the toppings were to be told there was no guacamole but no mention of the other toppings so we asked for them. They took the nachos back and not even 30 seconds later brought them back with about 5 tiny bits of a tomato and a couple of onion slices. By this point we were getting a bit irritated & sent the nachos back for a refund. That was one person with no meal. One other person found their dinner inedible and swimming in grease. One member of the party ordered a burger and the bun was rock hard (that's one meal out of 4 that was just about edible.) We ate the bits we could and went up to get our refund for the nachos and the money back for the other bits that weren't available and were again met with attitude. We were told "why don't you have a desert instead?" We explained we didn't want a desert and even if we did, the price of one desert wouldn't have covered the refund we were due. The member of staff then told us that they couldn't do refunds (obviously not the case!) so we stood our ground and proved the staff member in question was lying as funny enough another member of staff came along and actioned the refund! We sat finishing our drinks and could hear the staff slagging us off and slagging other customers off fairly loudly. One member of staff actually said "I hate refunds anyway, what's the point?! Do you know what though, I just can't be arsed, I can't be arsed with people, it aint my job!" Well sorry to break it to you darling, but if you work in this industry, it literally IS your job! To make matters worse - we were poorly the next day as well and this was the only thing we had eaten that day! Anyway, reading the other reviews, it sounds like our visit certainly hasn't been the only one like this. Stay clear if you're looking for somewhere decent to eat, decent customer service or decent cleanliness levels, this is not the place, you'd be better with McDonalds across the road and that's saying something!

Waste of time and money booked a table for 8 food was horrible burgers were overdone adult size burgers are the same as children's burgers portion sizes were ridiculous we couldn't wait to leave

Only rated one star because that’s all I can do, if I could it would have definitely been zero! We were taking to the table where they still had to clean it from previous customers despite we had actually booked online too! After cleaning the tables were still disgusting and sticky; really put us off ordering in the first place but having travelled 30 minutes to get there to try a Brewers Fayre for the first time; we carried on. I think the whole time we were there we saw 2 members of staff, the one girl serving was very very rude; “I’m on my own so you’ll have to wait a minute - had to wait 10-15 minutes before she even took our order, even when taking the order she was talking very abrupt and moaning about other staff in front of us. Lots of things not available on the menu, instead of telling us there was something missing from our meal; just dumped something else on instead. Then there were things missing from the meals. Most of the meat everyone had was burnt and chewy, the chips were absolutely vile! To be honest I think we probably would have had a better meal and customer service in McDonald’s just over the road from here! Will definitely not be coming back and probably won’t go back to any Brewers Fayre branches, first and last time. Visited 30th July and table booked for 2.45

The staff worked hard. However, the kitchen was closed for an hour due to a cooking issue. The second evening there was a half hour wait due to staff shortage. They were turning people away who hadn't booked. Food was average.

Vegan breakfast was not as advertised. Had to wait ages for dry overcooked sausages, and nothing else but hash browns available. Not worth the money.

Possibly the worst meal I've had in one of these places. A microwave meal at home would have been loads better.I had to go over to McDonald's to get something else to eat and that's saying something. Won't be eating here again.

Don’t even know why this place bothers opening. Walked in to an empty restaurant and asked for a table for two, and apparently they don’t have any staff at all, so won’t serve any customers.

Called in for breakfast and it was mayhem but it was race weekend at thruxton. The main thing was lack of choice at the time we where there and the counter top where the hot food was was an absolute disgrace and messy so we wont ever be calling back.

Stayed overnight at the Premier Inn that is part of the same building. Very pleasantly surprised at how nice the food was at such reasonable prices. In fact it was better than the next much more expensive hotel we stayed at the following night. Staff were pleasant and helpful as well.

Staff were very helpful and polite. Lovely atmosphere, food was absolutely amazing

It was very busy but the staff kept on top of things My eggs were too hard but everything else was fine

Beautiful pub. Very quiet most evenings. Nathan is the manager and he really tries to make your stay as best as he can with his resources. He works his staff well and runs the place like a business. The staff work well together, never an issue with drinks or food. Nathan runs the pub well and more so. I suggest, as a customer, a good day out to show that the company cares for their productivity. Nathan and the team are brilliant.

Attended as a party of 9 guests. All food orders were incorrect and we were served raw chicken. Lack of communication and knowing what was actually available to order. Website stated carvery from 12 but no carvery option available and we attended on a Sunday. One child Injured themselves on a nail which was exposed in the soft play. Manager refunded our orders and we left. Will not be returning to this venue again.

Good value family meal on a weekday. Adult special of 2 mains for 10.49. Staff friendly and good portions. Indoor play for younger people. Enjoyable visit. Unlimited coffee and soft drinks available.

Had breakfast with family here. Food was value for money. The place clean and staff on hand to help.

An apparent lack of staff spolit the visit. The table was sticky cutlery dirty even the wall looked as if someone had daubed food on it. Behind table 16. Had to order at the bar with food being brought to the table by obliging lady. Need to do a lot better!!

Large clean room and bathroom Bed comfortable. Food was not to my taste.

Had a business breakfast, 0930 booking, service was amazing, but the menu was confusing as we had to pick how much of each item we wanted,...delicious in delivery and well worth the price,drinks we wanted weren't included in the all inclusive price..NOT EVERYONE WANTS COFFEE TEA OR JUICE!!! On the whole, I would do it again now I know how it works,but as a first timer, seemed too hard to get a basic full english.Dont like the small plates...if you order a full english with pretty much a couple of each items, they should all fit on a plate! Server's did point out that brekkie was ending service so the pastries etc were about to be removed, again, stellar service from a self confessed new starter.I would book again, but you need to be mindful of your processes.

Always a full offering here when me and my mate pop in weekly at least, for Brekkie. Staff very attentive and always have a chat. Great place to start the day. A big thumbs up from us.

Excellent customer service and value for money.

Have stopped here many times, however every breakfast item is almost raw, as is my evening meal tonight. Very disappointing!

Worst place to eat in Andover, avoid at all costs.

Beer was good but the food was cold. I had the fish & chips cos you can't mess that up or so, I thought. The fish was nice, but the chips were only warm, and the peas were cold and tasted like tinned peas, NOT garden peas. I ordered bread and butter on the side and got ONE slice of bread cut in half, which tasted like it had just been defrosted and the charged £1.99 for it. Overall, I wouldn't recommend eating there and won't be going back.

Really great service from Emily & Christine! My daughter is very fussy and they went out of the way to help us out! Thanks ladies ☺️