The Art House in Southampton

I’ve lived in Southampton for many years and I’ve just heard of the sad news about this place that is due to close down via the Echo. It’s been a pillar of the community for years and offered food to the needy, a place to relax and enjoy all things art related. I hope there may be an opportunity for an alternative venue elsewhere in the future. Good luck.

Hopefully your experience will be better than ours

A welcoming LGBTQ environment that rents out space to my roleplaying game club. Great range of vegan drinks and coffees.

The Art House is one of those places that is both coffee house and entertainment venue. It offers high-quality food and drink, as well as regular music, arts, and games for those who want somewhere different.

Always a warm welcome, yummy food and drink and something interesting going on :-)

A brilliant selection of coffee and cakes in a wonderfully relaxing environment.

A truly amazing space where culture and art can flourish, a gem or a place. Been a few times and I've had a great evening every time.

Lovely freshly made coffee with oat milk. Great place to relax at top end of town.

Great staff, great food, great music venue - 10/10 :)

A lovely place to eat, but food is expensive and the staff always a little chaotic and not particularly helpful. It is a shame as you get the feeling this could be better than it is

Absolutely lovely people to have a chat and coffee with. Helping the community out as well , always with a smile.

A fab little venue with awesome friendly staff - v queer friendly and the new Bunker 178 setup looks v cool

Always a good coffee and cake with wonderful service and a quirk atmosphere.

The place is really creative and comfortable, it makes you feel right at home with all the furniture and the artistic decorations. The waiters are quite friendly and helpful. The food is quite okay and not expensive. They serve different dishes, vegetarian, vegan friendly and others. You don't have to book beforehand which is really cool. Just show up there and enjoy your time! The location of the cafe is ideal, which is close to the shops, buses and not too far from Southampton central station.

Love it! Fresh local roasted coffee and it's dialled in well - I popped by for a takeaway coffee in October and really loved to see the amount of community based stuff going on, even without loads of people there like the community pantry. Great atmosphere too!

Very friendly atmosphere and fantastic food

I hadn't been to this venue for several years. A trip to the city for a gig in the evening saw the opportunity to drop in first for a bite to eat and a coffee. Lots of gluten-free and vegan options to choose from. I'm in neither category but don't feel excluded just because I can't get a minced steak smoothy with extra flour.... Service was really gentle and friendly. Snacks great. Coffee really splendid - a different taste to the high street chains. I really recommend this place - when it reopens! All around the setting are books and art and notices of exciting things to do. It probably makes living in Southampton bearable for some people! Highly recommended

Este lugar podría ser tan bueno y tiene mucho potencial, pero está mal ejecutado. He estado asistiendo a talleres y eventos musicales aquí durante varios años. Quiero apoyarlos, así que ve regularmente los sábados, pero las bebidas calientes son horribles y, por lo general, una mala selección de pasteles crujientes secos. El mercado de café y pasteles es enorme, por lo que si mejoraran un poco su juego, podría ser una buena fuente de ingresos, pero siempre está vacío, lo cual es revelador. Recientemente hice una donación a su crowdfunding, pero desearía no haberlo hecho. Uno de los propietarios sigue publicando peroratas políticas en Facebook que considero ofensivas entre las citas. ¿Es esto realmente necesario? Con tantos buenos cafés en Southampton ahora, incluidas las opciones vegetarianas, creo que fue la gota que colmó el vaso y me llevaré mi dinero a otra parte cuando vuelvan a abrir después del cierre: mala actitud e inapropiado para hacer tales declaraciones públicamente.

We have never been here, ordered during lockdown. Struggle to find healthy vegan food delivered, thoroughly enjoyed our food and will be ordering again and look forward to visiting in the future. Thank you!! P.s brownies are the best vegan brownies we’ve tried!

Lots of fun events including poetry readings and exhibitions, plus a good cafe.

Fantastic little spot and extremely trans and queer friendly! I absolutely loved it and the service was great. One star off because they have a £5 card minimum, but otherwise absolutely perfect!

Fab arty place but needs a clean and de-clutter. Great atmosphere pleasant venue for performance, good place to pop in for lunch, or supper. The lack of cleanliness is a concern.

Nice quirky place for a real espresso in the town centre.

Encountered a rude/sarcastic man when I entered at 10 minutes to noon. Was much better to walk a couple of blocks to Cafe Thrive, where the service is friendly, and they open at 8:30 a.m.

Love the art house, tasty cake and tasty diet inclusive snacks.

Went for a storytelling gig upstairs, timed for 7.30, arrived 7.20. No signs or info, upstairs closed off. Went to the cafe style bar at the back and asked about it, was told there would be a call to go upstairs. No offer of a drink, or welcome, nowhere to sit. Hung about feeling awkward for about 10 minutes, still nowhere to sit. Didn't feel very friendly, by then I didn't fancy carrying on, so I called it a night and left.

Friendly and welcoming. Well worth a visit.

Love it! Sam Smith's beer and veggie food in the quirkiest cafe in Southampton. There are two levels - the downstairs can be a little cramped and awkward, though quite vibrant. The upstairs is a little quieter and more relaxing, though half the available area may be used for regular meetings. The walls are covered in paintings, and there are quirky bits all over the place. Really laid back. Wonderful.

Easy place to have coffee very relaxed and quirky

Casual cafe run by volunteers. However overpriced. We had a hot chocolate with mellows and a camomile. Were charged £8 for two drinks only! They said it was quality. Camomile bag was a normal tea bag. Staff are friendly but the service is a bit poor.

Un endroit comme nul part ailleurs , chaleureux et décoration originale orientée libertaire. Excellente nourriture et accueil chaleureux. On peut y manger à toute heure tout en feuilletant un livre ou jouant à un jeu de société.

Lovely atmosphere, very cosy and colourful, coffee was alright, the place was let down a bit by the chaotic counter to order from, wasn't really sure how to order and no staff seemed to want to help us with it, bit of a shame!

Unassuming and friendly. Actually tasty coffee too!

For once, I didn’t plan anything, left it up to Chris to work out, which meant we started off with the Titanic exhibition and a rummage round the shops. The Art House was a great escape from the city centre. Community activities, events and lots of folk that seemed to know the place and each other gave the place a well loved feeling. A jacket spud for Lilly and we both had a falafel wrap, salad and tortilla chips. My tea could’ve been in a bigger pot (really bigger), but tasted delicious as did the wraps. Portions were very generous. Definitely a place to know and come back to.

Always a welcoming safe environment for all and run by and for the community, with great vegan /vegitarian food.. 10 mins walk from station and easy to find so great place to meet for coffee/lunch

It is not child-friendly and the food is overpriced. A baby change in the loo doesn't make this a safe place for children to be. This place is aimed at the adult population and I have not found it as friendly as others make out. In fact, when I attended a writing workshop my friend and I were ignored. Food seems dry and old when I went in during the afternoon. I would not recommend this place at all. Cafe Thrive is a much better alternative. Staff talk to you as well and don't ask for donations to keep the business afloat.

Live music and cake. What more coyld you want?

Great food, fantastic ambiance, they do wacky things and arty things which i love. Amazing please keep it up.

Favourite place, a great art cafe.

Best place in Southampton to chill out and have lunch or dinner. Friendly service always, plenty of diverse events on

Not overly impressed with this venue.

Lovely atmosphere, I always try to come to the Art House cafe when I'm in Southampton. It's run mainly by volunteers - good vegetarian/vegan food but limited selection. Wide selection of drinks and usually several delicious looking cakes. Lots of music/craft/community events.

The staff is lovely and the atmosphere is very chilled and friendly.

Great environment, great location, great staff

Sorry guys .... poor performance. ... the spuds were tough and barely warm, the veg ...underdone and barely warm .. the nut roast ...not to my liking. I had to leave after just tasting it thus half an hour and £15 wasted

A casual cafe. Run by volunteers with good choice of drinks and vegetarian food. Quite often they are short of food but people go there for events more than culinary experience. Everybody welcome and well looked after. There is a shop inside with hand made crafts.

This place is so beautiful and cozy! It makes you feel like in a smart artistic home, prople are so friendly and lovely, and the food...oh my god! The food was soooooo delicious! The bread they make is too soft and tasty, and the soup as well, si creamy and full of taste! As well the main courses, and the dessert! I had a chocolate cake that was the best of my life! If you're looking for a place to feel relaxed and eat really well, here's the place for you!!!!!! Loved it a thousands times! This is one thing I really miss from my life in the Uk! If I ever go back, i will go straight away here! Thanks for making a plant based place so cool!

A simply amazing place on the very edge of Southamptons retail reality. If mindfulness needed a base this would be it. If it was just one hundred yards nearer to the Bargate this place would be s student mecca and hive for creatives, but it hovers on the cusp in the cultural quarter and is a little bit unknown ...but it needs to be kept at all costs so THIS MUST CHANGE. It hosts drawing afternoons, games meetings, musicians......And people who just want a pot of tea and some peace. Just go there once....you'll see what I mean... If you don't feel the vibe then you're probably beyond help anyway...

Cafe with a lot of vegan cakes. All of them delicious and fresh. Hight recommendations for vegans and vegetarians ;)

If it was ALL organic, they didn't microwave or have political agendas 5*

I popped into The Art House to get out of the rain and found a gem! I enjoyed a very friendly welcome and good coffee, topped off with an outstanding home baked cup cake. Well worth seeking out this super cafe. Great seats in the window to watch the world go by.

Wonderful selection of vegetarian and vegan food.

I hold my training there for my new starting volunteers. This place is full of good energy and great daily made food. Super tasty and gig portions. The staff are very friendly and helpful. I got a falafel wrap for lunch which I was challenged to eat the whole thing. Very tasty and the salad that comes with is fantastic too. They have a menu board with the food of the day and daily cakes which make life delicious ! It’s vegetarian and vegan friendly. I will definitely go back soon.

Love the Art House, lovely vegetarian food. Gorgeous cakes. Happy staff. One of my favourite places to eat in Southampton.

The food was that good I couldn’t even utter a word , lush beyond belief . The prices are excellent and the volunteers are amazing all in al, I woul highly recommend this cafe and cannot praise them enough

Locale bizzarro ed eccentrico vista la sua natura artistica. Simpatico il proprietario. La caffetteria è semplice ma è l'atmosfera che rende il posto unico. Questo posto ospita anche eventi musicali con musica dal vivo.

I've been here a few times and the food and drinks have always been incredible and reasonably priced too. I love the ethical ethos of The Art House and its many vegan options!! They have really unique shows here regularly with friendly staff that care about the community

Love this place, need to use it more. Ethical food and drink, small local business that plays a role in the community, great supporters of local artists and Pride... Plus awesome chocolate cake. What's not to love!?

Lovely place. Friendly, kooky and relaxing. Drank tea with steampunk friends and bought outfits and things to make.

Lovely, relaxing friendly café. Delicious vegetarian and vegan food

Brilliant place to go for a drink or vegan food. Always something interesting happening there. These guys are very supportive of the local community. The staff are all lovely. I wish there were more places like this in town.

Wonderful little café. Tea and cakes are a must. Venue upstairs has some amazing acts in a truly intimate setting.

Alternative, hipster-like cafe. A chill-out place to meet friends or a good reading.

Stopped in here for some drinks and snacks with some vegan friends visiting Southampton. Really friendly service (including the local dog), good quality food and tasty drinks - recommended!

Found the art cafe by accident one winter’s day and fell in love with the apple, lemon, ginger drink. The cakes are lovely and the mezze and other dishes are wholesome and filling and really delicious. This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and the service can be slow, but I love having this place that feels like visiting someone’s home and is different every time I come

Visited for the first time to try the vegan roast on a Sunday, and wow. Not only are the staff friendly and fast, but the venue itself is wonderful and the food was absolutely amazing. Seriously, those carrots. There's even a shop out back selling ethically sound clothes and vegan snacks you can take home. You could definitely get a cheaper Sunday lunch by going to a chain pub or cafe - but if you're the kind of person who's happy to spend a couple of extra quid on supporting an awesome community venue and co-operative, then don't hesitate to visit.

Highly entertaining evening.Sociable and relaxed atmosphere .Wine/ snacks on sale.Jason Buck entertained his "audience" with enthusiasm and energy, successfully holding everyone's attention whilst inviting audience participation. Would certainly encourage others to buy a ticket for next event.

¡Qué lugar encantador! Bellamente pintada en el interior con tantos detalles peculiares para notar gradualmente, ¡como las teteras pegadas al techo! Los músicos en vivo le dan un ambiente encantador. Gran menú con un montón de opciones de aspecto delicioso. El personal era muy amable también, aunque el servicio era un poco lento pero era un sábado a la hora del almuerzo, así que eso es lo que se espera. Especialmente recomiendo el chocolate caliente y la torta!

Wonderful not for profit arts cafe with vegan food and brilliant events. Family friendly, too.

Me encanta todo acerca de la Casa de Arte: la gente, el ambiente, la maravillosa comida vegana (y ni siquiera soy vegana).

Great vegan food, friendly staff and nice atmosphere!

4 de nosotros tuvimos una cena previa al concierto (O 2 Guildhall) allí. Comida brillante, preparada y servida por un equipo realmente entusiasta. El ambiente era relajado, con cenas informales, sofás, wifi, libros y papeles y una pequeña tienda de ropa y artes al fondo. Cuenta con un espacio de actuación en la planta superior que también hemos visitado y tiene toda una gama de eventos en vivo. Un activo masivo para Southampton y ahora definitivamente mi primer lugar para comer o beber allí.

We came in for food before going to the guildhall for a show. Excellent food, casual atmosphere and friendly staff. Can't wait to come again to try the cake!

Our band Meïkhâneh performed at The Art House this summer 2018 and we had such a good time there: excellent welcome, great food and drinks, amazing atypical place, and a very good organization to prepare the concert. It is a nice venue for intimistic and acoustic concerts like our music need. Just go there and enjoy your time!

I popped in for the first time in a few years for a quick coffee and ended up having a delicious piece of spiced apple cake with it. The staff (all volunteers) were friendly and helpful and whilst very quiet (early in the morning) the atmosphere was calming and eclectic. Far more enjoyable that the ubiquitous chains.

Great place buzzing with positive vibes.. food is excellent so is the staff ! A must visit place.

This is a decent vegetarian/vegen cafe in the middle of Southampton, located opposite Guildhall square. Despite its location its easy to go pass this place without noticing. My and the other half both had a middle eastern mezze board, which included olives, hummus, dukkah, falafels and more. It was good value at £11 each, we both left feeling full. The food itself was decent but not spectacular thats not to say I wouldn't go back - the cakes looked amazing!!

Relaxing atmosphere,great coffee

Went to poetry club. Bit highbrow, but that's probably just me. Lovely tea

J'y suis allé comme musicien en tournée anglaise. C'était certainement l'un des endroits les plus chaleureux de toute la tournée. Excellent accueil, joli bar, très bonne ambiance et de la nourriture délicieuse.

Wonderful place with lovely people - highly recommend a visit for the decor, atmos and vegan food. Live music, arts, chat....relaxed and cruelty free

Independent cafe worth supporting, lovely.

Pretty poor service one meal came nearly 10 mins before the other. Ordered toasted pitta the pitta was not toasted. Asked for it to be toasted but just came back warmed up. Mezze platter was very very dry. Quite expensive. Pitta and humus £4.75 for 2 bits if pitta and a small dish of humus nothing else. I would say everything was bought it and maybe freshly prepared not not freshly made. The venue has other things going for it, Art and Music but would not eat there again.

Lovely atmosphere, delightful staff, opportunity to see and hear fab acts. A must for any artist, dramatist, musician etc etc Oh and great food and drinks too.

This is a lovely place. I love it. The food isn’t that amazing and they were missing a few of the food and drink choices. But the ethos and the social values are wonderful. Make sure you come with open minded folk. The food and quirkiness aren’t for the mainstream.

Great food. Friendly staff. Good atmosphere :-)

Good food, vegan or vegetarian only. Small live music venue upstairs. Check on line for visiting artists. Anything from Folk, Poetry, Comedy, Flamenco etc...

in the midst of Southampton's bustling City Center is The Art House, purveyors of amazingly tasty vegan food, cool art and great music!!! even those who are not vegan will love their food (although the cherry "milkshake" wasn't quite up to the rest of the place's excellence, we still didn't leave a drop!!!)

Cakes are phenomenal. Relaxing environment. Nice events

Pleasant atmosphere and staff. Nice tea too and not ludicrously expensive.

An absolutely brilliant cafe and art space with super friendly staff that serve amazing homely food! Best falafel wrap I’ve ever had. Would 1000% choose it over any of the chains to go for a coffee in a great atmosphere.

Absolute gem. A genuinely unique creative space, right in the middle of the city.

Really nice staff and food is pleasant.

Quirky and friendly cafe with lots going on

Amazing little gem would definitely recommend this place to everyone, staff really relaxed and friendly service even bought my fiance a pair of earrings x

Cute little coffe shop, but took 20 mins for iced coffee and they didn't have any ice...

Marvelous and atmospheric venue.

Good food great musik and very cool people.we watched a gig and had some food and beer. Love this place.go back soon

Absolutely lovely place we had a smashing time.lovely food and music

Nice decor and atmosphere. But prices can be high here.