The Bakers Arms in Winchester

Great pub down a passage off the High Street, so often missed, hence mostly a locals pub. Nonetheles, we found it a few years back and visit every time in Winchester which is only once or twice a year. We are probably not recognised but we are always welcomed by locals and staff. It's a sports bar and the prices are cheaper than most. There is always a good atmosphere. We'll be back next time.

Myself and a large party were refused entry as several of our ID’s were not validated. The bouncer claimed our holographic print on our ID was not central. In my 5 years of using bars, I have never been turned away. The bouncers also confiscated my friends ID due to the same reason, yet let a group of girls behind us with the same ID type, into the bar. These doormen are racist and sexist, and I will be filing a license complaint with Hampshire Police.

Friendly community pub in the heart of the city. Too good to advertise probably

Legendary place. Superb staff and customers. Found the place by chance and so happy we did.

Girls weekend away we decided to visit Winchester as not been before, we arrived on Fri 1st Dec. That eve as we were walking down through the centre I spotted lots of pretty lights up one of the side alleys, we decided to head there, The Bakers Arms. We were greeted by a lovely barmaid Kim, we only stopped for one as we had booked a table prior to our visit to Winchester at Incognito. But said to Kim we will definitely be back as it seemed like a lovely pub with friendly staff & locals. On Saturday night we went back & had a great night, even though it was packed all the staff were quick to serve & super friendly. The DJ that was on was playing great tunes. Got to meet June the land lady she was lovely & we had a good chat as she is friends with our landlady at The Dolphin. We loved the Bakers Arms & will definitely visit again when in Winchester. Thank you for having us 🥰 & making us feel welcome.

The best little pub we found in Winchester.

Ended up here by pure unluck but worthy of a review. If you ever wondered why Winchester pubs seem so nice its because all the lower end of society are in the Bakers Arms and nowhere else. Its like a horse coral for the council house regiments. Bills itself as a sports pub with multiple TV's yet doesnt play the volume just loud music. The few decent folk in there are obviously day tourists. The local guy with two dogs (spaniel) on Saturday who let them climb on the table knocking over drinks no surprise and then throws it on the floor and kicks it is disgraceful yet the staff allow it or pretend not to notice. Should you go in the bakers arms ?...Remember this. Cheap beer = cheap people. Spend the extra and go sit with better people elsewhere is my advice.

Bakers Arms is a great place. Friendly barstaff and nice people. Always visit when in Winchester.

Yo, what? Give my baker his arms back.

Shame it seems to be falling apart with wood rot and broken window regular said its been like that for 2 yrs a bit of TLC would bring this pub back to its glory

Years I’ve visited and not found this place - now it’s going to be my regular. £4.25 for a pint of Guinness!!!! Sold!!

Having moved to Winchester a few months ago, I've had the opportunity to visit more than a dozen local pubs this summer and have received uniformly friendly, welcoming service wherever I've gone...until now. For those unfamiliar with the establishment, the Bakers Arms isn't visible from the High Street but you can always hear a boisterous crowd sitting in their garden as you pass the little alleyway that leads to the pub. I've been curious for ages what the place was like but had never ventured in, as I thought it might be a bit awkward walking into such a busy pub full of regulars, until last night when I finally decided to take the plunge. The young man behind the bar was extremely friendly when I ordered my pint but I immediately noticed a look of contempt on the face of the woman standing beside him the moment she heard my American accent. I'm guessing she assumed I was a tourist - I'm not, but so what if I was - and I wondered if perhaps she had confused me with someone else or if I had simply misread her look. But when I went to order a second beer fifteen minutes later, the same thing happened and I knew I wasn't imagining her bad attitude. Nonetheless, I stuck around for a few more drinks, having met a group of fun-loving Scots at the next table, and eventually had to deal with Miss Sunshine directly as the pub got more and more crowded. She left me standing at the bar as long as she possibly could until finally taking my order, never responding to my offer of thanks when she handed me the beer or when I paid for it - just a really stern look and an obnoxious eye roll as she walked away. I suppose I shouldn't feel entirely bad, given that I wasn't the only one on the receiving end of her unnecessary rudeness, as I watched her aggressively confront several other patrons about anyone at their table who might not be ordering drinks as quickly as the rest of the group. Honestly, if five people are seated together and one of them is a light drinker (or possibly even a designated driver for the evening), what should it matter if the other four are regularly placing drink orders? So, have a look at the rest of the one and two star reviews and see if there's a common thread between them and you'll find repeated references to a middle-aged woman with short hair treating paying customers badly. It's actually a shame, as the beer garden is very attractive, the drink prices are excellent and the locals are as friendly as can be. The pub definitely does great business, so losing me as a regular customer certainly won't bother the owners one iota, but why waste your time having to deal with this woman when you can go anywhere else in town and be treated respectfully and appreciatively as you spend your hard-earned money?

The landlady (old woman) is extremely unfriendly. Out of our group of 9 one did not get a drink as they just wanted water and she decided to start insulting all of us and being very rude. Another separate time I ordered beer and it had gone off, instead of replace it like in any other pub they told me I was wrong and gave me nothing else. Theres so many nice places in Winchester, dont bother.

Beer out of a plastic cup, this would give 1 star in scrabble

It really is a shame that a nice place like this has such rude stadf. It clearly is highly frequented only for the cheap prices and not for the service provided. My softdrink was okay, but the short-haired elderly lady refused to serve my friends beer in proper glasses. Instead she told us, that we would only be served in plastic cups, since we were no regular customers and got really rude. Definitely not coming back.

Another regimental reunion held at this amazingly friendly venue. Once again the staff pulled out all the stops to help make it a great occasion. The manager and her team were all amazing. Thanks so much and see you all next year. Oh can you get a barrel of Bud on? 😉

Stumbled upon The Bakers Arms and found it to be a lovely little local pub. Staff were very polite and welcoming. Outside was not busy but 1 person sat at each outside table which had us sitting inside. Cricket was on and the locals inside were very chatty. No idea they sold food

Lovely pub good atmosphere find by chance down an alley way definitely worth a visit

Fantastic little place hidden away, which gives it more charm.. Staff are lovely and prices are cheaper than most, great atmosphere

Really friendly. Very good prices.

Great pub, amazing low prices and u can talk to anyone

Lovely little pub,very welcoming. All staff are helpful.

Friendly atmosphere good value quaint and in the town centre 👌

The staff here were absolutely horrible and cruel. I really would not recommend this pub. The old lady with short grey hair and the landlord kept pressuring me to buy drinks even though I had brought numerous with in the 30 minutes I was there. The land lord and lady both need to give themselves a long hard look in the mirror will not be coming back here. You could have more enjoyment having a pint in the Winchester public toilets than coming to this dump!

Good atmosphere and dog friendly

Proper pub, great atmoshere and pricing. Always welcoming and busy though with mostly locals. Tv sports.

Great little pub. Cheapest in Winchester 😁

Great vibe! They had Karaoke and football on. So it was busy and loud! Two screens outside which are cool and screens inside! Good fun pub 😀

Great atmosphere - a proper pub ! The prices are good too

Good old pub been using it for 45year still the same perfect

Great venue, we enjoyed the friendly atmosphere

Got told to get off the table half hour before booking (17:33) because the people who booked the table turned up half hour early. Didn’t get asked nicely or professionally. Woman with very short grey hair (rude from the start). Not a good customer experience

Visited this pub yesterday traveling from Nottingham watching the Notts V Eastleigh match. Great staff who interacted with my son, talking footy! Lovely little pub just off the busy high st, great prices too! Wish I had a longer stay, would have been nice to visit the market stalls ect. Would highly recommend. Luke (up the magpies)

Love this little pub. Good vibes cheap booze..

Went in there for a few drinks after going to a few different pubs and they took my mates ID and couldn’t check it probably even though it’s been check in about a million other places with the prober scanner not just a flash light and some eyes

Very busy pub - only real ale was Doom Bar ☹️

Absolute joke, couldn’t check an ID properly need better training!!!

Popped in to get away from the rain, nice little locals pub, cheap drink

Great fun in lively pub , great atmosphere. Really cheap too!.

Loved this small, buzzie friendly pub down a narrow alleyway. Sky Sports shown on multiple screens

Good city centre sports bar, well tended plants in the outside area.

Such a friendly and accommodating pub

proper local, cheap pints and a nice outside seating area just off the high street

Bit rough, playing terrible music really loud. Didn’t stay

Went there today with some friends and what a good pub this is, a Proper Pub, nice staff, good atmosphere, what else do you want ??? 10 out of 10

A taste of the real Winchester people

Always visit when in Winchester. Tucked away down a passge off the High St, most customers are locals. Always friendly with a great atmosphere. Gets very busy in the evenings.

The home of the RGJ and always provide an excellent service under a barrage of thirsty veterans!

Great outside seating in what feels like a hidden alley!

Nice pub with outside seating .

Had a great afternoon and evening, with great service and friendly staff despite having a really busy RGJ day, consequently with loads of very thirsty customers.... well done all.

Nice pub friendly staff good prices .

Hot summers evening, the outside seating was very welcome, just a little cramped and not ideal if you are a non smoker, the thick clouds of cigarette smoke was a choker, quite unpleasant.

Great atmosphere really friendly staff. Lowest prices in town.

Great to be back for the one weekend a year. They really made us feel welcome with the flags. A great visit. We will be back.

Came across this pub by chance, nearly missed it walking down the high street. Glad my wife spotted it, nice place, outside tables, friendly staff.

Amazing little pub! Friendly staff and great atmosphere! What more could you want!? Don't miss out on karaoke night Thursday it's fantastic!

went with my friends to this hellhole. its a lovley atmosphere but the owner is horrible. after me and my friends had all bought drinks she came over and demanded our ids. we are all 18 so there was no issue there. However in the end she still kicked us out for no reason. we were just sat down minding our own business not being rowdy or anything. There is no point going to this place when alfies is just down the road and with much better service.

A great pub tucked away in an alley of Winchester high street with plenty of seating inside and out including a covered patio for when the weather isn't kind. No matter who you are you are always welcomed with a warm positive smile. Being in Winchester the spiritual home of the Royal Green Jackets you will usually find Veterans in here. Plus when it comes to value for money this place can't be beaten. So if in Winchester this pub needs to be on your places to visit list

A great place for old Winchester locals and a very good varied jukebox with music to suit everyone

Awesome Sunday lunch! Great little pub with lovely staff. Super tasty Sunday roast.

Nice little pub tucked away in Winchester with an outside covered area.

Lovely pub, with a great atmosphere

Great beer, friendly staff, nice beer garden

Went here last week. One of the staff members is an absolute Karen, unfortunately. It's a bit of a gammon pub, and one of the (presumably and unfortunately) managers appears to like making customers feel bad, and (with no respect whatsoever) insinuated that they'd had too much to drink, when they're in fact extroverted and neurodivergent. The neurotypicals strike again. She made a couple people in our party feel unwelcome and horrible. Really put a dampener on the evening. Nice to see that people having a good time will immediately be deemed drunk even when they do not even drink alcohol. Won't be coming to this dump again. Do not recommend at all.

It was decent portions with good taste and good service.

Great pub good to meet old faces .

Nice pub great staff entertaining and very good priced beer

Beat pub in hampshire! Great staff very friendly& great landlords!!

Great locals pub and very reasonable prices.

Busy local pub, with a good selection of beers, put door space is warm and dry.

Got a double gin and tonic paid about £9 for this. It filled 1/3 of my glass and was way too strong. Put it this way I basically had neat gin. Defo wanna spend the ecxtra £3 or whatever on more 125ml bottles of tonic😂

Nice friendly little pub tucked away in the City Centre. TV outside is a nice touch.

Dinks not overpriced, the shiraz was a nice drop of red wine, seats a bit worn but overall a decent pub :)

First visit after 6 years and much improved. Whilst it was then quite basic it was our favourite due to its ambience and being a proper pub, not a tourist catcher. It still is our favourite. Not sure if there's been a change of ownership but its obviously had a revamp, especially the loos which are now probably the best pub loos in town. Busy, mainly locals but a great friendly and welcoming atmoshere.

Down an alleyway , great find. Full of life and locals. Not expensive easy to get served and great outdoor under cover area with seating.

Racist bar. If you’re non white don't even bother going in there , it’s basically a EDL bar.Had a really bad experience going there.I would never go there back again.

Hidden Gem in Winch, cheap beer, retro music, friendly staff ... and KARAOKE!

Nice atmosphere.. and a great price

Great pub in Town. Beer good value for money and food available without being to into a restaurant. Congratulations.

Cheap beer lovely place,good for football, friendly landlady and staff 😁👍

Brilliant Sunday lunch well worth the money

Great pub. Get yourself in there

Bit manic in the evening, pop in here if you're having a session.

Great place! The best bar staff

Great proper pub. Friendly and welcoming

was asking weather People were waiting to order a bearded bar staff member shouted “speak up I can’t hear” fair enough. I repeated myself and again shouting “what are you even saying” followed by “what do you want” very rude for no reason. Fair enough but the manner he said it was so rude and acting like I was annoying him just by trying to order. I got a John smiths and downed it to get out of that place as soon as I could. Very annoyed I supported a business who employes people who are so rude and careless to customers. Will never go back. Watch out for a bearded skinny guy behind the bar you won’t have a good experience with him.

Passable but lacking in atmosphere

Great beer and great ambience of the place close to High Street, Cathedral and other shopping. The service is excellent with pleasant and helpful staff at the bar. 👌

Lovely pub and great staff, cheep as chips so good news👍will be going again

Decent pub and good beer prices, lots of screens showing different sports. From a drinkers point of view its like a weatherspoons but with a personality. No food though

Not like the Bakers from the old days. But still has a oldish style pub vibe to it... Not many pubs left these days.

Great friendly staff. Doom Bar at a price not seen before. Excellent

Great little pub at a good price for drinks and sport watching. Friendly hosts and staff. Nice out of the way location filled with locals.

Great pub with a lovely outside space.. Super friendly staff.

Music to loud for me and service was poor

Great little pub in the heart of Winchester town centre,very reasonably priced and a really friendly owner would definitely return again

Had a great weekend in the Bakers with old pals. Staff were amazing. Landlady is the best! Thanks to everyone on the staff for great service on a very busy weekend.

Great atmosphere, music for everyone, cheap prices and friendly staff .. A must visit in Winchester..

I went here to watch the football! The staff were lovely, the atmosphere was amazing and I was enjoying myself. After a while, my friend was being verbally harrassed by the landlord for not buying any drinks (which he had and we were doing a split bill). He threatened to kick him out the pub then followed through with that action 5 minutes later. If you want an amazing Winchester experience go to 'Alfies' instead.