The Bat and Ball in New Forest

What a difference from last visit. Welcoming staff and atmosphere was nice. Food was great. Waitress was very nice and helpful. Overall great experience. Had the chicken burger with chunky chips. Double burger inside. Will go again

Wow! Fantastic food. Had the Chicken & King Prawn Thai green curry and also a Pizza. Pizza was great but the curry was not only presented superbly but tasted fantastic. Large and plentiful prawns and chicken. really was exceptional and great value. Highly recommended.

We had such a lovely meal here tonight, amazing food, amazing landlord and staff and an overall lovely time. The chicken supreme is to die for! Very dog friendly and just an overall 5 star experience

Great food and great service. Fun little play area for the children too.

We used to go here a lot before COVID and it was always popular and great food and service. After COVID it was bought out and went progressively downhill. We have driven past many times in the last couple of years and felt sad that it never seems busy anymore. So eventually we decided on a wim to give it another go. So glad we did. The fish and chips were fabulous, the batter was so light and fluffy, almost like tempura batter, so didn’t overpower the fish like most pub batters do. My husband had the pizza and was so happy that it had a nice thin base and the topping was good and spicy, just the way he likes it. They have done a lot of work on the beautiful garden area and it’s so pretty. We even stopped in to the hydrogrange and had a lovely chat about all the veg being grown there, a real bonus. So glad that the new owner seems to have turned things around and realised that the London format doesn’t work in The Forest.

Beautiful place, great food. Friendly staff.

Food was first class i would highly reccomend the tai green curry. Lovely people.

Went for Sunday lunch. Astonishing portion size, possibly too big as I struggled with dessert - in fact I wished I’d not bothered, lovely as it was. So recommended, but go on an empty stomach!

Fantastic service and more so the food. Highly recommend it 👌

First time at the bat and ball, the food was excellent, thai curry and fried sea bass. But be aware of the secret service charge! Food including a starter came to £56, so a pint and half of lager £15.06????. Hence the poor review

Had a lovely lunch today as we travelled home. Gorgeous chips, soup and LARGE freshly made chicken, bacon and brie sandwiches! (Had to have a doggy bag) What a great find.

Delicious food with a South African twist (if you want) served by friendly polite staff (increasingly rare) - meant we had a great Sunday lunch.

Only called in for a beer, well kept Fortyniner. Bar manager has hospitality through his veins and made us very welcome. Will call again to try the food which looked and smelt good as it passed by.

A lovely pub with excellent food and the birth place of the game of Cricket and well worth a visit

Sat outside in the garden for a drink.

Excellent food , I had lamb shank pie not sure if it was good value for money but was very tasty, everyone else enjoyed their food, excellent staff 👍

I tried the bobotie Was absolutely delicious Not spicy but full of flavour Passion fruit pavlova was scrummy too ❤️ Service was great We had a lovely family lunch Thank you all

Popped in on our way back to this beautiful country pub. The food was incredible so tasty my husband had the baby back of ribs absolutely delicious & massive (oh boy )😜 I had gammon steak which was also delicious & afterwards I had the most amazing chocolate brownie mmmmmm😜 DEFINITELY WILL BE BACK!!

We had a lovely meal here on the Friday night of our trip to the New Forest. It was such a good find, we were so pleased with our meal and the restaurant/pub itself. Delicious food and amazing staff! Amongst our family we had, Thai curry, burger and pizzas and all were delicious!

Lovely little pub, excellent food, and amazing service

My (now) husband and I love this pub! We often go for the Friday night Tomahawk steak special and have taken other friends and family there for this too. SUCH a great meal. We recently had family visiting for a wedding from the Caribbean and unfortunately they were flying out Friday morning. Ash and Greg (and the team) were amazing and agreed to do the Tomahawks for us all on the Thursday night instead so they could try them too! Everyone loved the steaks, sides and sauces and not forgetting the grand finale of Dom Pedro's! Even enough to take some home for left-overs. OMG this is our absolute favourite place to eat and we love the service too, as well as the Live Music with Stu when we can get there for that. Can't recommend this place highly enough! Our fav eatery.

Hyggeligt sted langs landevejen. Super venlig betjening. Maden på menukortet var meget blandet, men flere gode solide retter i mellem. Prisen er lidt høj i forhold til kvaliteten. Overordnet set meget godt.

We came to this pub after another pub nearby cancelled our booking last minute. But we have to say the food was so good we returned the next night! Having a little play area for kids and the option to walk around the greenhouse was great. The food was a little on the pricey side but everyone more than enjoyed what was on offer. I really wish I could remember the name of the gent who waited on us both nights as he was really attentive and although we don't usually agree with an added service charge, he definitely deserved any tips as he was great with the kids and accommodating any minor changes we requested to our food. 2 of our party had the tomahawk steak on the second night after our waiter took the time to tell us about it. When we're next in the area we would definitely return.

Great for a Sunday roast. Very accomodating of dogs too.

First visit in a long time. Now has a big canopy in the garden with heaters etc and a covered children's play area so really good for cooler days and provides a lot of additional seating. Food and drinks were good....but automatic 10% service added to the bill including drinks. I like to decide myself whether a tip is warranted, and how much and I always ask how it is shared, I do not like it added, so beware.

We had a fab meal. Highly recommend.NB* We had the ribs and gammon.

Family gettogether. First time here. Lovely food. Great service. Really nice pub. Brilliant choice on menu of starters, mains and desserts. Took really good care of us. Would 100% book again

Friday nights with music are great, good food and fun.

Excellent penne arabiata. The best vegan meal I've had in ages. Ollie was a great waiter. Couldn't fault it. Highly recommended.

Really, nice place, really good location, had 3 types of meat roast, it was really good.

Sunday lunch meet up with familly, food was average and probably a little overpriced. Nice outdoor area.

Amazing food! Would highly recommend

Great food in a relaxed atmosphere Friendly staff. Been back a few times Dog friendly

A fantastic experience dining here tonight. Amazing food, ambience and a beautiful garden. All of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals, which were full of flavour and great portion sizes! Their hydroponics garden is incredible with fruit and veg grown on site which you can take a look around! Our waiter Olly was super friendly, highly attentive and really made our experience memorable. Would definitely return when we’re in the area and couldn’t recommend enough!!

I had Thai green chicken & prawn curry & my husband had the crispy chicken burger. We were both impressed by the food and the service, very friendly. We’ll definitely go back and we would recommend.

The establishment is nice, the staff are excellent, the food quality taste is average, the menu choice is below average, the only dish that i found that i would eat was the Thai dish, tried all the other dishes and was not impressed yet the food was edible yet just was not what i would choose to pay for. I would go back yet mainly only due to see if they have improved the menu and cooking skills really.

We gad an incredible meal here, the food and the portions were so good!

Fabulous Sunday roast. Worth every penyy

Good stop off for coffee on school run.

Very friendly, very nice helpful staff.

Love this pub, the food is excellent, never had a bad meal, in fact I’m slowly working through the menu. Fish and chips, Roasts so far, and recently tried the ribs which didn’t disappoint, two racks so make sure you are hungry! The service is very friendly and professional, the team there will always go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable and happy. Would highly recommend this pub.

Lovely pub. Great friendly service. Amazing food!! We’ll be back for sure!

Had the Thai chicken and prawn green curry. was cooked fresh and it was excellent, not to mention the sticky toffee pudding

Nice restaurant with a limited menu but still enough variety so that everyone is satisfied.

Only popped in for a drink, but it's a nice pub with a great large garden..

Great pub with friendly attentive staff and a smile. Food great with a selection of South African food included. Plenty of drink options and parking.

We popped in ad hoc for an opportunistic coffee. We received a warm welcome and were accommodated quickly. Nothing was too much trouble.

definitely changed since taken over. the menu used to be outstanding. not anymore. smaller portion and definitely not as good

Not very happy about the charges for drink 11.20 for two half pints of coke, I think for a standard pub it is way over priced the food was good! But everything over priced especially for the portion sizes! Would not go back

Amazing food and drinks great service but the tomahawk steak was exceptional… it’s a special every Friday. W e also had lunch there which was another amazing experience with great service again and delicious food

Swept in on the way back from the coast and not disappointed

We thought this was going to be an expensive, poncy pub but it was not. It had delicious, generous food - reasonably priced - served in straightforward pub surroundings.

Lamb pie £20 Definition of a pie is a pastry base sides AND top. This had just a pastry top with lamb casserole in a dish. So NOT A PIE as described on the menu. I requested gravy as plate came with mash veg and so called pie with No gravy. I was told NO as the pie??? Has gray in it. Very very disappointed. Would nit recommed.

We were staying at Sandy Balls and were looking for a pub serving a late lunch and so went to the Bat and Ball and what a lovely surprise. The service was amazing from the moment we walked in the door, even the dog got immediate treats and we ordered Sea Bass, Ribs and a the Pie of the Day. I had the sea bass, perfectly cooked as were the prawns on top of it and was in a lovely sauce. My sister had the ribs which were "flintstones" portion size, absolutely massive meaty full rack with chips and salad which were also delicious. Finally my brother had the lamb pie which again really great pub food well presented and tasty. So good was it that we popped back in two days later for another lunch, i had the glazed gammon the second time and my brother had the ribs, and they even remembered the dogs name : ) If you're in the area great place to stop with welcoming food and great hosts.

We visited the Bat & Ball on a Saturday night and couldn't believe how quiet it was, particularly considering the quality of the food on offer. My wife and I both had the lamb and mint pie and were in agreement that it was the best pie/meal we've had I along time. The staff were attentive without being overbearing and the owner checked on us at regular intervals. If anywhere deserves to be a success, its this place. Fingers crossed they make a go of it.

Always a lovely welcome, menu has great choices only marked a star down as the sea bass skin was soggy not nice and golden crispy, rest of the food was spot on

Family of 9 for Sunday lunch. Very warm welcome. The food was excellent with plenty of meat and a varied selection of vegetables. Nice children's menu. Dogs are allowed. Good parking. Definitely recommended and will return when next in the forest. Only a few miles from the Sandy Balls mobile home site. Affordable prices

Friendly staff, delicious food, best new York sandwich I have tasted in a long time, the soup was so good 👍

Amazing Sunday roast highly recommend best roast dinner we had in a long long time great accommodating staff very friendly

Lovely country pub, good portions of food, cosy, and attentive staff...

Not being local to area, our friends booked Sunday lunch here. Old style pub with an up to date attitude! Great food and service, Try it! 😀

Food was average. Starter was good which was Camembert but burger was quite disappointing as overcooked. The chips weren’t much good either. Staff friendly though!

Good food and friendly atmosphere 😉

As always, an excellent meal, friendly service and lovely surroundings.

I came here with a friend for fish and chips. I had 2 bits of fish and one was fine but the other was so overcooked and rock hard that I couldn't eat it. I complained to the server and heard absolutely nothing back. I guess the chef didn't want to address it or didn't care. It was £18 so I would have expected better food for that price. On the plus side the server was so lovely and friendly and made us feel really welcome. We have been coming for years but also had a bad carvery in October where the meat was undercooked and the vegetables rock hard. I gave feedback on this which again was not addressed. After coming here for years I will not be returning due to the standard of food declining.

Beautiful food, very friendly staff and chilled atmosphere.

We went for a xmas meal with family the food was OK the Brussel sprouts were rock hard needed cooking longer!!

Amazing food, had the lamb shank and it was full of flavour and falling off the bone. The Nash potato was also one of the best, if not the best mash potato I've ever had. Creamy and delicious. Had the banana banoffee waffle and it was exquisite. Very, very good pub. Always go here when we stay in the new forest.

Very disappointed to arrive to find Roadts no longer being served. Someone should say when booking on a Sunday.

Had a meal for 10 of us and it was excellent. The staff were very friendly and the food delicious. It was our daughter's 50th birthday and it was a nice family gathering

We arrived here for our first anniversary Meal a Sunday roast. Service on arrival was lovely got seated straight away a family meal behind us but we didn't mind the noise to a point. We ordered and had a glass of wine and beer, had to go to the bar and get which was fine. The food come out within 10 minutes now I'm all for quick service but that was a bit too quick. No options for veg so we got parsnips, red cabbage, carrots and a random bowl of cauliflower and cheese with broccoli??? Not being funny no one really likes this so extremely disappointed with veg. Then the potatoes were cold, waitress was lovely run and got us more I had 4 potatoes and replacements were boiling and only 3.... Then I said my husband's were cold he had 5 initially which were replaced by 3! I give more ketchup to my 3 year than I got for gravy! Oh and these amazing roasts were £17!! The only decent thing was the Yorkshire...... Well over priced I wanted a steak initially but not for that price. We had two drinks ate the food and left very very disappointed. Won't be returning or recommending.

Lovely Sunday lunch, portions are huge, we over ordered on the creamed spinach when the included vegetables were more than enough. Most of us went for the triple meat option (Turkey, Lamb and Beef) which did not disappoint. One of the party went for the rack of ribs and couldn’t finish them. Puddings were beautifully presented. Service was prompt and we were checked twice that all was well. Definitely will return

Great food and wonderful service. Very friendly nothing too much trouble, food was great, can recommend the Bobotie

Really nice pet-friendly pub, great food and lovely service.

Came here twice during a short break whilst staying at a nearby Airbnb. Lovely food, very cosy pub with the nights drawing in, and friendly owners. Steaks, mac'n'cheese especially recommended.

I like this place. I have only been twice in the last couple of years. The food has been good and it is an nice old pub. Pleasant staff. I would like to go back more, especially in the summer, it looks like a great outside space. I had veg Thai curry which was really well balanced, full of veg and bice and warming. My daughter had the lamb, mint and pea pie, the meat was soon soft, but overall it was too salty. Will be back for more experiences!!

Having seen lots of South Africans rave about this pub over time, we were passing by last weekend on the way bk from Salisbury and stopped in for some lunch. Staff were friendly, pub very dated, menu limited. I had the Babooti & rice which was sooo dried out I could not digest it. My partner had fish and chips. The mushy peas was pure liquid slosh. It looked disgusting. Service was very slow considering it was not very busy at all. The table next to us was a family with totally out of control screaming kids (not crying just running amok). Totally unpleasant experience unfortunately.

Disappointed with the cost of LUNCH. We had a chicken curry and my wife had a burger. She had a pint of soda water & lime and I had 2 pints of Beer, total cost just shy of £55. That's alot for lunch! Food was good, service was ok, little atmosphere

Atmosphere was good because we were sat with friends. Food was good, sadly we sad in the middle of a creche/kindergarten, parents nowhere to be seen Won't be visiting again.

This was our second visit & we were not disappointed. Staff are so welcoming, friendly & helpful. Food was delicious & great portion size. We will be back.

A friendly atmosphere great surroundings with very polite and helpful staff great food. I had the burger and chips my wife had the fish cake and chips. Burger has to be the best I have tasted my wife said the fish cakes were amazing. Would definitely eat here again.

The food was delicious. service good and friendly

We booked this for a family members birthday lunch. The 4 of us all chose roast dinners. The lamb was undercooked as was the roast vegetables and potatoes which were all anaemic and hard. One of the party is a vegetarian, a vegetarian roast option was not on the menu but on asking was. One of the party has coeliac disease and needs gluten free, there was glib assurances that the gravy, vegetables and chicken would be GF, however dishes of vegetables in sauce were dumped on the table with no indication if they were GF or not. That person subsequently was ill so cross contamination procedures could not have been followed. Once the meals had been served, no-one checked to see if everything was OK so we didn't have the chance to raise our issues. A very disappointing meal and experience.

Great food, good atmosphere, will definitely return

Brilliant garden. Food was amazing. Staff exceptional

It really is a gem of a place great food and enough drinks to be happy amazing outside space to rear

Very easy to book online. Excellent menu with all the pub favourites. Traditional pub atmosphere in doors. Friendly welcome by the staff. Waiter service to the table which we liked. Food was tasty and reasonably priced. Interesting sustainability project in the garden with a hydroponic greenhouse where they grow their own produce which tasted fabulous.

Badly let down on service. Arrived 6.30 with grandchildren. Ordered quickly. First course took an hour to arrive. Main course another hour. Unprecedented. Spoke to the owner after who was very apologetic and waived all charges. Fair play. Give them a chance. Food good. Garden pleasant.

As a vegetarian I am often left with little choice but this is not the case at the Bat and Ball they have a really good selection on menu and on the specials board! I can highly recommend this pub ,........... We visited again to celebrate my daughters exam results and everything once again was delicious and our waitress was lovely, once again I highly recommend the Bat and Ball

We had Sunday lunch, roast beef with all the trimmings. It was very nice, although there was a lot of fat vains on the meat that needed to be removed. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Prices are standard for the area.

We absolutely love this place, the food is amazing and so friendly, definitely our favourite place to go

We stopped here for lunch on a trip to the New Forest. The pub and garden are delightful. The food was delicious. The four of us all chose a different dish but were all equally impressed by the quality. The staff were lovely and nothing was too much trouble. I would definitely recommend a visit, you won’t be disappointed.

Good atmosphere and a large, impressive pub garden setup. Service more than up to standard but let down slightly by a flat (and vaguely vinegary) pint of local ale. Expected to be busier on a Friday night on the main drag to Salisbury, so a blessing and a curse. Fries arrived quickly and were tasty. We will be back!

Excellent service, excellent food and great atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Bellissima sosta nella vita per Salsbury. Anche veg

Food, service and decor all good. Nice outdoor space. Plenty of parking. A bit expensive but never disappoints. Especially like that they grow their own in a polytunnel in the garden, making for a very tasty salad!

Burger was nice but nothing overly special. Probably wouldn't order it again. The beef was quite dense and dry and the pretzel bun was also quite dry. The french fries and onion rings were lovely though. We had passion fruit pavlova for dessert and it was gorgeous. Nice and fresh and full of flavour. Would definitely order again. Service was absolutely fantastic, all members of staff were really great. Would like to come again and try other bits from the menu.

Fantastic food and excellent service. The weather wasn't great for our visit unfortunately but we sat outside under cover (we had dogs with us) and they put the heaters on so it was very cosy. The food was amazing. Will definitely be returning.

Great Sunday roast - the child's portion was plenty for me. Despite being busy the service was very prompt and friendly. They also welcome dogs and use produce grown in the hydroponics place at the back of the garden which you can wander around. Hard to resist helping yourself!

Great food steak and ribs. Massive portion ribs. Ollie was fabulous waiting on. Two happy old girls going home for siesta