The botley brewery and Hidden Tap in Eastleigh

What a fabulous little find! The Hidden Tap is small inside with lots of character. They have a lovely outside area with a log burner and pretty lights. My husband and our dogs sat outside toasty warm on a Novembers night. The staff were so friendly and made sure the logs were topped up on the fire and our beer and wine glasses. The Hidden tap is a must to visit.

Great night out! We went for a curry night. We tried all the curries between us and they were all delicious. Enjoyed a selection of very good beers too! Such a good night!

Lovely visit today with some ‘women in business’ friends. The tapas style food was just perfect for a light lunch with a cheeky glass of Rose wine! Thank you for having us. X

Great beer, brewed on site. I regularly pop in for take out beer which is amazing. In the summer it's a lovely place for a pint by the river. You can even visit by canoe.

Amazing Gem hidden in the Botley Mill. Great selection of ciders and locally brewed Ales. Food is lovely. Great atmosphere and very friendly welcoming hosts. It’s a home away from home.

Local brewery fantastic range of ciders for those real cider drinkers. Alongside their own brewed local ales. Food is amazing, especially their themed evenings. We attended the Goulash eveing was top quality. So if you get a chance ask and get booked on they are extremely popular. Hidden gem. A must visit if you are in the local area. So friendly you will find yourself coming back again and again.

What a fabulous find. Loved watching canoeists and paddle boarders ring bell to order their beverage and to have Landlord and staff deliver it via a pulley tray down to the river. What a fantastic idea. Nice flavoured ciders and the samosa snacks were yummy. Seats alongside the wall to the river and some others outside as well. Just be careful of cars coming along behind you as you sit on the bar stools!

Pretty location and friendly staff. Good for an evening out, especially if the weather is nice. Good quality brew. So I would rate it well in this regard. Unfortunately, the experience was ruined by being served a PCN. There is no parking information on The Hidden Tap website. I found information stating "2 hour free parking" on a different whatpub site, but this is apparently outdated. There are many parking signs around the Mills, but with differing information (e.g. specific to shops or to "Permit Holders Only"). The parking meter is also indistinct in a corner. So depending upon where you park, you may not realise the exact parking rules relevant for you. It would instead be far better to have a single big master parking sign next to the meter. We honestly thought that we could park free for at least 2 hours, especially since we are paying customers. But this is 'private land'. I suspect a lot of this falls on the operator Ocean Parking, but it left a sour aftertaste. So watch out for parking.

Great experience, food fantastic, beer is amazing. Ambience is superb, the owner has great banter and knows his stuff. Cannot recommend this experience enough!

We had an appointment at Botley Mills, so we looked online to see what else was on site. We were very pleased to find that there was also a microbrewery on site. We popped down after our appointment & was greated by the very helpful & pleasant Nicolette. I had a pint of the HPA & my wife had a pint of the blood orange cider, both were throughly enjoyed. Unfortunately we couldn't stay for too long as we had a taxi booked, but we managed two pints each & chilled out whilst sat outside by the river. We intend to return in the near future to look at doing a brewery tour with other family members.

Amazing place! Perfect beautiful view of the river and all the birds etc. Really great selection of cider. We got some of their beer to take away which was delicious! I had the hot dog which was sausages from the butchers next door which was lovely! My partner had the panini which was also really good, very generous with the fillings! Friendly bartender who was also the brewer. We will definitely be visiting again! The tables on the wall by the river is a great touch.

Well what can I say... I was wandering through Botley village and remembered being told about this little micro brewery that was situated in the old Botley Mill. Upon my arrival at this quaint Tap Room, I was greeted with a beaming smile from a young lady whom I later learned was called Nicolette. I could see the place was very busy and she told me that she was just serving and would be with me in a moment. True to her word I was served within about 2 minutes. Having never been there before, she gave me the low down on all the beers and ciders that were availble and guided me into my first pint choice. I tried the HPA as I like a dry hoppy beer. She seemed very knowledgeable of her products. Nicolette then set up a barrel table and a chair for me, as all the river seating was taken. I sat quietly and then was joined by another customer who often came there, but asked if they could sit with me as it was busy. We had an enjoyable conversation. A beautiful sunny day, lovely, friendly atmosphere and tasty beer. I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon ramble, so much so I visited with my wife and friend that same evening. I was given the same warm welcome from Nicolette and another young lady called Alex. This time we were seated on a bench table and enjoyed some beer and Meon cider and a variety of crisps.... pheasant and Wild Boar... no ordinary crisps! As the evening drew in the fire was lit and we were given blankets to keep the chill out, we chatted, drank and listened to the music coming from the bar. We had the pleasure of talking to several regulars including Sarah and Kevin and Jim. They made us feel very welcome also. Coming from up North, I am amazed at how this tap room made me feel like I was at home! The two young ladies running the place, (whilst the bosses were away) were professional and welcoming. Nothing was too much trouble! I will definitely be making this place my local, and I just want to thank Nicolette and Alex for the warm welcome and their smashing service. It made for a wonderful day/evening in a great setting. To the bosses on holiday, you left your business in fantastic hands. They did you proud!

Brilliant secluded find! Always service with a smile and amazing selection of ciders and ales, some from their own brewery and premium selected guest ciders or ales. Love to come down here most weekends (and occasionally week nights too).

Absolutely love this place, so much I come back more then I should, the owners are lovely and the regulars make you feel at home and the beers and ales are out of this world, if your bringing in family friends or the boss it’s a great place to be, the views are just as good, would advise anyone to come here 5⭐️

First and foremost, the ale is second to none. I've been enjoying the various ale offering for some time now and you're never disappointed. The venue is set in a genuinely unique place. Nice and quiet in the grounds of a former millhouse and right next to a river. Always lovely people there too. Meg and Rob (the owners) and Nicolette are all lovely people and will ensure that you have a great time whilst you're there. Plenty of options for the none-ale drinkers as well so don't be put off. Dog-friendly with water bowls and treats available! 👍👍

Great in every way! Meg and Rob are so friendly and can really have a decent chat with both, drinks are great (especially the Wildern red😋) foods brilliant and generally just a great place to go.. can’t word it well enough so just go and see for yourself you won’t regret it!

A wonderful find that I don’t really want to share 😊 A fantastic tap room, micro brewery with a superb selection of ales . Hidden in the historic Botley Mills with views of the river. Nothing is too much trouble for the hosts Rob & Meg who have worked so hard to continue during these troubled times.  We will be back soon.

We visit the Hidden Tap regularly with family and friends and are always made to feel welcome, with lots of little personal touches like treats for our family dogs and blankets when it’s cold. When we first discovered it they’d only just opened and Meg gave us an impromptu tour of the brewery. The beer is good, the location lovely, with a warm and friendly atmosphere - what more can we say?! Thank you Meg and Rob!

Such a great place to chill out by the river and enjoy a lovely cider,have visited here a few times and always have a good choice of cider and local ales on offer.really nice casual and friendly atmosphere,definately worth a visit.

Visited the Hidden Tap this evening in Botley, and what a little gem it is. Made to feel very welcome by Meg and enjoyed a very relaxing couple of hours with a few ales and wine. Will definitely go back soon, a warm and informal...

I am not really sure I want to write this as it may encourage more people to come here. We have been coming here since it opened and have become a permanent fixture. Rob and Meg are the friendly owners and brewers. They have there...

A very lucky find, hidden away at the rear of the mill. Extremely friendly and welcoming owners combined with an amazing selection of real ale brewed on site and local ciders without a drop of "largur" in sight. I ended up with a selection of...