The Carpenters Arms in Basingstoke and Deane

We were a group of six for Sunday lunch. Two of our party were delayed, the Manager reorganised the bookings to fit this in. The food, service and room were excellent and a thoroughly good time was had by all.

We had a good pub lunch here. Chips were the best I've had in a long time! Service was great.

Food was absolutely delicious I personally had the mackerel pate to start really nice very generous with the pate really really nice. Then I had the sirloin steak and that really was amazing and personally I love rump but this was soo good perfect portion peppercorn sauce was banging. Sticky toffee pudding with custard too finish perfect pudding to end a lovely evening. The pub is really inviting lovely inside not too modern but lovely and comfortable inside. Staff are very polite and attentive. The pub is so perfect for every occasion. I must say all the food I saw coming out the kitchen looked absolutely delicious. You could tell it was freshly prepared and the meat was quality. Big burgers, tasty looking fish and chips the bervette steak looked really good I'll certainly be coming back. Thank you all for such a great evening really impressed 5*

Clean and friendly new Owners James and Alex are fantastic company and are making improvements on what in my mind as good as it gets. The food it great and breakfast is fantastic. Keep up the great work and look forward to staying again.

Amazing little country pub friendly staff great atmosphere great food

We booked all rooms at the Carpenters Arms for our son's wedding. All guests felt very welcome - including the one who forgot to check in! A member of staff waited up for him after the pub had closed and didn't make him feel a nuisance at all. Everyone was very kind and friendly and both mornings we had a great continental breakfast. Thanks for making our stay so enjoyable.

Really nice pub. However, the dreadful "music" that is constantly playing in the bar is a real turn off. It seems like some radio station with awful music and endless commercials. Why why why? This banal nonsense is spoiling an otherwise lovely pub. Staff are always lovely. Update on 01.10.24. Internet says you are open..you are not open.. Heard you are closed Monday and Tuesday? So bad. If you don't want to run a pub, then do something else. You deserve to fail for treating customers this way.

I loved my cozy stay at the Carpenters Arms in late August. The room, comfy bed, setting, pub and restaurant made for the perfect stay. It was also very conveniently located near Highclere Castle. Looking forward to next time!

Absolutely wonderful rooms and pub - and beauty of the countryside. Thank you all so much.

A lovely pub with a beautiful view from the beer garden. Our Sunday lunch was so tasty and the staff were friendly and professional. Very dog friendly too!

Really delicious food! Good BBQ spare ribs (meat falls off the bone), but other things are also very tasty. E.g. Eton Mess

Want to say a big thank you to Kirstine Simon and all the staff for making my daughters 16th birthday a fabulous one on Tuesday night ... we had such fun with the quiz .. Well differently be coming back

We chose the Carpenters Arms so we could visit Highclere Castle. Upon arrival we were greeted by two cheerful members of staff who were so friendly and asked about our reason for visiting (in a very pleasant manner and not oh no more Downton Abbey tourists!!) We were some 4 hours early for check in and understandably our room wasn't ready so we got a couple of drinks and sat in the picturesque beer garden and enjoyed the view. We were shown to our room which was so full of charm and uniqueness. The gentleman showed us around the room pointing out the essentials including complimentary snacks tea coffee and water it was a win as the rocky road bars left were delicious. We booked a table for dinner and wow the food was tasty and such good value for money. We were lucky to have booked in on a quiz night and what fun it was. We were initially worried it would be a serious quiz and we may do dismally but the quiz was so well constructed everyone had a chance to get some points on the board. Andy the quizmaster was welcoming too. We even managed to come second which was a great achievement for the pair of us. As there was also a 16th birthday celebration the same night we even got offered some cake which was a bonus We then had a wonderful night's sleep and woke up refreshed and ready for our breakfast which again was tasty This place is a real gem and so close to Highclere Castle so much so we will be back again next year. The Hopeful Two Lincoln

In the area visiting the vets with the dog. After finishing we fancied a roast so found The Carpenters Arms on our way home after browsing pubs that were dog friendly. Staff were really welcoming and greeted our dog aswell. Started with a nice latte and Diet Coke. Food was amazing👌🏽 trio of meats roast (for myself) and a beef roast for the wife. Sides of Cauliflower cheese, stuffing and pigs in blankets. They also have gluten free options so will definitely return with the kids. Nice outside areas and a fenced off area for the dogs also.

Excellent location. If you're visiting highcle castle. The food is amazing, make sure you eat whilst staying.

Staff were amazing, couldn't have been more helpful. Lovely surroundings. Buffet was amazing and the chargrilled veg with hummus was too delicious. Couldn't fault it. Shame one has to drive to get there!

Nice quaint shop. Unfortunately, damp, unheated rooms. Food below average. Friendly servants

Lovely pub welcome in what clearly a blend meeting needs of locals , travelling and food needs. Good basic menu covers most needs and nothing too fancy IMO. Staff quick and attentive keen to please. Well done. Looks to have a play area outside too.

Nice staff but very slow food and good on arrival. Shame as the food would have been tasty.

Extremely comfortable rooms, old style! Wonderful humerus manger!

Not great food or service. Ordered at the bar and asked for our food to come out together,as we were with friends and paying separately. Unfortunately we were left waiting for our food while friend ate. The pub wasn't that busy and plates where left for a while before clearing, when going back in to order pudding we were told the kitchen was now closed. Would of been nice if the staff cleared the plates and gave as the heads up. Very disappointing for what is a lovely country pub.

Just had a family lunch at the Carpenters Arms on a hot and sunny June weekday. Have to say that the food was disappointing, expensive for the below average quality. The only good thing was the ribs, the rest was overcooked or and oddity - why would you deep fry halloumi for a 'healthy' salad? Anyhow you can do better somewhere else I'm sure.

Stopped for a pint. Has a car park and garden. Food looked good

Nice little hotel. Clean rooms, friendly and professional staff. Food was excellent (highly recommend the fish cakes followed by crumble) and good parking. Ideal for what I needed - an overnight stay with work.

Beautiful country pub. Food was delicious. Service not rushed

Lovely evening out at this country pub. Amazing "proper" food, not your chain restaurant stuff. Lovely food, great service and a very very nice atmosphere. Will definitely return here if in the area again

Great service from friendly staff at reasonable prices

Beautiful food and friendly staff

It is lovely here ,will come again staff very friendly x the room it fabulous clean and very nice 😀

A very friendly pub in a beautiful location. We were a large group of walkers and the staff went out of their way to accommodate us, providing tea, coffee and freshly baked cookies. We were fortunate to have a glorious spring day and sat outside on the deck. It was a real sun trap with lovely views.

Stayed here for the first time today and was pleasantly greeted by friendly staff on arrival and showed to my room, the room is clean and tidy with all you would need for a stay. Ate in the restaurant area of the pub very well decorative and food was spot on. The staff that looked after me where Molly and Annalize friendly and nothing was to much to ask. Will definitely visit again

Lovely venue, nice food and friendly staff 👍👍

1st time here. Arkels beer was in good nick, definitely worth stopping for. Menu looks good. Will come back for food another time. Seems like a friendly proper pub with food.

Very nice. Very spacious and confortable rooms. Food was good (dinner and breakfast). Perfect location and view.

Waiter was excellent, catered to our every need, brought more bread when we asked and the most exquisite water. If he’s not the manager he should be. I think his name was Jack.

Simply the best birthday ever the rooms were great the food at the party was immense and the staff couldn’t have been any better thank you once again Simon and Kirsten I would highly recommend you guys to all my friends cheers

Visited with friends on a Friday night, booked a table in advance. Arrived on time and seated promptly, although we were seated by the door from the bar in a nearly empty extension to the original pub, so asKed to move to a another table, no drama and drinks order taken which arrived in good time. Ordered food no problems and starters arrived quickly and were very nice, that's the end of the good and it all started to wrong! 1, The burger was overcooked and cold 2, no service once the meals were put on the table 3, drinks spilt by waitress and did not return to clean it up, we had to do it 4, we gave feedback for the burger in a friendly manner and the waiter ignored our table for the rest of the night 5, had to go to the bar and get further drinks as the waiter ignored us sti 6, would have had a dessert if we were offered one 7, the waiter advised that he was too busy to look after our table 8, the table next to us also complained Due to some of their meals being delayed as they ran out of roast potatoes half way through their service 9, the waiter had no customer service Skills and certainly could not deal with people rather than ignore them It started so well and had so much potential to be a lovely meal for our group, the starters were fantastic and good size. Most main meals were tasty and good size portions. Sort the service out and you'll have a great venue with decent food!

First time here at the dog friendly Carpenters Arms this Monday evening, the room was perfect. With fellow country sportsmen in the bar early evening made for a good time. The evening meal was delicious, as was the breakfast, quality. The people running this place both in the evening, and at breakfast were fantastic and a credit to this establishment.

Only had beer here so far. They have warm and friendly staff. Looking forward to trying the food!

Went for Sunday lunch. Great atmosphere, family friendly staff, kind-of-ok food. I think we might have been unlucky on the day because everything else was nice but the meat was rather tough. The staff weren't expecting this and took a couple of items off the bill.

Good was good and plentiful.. Desert was a bit pricey for the amount you got but can't co plain about the main course.

Great bar/restaurant with plenty of space for all. Indoor or out. Outside theres a deck area and a tented area with heating and tv. The garden is spaciouse with a play area and a dog only zone

We have been traveling through Europe for a month. This was our last stop before flying back to America on Saturday. What a lovely place, just what we needed. Breakfast is included with the room which is served in the conservatory. The grounds are beautiful. Our rooms are roomy and quite nice. There is even a pub on site that serves up great food and drinks! Staff are all very helpful and friendly. It's even a pet friendly establishment. Wonderful place to stay.

Update - October 2023: went here for Sunday lunch with the family and it was very good. Food was good quality and generously portioned with unlimited veg (although we couldn't manage what was served initially so didn't ask for seconds). Prices for food were reasonable. The puddings took a little while to come out but were absolutely delicious so we weren't complaining. It also gave us some time to avail of a couple of the games that are provided (I'm not sure what the other diners thought of us playing 'who am I?' at the table but we had fun regardless...). There aren't a huge number of seats in the dining area (or the bar area for that matter) so it's best to ring in advance to reserve a table if you want to be inside. There is a covered and heated outside area that more than doubles the capacity but probably not best for winter time (unless you're pretty hardy...). Overall it's a lovely, homely pub with friendly and attentive staff and definitely worth a visit. We'll be back. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Great family and dog friendly pub. Food is not the cheapest but is superb quality. Have eaten here several times and never been disappointed. The staff are friendly and attentive without being overbearing. Have great indoor and covered outdoor eating spaces. The pizza oven is an impressive feature and looking forward to sampling at the next opportunity.

Quaint and cute! Staff were great and a delicious breakfast was included with our room. The only drawback was that we were on the lower floor and it was quite creaky with other guests walking around upstairs. Best part is that it was only about a 5 minute drive to Highclere Castle!! A must stop for Downton Abbey fans.

Lovely setting and great value food. I had the Sunday roast chicken £15. A large bowl of fresh veg was accompanied with this too and extra gravy on request. Loved it. 😍 2 of my friends had the trio roast dinners. All came with a huge Yorkshire pudding, perfectly cooked. When next in the area, I'll be back! X

We had our wedding here on Saturday and it was truly amazing. The team at the Carpenters absolutely smashed it with the service, incredible food and attention to detail. It was everything we hoped for and more! Thank you so much.

A great place to stop and eat on the A34. A fairly broad menu and a good set of drinks available. The food came in good time served by friendly and efficient staff. The pub was cosy and comfy and somewhere that certainly met our needs. Very happy to stop off there again if we're travelling back from a long journey. Thanks Carpenter's Arms!!!

Changing my 5 star review that related to a wonderful visit 8 months ago down to 1 star after a visit on 22nd July 2023. Food was absolutely abysmal, front of house staff all still good but I guess there wasn't any one in the kitchen that could cook any more. The menu available on-line was maybe from days gone by and when I questioned it I was told they did not have the ability to update the website. Maybe it has been now but I won't be going back there ever again to check! Spent £34 in taxi fares as it was so good the first time I wanted to linger and enjoy a few of their great beers, expensive mistake. Ended up ordering a burger, what could possibly go wrong with that I thought, took one bite and sent it back! Tiny cheap burger fried to a crisp. Made to look massive by being held together by a large wooden skewer but not decently filled. Oh, and the prawn salad starter was a watery mess. They would literally have to pay me for me to ever return and even then, why bother?

Fantastische pub op prachtige locatie. Heerlijke omgeving om te wandelen (highclere castle, beacon hill). Heerlijk geslapen en heel lekker gelegen.