The Cleveland Bay in Test Valley

Great food, great atmosphere, great staff,best pub I've been to in a long time😁

This a a re-review as visited again and nothing has changed in 2 years. The food is below par and expensive for what you get. The nachos were absolutely shockingly terrible. Honestly check out Banana Wharfs nachos in Ocean Village they are incredible. The chilli beef had no flavour apart from the sweet chilli dressing, which the only part you could taste. The calamari looked terrible and the cost of it for what you get is really bad. The service was average and the atmosphere, well what atmosphere, one little speaker outside that you can't hear. To give this 5 stars you seriously need to get out more to some decent pubs and restaurants this is bad and could be so good. This place doesn't need wraps and pizzas like another reviewer stated, this place needs a full rethink of the menu and the kitchen staff because they can not cook or are not been given the go ahead to cook what they want. Non inspiring food, no taste, no freshness and simply boring.

Very nice lunch and lovely staff

Great place, friendly staff and good food.

Always a pleasure to have Sunday lunch at The Cleveland Bay. Attentive service by Ella and her co workers. Food was delicious, served hot and in a timely manner. Sad to see other customers embarrass themselves by being unnecessarily rude to the waiting staff. Thank you very much everyone. Looking forward to seeing you all soon and having lunch on Christmas Day with you.

reali lovely meal yesterday but menu boring it needs pizzas and wraps what a waste of lovely pub one sheet of a menu.

VERY SLOW SERVICE. Wouldn't recommend this place. The food was very good, but considering we arrived at 6.15pm and it took half hour just for some bits of bread to arrive, we should have known this was going to be a long evening. 7.15pm and started eating our main course. Ordered dessert around 7.45pm. At 8.10pm we gave up, cancelled dessert and asked for the bill. Over 2 hours we had some bread and a main course each. Every table suffered slow/non existent service today. We won't be returning.

Nice enough pub, staff very friendly and good service. Myself and my friend ended up sitting inside after a rat kept running from the bushes to under our table.

Lovely food, we called there on two occasions on the way home. Lovely varied menu with a range of food. Portions were a decent size too.

Perfect table outside! Booked for 5 of us including a 5 year old. Excellent service, food was good value and nicely presented. Really friendly atmosphere and perfect for a summers evening! Thank you all.

Edit for my reply to below: The visit was 28th July, and staff were indeed trying their hardest, I think its a management issue. Not having enough staff, and those that were there constantly needing to refer to managers/peers for help. Original post: The food was great. Staff were loverly. Unfortunately, the management have let them down on our visit. There were not enough staff, and the majority of them seemed a little green to working in the service industry. Not the staffs fault by any means, but this led to us having to chase them for service (25 mins after arriving) and our chase for our meals (another 25 mins) total of 50 mins befor being able to eat and this was a lunch time didnt seem overly busy either.. this may have just been an off day, but I don't visit enough to say if this is a regular occurrence. This won't deter me from going again.. just sharing my experience. We were a group of 3 adults and 2 children under 10.

Friendly staff, good pints and a nice garden

Another excellent evening with perfect service & lovely food. Hope Alexander got his A levels that he was hoping for!!

Nice pub with carpark, children's play area, dog friendly, and a log burner in the winter. Good selection of beers and lagers. Menu and quality of food is good, served by very friendly staff. 2024 new outside seating and revamped sports area.

Always love coming here for a family get together. Consistently good food and real Ales.

Me and my wife had a meal there Saturday, around early evening. To say we were disappointed, is a massive understatement. 50 minute wait without any explanation or apology. Food was dreadful, I ended up having to grab my wife a McDonalds because her meal was so poor. Service was shockingly bad too. Really wouldn't recommend for food. Shame as Wadworths do good beer!

Great family pub, excellent food at really good prices. Highly recommend. Welcoming staff. Hi

Very welcoming staff who were attentive and friendly. The food was delicious and well priced. We’ll definitely go back and soon.

Great food, service and best beer garden in Ford

another excellent lunch at the Cleveland Bay, they really are a family friendly pub, nothing too much trouble for the staff, always made to feel very welcome, brilliant for inside or outside dining, keep up the high standard guy's

Visit for a wake at the same time as a school end of year party. We were not told as far as I am aware Service was slow but they were very busy Seems like a nice place, very popular

My chilli con carne was inedible! Had no sauce whatsoever and the whole dish was stuck together as obviously been reheated/microwaved to death! It was actually solid in parts and crispy. My wifes side dish of cole slaw had a very runny mayonaise and soggy slaw so not a great experience for either of us. We asked for our feedback to be passed back to the kitchen and we heard nothing dispute waitress agreeing that the chilli looked awful. I would have expected an apology as i can't believe any self respecting chef would allow such a dish to be sent to a table! Won't be eating here again which is a shame as we like the pub.

Giving one star because I can’t give zero. Normally a decent place to spend a Friday night, but the speed of service is a complete joke. Walk to another pub & order - it will be far quicker.

We were greeted on arrival and our booking confirmed. Our dining preference was asked(in or out) and we chose the conservatory. The staff were very friendly and attentive and the food was excellent! We will definitely dine here again!

Pretty good but limited menu. Something for everyone, prompt service, courteous and pleasant staff.

Nice lunch with very tentative service, quite good value compared to other places. What I would expect to pay for a lunch, would recommend and will definitely be back

Booked for a party of 13 in the restaurant area. Even though the pub was packed ( due to the England v Switzerland match) the service was not affected, the menu had enough choice for everyone whether it was starters, mains or sweets so that all dietary requirements were satisfied. The total bill worked out at about £35 all in per head. No one left a scrap on their plates....not because the portions were small but because the food was beautifully cooked and very tasty. Despite there being 14 of us as a busy time....no one had to wait any longer than anyone else in the party for their meals. Plenty of parking too. Thoroughly recommend

Fresh food and tasty. Great service. Food was ok.

Good place with nice food and a good ambience

Nice meal in pleasant surroundings.

Nice food in a pleasant atmosphere with conscientious and helpful staff. Some portions are a bit small and more desert choice would be appreciated

Great atmosphere for the England game. Service, food, and drinks all great. Just want you want from your local!

Can I just say I fell as if I have been robbed I never leave reviews. But after paying £72 for what in my opinion is not worth no more £30 tops. The burger was taistless and with the opinionall pulled pork was still a poundland burger. My kids did not touch the pizza that looked the same as the cheap ones you get from liddle. At least the pint was cold. I would unless going for a pint AVOID this place for food. Just save your money go to macdonalds. Will be better. Very disappointing visit. Food is no ware near worth the money. Had a bad experience and the manager was like the price is the price. Quite rude to be honest. I will never return. Shame nice pub has potential but the food is nasty.

Food and environment were great. Just that we had an upsetting person to serve our table that evening. ☹️

Friendly atmosphere. Good food. beer is pricey

Great atmosphere, staff friendly and helpful. We felt welcome and relaxed. All had something different to eat and everyone enjoyed theirs. Menu with 'smaller plates" option is a great idea, perfect for those with a smaller appetite. Will be back soon!

Pleasant atmosphere, friendly polite staff and a tasty good value roast dinner. Family and dog friendly

Our waitresses and the service were Excellent. The meal was lovely and a large choice available. Will definitely be visiting again and would throughly recommend.

Excellent as always but come on no Apple Sauce available for roast pork.

17 of us went along to The Cleveland Bay today for lunch. The staff were amazing on the run up to our visit. 2 of the children in our party have PKU and the manager was very accommodating in making changes and letting their Mum bring along their own pizzas. Lots of other restaurants just say no. All staff were helpful and friendly during service. The food was delicious and everyone enjoyed their meals. The children enjoyed the play area and the garden. Would definitely recommend ⭐️

Daughter booked a table for my husband’s birthday and because the weather was hot we were allowed to put tables together outside rather than sit in the warmer area inside which was where we had originally been placed.The young male member of staff that served us was extremely helpful and accommodating making the whole visit a very relaxed and enjoyable experience. We will come again

Alexander was our waiter and so friendly and helpful. Amazing service and food was great too. We will be back.

Location. Menu choices. Availability. Staff. Food quality. Service. Drink choices. Outside seating.

Katsu curry really good, along with beer and gin. Service attentive but not overwhelming. A really good night out, would recommend

First time back in here in 20 years. Still nice pub, will definitely be back here to eat.

Food great looked after well. Enjoyed the experience. Thanks

Very nice food. Pleasant decor. Friendly staff. This is our second visit. Won’t be our last

Excellent service from lovely polite and helpful staff. The food was really good and quite quick as well which was great for a working lunch

The roast dinner was generous and also tasty. For the price, I thought it was good value for money compared to other places. It’s been a long time since I went to the Cleveland Bay as I didn’t think it was very good the last few times (at least several years ago), however I think it has really improved and I would go back based on my visit there yesterday.

The team managed to save a birthday celebration for a party of 12 at short notice as our venue had been unable to fulfil our booking. Great service and food. Thank you.

Lovely restaurant with great service plus tasty food! One of those pubs where you feel welcome from the moment you walk in and it's perfect for families. Highly recommended!

The staff were friendly and helpful especially ensuring that my friend's meal was gluten free. The veggie choice wasn't that great but what I had was tasty as were the other meals.

Just a nice family and dog friendly pub with reasonably priced food. They have football on so can be quite noisy and quiz nights too.

Having come to visit southhampton for just 3 days we decided to stop in the Cleveland bay for a quite drink and dinner 2 adults and my 3 year old daughter . There is a kids playground which is well maintained and safe for kids . When ordering our food my order was taken by Ella. A VERY NICE YOUNG WAITRESS WITH GREAT MANORS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS . our food arrived pretty quickly . But a burger that was ordered with no cheese turned up with cheese . We quickly asked Ella to see if she could change it to one with no cheese . She sincerely apologised and went to rectify the problem with the kitchen as it was there mistake. Having it be the end of her shift she had just finished but continued to wait for our replacement burger to be ready just so she could bring it out . Wow. She went above and beyond and we would just like this message to reach her and for her to be proud of herself. Thank you to Ella and the team at Cleveland Bay. 5* review all around from me

Very busy restaurant, but you'd never know it, by the attentive and quick service we received. Friendly service as well, which is now more infrequent elsewhere. Food exceptional! And well priced. You set the bar very high for others. Thanks. See you soon!

Great service, atmosphere and food as always, thank you!

Solid local pub, friendly staff. Worth a visit.

Lots of parking and lots of outdoor seating. A family friendly place serving a nice selection of drinks at the bar and good food from the kitchen. They were able to cater for our large party of 12 with no issues or delay so will be returning soon.

Food and service great, great atmosphere. Only thing which would have made it better would have been to have sausages on the kids menus.

We enjoyed the free family fun day, the kids loved seeing the Shire horses and playing on the bouncy castle, we missed music with mummy this time but that is also great for the kids. Food was excellent as always and service good. EDIT: We have since returned and had our daughters 1st birthday and Naming Ceremony here a big party for 40+ people. Lovely food, great atmosphere, the staff our so nice and helpful 😀

Very nice place fish and chips lovely, had crumble for pudding the crumble itself was like powder nice very nice

My wife and I had lunch here on Easter Sunday. There was lamb on the menu which I had. My wife had the beef. The portions were extremely good. The meat was very tender and tasted really nice. The staff, as usual, were friendly and efficient. Highly recommend this for a lovely Sunday lunch. Well done

Lots of cover incase it rained outside. Very busy so took a long time to get drinks, food and even ice lolly puddings

Good quality food reasonably priced. Fish & chips were so good 👍

Lovely family orientated pub. Staff were pleasant and polite. Food was about mediocre.

What a wonderfully welcoming, well laid out pub/restaurant. Service was good, food was amazing! Great value for money. We most certainly will be back ❤️😊

Great pub- amazing for families Clean and welcoming and food is great! Good lunchtime menu and lovely gardens and park

Four of us went for lunch today and it was really lovely, can’t fault anything. The food and service were excellent. Thank you very much.

We had a great Saturday lunch here. What an amazing place. Very big inside. So many individual rooms here. There was a birthday party in one part. People watching rugby in another part. We had an alcove by the window. The waitress had gone out of her way to find us a quiet table as our Mum struggles with background noise. There was a great atmosphere here. The staff were all brilliant. We have been here a few times and always had a wonderful dining experience. Very good menu to choose from. Best to book beforehand as it seems very popular. Parking: There is a moderate sized carpark outside but extra parking is available just behind it.

Staff lovely -accommodated us way before our booked time -food lovely however we had to ask for the accompanying sauces (part of dish description) and the nachos are way overpriced-tasty but too expensive!

Service was quick and staff very nice and welcoming. The food was really good and tasted like a home cooked roast.

Great place to visit, very friendly and helpful staff. Didn't have food, so I'm not able to give an opinion on their food, but I would imagine it's very nice.

Had a lovely meal here; the food, service and atmosphere far exceeded our expectations. Everything was perfect and we will be visiting again soon!

Good range of beers and a comprehensive menu. Chips are fab. Well worth a visit if you’re in the area. NB updated the review as somehow I reviewed a different place.

Great service, delicious food and really accommodating. Server Alexander couldn’t have been more helpful with our fussy hangry kids.

Great food, friendly people, pleasant environment

I had a party of about 26 and the Cleveland bay staff were so accommodating! The food all came out together and tasted amazing! Everyone had a great experience! The staff were so kind and helpful all day! 100% recommend for any small function or just a meal! 10/10

Good food, good atmosphere and service and always made to feel welcome. All down to the excellent landlord and landlady, and of course Dave.

Had my 50th birthday celebrations here and couldn’t have been better ! Staff were amazing and the food was perfect 🤩 We were lucky enough to stay for the comedy night too, which was great 🎭 😂

Staff very helpful and friendly. Good selection of drinks and food excellent, especially the fish and chips.

Lunch today was thoroughly delicious. Service very friendly and helpful. Will certainly be visiting again soon.

Good food, good wine and good company of our good friends. Waitress lovely cheerful girl

Friendly service and tasty HOT food

Dinner for 11 persons was excellently accommodated for various food intolerances, showcasing their impressive knowledge and attention to detail. The food quality was top-notch, complemented by attentive and friendly service from the waitstaff. Notably, the gluten-free fish and chips for a coeliac customer (I am coeliac) were exceptional. The fish was delightfully crispy, the fries perfectly done, and the creamy mussy peas were a particularly delicious highlight. Willing to visit again. Thanks for a fantastic dinner.

We called in for a refreshing drink after a nice walk nearby, it was around 3.30pm and it was very quiet inside, outside was abit noisier as there were a couple of family's with children in the play area. But that's what it's for, and it's nice to see people having family time. As mentioned, they do have a nice outdoor seating area, some out in the open, and some under a large gazebo shelter, with patio heaters too. There is also a small play area for children so this place has a real family atmosphere. Staff and very polite and welcoming too. Bathroom Facilities well decorated, and looked after, clean, and no nasty smells. We didn't sample any food on this visit, maybe next time.

Lovely family meal at lunchtime. Food was amazing and service was fantastic as always!

We had burgers parents had roasts .food was excellent good portions for the price . Food was served well by waitress and food was piping hot . Deserts were excellent also sticky toffee pudding is to die for. Also restaurant and bar very clean . Wine glasses immaculate also . The outside is very tidy also considering its middle of winter in february . Our visit was spot on. Thank u to cleveland staff. Keep up good work.

Decent size pub showing the football, Sunday lunch was lovely, kids menu was also good and the deserts were well above average. Not only that, the wife was paying so it was a free meal out. We didn’t have our dog but it is obviously dog friendly. All the servers were very young ladies, all of whom had confident friendly personalities, they were really nice and efficient. Real ale choice isn’t bad (4 on), though they stopped doing Doombar! I’ll probably go back when I am in the area.

Lunchtime catchup with friends. Excellent service & good food

A great pub ! Excellent menu, fantastic drinks choice and a gorgeous garden for when the weather is nice. Their menu changes periodically so don't become too attached to any delicious dish cause there's new delicious ones on the way !

Lovely meal, as usual staff lovely and a very good atmosphere, we really love coming to the Cleveland THANK YOU TO EVERYONE

Good staff, good food, once discovered, you will want to return, Tucked away, not easy to find, off the main drag, but worth the journey to find the Cleveland Bay at Chandler's Ford.

We had a party for 20 people and had preordered their hot buffet and reserved a section of the pub. Can’t fault anything. We had access early to decorate and staff were excellent keeping everyone’s drinks topped up. Food was delicious. A great place to hold a small gathering. Thank you Cleveland Bay

Friendly staff, especially Alexander, great food

Very good service and good food.

Visited for two gluten-free Sunday roasts, and I would definitely recommend them! The food was delicious, they catered for gluten free food incredibly, the staff were all friendly and helpful. I couldn't fault anything and will return there for sure again one day. P.s. I would recommend the gluten free brownie with chocolate ice cream, the best gf brownie I've ever had!

Long time for food and then not great for 14 pounds

The menu here is much improved - plenty of delicious things to choose from. I had Chicken Milanese, an escalope of chicken with Palma ham and mozzarella. It was served with dressed leaves and chips. The service was friendly and attentive. I would visit again.

Deservedly well reviewed for family meals. Large, well lit dining area, varied menu and tasty food. Also has a bar area with Sky sports on a big screen but manages to keep both zones separate enough for both to be enjoyed.

The Cleveland Bay is a fantastic place and highly recommend it. Lovely food, welcoming staff, great atmosphere and brilliant children’s play area. They are also so helpful with food allergies which means the whole family can eat there. We feel very lucky to have a great place on our door step.