The Cowherds in Southampton

La peor hamburguesa que se haya comido... quemada casi sólida, con patatas fritas duras como calentadas desde ayer. Se le ofreció un reemplazo, pero no quería arriesgarse y luego algo de dinero después de solicitar esto ... debería ser el reembolso completo estándar para la comida tan horrible y caro ... ¡alrededor de £ 18!

Mi familia y yo fuimos a los Cowherds para el Domingo de Pascua. Todo fue increíble! Tabi nos hizo sonreír y reír mucho; nos cuidó muy bien

Ambiente encantador en este pub de los 17 - cientos. Servicio amable, comida tradicional de pub con un toque europeo, y ten cuidado - sirven porciones muy generosas.

Me encanta todo sobre los vaqueros, la decoración es buena, la comida excelente y el servicio de primera categoría. He visitado tres veces en las últimas semanas y no dudaría en recomendar este lugar cálido y amable.

Una familia de noche absolutamente fabulosa fue tenido por nuestra familia en los Cowherds. Un precioso pub restaurante de campo idealmente situado en el Común, teníamos una reserva de mesa preestablecida para 8 , ya que puede llegar a estar muy ocupado aquí es recomendable reservar con antelación pero no imprescindible. El servicio de mesa por Keirah era 1 clase de calle, amable, atento y eficiente y ella hizo nuestra noche, gracias Keirah 😊. La comida era caliente, atractiva y muy sabrosa. ¿La única desventaja de los Cowherds? ¡Demasiadas grandes opciones de menú significaron que fue difícil hacer esa selección final! 😉 La mayoría de nosotros teníamos algo diferente y todos estaban deliciosos, (sí nos probamos unos a otros) Con todo, los Cowherds no podrían haber hecho más para hacer de esta una noche maravillosa para recordar. . . gracias 👌👏

Pleasant greeting by the bar staff. Excellent service from Leonor. Food was good. The time the food took to get to the table was slightly longer than expected. Easy to park on site, very nice venue. Overall an enjoyable experience.

Food is always delicious! Warwick was super friendly and helpful!

Lovely sunday roast! Food was delicious with the chance to get gravy top ups which was a big bonus! Will definitely be returning 😄

Great burger and great service from Leonor!

I’ve always loved Cowherds for its great food and lovely ambience, but my recent visit was really disappointing. After placing our order, we ended up waiting for over an hour with no update. Eventually, we had to remind the staff ourselves before the food was served. It’s such a shame, because I’ve had good experiences here before, but this level of service really lets the place down. I hope it was just an off day, but it definitely affected our overall experience

Had a really good meal, served by Leonor. Excellent service, just the right amount of attention and friendliness. Good vegan options.

Leonor was the waitress who served me. Despite having constant pressures from several guests who arrived at the same time. Nothing was ever too much. Attentive, polite and hardworking, I was very pleased with the service.

Thank you Sophie, you were great! Very attentive, great service.

Both had the seabass which was very nice. Great service, served by Sophie who was really friendly and attentive. Good experience:)

Excellent service from the staff, especially Jade who was attentive, friendly and helpful however the food was terrible. The chicken burgers were really poor quality with hardly any mayo and chilli jam and such a plain looking plate of just burger, no garnish or anything else. Chips had been hanging around the hot lamps for ages as they were old, barely warm and just unappetising. The same goes for the Veges that came with the pie. Completely unappetising. Chips were quickly rectified, but overall really poor quality food considering the price being charged.

We had a family meal today, 13th April, 6 of us. Staff were polite and helpful. The food was excellent.

Luke was great! Had a nice table of 7 folks. Great service - alway attentive without asking. Drinks always filled. We came back 3 times this week! Food was amazing as well. Highly recommend!

Really nice atmosphere and a great place to meet with friends. Had a great service from Leonor (Thank you). Really recommend it.

Best food I have had in a while

Excellent food and attentive service. Especially Luke

Appeltiser was super bubbly as were the staff:)))))) thank you

Great burgers and drinks before the Saints game.

Excellent service and good food from Luke And staff. Great pub

Excellent food staff always friendly Especially Lexi and luke

Food was great, no complaints! Our server Luke was very lovely and helpful!

Lovely pub here I am always made to feel welcome. Excellent food and drink as well

This is our local pub and we frequently pop in. Very good on the whole, occasionally you might get some slow service. There's a nice atmosphere and the food is pretty good with plenty of options.

Lovely spot on the way to Southampton. Friendly staff, plenty of parking and good food.

Leonor was absolutely fantastic!

5/5 for pint of beer sat out on table while kids in playground lol

We’ve been to this pub a number of times so decided to book in this afternoon for a little bite to eat. When we arrived the pub was not busy and we were greeted and seated very quickly. We were the only ones in the dining area. When we sat down a waitress came to take our drinks order and was very pleasant but then a man approached her and politely asked where he could sign in his car as he had parked and was outside (not a problem to us) she spoke to him quite rudely like she couldn’t eh bothered to answer him which we found really uncomfortable and she just walked off? When we got our drinks we started to look over the menu as we were the only ones in the cowherds dining area we decided we might like to move to the bar side and just have some snacks and have our drinks as there was more of an atmosphere that side, I got up to let the bar know and buy our drinks when the waitress started following me asking where I was going? I advised I was going to pay for the drinks at the bar and she kept saying I didn’t need to do this and she’d take my order now but I said I wasn’t ready and I then advised I also needed the toilet which was a little comfortable as she was still following me. I then went over to the bar and the lady at the bar was really nice let me buy my drinks and advised I could sit anywhere with my partner. When going back to the table the waitress had a bit of a pop and said “well you didn’t need to do that did you? I will still be bringing food over that way anyway?!” I advised we just wanted to change and it was nothing against her. We both moved but felt really uncomfortable with these encounters so just had our drinks and left. We’ve never really had this before there and it was a really odd and intense experience. We probably won’t be back for a while.

The place has a relaxing ambience and the food was delicious, especially the skewers. It was a busy evening but Luke provided excellent service. Has a great location and more customer parking than I expected.

Thank you to Harry for the help at the cowherd. I came in with family the other day. And what a happy bubble person you are. You helped us with the many allergy/ intolerance my family have. Your knowledge and passion shone through you. I would highly recommend this pub for any occasion great atmosphere and the slow cooked pork belly wow was amazing.

We had a fantastic experience this week at The Cowherds. Upon arrival we were told the pub and restaurant was short staffed but we did not mind. All allergies were accommodated respectfully. The food was lovely and the service we received was fab under the given circumstances- a particular shout out to Harry who worked exceptionally hard to man the front almost entirely on his own! A credit to the pub! Thanks

I recently visited The Cowherds Pub in Southampton and had an outstanding experience, largely thanks to the excellent service. From the moment we walked in, the staff were incredibly welcoming and attentive. Harry, in particular, stood out as being exceptionally friendly and professional. He made sure we had everything we needed, checked in with us regularly, and even offered great recommendations from the menu. His positive attitude truly elevated our visit, and it's clear that he genuinely cares about providing top-notch service. The atmosphere at The Cowherds was equally charming, with its cozy, traditional pub setting and warm ambiance. The food was delicious—everything from the starters to the main courses was perfectly cooked and presented. We particularly enjoyed the hearty, comforting dishes on offer, which made for a satisfying meal. With such attentive service from Harry and a great selection of food, it’s safe to say that The Cowherds is a spot I’ll definitely return to.

An exceptional Sunday Roast from start to finish! I was warmly greeted by Harry on arrival who was friendly and attentive throughout our experience. Our drink order was taken and arrived promptly and he was very accommodating to questions about the food. The roast had all the trimmings and lashings of Gravy that we had requested. All in all great vibe, cosy atmosphere and wonderful staff. I will be returning!

Harry was lovely and really helped us choose between the desserts!!

The beat roast dinner spot in Southampton. Great service received by Terry. Would highly recommend

Great service from Lexi... Great Sunday roast. Will come again

Really disappointing Took my parents here for Mother’s Day lunch. Ordered main meals for us and just soup for my parents (as they had a dinner booked elsewhere later) They ordered soup with brown bread. When it arrived it came with white bread and the waitress was very rude. She just said - we don’t have brown bread anywhere in the pub so we cannot give you that- (we had hoped this would have been mentioned when ordering…) She was also quite aggressive in her tone. To add insult my sons braised beef sandwich then arrived in brown granary bread, so we were clearly lied too.. Food was quite good but this really ruined the experience..

Excellent food, great service from Luke!

Very nice pub with good quality food

4 of us enjoyed a Sunday lunch here a few days ago. Luke did a great job looking after us. Food was good and nice and hot. I'm sure we'll return!

Lovely food and great service from Harry. So kind and friendly, couldn’t do enough for us! Thank you!

Great food, friendly staff and lots of atmosphere

The food was scrumptious and the service impeccable. Warwick our waiter provided excellent service, attending to our every need. He was attentive, friendly, knowledgeable and courteous. Will definitely be going back there again.

Nice and friendly bunch working here, tasty Sunday roast albeit a little bit pricey. Definitely recommend.

had a lovely walk and roast today, food was LUSH! pork belly, beef and turkey literally so tender - and we all know how easy it is to overcook those three lol. Luke was excellent, on the ball, just a great customer experience!

Great service from Luke and fab food. Highly recommend.

I visited The Cowherds a couple of days ago, and as someone who had never properly been to a pub/restaurant setting like this—much less alone—I felt a bit timid at the start. I asked a bar member a few questions and was met with a superbly kind tone and informative answers. I was then guided to the seated restaurant area, where my server, Lexi, showed me to my table and provided a menu. From the outset, the service was excellent, accompanied by a warm welcome. As aforementioned, this was my first proper visit to a pub restaurant like this, and I wasn’t sure what to order. I asked for suggestions and truly appreciated the receptiveness and assistance in choosing. I ordered the Chicken Liver, Apple & Cider Brandy Pate served with hedgerow chutney and toasted ciabatta. Following the recommendation, I opted for the Slow-Cooked Pork Belly, served with a pulled pork & apple bon bon, creamy chive mash, green beans, and crackling, all accompanied by a red wine jus and a side of fries. Along with the meal, I had 2 pints of beer. Admittedly, I asked quite a few questions of the waitress, but she answered them all very well, seemed extremely well-informed, and was happy to help. Throughout my time at The Cowherds, Lexi was very attentive, ensuring that I had all I needed. I also observed her serving other customers in a phenomenal manner, adjusting to their specific needs and requests, while ensuring each table was satisfied. The food arrived in a reasonable time; the plates and food were served hot, with presentation and taste being impeccable. I chose to follow up with a mango, raspberry, and coconut milk sorbet, which, again, was excellent. Overall, I found the experience to be outstanding and will most definitely be returning, bringing friends along with me. Although the food may be somewhat pricey, I believe the quality and overall experience more than justifies it. As someone who has worked in service and restaurants a fair bit, I must say that Lexi was amazing and truly made the experience all the better.

Went for Sunday lunch. Will not have it again, roast potatoes were not roasted some veg was like rock and others were stodgy, meat was ok but a bit cold. Must say I have had other meals and they have been fine. Will go again but not for Sunday lunch.

We were served Liv... She was fabulous... We don't need to ask for anything... Great service and amazing Sunday roast. Will come again

Very dissapointed. Waiting a long time at the bar to order drinks, where we were not permitted to order drinks instead ushered to our table where we were ignored. Ordered through the app, drinks took around 30 minutes to arrive, food almost an hour. When it did arrive one meal was entirely missing as were the sides. The meals which did come out, one looked like it had been thrown together, and one was stone cold. Went to the bar to enquire about the missing meal as the 4 meals which did arrive took over 20 minutes from the first meal to the 4th to come out, the 5th meal eventually arrived after asked about this, but sides were missing. No condiments available, no cutlery available this was anotjer trip to the bar to ask about, no pudding menus available dispite the main food menu prompting us to view the pudding menu. The staff were polite but it appeared very poorly managed. No one appeared to know what they were doing, the almost constant soumd of things being dropped and broken rang through the place. Very dissapointed indeed

Will like to start with the bar staff and service staff done the best they could. Think they where understaff or there was little management on Saturday night. The amount of broken glass that night was a bit extreme. We order on the app for me and my partner. We were a part of 5. 2 drinks turn up and 5 mins later mine and my partner turn up. We had to ask about the other pint that never turn up. My burger turn up with a different ticket and my partner never turn up u till 10 mins later. I order the special burger and paid 50p more for the better chips. Think half mine got lost and next to no mayo on top. My partner chicken was cold. One other burger turn up that look like it been dropped and his partners meal never show up until we ask at the bar. Between the first meal and the last it took over 20mins. The price you charge I expect a better service. I do think you should employ some more staff as the one need some support.

Food and service were amazing. Terry served us and was so so helpful, nothing was too much trouble. Highly recommend Cowherds as a family friendly pub.

We waited 2 and a half hours for our mains to arrive

First time enjoying a Sunday roast here and the service was lovely from our waitress Leonor as she was very hospitable and made sure we had everything we needed. We would definitely come again to enjoy the food here.

Very good food, everyone enjoyed it. Took a while as they were busy, but well worth the wait.

Food was tasty atmosphere was fab and Luke our server was great, friendly and attentive.

Very welcoming and great service. Thanks to Luke and Tabi for their hospitality.

We came at the end of a really busy day amd we still received excellent service and delicious food. Dog treats and water available so our small pooch was made welcome too.

Everyone so friendly.. Dog Friendly in the bar end. Advised to book weekends .. Lovely Meal. Great service. Was served by Sophie.

Luke are server was very good and our food came out quickly so that was nice . Was attentive and asked if we needed more drinks when are glass were empty . Good food as well so would happily come again

10/10!! We ordered a roast dinner and couldn’t fault it. Yorkshire puddings and gravy packed deeper so no sogginess, piping hot, huge portion of meat. It was all so full of flavour. Would definitely order again.

We had a meal here with friends served brilliantly by Keira. It was all tasty and nicely prepared. A great place to stop for a meal. Easy parking off the busy Avenue and adjoins the Common. Top job!

I love the historic old pub, adjacent to the Common. The food was excellent as usual. Service was a little slow but only because they are so popular. Liv and Leonor who served us were lovely and took the initiative to provide a high chair for our baby without being asked.

Kieran was brilliant! Amazing food and service - would definitely recommend.

It was very busy tonight and we were warned food may take longer than usual. Appreciated the heads up and Luke our waiter wad a gem. He clearly stood out amongst the staff.

As usual a great meal with a special friend

I have only visited the bar section of this restaurant and haven’t explored the food, so this review is strictly about the bar experience. The place has a great whisky collection, but the service was disappointing. I visited on a Friday night and ordered some expensive whiskies, expecting a proper experience. However, the bartender served them without telling us which was which, which was frustrating. Since it was my first time there, I didn’t want to make a fuss, so we just guessed and drank them. I had put in a lot of effort researching places with good whisky, asking around on Reddit, and finally settled on this spot—only to be let down by the service. I was hosting a gathering with friends, and this experience left me feeling embarrassed. I didn’t want to start an argument or have a passive-aggressive conversation with the bartender with my guests around, so I let it slide. For the second round, I even asked a friend to place the order instead, just to avoid dealing with the same issue again.

Leonor was such a great server! Had an amazing time. Not giving a 5 star review because there were a lot of stuff in the menu that weren’t available

I’ve been here a few times and the food is always so good. Just had such a delicious Sunday roast. Staff are lovely, we had Leonor who was very friendly serving us. Will happily come again :)

Superb Sunday dinner. Food very good. Service was excellent. Everything was delicious. Accept blue light cards for a 10 % discount too.

We had a fabulous meal at the Cowherds (Sunday roast)… great food and excellent service (thank you Leonor) Would recommend.

Weekend lunch with our son and his girlfriend who are at Uni here. Keirah served us and was great. Food is good and very good value. Limited salad selection but the one they had was nice. Menu otherwise is extensive. Garlic prawns excellent, the skewers were excellent. Doom Bar bitter was well kept. Nothing at all to complain about. Has a huge park next to it for dog walking.

We booked a table several days before travelling down to visit our son at uni. That afternoon checked the emails and had a message that table was cancelled for no reason. Went online and rebooked. Staff not very welcoming, no greeting, table not ready. Had to order at bar and pay up front which was annoying when you want another drink mid meal. Food came out in 2 lots a few minutes apart. Heard good reviews but unconvinced and won’t go back.

Lovely food and excellent service as always. Served by Luke this time, thank you!

I come here every week with friends and LOVE it. lovely staff lovely drinks and food good location.

The bartender Jade was so so lovely

Best pub we go, we go at least once or twice a week for the long islands and the guiness. I recommend a lot.

Service is great, food amazing! Lovely atmosphere.

Food was perfectly cooked, staff was friendly and served with a smile and the atmosphere was cosy. Didn't get to sit close to a fireplace so maybe next time 😊

It was so cosy after our cold walk. We loved the menu allowing us to have a Sunday roast or a good variety of other menu choices. All the food was excellent quality and Luke our server was really friendly and helpful. We couldn’t have asked for better service. We only wish you had rooms to rent too as we visit frequently to visit our son at university. We will definitely return and couldn’t recommend the pub/restaurant more highly.

Great food and service from Tabi. Highly recommend

Really lovely food, such friendly staff, really enjoyable Sunday lunch!

Totally disappointed with our Valentines meal. We were so looking forward to our meal as the set menu looked amazing. However we were told that our choice of food was not available as it had run out!! Not really acceptable to run out of meal choices when the menu was so limited. It was very busy and the table service was very slow waiting at least 15 minutes for drinks and having to remind our server. All in all really disappointing

Really impressed with the quality of food in this place, the quality is consistently a cut above usual pub food and the service is good too.

Agnes was an absolute pleasure, very grateful for her hosting and the food was delicious!!

Lovely lovely food although there was a bit of a wait. Luke was incredible, recommending food and checking everything was ok 👍

The the rump skewer was delicious! And the atmosphere was really nice. Luke was our server, and he was kind and gave us really good recommendations!

We had a lovely meal at The Cowherds. Our waiter Luke was very friendly and made sure everything was okay with our food and drinks throughout. The only thing was that we were waiting for our puddings for quite a while but Luke made sure to apologise for the wait multiple times! Highly recommend :)

Went to The Cowherds for a Sunday roast. Warm welcome, but that's as good as it got. Just under an hour for our meal to arrive. We were informed that this was due to them being busy, but this was a lie, the waitress put our order in incorrectly. When the food arrived the beef was so fatty that I couldn't eat any of it. Due to the wait my kids and wife were past hungry and left the majority of their meals. I informed a gentleman that I guess was working there and his response was like that he didn't care. Then when we went to the bar to pay we were asked if we wanted to leave a tip, no we don't. The only tip I will give is to people to avoid. There are much better places for a Sunday lunch than this overpriced pub.

It’s a really nice pub, whether you’re looking for a stop at the end of a dog walk or a meal. The food and service are generally very good. We were served by Luke today and he was excellent all round. As others have said, the toilets let the place down and could do with a lot of TLC.

Warm, welcoming, service was friendly, welcoming and attentive by all the staff especially Luke our waiter.

It's not the cheapest and certainly not the most expensive. So far, the food has been better than just ok. So that's saying something these days.

We went last night for a family dinner. Typical place with suggestive dishes, Luca very attentive and precious when consulting the menu.

The skewers were fresh and delicious and pricing really good. It was a beautiful pub and dog friendly. However the pork belly was overcooked and served with butter knives, so my granddad found it difficult to cut. The female bathrooms were also really run down, and there wasn’t even a lock on the stall.

Should of written this review awhile ago as my family had a Boxing Day meal here and it was absolutely amazing from the starters the mains to the desserts. I had the duck which was absolutely delicious could go on forever 👌The staff were brilliant atmosphere was great will definitely be returning 👍

Good food and excellent service, also pretty good value

Great food, served super hot despite how busy they were, and lots of it at a reasonable price. The real stand out though was our server Gemma who was really attentive (without being overbearing) and really friendly and helpful. You could tell she loves her job, which she also confirmed. Better service than I’ve had in much pricier places. Not been to the Cowherds for years but after that experience I will be back! Thanks again Gemma!