The Dispensary Kitchen in Winchester

My husband and I had passed the Dispensary Kitchen a few times, the food always looking delicious. When we did stop there we loved it! The lamb burger was our favourite. The menu wasn’t vast but everything we had was really good. The staff were Delightful and Engaging, which added to our enjoyment. Refreshingly there was no service charge added but we were very happy to tip the staff. Highly recommended

Myself & my partner visited after checking it out on line, It was not very busy at all on our visit & we were served promptly by welcoming staff. We both ordered a Diet Coke , beef burger for my partner & vegetarian burger for me. Both came with a side of fries. The food didn’t take too long to come & we both really enjoyed them. The flavours of the vegetarian one was really really good. My only downside was eating the burgers are messy & the waiter said he would bring some more napkins & never came back, (not great when they were not busy) 100% would recommend this place for the food which is really tasty.

Great chilled out atmosphere, friendly service and the food is so good. Lamb burger recommended with extra avocado and jalapeños. Such a great evening out. Can't fault it.

Very simple menu but enough choice, good service, nice decor and music. Best burger I’ve eaten in 20 years. Simply tonnes of taste in the bread, pickles, beef - all slightly different from the usual thing. Fantastic fries also. Like firveguys in terms of freshness but x1000 better. Excellent value.

Walked in on a gamble and won big time. Burger varieties with attitude. We had pulled chicken, speciality cod and pulled pork. All Excellent and absolutely fab chips. Mulled wine superior. Only comment is could have used more sauce on the pork which was slightly dry. Sure if I’d have asked, they’d have obliged but I was too busy eating!

Just came in for a drink - they do a good range of cocktails, wine by the glass and local craft beers, service was very quick and friendly.

We had a lovely meal, the burgers were absolutely delicious. They came a bit slow but it was Friday evening so probably that's why

Cake today at The Dispensary as always was amazing, banana and strawberry, good coffee and super nice server - Nyle. He was friendy and helpful, chatted to everyone, happy to move chairs around to accommodate and nothing seemed too much trouble - great service.

Probably the best burger I’ve ever had in my life ! Amazing! Was more like pulled beef than a burger, but was delicious. Fantastic too you could add a number of extra items depending on your taste. I been singing it’s praises all day. Even the staff were great !

Wandering around Winchester and unable to find anywhere for a drink and a snack. Happened to walk into the Square and there were a couple of places. This was the first so we took a seat.Very attentive (but not intrusively so) waiter took our order and presented two fabulous pieces of cake (mine was coffee, strawberry, pistachio and some other things) that were absolutely delicious. My partner attends Slimming World and remarked that the person who came up with their motto (something about about the pleasure of losing weight can't be matched) hadn't tried that cake (rhubarb and cream I think she had).A truly excellent coffee for me and a breakfast tea in a wonderfully small pot, which was refilled with water and still produced a good colour second cup, for my partner.A really good al fresco snack that was superb and with tremendous service. The waiter was exactly what you want, vigilant but not annoying. Appeared just when needed.All in all a wonderful little place. We will return.Just to note that payment is contactless but tips must be in cash. Take some with you, you'll want to tip!

I have been cooking in fine dining restaurants and privately for the best part of a decade. I only mention this because I want to emphasise the review in which I am writing. I enjoy eating out regularly but this is the first time I have ever felt that I need to tell people about the experience I have had. I’ve just had a chicken burger from here and quite simply it was the best burger I have ever had. The effort and precision that has been put into it is nothing short of exceptional and whoever made it clearly had a passion and love for what they are doing. The attention to detail from the bun to the relish to the box it came in was perfection. The bacon was incredible and the fries were cooked just right. I want to thank them and hope that anybody else in the within. 100 mile radius of this place takes time out of their lives to go and eat here. Thanks again, all the best.

My wife and I dropped in for lunch, on a whim on Sunday 13th about one o clock. We were very lucky to get a seat and had a lovely view over the cathedral green. Our staff member was very helpful and attentive and we ordered from the breakfast menu, my wife had some eggs on sourdough ( I wasnt really paying attention as I was wolfing down my eggs Benedict paprika/chrorizo creation it was fantastic, lovely colour to the egg yolks, nice bread and a rich creamy sauce. We had teas, and I even tried the hibiscus which was not my usual choice but tasty never the less. The cakes on display looked lovely, and some tasty looking burgers passed our table however I was completely satisfied with our choices. Next time were in the city will will definitely go there again. 10 out of 10.

Popped in at midday for brunch. Sat by the counter, service was slick and food was delicious. Mr L had full breakfast and I had the breakfast burger. Both were gorgeous. Will definitely return for lunch soon.

After the disinterested staff at the Ivy what a joy this place was. Nyle are lovely waiter could not have been more welcoming helpful and friendly. Our lunch was excellent corn fritters were divine. Will definitely return. Keep up the good cooking

Got takeout Burgers - AMAZING, one stuffed full of pulled pork and another slow cooked brisket, so delicious and generous in every way. Recommend recommend recommend!!!

Amazing food, good service, even more amazing coffee! Lucky to have this gem on our doorstep for a fab lunch or brunch. Go, go, go!!!

We stopped off in Winchester for a spot of lunch and are very thankful we picked this beautiful restaurant for lunch. We arrived after the lunchtime rush and staff were so polite and friendly even after a busy period. The food was phenomenal- we had the pulled pork burger and the veggie halloumi burger and both were well worth the visit! Thank you to the new hires in the restaurant for your great service!

Nice tasty breakfast. Avocado on sourdough bread with salmon. The waffles were good too. Will come back.

Amazing food. Super friendly staff. Well worth a visit. The cakes are amazing! You really have to visit this restaurant.

The menu is creative and the food is beautifully cooked. As vegetarians, we were spoilt for choice from the menu. The location was amazing, we were overlooking Winchester cathedral. Our waiter was friendly and seemed to genuinely care. The Dispensary was a wonderful discovery.

Coffee (including iced coffee) was great as usual. Cakes great as were the poached eggs. But... waiter constantly touched and lowered his mask as well as touching his face and then handling the plates of food! Please correct this so we can come back soon!

Breakfast in The Dispensary Kitchen is a must. Sat in the window, overlooking the Cathedral, with a locally roasted coffee was lovely. Then the 'Full English' arrives, and it was delicious! Everything was packed full of flavour, even the things no one really likes such as the obligatory tomato. Service was friendly and attentive. Tables were also well spaced out, with hand sanitizer on the tables too. Fantastic, and we will be back!

Fancied a cuppa and a slice of cake which looked delicious. Banana, mango & carrot to name but a few. Still busy with late lunchers. Staff very chatty, friendly and bubbly. Nice views to cathedral. Share a slice of cake if you are not massively hungry because it’s huge! Only off put was mini milk jug cracked and chipped and the single white tea pots need a quick rinse in bleach as they are badly stained. A tad off putting!

We stopped here for lunch after a tour of the cathedral. Great soup and wonderful eggplant and zucchini salad. Nice desserts!

Often have quick lunch in Dispensary Kitchen, great food , nice wine list and friendly service Consistent quality ! Thanks

I absoutely love this place. The menu is just so clean, modern and new. Really a cut above the norm and doing something just a little different. It's a quirky layout inside but staff are friendly and helpful on where to sit etc. And the food is up there with some of the better meals I have had in the UK. What a gem!

Popped in for breakfast. Had the mushrooms and spinach on sourdough with poached eggs. Very nicely cooked. Also, really good coffee here.

Amazing place and lovely location. I repeat two time in the same week. Nice staff and lovely recommendations for the choice. Good food and good price too. It’s not be the last time I will back Im sure!

Hollandaise sauce from a jar Rip-off never come back what a disappointment this place is in the heart of Winchester never come back

Have had breakfast, lunch and dinner here. All good experiences. Food has always been tasty and I would say from a chef that understands flavours. Mainly gluten and dairy free options though they advised to call ahead for more variety in future.

Trying to find a place to have a drink and something to eat on a very wet lunchtime we came across the dispensary kitchen. The staff were friendly and helpful in finding us a table after a short wait as the restaurant was extremely busy.The food served was excellent. I had the soup of the day beetroot with coriander and sweet potato fries. Two had the chicken salad and one the pulled pork burger. All the dishes were so delicious and we finished off by all sharing a portion of home made cake selection.Cannot fault our experience and will certainly visit again when in Winchester.

Rudest waitress ever! On what planet is it acceptable to talk to a customer over your shoulder whilst walking away? She could be overhead moaning to the boss about another customer calling them rude. Literally incredible! On the plus side corn fritters were amazing!

I took my elderly mum for lunch. We didn’t feel too welcome. Boomy music ( some great tunes but they need help on acoustic setup), really irritating. Food: so so, slow. I think they are trying but don’t have the expertise. There are two pizza restaurants, both are yards away are a far better bet.

Disappointed in the response of management today. My daughter and I struggled up the steps With her pram after me finding somewhere to sit so that pram was out of everyone’s way. We were starving, it was raining outside so we just wanted to relax, only to be told we could only have cake sitting on the sofa and would have to move to another table if we wanted food (most frustrating that I have eaten on the sofa before). Unfortunately the pram would have been too large and only got in everyone’s way and the table he recommended was taken by the time he got round to suggesting it. We left feeling frustrated by the poor service, they were sadly not accommodating or welcoming.

4 of us ate breakfast here and it was fabulous! 2 full veggie and 2 full English. Couldn’t recommend this place enough-the breakfast’s were just fantastic-tasty and filing. My latte was delicious and the friendly waitress was amazing.

Was recommended to this cafe/ restuarant because they were one of the few in the town centre that were dog friendly.We only stayed in Winchester for a couple of nights but returned to The Dispensary on three seperate occasions, it was so good. The food, cleanliness and service was excellent. The staff could not have been more attentive and welcoming, The cafe does get very busy at times which in itself is an indication of a well run establishment. Top marks all round. We will definitely make this place our number one destination on future visits to Winchester.

Four of us were staying in Winchester for the weekend to visit the Xmas market. We went here for breakfast on both days as the breakfasts were delicious. The food took a while to come out but were definitely worth the wait as freshly cooked using good produce and were well presented. The waitress was very friendly and attentive. We would definitely be regulars here if we lived locally. Very good value too.

The worst coffee shop in Winchester No customer service and no customer relation. Very rude waitress. And the miserable boss Never go back I would recommend it to anyone Food fresh from the freezer

No idea why there have been bad reviews!!!! The waiting staff were great and had a sense of humour, the menu being short means food is freshly cooked (the corn fritters with poached eggs, feta and beetroot ketchup was so tasty). Really good coffee too and they know how to make flat whites!!!! Furthermore it is dog friendly (not that we had a dog with us but there were 2 well behaved ones there when we visited)

We haven’t been there for well over a year as it wasn’t great the last few times we went. This time it was really nice. I personally don’t like the coffee served in glasses thing, but great coffee and food. Really nice surprise and good they are back to what they were when they first opened.

Great homemade cakes with special recipes not given away to us mortals and not too sweet thankfully - delicious! Lively and thoughtful staff, we had no complaints. Good views of gardens etc through one side. My Earl Grey tea came in a weeny pot that a) poured and b) was loose leaves with a nice stainless strainer. Proper Mrs Miggins style! The food menu looked fab but remember they stop serving main food at 3pm. We'll be back!

I went to eat to this small restaurant, great place to eat. For those people who are looking for a very charming place to eat, this is the one, the food is good, I think they really apply quality vs price. The service is nice as well. I loved the bakery options that they have with a really nice cup of coffee. Delicious!

The most rude rude place every. Service is so poor the owner of the place including her waitress see how long they’re going to lost some of the competition. Awful

Really impressed with the food at the dispensary kitchen. Great views of the cathedral too. A slight refinement if the staff would give it a 5 star review! staff would give it a 5 star review!

Looks like lovely place but when we asked waitress if they did snacks with the alcohol drinks she was extremely rude and stated they just sold cakes.

Popped in many times for coffee and cake (carrot cake is the best) but today enjoyed a lovely lunch, so many lovely choices on the menu it was difficult to choose, both the warm coconut chicken salad and sweet corn fritters tasted fantastic, finished off with a coffee and upside down pear cake, absolutely delicious.

Tasty brunch . Mushrooms on sourdough toast . Great table overlooking the cathedral . Busy but efficient & friendly staff as usual .

EVERYTHING was a disaster: the food, the service and the atmosphere!

We are here a few days ago for breakfast, we were seated quickly with food menus but no drinks menu. Maybe we should’ve known but The macchiatos here are very tiny, if we had known we wouldn’t have ordered them. The food was all very nice! The veggie breakfast was especially good! The service here was quite mixed, at the start they were very attentive but as the meal progressed became very slow and inattentive I assume down to busyness. The rose cake was lovely apart from the dry bottom layer and the orange cake wasn’t for me ( a bit rubbery ). We all had a nice experience just a few things that need a bit of TLC!

Went for a couple of coffees and a piece of cake for a business meeting. Nice location off the main drag in Winchester which can get extremely busy so a welcome quiet area. Coffee was strong and full flavoured and cake was delicious, moist and a decent sized portion. Not the cheapest but good quality. Table service was a bonus. All in all, well worth a second visit

Been waiting to try this restaurant. Till one morning Me and a friend went in for breakfast, I ordered breakfast waffle with strawberry and blueberry. I was shocked to see how bad the waffle was prepared. Very mushy and the waffle was hard. I have completely lost my appetite to eat. Id try somewhere else now !

First visit here for breakfast. I ordered the poached eggs with avocado on seeded toast with a side of mushrooms. My hubby had the special of poached eggs with smoked salmon on a muffin with beetroot hollandaise. We both enjoyed our dishes very much. Lots of flavour and loved the little seasoning to the top of the eggs. Staff were great lots of smiling faces and staff in kitchen singing along to the radio. The coffee & fresh leaf tea was good and if only we had room we would have tried one of there cakes. They looked delicious. We will definitely be back. Be nice to try in the evening too.

This restaurant is well situated in Winchester. It is on a back street off the main high street which made it seem quiet and pleasant so we chose to sit outside to eat. The menu had some very nice sounding choices and we were stuck with what to choose. We sat very content watching the world go by while we waited for our food. The service was very good although payment took longer than preferred. We were very happy with what we had to eat and the plates came out very well presented. When the bill came we were very pleased that it was very in expensive. Well worth a visit even if its just for a coffee.

Great coffee, amazing food with breakfast and lunch offerings that you choose all day. The also sell alcohol, so great to have some smaller plates with a bottle of wine. The chef is amazing and one of the owners. You must go.

A warm and friendly welcome by staff who sat us down in this well presented eatery with great views over the Square on one side and the Cathedral on the other. I ordered the vegetarian breakfast which was generous in portion with all great quality ingredients.

This looks like a small cafe but you'll be surprised to find that it serves proper food - with an organic unusual slant. They cater for vegetarian, vegan and dairy-free diets too.

Wow, extremely satisfied with our lunch. Took my mum for her late birthday treat. We had planned on going to river cottage but they were closed for team training which turned out to be a good thing.

Best cappuccino I've had in a while and the food was delicious and very high quality. Absolutely perfectly poached eggs.

Spot on flat whites and perfect poached eggs on sourdough and crispy bacon. Attentive but relaxed, friendly service. Well priced. Recommended.

We choose this cafe because of its great location, with views of The Cathedral but we really wanted a full English and we were unsure if this was the right type of establishment to do a good breakfast?

The 4/5 rating is for the food, location and atmosphere. I would rate the service only 2/5. To begin with, service was prompt and attentive but it took an eternity to get our bill and there was a further painful wait for a card machine.

Winchester is full of the ubiquitous chains all selling their versions of the big hitter dishes in fashion this year. The Dispensary had an exciting and individual menu which was hard to choose from because every dish was appetizing and original. I ate jalapeno and bacon waffles which were delicious. The special of black pudding benedict was also fabulous according to my friend. Even though I was full, I still had plate envy for the fruit plate and cakes whizzing past to other tables. The service was efficient and friendly and the price was fair. This was a real treat.

A drop in decision, made in haste repented at our leisure. After a wait of 35 minutes for our soup, bread and mushrooms on toast, the food arrived. The soup which was described as tomato, chickpea and sweetcorn was without exception one of the worst things we have ever tasted in a restaurant. Despite claims that their food is all freshly prepared, this was made of tinned tomatoes, tinned chickpeas and tinned sweetcorn with a spring or 2 of spring onion and a few leaves on top. I defy the restaurant to prove otherwise.

So disappointed. I have been to the dispensary several times for lunch and coffee. The food is very good but I have got to the point where I have to comment on the service. The staff are in attentive and seem incapable of taking orders. Once you have ordered you can wait quite a long time for food but the real issue is that the numerous servers walk backwards and forwards past you and no matter how hard you try to capture their attention they refuse to look at you or respond to ‘excuse me’. You therefore cannot order anything else (even if you are there for some time) or ask questions. I ordered a side said which did not come and tried to catch someone’s attention a dozen times to query and was completely ignored. I didn’t order extra bread but did get charged for it. Such a shame when the food and location are lovely and it could be great. The staff really need to address their attitudes and service as there are many similar places in town who are far more friendly

I go here on a regular basis because this place is just great. The coffee is so good, the cakes are beyond brilliant and the poached eggs with and avocado are utterly superb. The staff are really attentive and friendly, the atmosphere is relaxed and fun!

We visited for breakfast on a Saturday morning, and it's obviously a popular place; it was packed! We found a little table for two by the window, and enjoyed people-watching whilst we waited for our order. The food was absolutely delicious (the corn fritters were spiced beautifully) and staff was friendly and attentive, despite a full-house. Would definitely go back again!

My partner and I tend to come here for coffee or brunch when in Winchester so thought it would be a nice place to start my birthday.

We went into the dispensary kitchen and were told to find somewhere to sit so we did and then we had a ten minute wait for a menu. We ordered and to be fair the drinks came fast as did the food. Eggs were SO hard, rocket was quite brown but the waitress said it’s because it’s fresh? Confused. The dead rocket looked like the dead trees I was sat next too with off fairy lights. Does anyone there care that there are five dead trees? I think not. There is no atmosphere in here and the staff do not care. The Square, The Ivy, Forte Kitchen and The Orangery are much nicer to sit in and you feel much more welcome in any of these establishments. We were one of only two tables in here on a Saturday morning so I can’t see it being open much longer.

My sister and I had a terrible visit to Dispensary Kitchen yesterday.

Came here briefly for a quick coffee. The cappuccino was excellent. There was a fantastic display of delicious looking cakes but I am sadly on a diet. My table had a view over the Cathedral green. Staff are friendly and welcoming. The food menu looks great so I will definitely be back for lunch as soon as possible!

My partner and I came here whilst wandering around Winchester. The decor was lovely, as well as the toilets. The whole place was very well-maintained and our table had a lovely view of the Cathedral.

Zeer eenvoudig maar smaakvol ingericht met zeer vreindelijke bediening en overheerlijke ham of kip burgers speciaal van het huis

Both the coffee and cake in this cafe are amazing! The cake choices change regularly so you never get bored. The staff and lovely and friendly

I am SO glad I asked a local for a recommendation on where to go for cake. My friend & I ordered two slices, Chocolate & Stout and Berry Crumble, splitting each 50/50.

I love this place. The coffee is excellent and the food is colourful, inventive and delicious. They make all their own cakes and they are magnificent.

I really love this place! Simple decor, not chintzy or tacky, amazing food and the cakes are sooo good. There isn’t another place in Winchester that makes coffee as good as them. I particularly like the spinach side, because it’s fresh and not cooked until it’s wilted! These people have really got it right well done

We have been to Dispensary Kitchen several times & thoroughly enjoy it. However, when trying to book a table for my birthday we called over 10 times in one day, leaving the phone to ring for nearly 2 minutes with no reply. We also emailed and, 10 days later, we are yet to have a response. Ensured we checked phone no & email several times. Very disappointing.

We stumbled across this place after visiting the cathedral. We had no complaints about the furnishing (simple, but functional) and found it bright and lively. Our lunch (grilled halloumi salads) was very good as was the espresso aftrewards. Cakes look very good, but we did not try them. We would certainly return. Service was effective if a little slow.

Had passed the day before and decided to visit. What a fab place. Packed to the rafters you had to be patient but good was worth the wait. Great seeded sourdough, avocado and perfect poached eggs, and salmon equivalent. Both lovely (could do with a sharper knife to navigate the crust). Coffee good, service friendly. Couldn't eat the cakes on display, but they would be a reason to return to Winchester!

The Dispensary Kitchen is always busy which is a good sign. Tables are quite close together which makes for a vibrant intimate atmosphere. They do not have a front reception, so you often get people walking around trying to find at able which sometimes causes log jams.

I been here for food a few times, food and coffee is amazing (100% worth the price). However the experience is, unfortunately, ruined by the incredibly uncomfortable seats and plain interior. So much potential to be a fantastic restaurant/cafe in the heart of Winchester but it lacks atmosphere...

I visited The Dispensary Kitchen on my daughter’s recommendation. Lovely laid back atmosphere overlooking the Cathedral Close in Winchester. The food - well by far the best vegetarian breakfast I’ve ever had. I had to compliment the chef, Vanity. Only £10! Amazing!

Great flat white served with delicious cakes and pastries,now open for tapas on Friday and Saturday evenings, nice location overlooking cathedral

Saw pictures of the food here and really wanted to try, was a bit thrown by some of the negative reviews but decided to see for myself.

Lovely place and really nice atmosphere. Breakfast was very good but service is not too great. We had to wait until other people who came in after us had there Order taken first. I also asked for a glass of tap water when the meal arrived and I am still waiting! Another table just by us asked for tap water also and the6 had an instant response. This Is not a great service and we were very disappointed. Also had to ask 3 different people for the bill at the end. Sorry will not be back even though food is very good, the service isn’t half as good.

I’m really disappointed by the lack of adaptability by this place. I’ve tried to eat here twice since having my baby - now 11 weeks old and have to say that it’s the least accommodating place going.

Like a lot of places in Winchester it looks very nice but the service lets it down. It’s one of those places that tries too hard. A tad pretentious shall we say. The staff could learn to give service with a smile which would be welcome.

Came here for brunch had the pea and ham hock fritters.

Visited for my mums birthday lunch. Hers and my brothers breakfast burgers where fine, but mine and my boyfriends ham hock pea fritters where over fried and so hard and the amount of ham hock in there left a lot to be desired

Arrived for lunch today - sadly very disappointed. A simple request to remove avocado from one dish was not feasible apparently - the organisation requires review I’d suggest - one voted with one’s feet

The food is always gorgeous here, especially the lunches and coffee. The service is ok but could be better.

A friendly, quirky place. We ate on "high chairs" opposite the counter full of cakes and pastries. Yummm... I'm diabetic. The Chorizo Benedict was very nice and they serve really good coffee.

Love it here I had the Benedict and with the smokey hollandaise sauce made it even better Coffee on point too

I had a perfect eggs on sourdough toast with extra bacon, my wife had scrambled eggs. The ingredients were perfect with a proper big thick slice of toast. Lovely coffee and mango juice to drink.

We went for lunch and we had a really nice tasty lunch. This is a nice cafe with friendly staff and good cafe food. Ideal for a lazy late breakfast/lunch.

Had breakfast the day of the Santa run - Josies our first choice was full but there were lots of tables available here so we sat by the window. Lots of choice on the menu if you like eggs (often happens at breakfast) so I chose mushrooms on toast with spinach. It's a vegan option so I think would be tastier if mushrooms cooked in butter - toast was nice quality but dry as no spread and quite bland despite the chilli flakes, so asked for salt and pepper which improved it slightly. Husband's full English was good with quality ingredients but he was miffed to still be charge £1 extra for scrambled eggs when he'd forgone the tomato. Coffee was nice but small cups and no refills offered so would have been expensive with another coffee or juice.

Slightly pretentious. Chicken salad. Wierd wierd pickled cucumbers tasted of nail varnish. No gluten free cakes. Breakfast fruit plate is good though.

Have a coffee and cake her whilst overlooking the cathedral is a must. We could have eaten all the cakes on show as they were so mouth watering and were made with love and passion.

We chose to eat on an exceptionally busy Sunday lunch time, and therefore had to wait about 15 minutes for a table in the entrance hall. The waitress informed us the kitchen was closing in 20 minutes, but then took some time to return to take our order.

We’ve eaten there twice. The breakfast is superb – perfectly poached eggs are unusual and portions generous. Service friendly and excellent. We were disconcerted this time that it admits dogs – a personal dislike though I can live with it, but then the server was patting the dog and letting it lick her hand and went straight back to serving. This is unacceptable hygiene – though easily corrected by a strong word from management.