The Elderflower Lymington in New Forest

Went back to The Elderflower for a Birthday Lunch,great experience. The Elderflower is tucked away down the quaintly cobbled Quay Street at the bottom of the High Street, just a few minutes from the main car parks in Lymington. Service was a s always friendly,engaging, and knowledgeable. We opted for the Chef's 7 course taster menu,without knowing what was on it,and just revelled in the experience. Stone Bass, three different types of Fowl, local Trout, Eel Stew, Venison, Apple Crumble, and Chocolate Cigar, all superb. My personal favourite was the Eel Stew - unctuous and delicious could've eaten a bucket full of it! Left the choice of wines to the waiter,two great choices in a white and a red (would've had the wine flight,but we were driving). Fantastic Lunch.

Simply fantastic food, drink and service. This is a very special fine dining experience which is relaxed and warm. The care, attention and expertise is matched by their selection of the best food and wine

We had the four course set lunch which was excellent with imaginative flavours and presentation. The desert was brilliant, it looked like a cup of coffee with a fat cigar in an ashtray with convincing ash….the ‘cigar’ was a roll of chocolate, the ‘ash’ was burnt sugar and the ‘cup of coffee’ was a chocolate and whisky fondant with some coffee ice cream and topped with whipped vanilla cream.

My dear late Dad had a comment for when he really enjoyed something..."Su-perb!". Well, the meal last night was definitely "su-perb"! A belated birthday present for me whilst on a break in Lymington (we are frequent visitors to the area) and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We had the 5 course tasting menu and I opted for the wine pairing (I love studying wine and am fascinated by food/wine pairings). The food was just sublime and the wines so interesting and good matches. Absolutely can't pick a favourite dish but if I had to, it was the sea-bass. My partner was torn between the sea-bass and the venison. But every course was delicious! I loved the explanations (some staff were slightly nervous and forgot a couple of descriptions, but that just added to the unpretentious air). Our main waiter, Bruce, was very friendly and knowledgeable. Of course, the restaurant is expensive - but for special occasions or one-offs it's more than worth it. You really do need to like most foods (I do!!), or be prepared to try anything....it is not a place for fussy eaters as there is no choice, but what an opportunity to try new things ! A real experience and we will definitely return.

My partner & I booked this restaurant as a last minute decision for last Friday evening as we were staying locally in Lymington for a long weekend away. We enjoyed the seven course tasting menu which is expensive but it was worth paying a little bit extra for a special occasion as the food was delicious. Chef took into consideration that I am nut-allergic and the best dish for me was the dessert - a yummy pear soufflé instead of a hazelnut based dessert. I’m not usually a dessert fan, so hats off to chef, as it was great. Highly recommended for a special occasion.

We booked for lunch as a birthday treat, travelling by train so we could both enjoy a few glasses of wine. Great service and atmosphere. Each of the four courses of the tasting menu were delicious and explained to us. We also enjoyed a couple of cocktails. It was a really lovely treat.

Excellent food and excellent service, this is the second visit to this lovely restaurant we will definitely be going back

Delicious tasting 4 course tasting menu with unique tastes and ingredients never tried before, a very accommodating chef to allergies which was appreciated and was beyond expectations. Attentive and friendly staff. Good wine selection with the team providing great insights as to what might suit. Sadly shine was taken off the experience when bubbles were spilled, whilst apologies made, top up was not forthcoming, disappointing as nearly £16 a glass. Seated well away from others diners in the restaurant under a speaker which the music and volume emitted was out of character with the venue, an easy fix for the future.

Friends invited us to celebrate our 47th wedding anniversary and what a celebration it was. we had the 7 course taster menu accompanied by the matching wines. The food was exquisite and the wines adventurous. All complimented by superb front of house team. Thank you Elderflower for making our anniversary special.

Midweek trip to the New Forest from London , Fantastic Lunch cooked to perfection expertly prepared with the Wine the Dessert was a show stopper.

Outstanding experience. The food was simply delicious. Every course was a pleasure. The service was possibly the best I’ve ever had. The restaurant team were absolutely fantastic. Definitely worth dining here.

Nice location, attentive staff, good service and the food was great. Little gem by the harbour. We had 7 course tasting menu, well worth it if you want to get the whole experience

Exceptional. Exceptional from start to finish. A warm welcome and environment, well spaced tables, an attentive and engaging team, super creativity and excellent food quality. All made for a great experience. 10/10. Well done Elderflower team.

This was our second visit to The Elderflower and it was just as good as the first occasion. When you decide to dine at a fine dining restaurant, that has a tasting menu it is a leap of faith that you will enjoy what is delivered to your table. Trust me, when I say that you can put that faith into Andrew and the team to deliver a wonderful experience. We had the seven course tasting menu with wine pairing, each course being lovingly described by the young and knowledgable waiting team, guided skilfully by Marjolaine, who took her time with each table to impart further descriptions of the food and wine. Every course was memorable in itself, but special mention needs to go to a mushroom fricassee dish. The mushrooms were foraged in the nearby New Forest and was a taste sensation. There was venison served with an oyster on top, the accompanying sauce had such a depth of flavour, it was spectacular. We were so immersed in the experience that we lost track of time and three and a half hours later decided that we should order the cheese course to share, having seen it be served onto a table of diners next to us. We overheard them talking about how good it was. Expecting a plater of cheddar and stilton, I could not have been more wrong. There was a blue cheese in a mini doughnut and a whipped ewes cheese on a thin biscuit and two other delicious items. Andrew popped out from the kitchen to assist with the service and I took the opportunity to shake his hand and a couple of tables joined me to applaud his special talent. A very memorable dining experience, we will return !

Went for the 4 course taster menu and it was great, packed with different and unexpected flavours. Great presentation and service. Well worth a visit.

Great experience, amazing food. Service very good. We did the 4 course taster menu. It was plenty fir us and we enjoyed it all.

I’ve wanted to visit Elderflower for so long but as we usually sail to Lymington, it’s difficult when relying on weather to know with certainty of actually getting there. I wasn’t disappointed. The staff were friendly and welcoming. Ben is great fun as well as...

The most incredible meal I think I have ever had. And this is from 2 foodies who have eaten beautiful meals in places such as London, New York, Amalfi, Lagos and more. The service was impeccable, professional and friendly. I have not had a tasting...

I treated myself and a friend to the four-course, lunch tasting menu in October 2023 and wasn't disappointed. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable and little touches, such as offering to take our coats and enquiring about our train journey (following previous correspondence with the...

Excellent lunch with friendly helpful staff and beautiful food - highly recommended as a special treat

Wow this is simply stunning and the most incredible food and service of the highest quality ever. It was my absolute highlight of my stay in the New Forest I couldn’t recommend this more highly 100 percent 5 star

We had an amazing meal at the elderflower - great surroundings, attentive and friendly staff, and top class food. We don't often go in for fine dining but this was a special occasion and the food really lived up to the experience - incredible dishes,...

Quite simply superb in every way. A gem in Lymington. We loved everything about this remarkable restaurant. Highly recommend.

The food is quite nice although not the hottest, each of the hot courses were just warm at best. Four courses at £65 a head seemed quite reasonable however £14 for a cocktail which came in a champagne flute type glass & only half full,...

The food was delicious and had been created with great care. Each of the 7 courses was stunning. A really good range of different foods, the red mullet seafood fish and the ceps were amazing. We had one small criticism; the truffle in the dessert...

We chose the 5 course tasting menu with the paired wine list. Each dish was amazing; fresh, inventive and very tasty; the wines matched the dishes well and were perfect.

We decided to treat ourselves to an evening at the Elderlower - in fact it was one of the main reasons for choosing Lymington as a short break destination. We selected the 7 course tasting menu which was fabulous. For me personally I would probably...

Fine dining, excellent informative service in a lovely ambient setting. The Elderflower Restaurant was recommended by a friend and it did impress. The hard work of the husband and wife team and their skilled staff have created a fine dining experience that exceeds that of...

We had three courses and one bread roll between us. The first course was rather bland. Our second course of steak which was nicely cooked was served with four chips a small piece of sweetcorn with half a mushroom laid across it and a slightly...

A truly special meal with exceptional service in a quaint location. All four courses were exceptional, a particular highlight was the Wild Sea Bream Tartare (delicious and of an almost buttery consistency, which virtually melted in our mouths).

What a beautiful restaurant. The menu was absolutely gorgeous with tasty treats for every course. We went for the tasting menu and did not know what was coming for each course which was a lovely surprise. The price is good for such a standard of...

Fabulous restaurant. Selected the five course tasting menu and wine pairing. Couldn’t have been happier. Creative, elegant but super tasty dishes and some great wines (biased towards French, but rightly so given the part French ownership). Staff were ‘on it’ - friendly but very attentive....

Great service and experience. Fruit de Mer excellent. Glazed lobster an amazing twist. Crab and scallops 10/10 . A nice balance of hot and cold dishes. We shared a cheese plate and dessert. Both wonderful.

Great restaurant we booked for my birthday. We had a fantastic lunch. Not cheap, but we had a super day. We will be back soon.

We enjoyed a simply sublime meal. A four course taster menu for a celebratory lunch, although wines were recommended for each course Bruce who acted as both Maitre’d and Sommelier combined was helpful in our choosing our own way. Each course was superb with my...

'The Elderflower' in Lymington was recommended to us and as it was a special occasion, and their sample menu appealed it also meant we spent a day in the sunny New Forest. Theirs is the system of Tasting menus from 4 to 8 courses and...

What’s an amazing little gem on lymington Quay . We had the 7 course tasting menu , beautiful flavours and designs on the plate . We also had the wine flight to match , it never disappoints it’s worth a visit .

If I could score this fabulous restaurant 10 I would. We enjoyed Fruits de mer which was outstanding, beautifully presented by staff who really cared and were a joy to meet. This restaurant has a lovely atmosphere. We shall try the tast5ing menu next time.

We had dined at Elderflower in 2019 and have received regular emails in New Zealand since then, so it was at the top of our list when we arrived in the area again and we booked for lunch. Our 2019 experience was perfect as was...

Fine dining in popular seaside town dominated by good gastropub food. We had the full tasting menu. Creative dishes with delicious ingredients. The wine list is more conventional but has a reasonable range of prices. (Good selection of English wines.) The service was friendly and...

We visited for a birthday lunch. We had the 4 course tasting menu. The food was high quality and very tasty. Very well presented. The staff are friendly and welcoming, good service and wine flight recommendations were great. The tables are nicely spaced apart so...

Visited for my partners birthday wasn’t disappointed - excellent service and food will be back again

WOW - I’ve eaten Fruits de Mer all over the world and I have to say I think this was my favourite - a mixture of fresh chilled seafood and hot cooked prawns, lobster and fabulous home smoked mussels - all served with beautiful dips...

The seven course tasting menu was incredible - every course was delicious and we loved that each course was a surprise

Wonderful lunch to celebrate our son’s graduation. The food was superb and most beautifully presented, the staff were very attentive and friendly. We are real foodies but all agreed that the taster menu was up there as one of the best yet!

Had the 7 course taster menu, thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. The staff explained every dish in detail the service was great, had a nice table and would highly recommend 👌

Wow. What an absolutely amazing lunch. Just to say, thank you Elderflower. The food was gorgeous the service outstanding and the restaurant, beautiful.

An excellent meal. We had the 7 course tasting menu and every course was delicious! Would highly recommend.

Lovely food and the service was outstanding every course was explained. Cant not recommend highly enough. Will be going back very soon

We ate at elderflower with a friend last night having booked in March. Delighted to say the restaurant didn’t disappoint. Each and everyone of the 7 courses was excellent and the wine flight a perfect match for each with plentiful measures. Service was attentive but...

We visited the Elderflower while staying in Lymington. We are becoming a bit tired of taster menus but as the restaurant choice in Lymington was relatively limited we decided to give it a try. We went the whole hog and choose the 7 course taster...

We were served a delicious tasting menu of incredible tasting dishes. It was a birthday celebration lunch with friends from Yorkshire.

Excellent in every respect An inventive and delicious tasting menu, beautiful wine and very, very good staff. Loved it

Absolutely fantastic food. Seven varied, tasty and beautifully presented dishes. Great service with plenty of info on what we were eating and what wines we were drinking. All in a lovely building in a stunning place. Perfect. Thank you!

We had 7 course taster menu with matching wines. Very lovely pace for the evening with great wine selection and wonderful food. Lovely knowledgable staff. Would highly recommend.

My husband booked the restaurant for my birthday. We had the 7 courses with accompanying wine flight. As soon as we arrived we were greeted and I was wished happy birthday. We had a really lovely table with a view down the cobbles to the...

An absolutely beautiful meal. We chose the 4 course option. My mother and I have a few dietary issues and the wonderful chef was so accommodating and managed to tweak the food in order for us to thoroughly enjoy our evening. We really enjoy coming...

Really enjoyed the taster menu. The food was excellant, beautifully presented, portion sizes were perfect for a taster menu. The way the restaurant is laid out is as it should be, plenty of room, not crammed in with loads of diners. All in all a...

Imaginative and interesting dishes, flawlessly executed. Balance of flavour, texture and colour. Focus on local in season ingredients. Well paired with generous pours of very good value wines. A front of house team that were cheerful, attentive, and competent. A cracking evening and well worth...

Great service, excellent food. Terrific atmosphere. Good selection of wine to accompany the Taster menu ….really quite amazing

I haven't been back to Lymington for a good few years so wanted to try out this amazing gem of a restaurant. I had a fabulous birthday celebration dinner here on Friday and the food, service and ambience was absolutely excellent. It was a pleasure...

We had a lovely evening , staff were very friendly and attentive and the ambience was lovely and relaxed. We had the 7 course taster menu and were very impressed with 5 out of the 7 courses. The 2 desserts looked very nice, but for...

This restaurant is not only a place to enjoy a meal, but an entire experience. The tasting menu was presented by our waiter with care, and full explanation of the ingredients. The chef is highly talented in the ingredients, tastes, colours, and textures he prepares,...

We were not sure about the restaurant and just found it on Google. It was situated just off the beach on a very quaint side street. We arrived early and were served with great precision, sensitivity and skill a 5 course meal with expert pairing...

This place is definitely worthy of a Michelin star. The seven course menu with wine pairings was amazing. Excellent service and staff. One of the best restaurants we’ve been to.

It was a “nice” meal but not as good as expected. In and out in under 2 hours with service that felt like people were doing a job rather than excited to work there. The sea bass was beautiful but the other courses failed to...

Fabulous food, many different tastes and components to each course, nicely gelling. Complicated and super interesting food you would never cook at home, quite a culinary experience. Four course tasting menu was more than sufficient. Good attentive and very knowledgeable service

We visited this restaurant on a Thursday, we were a group of 2 couples and I was the only irritation to the full tasting menu in that I can’t eat any seafood ( Not a preference). The lovely Bruce rang in advance to ensure I...

Lovely little restaurant near the quay. Very friendly staff and the food was delicious. Great value considering the quality and elegance of the food

Visited for 7 course taster menu for our wedding anniversary celebration and what a wonderful experience! Lovely venue, fabulous food and service, no wonder you were fully booked! Thank you for a superb evening.

The most amazing summery 4 course tasting menu Stunning and unusual combinations It really hit the spot

Absolutely wonderful meal again! Superb service and fabulous seven course taster menu. Delighted by each course. Thank you to the Elderflower team for a fantastic evening!

We had a very enjoyable evening. We were given a very warm welcome and all of the staff were very knowledgable about the food and drink. We had the 7 course taster menu with wine flights and all of the wines paired very well with...

Lovely evening. My belly is singing with happiness. Hasd the 4 course set meal and each course was delicious. Having a set menu rather than al a carte was a lovely change and meant that we had a shared experience as a couple so able...

Unfortunately of the 7 course menu we only liked 3, making the evening a wash out. One of the dishes I didn’t even attempt as it was a combination of octopus, liver, kidney and rabbit. The chef also likes Jelly way to much. On the...

Absolutely delicious food using the freshest ingredients with flavours combined to produce such original dishes. The food resentation is amazing and we would strongly recommend going with the wine flight as the pairings are so well thought through as the perfect accompaninent.

We have been going to the Elderflower since its opening. The food has never disappointed us. This lunch, was no exception. The flavour and textures in each dish were unbelievable. I couldn't choose my favorite course and the wine flight matches were outstanding. Thanks to...

It's exceptional food, some of the courses were really fantastic. Really appreciated the head of house moving us to the window seat without asking. Its a small thing but really makes the difference.

Wow what can we say we came for dinner on the 6th May we were staying in lymington for my birthday and saw The Elderflower on best places to eat so we had to visit and we were not disappointed. We had the seven course...

The Elderflower did brilliantly well. Good service, friendly and helpful staff who had good knowledge. Food was really imaginative e.g. rabbit & octopus with a carrot veloute. Flight of wines was a good match for the food. Well done.

This was a great place with really good staff working hard who are knowledgable and really make the effort. We had a great time and great food and would go back. Well done all.

This is a lovely restaurant with serious food but a laid back vibe. Very good food too. I saw criticicism of staff on another review but we found them charming: young and relatively inexperienced but anxious to do the right thing and clearly willing to...

A highly-rated restaurant that sadly was not on point when we visited. The seven-course taster menu lacked the skill and imagination we were anticipating, often leaving our palates craving more depth of flavour and innovation to excite the senses. From the slightly stale bread roll...

Extraordinary lunch. Just the most amazing food. Wonderful service. Fantastic restaurant We have been coming to The Elderflower since they opened. And it just gets better and better. incredible restaurant that is our favourite in the world. Don’t miss. But book well ahead.

Visited for 4 course tasting menu with wine pairings plus coffee. Had a 2pm lunchtime booking. Food was excellent. However, at 4.20pm we were told they closed at 4pm & basically to get out. Soured the visit for me on what would otherwise have been...

My sister and I had the most wonderful experience at The Elderflower Restaurant and enjoyed our four course lunchitme tasting menu immensley. Taste bud heaven! Would definately recommend a visit. The chef's love and passion for their ingredients was plain to see and the service...

A quaint restaurant serving 7 creative courses. There was no menu telling us what we’d be eating but the waiters gave a detailed explanation of what each dish contained. We chose the pairing wines of generous portions which worked really well with each course. Very...

This is our second visit to the Elderflower as we visited back in October 2021. As like the first time we opted for the 7 course tasting menu and we were not disappointed. We had a lovely table in the window, and yet again the...

The Elderflower is our favourite restaurant in the New Forest for birthdays and anniversaries, this time we selected the five course dinner which was extremely well thought out and beautifully presented with an excellent variety of tastes & textures. As other patrons have mentioned, The...

Fabulous experience, lovel menu, delicious food, good service and a wonderful buttery chardonnay to finish it off. Would highly recommend this restaurant

Birthday celebration that was excellent as a result of the stunning food and wine delivered with style and panache. As always. We will be back.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first visit to The Elderflower. We chose it as a venue to celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary and we were not disappointed! The staff were welcoming, friendly and informative and the food was out of this world. Each course beautifully presented...

It's not about the service or the decor, these are gallerists in a gallery and the art is the food. You wouldn't come here to satiate a hunger. It is an experience to see and taste food that has been prepared and presented by a...

The best restaurant in the New Forest (Lymington). Food and service were excellent...in fact we go every time we go to the New Forest (once a month).

Amazing food , impeccable service. Angus looked after us , 1 of us coeliac he certainly made it perfect . Lovely atmosphere and would return when next in the area

Fantastic food and service that lived up to the online praise. Each dish seemed to have so many complementary tastes and flavours.

I had spotted this restaurant a little while ago on a tv programme called remarkable places to eat and really wanted to try it out. I have eaten at many Michelin star restaurants and I have to say it’s very much deserving of one. We...

All round, excellent. Cosy, relaxed fine dining. Food superb, well presented abd served. Drinks and cocktail menu well matched.

The Elderflower is a top restaurant well deserving of a Michelin star. Amazing, clever and pretty food just full of flavour and textures. Having dined at a number of Michelin restaurants I would say this was better than most. A surprising delight. We had the...

It was a mothers day surprise, I live approx 130 miles away from my mum who lives in Lymington. I contacted the restaurant four weeks prior to the date and explained I had a three hour journey could I have an early table, I spoke...