The Fishers Pond in Winchester

We had visited the restaurant six years ago meeting some friends and had a lovely lunch.My wife and myself used to live in Chandlers Ford and have moved to Dorset and had to visit the church in Upham. We decided to have lunch at the Fishers Pond and thoroughly enjoyed our lunch the waiter was outstanding, both informative and entertaining. Really for the cost it was outstanding and delicious. Looking forward to dining there again soon.

Went last night , have to say really poor… Doom Bar beer was off. They had run out of scallops. They had run out of sea bass. They had run out of garlic prawn skewers. It was 7pm in the evening, pity anyone coming later. The salt and pepper calamari was a (large portion) of battered rubbery crustacea, the sort I’d get from my own cooking of an oven ready packet from a local supermarket. No garnish or other attempt at presentation. The aubergine veggie stuff was tasteless and I suspect had been microwave reheated. The chicken skewers were again quite big, but tough as in overcooked. The raw(?) sprouts in the accompanying salad were strange & chewy. The first course plates were swished away, new cutlery put down, the main course followed instantly. And all this was expensive. Nice waiting staff. We have had some nice Sunday roasts here, making this all the more disappointing.

Great food and service with a beautiful setting. Food was all hot and cooked to perfection and service was prompt and courteous . Would definitely recommend to all

Bland overcooked food,expensive and very noisy

We felt the food was quite expensive and probably won’t go again for a while. Wasn’t too impressed with the roast dinner, sorry…parsnips were hard and the apple sauce was a slice of warmed up apple. The roast potatoes were a little on the hard side too. Childrens meal of pizza and chips - pizza was stone baked (lovely) but the chips were very very salty and over-cooked so weren’t eaten. It is a lovely pub, with a lovely setting and the staff were great though.

Staff first class namely George who took our orders. Prompt service with drinks then lunch to follow. Excellent food, thanked Harry the chef and colleague Nick. But biggest thanks and appreciation to George who really made us feel special and for that we have to say a big Thank you 😊 😀

The three of us really enjoyed our late lunch, after a long journey from North Essex to visit someone close to us in hospital. The food was really tasty and the ambiance and view was fabulous. We were very well served and entertained by Nick the waiter. We'll be back ... Thank you. 😀

Really nice place. We ate there twice over the weekend, as we were visiting for few days. The staff at all really nice and friendly, food is good too

We had chicken foresteir and it was absolutely delicious, we had excellent service and didn’t feel rushed nor forgotten about. We had had a Sunday lunch a few weeks previously which was served cold, it was replaced with a lovely hot lunch, felt disappointed that it couldn’t have been served hot first time out of kitchen. But no issues this time & will go back

The service was fantastic. The man who served us was friendly, efficient and entertaining. The food was excellent. Normally everything goes wrong when my Mum comes out for dinner. Everything went without a hitch. The menu catered for vegetarians well. My husband is a chef and said you could tell that the chef here cares about the food they are serving. Six of us ate and every meal was great.

Had a lovely table by the window. We did not previously book but would recommend it as we went at 230pm and lots of space but I suspect would get very busy. Bar staff very attentive and sat us. Within 5x mins we were served and within 10x mins we were eating. Lovely food and drinks. Will go again.

Great Sunday lunch! Lovely surroundings and warm atmosphere

First time visit to The Fishers Pond. Food was great and was served in great time. The service was friendly, but our waiter wasn't too good at reading situations as we were asked about the food quality whilst we were having a deep (heated) conversation. Wouldn't stop me from going back though.

Unfortunately, the condescending waiter completely ruined this experience for us a couple of weeks ago. We stopped for a quick lunch and looking at the menu there were starters on one side, and sharing dishes on the other. We weren't clear if one was a sharing starter or a main course, so asked the waiter when he came to take our order. He looked at me like I was an idiot, then said "it's a starter, look" whilst pointing to the heading that said starter on the other side of the page. I'm sorry, neither of us were sure, and if we're asking it's obviously not clear is it, don't be a dick just answer. Or even say, it is a starter but I can ask if it can be done as a main? It completely ruined the mood and made me so angry, and it was so unnecessary. This guy does not know how to talk to customers. We ate and left as soon as possible, rather than having a drink and taking our time. We had been thinking of having a Christmas meal here but this has taken this place out of consideration altogether. Shame, as it had been nice on previous visits.

It was an expensive meal and the room was cold

Really nice location with great views of the pond and wildlife

A beautiful location, a splendid restaurant, friendly and attentive staff but sadly the food was somewhat disappointing. The vegetables were extremely limp (over cooked in fact). The homemade pie wasn’t up to par, the filling and gravy were both tasty and enjoyable, but the pie had spent too long under the pass. It was extremely hard and the pastry on the side and base of the pie impossible to cut with a knife….a disappointment.

Joe served us and was really friendly, lovely settings

we had nick serve us, the man was a legend, such personality and talent, unlike anything i can recall. a true gentleman, funny and courteous. knew his wine, excellent recommendations. all the food was delicious and plentiful. the seating was spacious yet efficient, and the volume of others' conversation never got too loud. the view over the pond was delightful. the only regret is we couldn't find room for dessert, but we'll be back. i wish i could rate higher than 5 stars!

Popped in for lunch. Great choices on the menu. Very tasty food. Attentive staff. Highly recommend.

Joe served us and was very polite and helpful. Made us feel very welcome

Enjoyed the food, welcoming staff and good atmosphere

Had a lovely lunch, service was fast and friendly, Nick the waiter was brilliant! Food was delicious, atmosphere beautiful!

Lovely atmosphere, super friendly staff and lovely food

Absolutely lovely pub Great food Friendly and helpful. Great service Will definitely be back!!

Not family friendly at all. Shouted at and humiliated in a restaurant full of people for my daughter running towards the private section. Can understand she should not be going there but as she is 14 months old can be extremely difficult to manage and if I wasn’t to let her down she would have screamed and ruined peoples meals. A quiet word would have been better then humiliated. Will never return.

Me & my husband went to the fishers pond tonight for a meal it was lovely we was served by Sarah who done everything to make our visit enjoyable Thankyou very much we will definitely be back

We shared a nice meal after a long local walk. Lovely views across the pond and great food. It was quite cold inside the pub and a bit lacking in atmosphere but the staff were lovely and the kids enjoyed it!

It was perfect, table over looking the river, service was superb, the waiter was attentive, funny and informative. The menu was varied and we both loved the food, we had skewers with slaw. Desserts were also lovely. Thank you

Excellent food! I had beef rib Bourgogne which was so tasty and fell off the bone, my partner had the fish cakes and thought they were equally as good! Our server Nick was brilliant, very attentive and had good timing when checking in on us. We were told there is a new chef and new management and it shows. We’ve been twice before and this was by far the best experience and is up there as one of the best meals I’ve ever had. We’re looking forward to our next visit

The food was amazing, loved the turkey breast and the portion sizes are generous. It was let down for us on this visit as we were ignored by the waiting staff, I wanted to order a dessert but our plates never got cleared away and no one came to check to take an order. Everyone else appeared to be served without an issue. Unfortunately we won’t be chancing it again as it really did lower the enjoyment of our visit.

Lovely setting, nice menu and good food. Service was great too

Food was good. Just had to wait along time for desserts but we were a big party.

Unbelievable experience from the minute we entered Fishers Pond! Firstly, the food! Out of this world! Steak cooked to perfection! Lamb skewers beautiful and tender! Signature burger amazing! Secondly, the service! We were served by Neil and what an absolute gentleman he was! Very knowledgable on the history of the pub and area and took time out of his busy workload to talk to us about the origins of the pub and he was very funny too! An absolute credit to Fishers Pond as were all the staff we encountered! Lastly, overall! You will not be disappointed to if you visit this place! I work up and down the country in my role at work staying in a wide variety of places and eating in a number of establishments and this is up there with anything I have experienced. Well done all, keep up the great work, my friends and I will be back!

Called in on the off chance for an early dinner on our way home after spending the day at Marwell Zoo. Very pleasantly surprised by a lovely view of the lake, friendly service and delicious food. Good choice!

Service was very good. Waitress was friendly, knowledgeable and very efficient. Starters were 9/10 but 2 of the 3 mains were 'meh' steak overcooked asked for MR & received WD (although waitress DID offer to replace it, i declined as we were 1/2 way through our meal). The Fish & chips were described as delicious, except the peas. atmosphere was very good. and views were great, must be beautiful in summer. What a shame the mains looked better than they tasted. Gave a 3* for food as starters were superb.

Had 3 course and all was fabulous.

Food and service excellent. Mark was an excellent host.

Probably one of the worst eating experiences I’ve ever had. The cutlery on the table when we arrived was covered in caked on food. The servers apologized and changed it out. The knife in the second set had visible brown chunks of meat stuck between the serrated edges. My wine glass on the table was absolutely filthy and couldn’t be used. I requested some bread from the ‘while you decide’ section, to be told “oh that’s just going to come out with your starters”. I pointed out what it said on the menu and we went ahead and ordered it. The bread and hummus never arrived but appeared on our bill. They removed it when we spotted it. I had a lime and soda in a large glass, the glass was so disgustingly filthy, I understand that a glass washer is used and can tarnish glasses, leaving them still clean but looking ‘dirty’. This was very different and was so dirty. I used my napkin to wipe around the rim of the glass there was brown and green sludge that was on the napkin. Revolting. The second glass was no better (I made the bar staff aware and they happily changed my drink out). My starter was crispy seafood platter from the specials. This consisted of deep fried fish and seafood on a plate with a small ramekin of mayo. The most beige and boring dish ever. I ate half of it as the fish didn’t taste right. My main arrived which was King Prawn Skewers. They were stone cold, as well as the ‘sizzling plate’ which had zero sizzle and also stone cold. The small prawns were clearly frozen and cooked directly from the freezer, which left burn marks on them in their shells, and 2 large prawns with heads and tails. All of the prawns had their veins still in them. And were completely inedible. Really dangerous for people to eat, and something that any chef would be completely aware of. Raised this to the server and said I couldn’t eat it. It was taken away and the meal comped, I was told “this is how it’s meant to be served”. My fellow diner had a butternut squash burger that was literally burned to black. Another had a roast dinner that had one slice of white meat, and for over £20 was disgusting for the cost. The fishers pond is a beautiful, stylish venue, the setting is gorgeous, and the staff were clearly over worked and not enough to cope with the influx of customers. We were there for 2.5 hours in total, waited 40 minutes for drinks, had to ask to order, and the whole experience was abysmal. Really disappointed as this was to celebrate my sisters birthday, and once we were there we were not able to leave and find somewhere else because of the time given it was Sunday. I only ate the 1/2 starter and some salad that was the accompaniment for the failed prawn skewers, and I feel physically sick. My husband has also come home and instantly had an upset stomach and felt nauseated from the food. Any bar manager knows that glasses need to be hand washed and properly cleaned infrequently to remove the gross sludge that is caused by the glass washer. And any good chef would know the risks of serving prawns not deveined. Even when leaving them whole for aesthetic purposes you slice down the back and remove the waste. They were FULL of it and completely ruined my meal. What a shame, such a beautiful venue but terrible food.

Relaxing atmosphere, really cosy with nice decor and lighting. The food was delicious and the staff were lovely. I had the pie of the day which was gorgeous!

Good friendly customer service and an entertaining waiter... Food very good too!!

Second visit last night to celebrate my birthday with my family. Excellent food which we all enjoyed, including very clear gluten free options that really helps. A special mention to Nick the waiter. His charm and sense of humour really brightened our day and helped make the occasion more special. Thank you very much.

Very relaxing quality team, food, drink and service

Very welcoming. Nice atmosphere. The Wonderful staff were polite, friendly abd helpful. Enjoyed a really nice meal. Would definitely recommend.

Fantastic location overlooking a lovely pond, excellent food and reasonably priced, visited on a weekday for birthday lunch so was quiet. Plenty of seating.

A lovely breakfast, friendly staff. Great service.

I recently dined at Fishers Pond with my family, and the experience was quite disappointing. My main course arrived cold, having clearly been left on the pass for too long. I raised this issue with the staff multiple times, but they merely apologised and didn’t offer to take any real action. Instead of providing a fresh dish, they reheated my meal in the microwave, which left it unevenly heated and still far from enjoyable. For a restaurant like Fishers Pond, I expected much better service and attention to detail. The staff’s lack of initiative to properly resolve the issue was particularly frustrating. I hope they address these concerns for future customers.

Swift service and good food. No

Had a lovely meal - couldn’t fault it at all. Our waiter was delightful and funny and kept apologising for the delays because they were so busy - we didn’t mind at all.

Very pleasant evening with great service and food

Amazing place amazing food. Been going for years

Beautiful food in a lovely setting overlooking the fishery.

Don’t choose the lamb! Skewers and chicken salad excellent

Food and service was excellent. They were very accommodating for our 30th birthday celebrations.

Wow what a lovely meal and a super entertaining evening by a fab waiter called Nick!

It was ok...stunning location...everything else just ok

I’ve always wanted to go to this place and a spur of the moment drive and we ended up having a lovely dinner here. Food was amazing. We had chicken parmigiana and it was amazing. The banoffee bun for dessert was also very nice. The wine which was recommended was a great suggestion. Our waitress, Sarah, was so nice and friendly and made our visit a great one. Will definitely be coming back again.

Lovely pub by a small lake, what more can you ask for? 😁

Beautiful lake behind the building

If you are ever in the region, spoil your tastebuds with lynch or dinner. The food was more than amazing with friendly staff. They even have a pet friendly section so Scy could join us. Great views while you enjoy a meal that is to die for.

I used to spend some time at the Fishers Pond way back in 1980-81. When there were around 70 seats in the restaurant and about 100 seats in the bar/garden. Yes there was a damsel but she was not very much in distress. In fact there were a few damsels at the fine establishment. I really liked the place and thought that if everything was taken into consideration. The place was probably one of the best of its type. Certainly in the area. A lot has changed over the years. The actual geographic site has both Royal and Clerical connections. Some of which are mentioned in the history books.📚 The menu is very good and although it can be difficult to get the kitchen and restaurant in total harmony all of the time. The management always did a very good job in keeping almost everyone very happy

Roast was tepid and roast potatoes poor, tasted hard and boiled then lightly fried in oil. Cauliflower cheese bought as extra was cold, hardly any cheese and dry.

Decided to come here to celebrate some recent good news with my fiancé. Location was incredible and the added bonus of being greeted by the ponds cute inhabitants kept her very happy. Food was delicious and worth every penny. Will definitely be coming back again.

Absolutely excellent food, our server was absolutely amazing and engaged with our son (who then behaved most of the time...), only probably was where we got sat, which had lots of flies/wasps on the window. It is by a large lake/pond, and this is in the middle of August, so we would expect some (maybe our luck that they only wanted our window to buzz at). If we were in the area for longer, I would go back!

Wonderful place, outlook, food, service. Everything.

Lovely outside table on a hot day. Beautiful peaceful view, so relaxing. Great food and service. Reasonable prices. Haven't been here for years but am going again this week!

Booked dog friendly. Didn’t get it. Waiter was inappropriately annoying. Food usually lovely but not great this time round. Still love the surroundings

Lovely setting on the Fihers Pond lake, sunny weather made all the more enjoyable. Lovely food and friendly staff.

Lovely food, generous portions and very tasty. Very fast service and a lovely view even on a rainy day. Price was reasonable and matched the quality and portions. Had the steak pie of the day and was very good, highly recommend. 4 stars for atmosphere as a quiet Thursday evening but still very friendly and welcoming.

Really friendly, service great, food delicious, even announced to the whole restaurant our friend's daughters birthday! Lovely afternoon and all three dogs were very well behaved 🐾

Was treated to lunch to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Service was good as was the food. Even the weather was good too. Definitely recommend.

Great service with a smile , food was good and delivered on time !

Booking was super easy. Really warm welcome when we arrived, perfect table and our server, SARAH, was really lovely, efficient and was really great with my two young boys. We had a lovely evening.

Food didn't disappoint, good value & Non -Alcohol drinks were delicious 😋

Had a lovely meal with a friend of mine, although she did comment that hers could have been a little warmer. It's a really nice setting as now they can slide open doors to the outside, and you have the beautiful pond as scenery. Dogs are also welcome, but I belive outside only not quite sure about that one,might be allowed inside.

We booked a table in advance. Great service. Good food. Staff on hand if needed, but left to enjoy our surroundings. A very enjoyable few hours. (Midweek, early evening) Manager and staff, very helpful with any changes required. Will return when in the area.

Lovely setting even on a wet day! Harley our waiter was very helpful & had a great sense of humour. Great lunch for 7 was had by all.

Avoid & go elsewhere! poor service, Poor food, No atmosphere, over priced for the privilege

Lovely setting right by a pond would be lovely on a warm and dry day, the food was excellent , service and atmosphere welcoming

Our son lives locally to Fisher’s Pond and when we visit we like to eat here because the food is good, the staff are friendly and we are able to bring out chihuahua dog Daisy with us.

This pub is within walking distance from us, so the wife booked a specific table. On arrival that table was in an area that was shut off, so we were moved to another table bear the window overlooking the lake. The window ledge was covered in dead mosquitos and half dead flies that had not been vleaned for days. We finished our drinks and left after pointing out the mess to the waiter who apologised. Sadly, despite being local we will not be returning, These places need to understand they get one chance to get it right or customers will not return.

Instant 5 stars the service was great the food was great the timing was great everything was 👍

Lovely Sunday Roast with friends. Service was excellent, food was delicious and the view was lovely, looking over the lake.

Excellent atmosphere and aesthetics the service was prompt and both drinks and food were flawless

A beautiful and tranquil setting by the pond. Perfect place for a relaxing meal with friends and family.

What a missed opportunity this place is. I had booked online a table for 3 with disabled access and dog friendly outside with a parasol. When I got there, after a 45 minute journey, the officious employee said 'we don't do bookings for outside'. I said it would have been helpful to have had a message telling me this. Maybe i.missed something on the booking page. It was a blazing hot day and only half of the tables outside had parasols. Therefore nobody was sitting at the tables without them. This pub is in a prime location next to a beautiful pond and only half the tables outside were useable. I was told we could sit inside if we liked. I discovered that there was an automatic awning that was closed and two tables beside it that were not being used. I asked if they could open the awning which they did. We occupied one table and somebody else immediately took up the other one. We ordered a shared starter and drinks and to be honest, the staff mostly seemed officious and stressed and not friendly at all apart from one man who was hilarious and posh and friendly and made jokes. He should be running the place. We decided not to stay for lunch. It seems absolutely non sensical to me that when pubs around the country are closing at a rate of 80 per week that this place isn't maximising on it's huge potential. Putting parasols at every table would have doubled the customers that day. Also, I would rather have been able to hear myself and my family speak than the terrible music that was being pumped out into the lovely tranquil setting of the pond. Why can't we just enjoy the sounds of the wildlife in this amazing setting? In reply to your response (below) to my review, Your reply completely ignores most of the my complaint. I did not complain about the wheelchair access, nor did I complain about not having or not having a dog friendly area. I complained that half your outside tables tables were unusable because it was a blazing hot day and NOBODY was sitting at your tables with no shade because they didn't want to sit in the blazing sun whilst eating. So yes, it did deter every single guest as none of the tables without shades had anybody sitting at them. I witnessed people walking in a then promptly leaving for this very reason. You missed out on approximately 50% of any outside business you could have got. It wasn't that there were no tables to sit at, it was that the tables you did have available were not being used as they had no shade and it was far too hot. What was even more nonsensical was the awning that could have been providing more shade on two tables was closed. I had to plead for a member of staff to open it. As soon as they did people flocked to the tables. Yes, people want to soak up the atmosphere, they also don't want to die of dehydration and heat stroke! I don't consider asking for a parasol to be a 'special request.' just common sense! I get the feeling that there are no owners working at this establishment, just employees with no investment in the business. Most of your staff seemed pretty stressed and not at all friendly. The decor could have been more stylish (there was an SCS vibe about the place). And who is the music playing for? The staff or the clientele? It was unnecessary and intrusive. If all you want to do is be defensive and point out all the things I missed and not admit to your misgivings then your business is not going to survive this hideous economic climate. As I mentioned 80 pubs are closing a week in the UK at the moment. This place could be so much better. Please do me the courtesy of actually giving me your name rather than an anonymous email next time.

What a lovely pub, but I'm afraid the food let it down, I went with a friend, we ordered food, and was asked about allergies, so ordered food, which arrived the chips were cold, and the sauce for the steak never arrived which we ordered with no allergies, to be told it had the allergies in, we would of ordered something else off the menu if known, but was reassured it was fine, so had to have another sauce.. another wait. Then sat eating to only find ants on the table, we were in the restaurant, called the waitress over, who laughed and walked away, another waitress came over and started killing them with her finger, so we just moved tables, paid the bill, no apology nothing, so won't be eating there again !!!!!

We had a lovely meal here thankyou :)

Very nice location and decor - but some sweary clientele, and dirty glasses.

Always enjoy a visit to the Fishers Pond. Friendly staff, great food and service with a lovely outlook over the lake.

After wanting to visit this place for a while we finally got the chance to and I wish I hadn't. We booked a table of two for 1pm and upon arrival I gave my name and we were asked whether we wanted to sit inside or outside and after confirming inside I asked whether we could sit at a table I could see was vacant (the place itself wasn't busy at all) and abruptly we were interrupted and shown to a table. Between sitting down and ordering drinks we were waiting for 15 mins, not a great start. We were not offered the set lunch menu and when we went to order our food the waitress said they didn't have any copies for us to look at so we had to revert to looking online. We placed our order for a starter and main each. The starters then took 30 minutes to arrive. Once finished we were sat there with empty plates for around 15 mins. Then once collected we waited around 40 minutes for our mains (bearing in mind the place was relatively empty) with no apology throughout of the waiting times. Mains arrived and the food was warm at best (with signs of the meals being left under a hot plate as the top layer of the Mac and cheese was very chewy) and certainly not worth the money they charge. A neighbouring table was served straight after we were and sent their food back due to it being cold. We wanted dessert initially but due to the waiting experience we incurred I didn't want to wait. Place seemed very understaffed. This is the first time ever I've been to a restaurant and not left a tip. I would say if you plan to visit then make sure you have unlimited time as we were there for around 2 hours and just had a starter and mains each!

Went in a wed evening. A beautiful day sat by the pond, just a really nice atmosphere.

We stopped at this lovely pub as it was near the hotel we were staying at that night. We found it easy to access with good parking, we were welcomed by really lovely and friendly staff who served us our drinks and took us to a table overlooking the lake. The young lady serving us was really lovely (Ellie I think) , she had only started working there a short while ago but didn’t come across like she was new. She was knowledgeable, chatty, friendly and made us feel really welcome. The food was delicious, one of the best fillet steaks I’ve had in a very long time, the peppercorn sauce was delicious as was everything on my plate. My husband had the burger with pulled pork on it and onion rings and skinny fries, I had the triple cooked chips (amazing!). To finish off I had the mini crumble with a double espresso, the mini crumble was not quite so mini and was fabulous with custard - sooooooooo delicious and we would definitely go back again thank you we had the best evening at the pub thank you.

Great - Atmosphere, tasty food, good service. Not so great - the prices. we've been regulars at the Fishers pond for the past 10 or so years. its always seemed good value. however no doubt due to the Covid Effect Prices have gone up to be honest to a level beyond value. don't get me wrong, the food is good, just not to the levels of the prices now charged. I understand most places have had to increase costs, however fishers pond appears to be at a higher level than others. where we would typically go to the fishers pond as our first choice, on this and future occasions we were and are looking for alternatives.

Great food and service. Staff are very attentive.

We went for a Sunday roast and it was probably one of the best we had tasted in a long time 😋 The staff were lovely as was the service and we finished our meal with a drink outside by the "pond" (more of a lake) watching the ducks and swans

Great meal and service. Amazing setting

Generally our first choice for a lovely evening out. Food never fails to impress and is a great venue.

Walked in at 6pm tonight to a almost empty place. Asked for a table for 4 for dinner now and a few more later for drinks. Was very abruptly and rudely told "no, no more food tonight" and walked away. Left us feeling very unwelcomed and embarrassed. Felt bad for the younger server who didn't know about the no more food. Used to spend a lot of money here when I come over from out of the country once a year but after tonight myself nor company won't be back. Ended up going to another place and getting excellent service all night

Great view whilst having dinner. It helped with the overall experience. Staff were friendly if not a little bit aloof/stuck up. Food was ok. It lacked care/finesse. For example it said chicken parmigiana with salad. Parmigiana was a little under seasoned and the salad was just rocket with a few bits of pickled red onion. Crème brûlée had little flavour and the shortbread was actually a biscoff biscuit. Had 2 pints of doom bar which were well kept and the highlight of dinner. For 2 children and 2 adults it cost us about £100 and that covered 2 courses and drinks which seems reasonable. All in all I wouldn’t go back