The Florence Arms in Portsmouth

WOW our first visit for a Sunday Roast and the vegan and veggie roasts were AMAZING. The quality, quantity and taste were second to none. I had a fabulous alcohol free raspberry gin and there was also a selection of alcohol free beers. The photo shows the veggie option nearest...normally has a huge Yorkshire pudding but we were late in the day so lucky there was anything left at all. Nothing was too much trouble for the lovelies who served us...a credit to the Establishment. Thoroughly recommend a visit here for a roast :)

Excellent food, service and ambience - covered most bases on the dinner menu, no complaints at all. Need to check out the brunch options nextte

Cracking roast dinner and Staropramen on tap. What more can you ask for.

Very enjoyable Sunday afternoon, that was mostly down to the company. Nice tasting roast dinner. Not really warm enough when placed on the table, which was a shame. Might of been down to how late our booking was. Shouldn't be excuses though. It's not hard to serve hot food. Plates could of been warmed. I could of said something but I don't like my food warmed up in a microwave, I like it given to me hot. Couldn't fault the service and not quite value for money. I've had better roast dinners locally for less money. The sweet was a ridiculous price for what it was. Wouldn't take much for everything to be as excellent as the young waiter but unfortunately I won't be going back or even recommending family and friends. Not that it will concern them any. Over 120 covers on Sunday so I shouldn't think they will be making any changes soon.

We went to the Florence Arms for a family dinner and our boys ordered the Chicken Lollipops. When they arrived they were red and uncooked in the middle and luke warm. The rest of the food was average. We will not be going back.

Such amazing food at service at the Florence Arms. We were so impressed, can’t wait to go back to try the Sunday lunch. Such good value for money and lovely atmosphere in the pub too!

Let me start by saying I’ve eaten at this restaurant before, and the food has always been an acceptable standard last night it was different two the party one of which was myself chose the duck breast, which was served in a very unusual way, soggy chewy duck skin served on the bottom of the dish got the distinct impression they were trying to hide something and I think I was right the duck was very overcooked and the skin was a little bit slimy chewy and nothing like I was expecting, now for the cheesy mash, but you couldn’t taste the cheese. It was overpowering with what tasted like a large amount of raw garlic, the saving grace was the mash covered up the taste of the skin. I do hope they sort it out because in my opinion that food should never have been served. The other person had the potbelly which was very nice.

I made a reservation for a party of eight for a roast dinner, but due to the late hour (after 4pm), they had run out. However, the staff, understanding my disappointment, kindly arranged roasts for some of us. The staff demonstrated exceptional hospitality, and the overall atmosphere was pleasantly relaxed. In the future, I plan to make earlier reservations to ensure availability for their delicious roasts. The quality of the food is commendable, and I highly recommend the experience.

Returning customers we always stop here pre embarking on ferry. Dog friendly ++++. Food fresh and tasty. Staff very attentive and food delicious

Excellent food Excellent service staff very friendly and also dog friendly so will return with family. Thank you for being a lovely venue to visit .

Thanks to Ronnie and the team for a wonderful Christmas lunch. The restaurant and bar looked beautiful, food brilliant, service impeccable. I have visited The Florence many times over the years and they never disappoint. Well done all. See you in 2024!

A large selection of draft beer, including cold Guinness 👍, relaxed atmosphere, friendly service. I recommend.

A very unexpected find, tucked down a quiet side road - we booked off the back of positive reviews whilst looking for somewhere near Portsmouth Harbour Station to meet a friend who'd come over from the Isle of Wight and we weren't disappointed. The place was lovely, the food was great and the service was excellent. Recommended.

Quickly seated and served drinks and main courses - which were delicious HOWEVER ~ was given menu to order desserts and 40 minutes later we were still waiting for someone to take our order for desserts and more drinks, so we went to the bar paid and left, the bar staff didn’t even ask if everything was ok with our meal Very disappointing and spoiled our evening

The Florence Arms is a corner pub in a quiet, residential area of Southsea on the edge of busy Portsmouth. The typical Victorian street layout has given us so many street-corner shops and pubs across the UK. Sadly, most of the pubs have gone but this is a rare survivor. This layout and names such as Florence (Nightingale?), Palmerston and Cavendish, prominent people of that era, hint at their construction date. However, the blood-red tiled exterior of the Florence is very similar to the London tube stations designed by Leslie Green in the years immediately preceding WWI; so Edwardian, rather than earlier. The traditional 3 room, Saloon Bar, Public Bar, Snug, layout has gone in favour of a modern, light open plan. A pity for traditionalists but more suitable for present-day restaurant service. Our group met here around the big round table for dinner each evening of our stay at Stattons Hotel along the road. After a day spent visiting the historical attractions of Portsmouth and Gosport, this was a good spot to take the weight off our feet, have a drink, chat and eat in a calm atmosphere. I don’t know why “Gastro-Pub”, as there is no Heston Blumenthal snail porridge and fancy prices about the place. The menu is typical British and prices per head no more than I would expect to pay at our local Pizza Express. I can vouch for the steak pie; plenty of meat and soft, buttery crust. The sausage and mash, fish and chips and chicken pie all went down well with our group; the apple crumble, more apple than crumble. The service was prompt and cheerful and we were impressed by the willingness of the staff to listen to the dietary problems of one of the group and suggest and adapt a dish to suit. Value for money: Yes Would we go back: Certainly Recommend: Definitely

Great hotel. I travel alot alone and i was really nice small 1person room where was all you need to make your visit comfortable

Fantastic food, will definitely return.

I have visited The Florence Arms previously and was looking forward to returning yesterday for a works Xmas meal. I had rung in advance as I am a bit of a fussy eater, and the lady that dealt with me on the phone saw nothing as a problem. She was helpful and polite and there were no issues at all. Sadly I was unable to make the meal last night due to illness. My husband still attended and said the food was lovely and the hospitality great. The reason for this review though is to let everyone know how accommodating this venue is. They offered to box my main meal and dessert and then gave it to my husband to bring home for me to eat the following day. I did not expect it at all and it was such a nice surprise. I emailed this afternoon to thank the staff and they came straight back wishing me well and hoping I felt better soon. I will be returning to The Florence Arms when I am better. If you do have dietary requirements I can assure you that if you phone in advance they will do all they can to accommodate you.

Had a great meal there with a big bunch of friends and the Florence Arms looked after us very well. Decent amount of chips with the vegan burger too. Thoroughly enjoyed

I remember it from over 35 years ago. It is an amazing place.

What an unexpected joy The Florence was from a culinary perspective. Nothing too glamorous, but a great selection of amazingly well-cooked food that I wasn't expecting. Will certainly eat there again.

Found this little hidden gem after taking a wrong turning! Walked in to a very welcoming atmosphere and the staff greeted us, we only wanted a drink and was given a table with no problem at all. Saw the Sunday food menu and decided we will go back one day for a roast to try the food.

Very good accommodated my gluten Allergy good staff!

Just a few pints, nice pub though

Disappointed with the presentation of the meals, no garnish present, so for example the burgers @£16.95 were delivered as a burger and chips on a plate and looked very poorly presented, having said that the flavour and quality was good. Fish and chips, fish was covered in a delicious batter but the fish was small and only frozen petis pois served which was disappointing at least a choice of mushy minted peas would be better. Chips were average. Lastly I am not happy with dogs on the next table or in the part of the restaurant we are sitting in. I feel that this type of profiteering should be banned or dog only restaurants licensed not mixed with humans for hygiene reasons and safety reasons!

I have absolutely no memory of being here but I'm sure it was fine

Having had a fabulous meal at the Florence Arms on a previous visit to Portsmouth about three years ago, we returned with high hopes....and were sadly disappointed. The calamari was minimal in quantity, luke-warm, mostly batter and obviously fresh out of the freezer, the Thai lemongrass coconut curry thin, watery and tasteless, the burnt Basque cheesecake unimpressive. Plenty of alternative places to eat in Southsea. We won't be returning.

It's not the first time we have been here, but this certainly will not be the last! We have always enjoyed the food here and found the service to be superb, having returned after a recent refurbishment and menu change, we can confirm everything somehow has improved on what was already excellent. The new interior is warm and super inviting. We all had starters and mains. Here is a selection of some of them. What I didn't get a picture of is the steak my wife and mum had. This was one of the finest pieces of steak I've ever tasted and cooked to perfection! This all made sense as whilst we were eating a local butcher delivery arrived and the owner confirmed they are using locally sourced meat and produce. Get yourself along and try this place out.

We are stopping ing the hotel who owns this gastro pub… the hotel is amazing value for money but the recently decorated Florence arms is really nice, great food, great drinks selection ! Great value for money….! Look out for TIMO who served us very professional, very pleasant ! A credit to the business!!!

We didn't eat here, but intend to on our next visit. A lovely pub, beautifully decorated, lovely setting & fab staff. A great asset being just feet away from our accommodation. Loved it ❤

Came as a group of 7, 5 adults 2 kids, lovely atmosphere, very friendly staff, food very nice. Not much in options for kids Sunday lunch, but still happy. The gravy was lovely! Would recommend x averaging around £18 a meal , drinks extra.

Amazing food and great service!

Delicious lunch, relaxed atmosphere and great service. Definitely recommend.

Went for a drink and a game of cards with friends all good 👍

We have been here previously. This time the food was just ok one dish had to be returned to the kitchen to be finished. At 7:30 on a Friday they had no fish and chips and no pies which I found quite unusual. The place was very clean, the service was a bit all over the place. Hopefully they can get it back to where it was for our next visit.

We visited here for our anniversary meal as we were staying at the Somerset house hotel (also excellent). From booking ( very polite, friendly and helpful, through to our meal we couldn’t fault it. Service was impeccable and the food excellent. Drink prices were also reasonable.

Looking brilliant with the new makeover service was 100 per cent food was lovely will certainly be going there again

Excellent Sunday roast in pleasant surroundings and attentive service.

I haven't been here for years and always loved this pub. It's changed dramatically but is still great and now has a real pub/restaurant feel so you can go and relax with a beer, or dress up and go for dinner, or as I did, go for a relaxing glass of wine and end up having a delicious salmon dish whilst you're there! The second night I went with friends for a birthday and they loved it too. My friend isn't too well so I had to change the time of the booking, choose a particular table that was convenient for a wheelchair etc etc. The team were fab and the service was spot on. They were kind, helpful, flexible and very forgiving that I had left the night before without paying my bill! I must make a special mention to Zoe who was amazing! She was patient and had faith in me turning up on night 2 to pay my bill. She looked after my friend with kindness and she is a wonderful asset to the Florence. Food and atmosphere 5*. Service 5*+++ Thank you guys, look forward to seeing you next time x

Lovely pub, great food, good atmosphere. We went there for our anniversary on a whim... because we'd forgotten it was our anniversary ! We were not disappointed. Lovely grub in a nice... hmm... I guess the decor is a colonial style? Either way... loved it ! We will definitely go again.

We selected this one as it was close to where we were staying and suggested it was dog friendly. The menu was a bit limited but ok. Tge lady serving was good but she was a bit scared of dogs! The place didn't have much...

Recently refurbished gastro pub. Good food and great staff

A great place to stop for a drink

A delightful pub with a decent selection of Portsmouth Distillery gins.

The most tasty lamb patty ever and jerk chicken kebab. Lovely relaxed place nice decor. Staff really make the place, attentive polite and friendly. We will be there again 32/1/2024. What a hidden little gem and dog friendly. Wow amazing

Soulless environment. Staff stiff, unfriendly, unwelcoming and unknowledgeable of the menu. Food looked presentable but lacked taste and temperature (tepid)

Popped in for a bite to eat whilst visiting Southsea beach. Staff very friendly and approachable. It's recently been done up, decor beautiful!! Very calming and seats were comfortable. At first glance thought it quite expensive for the meals but to be fair the food was absolutely delicious! Well worth the money charged and plenty on the plates. Highly recommend, hidden gem a minute walk from seafront!

Fantastic Sunday lunch. Everything cooked to perfection. Better than Hawksmoor in Mcr. Just sad that we don't live closer !

Great bar, was obviously a pub, but now renovated and a real gem. Good beer, wine and everything else. Barmaid from Sheffield is a hoot. Will return

Good choice for excellent service and good pub food. Dropped in for an impromptu lunch on day trip to the coast. Had lunch for 6 and everyone enjoyed it. Adjusted the menu to deal with some fussy little people - so all good. Would recommend.

Wow, what a fantastic pub. From our arrival to when we left the staff could not have been more friendly and professional. Our friend from North Carolina USA had asked us to find a pub with a traditional Sunday lunch and the Florence Arms surpassed her wildrest dreams. The food was well presented and absolutely delicious. 10 out of 10

First time here, very pleasant friendly staff,the food was really good and freshly cooked, a great all round experience,the ongoing renovations look really good as well.

Chanced on this hidden gem for a meal with my wife. The place had literally just been decorated, and still smelled of paint, but that didn't bother us. We started with a great G&T, then had an amazing steak for dinner. Staff were super friendly....

Lovely little hidden gem. Started with a gin & tonic, then had an amazing steak. The place has just been decorated, and still smelled of paint, but that didn't bother us... was very clean. Staff were super friendly too. This is a dog-friendly pub, so whilst there were just the 2 of us on this occasion, we will definitely be back with our favourite child!

Had an excellent meal here with my husband. Highly recommend.

Dropped in on our way back to the front having been walking around the Southsea food festival, not knowing what to expect. Got very tasty food, good prices and good quantities of it. A nice surprise and very friendly and thoughtful staff. Family of four very well fed for £60, the standard was high, the kids were happy and the afternoon was saved. Will go back again.

Brilliant pub. Great staff and excellent service. Highly recommended.

One of the reasons we chose the Florence Arms was that most of the local restaurants and food outlets near our accommodation in Southsea were closed or closing on a Sunday evening and we could book on line. Although the menu was a little limited,...

Great service and staff exceptional

Sunday Roast, Potatoes were hard gravy was thin, Cauliflower cheese was just a mush, Ladies Toilets were disgusting

Sunday Roast, potatoes were hard gravy thin, cauliflower cheese was mush ladies toilets were a disgrace would not recommend

We were staying at the hotel opposite but always had a drink here. Great selection of beers, wines, ciders and spirits. The staff are fabulous and very friendly as well as some of the locals who frequent there. A dog friendly pub also which to...

Out of the way pub that serves an interesting array of small dishes. Quite on the night we visited, so the atmosphere a bit subdued.

Pleasant pub with a good drinks selection. Quite quiet location but seemingly no outside area which would have been nice! Prices not too bad, staff fairly friendly.

Nice pub with a great choice of beers and ciders

Really great food. Great atmosphere friendly and helpful staff. Would definitely return .

Excellent food, really great staff. Would recommend

Really nice food, sevice was great , they do a rice pudding it's lovely but portion a little small, overall well worth a visit

31/5/23 update: I'm very happy to report that The Florence is still serving excellent food and drink 😀. We had three small plates (calamari, fish goujons and cauliflower wings w/ sriracha) and the twelve hour pork belly. The small plates were decent portions and nicely done, too. The pork belly was lovely, with melt-in-the-mouth fat and sautéed new potatoes with rosemary. Mmmm. 1st review (2018); As one of only a handful of dog-friendly pubs in Portsmouth/Southsea, we'd have been happy just to have a drink out of the rain the first time we went, but it turns out that this place does really good food as well. The staff are friendly and helpful. Dogs are only allowed in the bar area, not the restaurant, but there's plenty of space in there. [Update: I've been back a few times since this review, and it's always been good. Planning to go back soon.]

umhing and ahhing about whether to eat here ,glad we did now ,lovely whitebait , homemade pate all very tasty

Went here for my grandma's 90th birthday! The staff were great and accommodated everyone's food options. Service was quick and the bar lady was very friendly. There was a lot of us and we had the side room which was a nice well light space for the whole family. Would definitely recommend as a pleasant place to eat with a good atmosphere

Lovely food, good selection of drinks and great service

Great food! We got to watch a football match too!

This place is so lovely we were staying at the hotel across the road and the pub gave us a discount. The service is great, really friendly and professional. Now to the food - absolutely awesome- we had the homemade burger and the pork belly...

Lovely dog friendly pub with friendly polite staff. We enjoyed a tapas style meal with dessert, the food was hot and delicious.

Amazing service and tasty food. Gluten and dairy free people go and try their roast!! Becky was so helpful and considerate. They go above and beyond for customers rather than focusing on making money. Would highly recommend.

Amazing service and tasty food. Gluten and dairy free people go and try their roast!! Becky was so helpful and considerate. They go above and beyond for customers rather than focusing on making money. Would highly recommend.

We had a wonderful dinner with our family and two children. The waitress was really nice and was awesome with the kids. The food was excellent, really well cooked and at affordable prices. We highly recommend the Florence’s Arms.

Great food with a gentle vibe. A very relaxing evening with good service. Dog friendly makes it perfect.

I was really looking forward to sink my teeth into your glorious Sunday roast after reading the reviews and seen the pictures. Until I saw you are NOT in Florence Italy. Poor me…keep up the good work.

Update - April 2023 The Florence has become my second home pretty much. The menu keeps getting better and better, it changes every couple of months adding new and different options whist keeping the classic options. More and more options are Gluten free which is amazing. You can't beat the burger, its one of the best I've tried. Still a great range of drinks, not just alcoholic as there are many tea and coffee options including dairy free lattes too. Staff are all awesome, service is second to non. My go to place for a drink, snack, meal, burger or. Sunday roast ------- Original review I really like The Florence, the food is really great here, even better with the new menu as there are a lot more Gluten free options and some great vegan options too! Oh and the best thing is they have a separate chip fryer now! Gluten free chips!! I'm easily pleased lol There is a good drinks selection too, with more being added each time I go in. Plenty of Spiced rum for me to choose from I've used The Florence for a few work meetings too, it's a good place to go for the more casual meetings with clients. Always clean and the staff are awesome and always nice. It's a really great place to come, I can't recommend it more

Traditional Sunday lunch (one roast beef and two nut roast meals) with great, friendly service. The meat dish was tasty but the vegetarian dinners were a little dry according to the two diners who had them. The desserts were good but could have been improved...

Amazing food, really attentive staff. Plenty of options for vegans and vegetarians. Decent portion sizes and good value for money.

Fantastic food! Good beers and very accommodating service. Lovely. 😋

Visited here on a Sunday as they did Gluten free food. I have to say that the options were good and the food was great. Each of us had a different roast and we all enjoyed our meals and dessert. The staff were friendly and...

Good beer and welcoming. Bar was bustling. Tucked down a quiet urban street just off the main seafront and away from the main Southsea central hub. No parking apart from on the street. We parked on the seafront and walked down to the pub.

We came here for a Sunday lunch and were unfortunately disappointed. Although it was not too busy we were kept waiting a long time with no acknowledgement even though we had made a booking. The waitresses were then very friendly and the food came out quickly, but we felt the meal was average and costly compared to other roasts available in Southsea. We may have just come on a bad day because we’ve previously heard good things about the place, but we won’t be returning.

Great night , great service and excellent food

Wow. This place exceeded my expectations tenfold and was a real treat. We had booked a table of four (2 couples) having really craved a good Sunday Dinner and it did not disappoint. We booked for 2:30 and the atmosphere was calm and gentle and...

Family lunch. Sunday Roast. It was pretty nice, but so costly we limited ourselves to 1 course. Didn't even bother with pudding.

Had a relaxing meal ,one guest has reaction to garlic and staff well informed with what meals contained it .when on another girlie trip would eat here again

We've just had a wonderful evening in this lovely pub for dinner. As there was 6 of us we managed to taste a lot of the menu. All of our plates were amazing, especially the steak. Everything was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious. The staff...

Fantastic place, vised awhile for 2 pure orange juice. Lovely decor, step back in time with a modern twist

It was a very lovely evening with my family and my dog and of course the food it was delicious.

Had a great afternoon at this pub, sheltered from the rain, although the place was empty we enjoyed the amenities.......Rugby was on.....lol

Only the BEST gastropubs welcome dogs in the bar & the Florence Arms did not disappoint 🎉 plus they served an outstanding midweek lunch to 3 of us (plus Jack Russell Mikey 🐶) for my birthday last week. We had a lovely bottle of Prosecco; plus delicious starters & mains; with sadly no room for desserts but they sounded wonderful. Everything tasted superb; including….the amazing bang bang cauliflower was to die for; a wild mushroom starter in a creamy sauce 😋 ; a fresh generous portion of fish & chips; a fillet steak which was cooked to perfection; delightful crispy pork belly. We’d all happily repeat the experience. Charming barman-waiter who saw to our needs and made my birthday special. Also compliments to the chef/s as the cooking was all 5 🌟

Excellent pub. Had a Christmas meal which was outstanding. Lovely warm and professional staff and definitely recommended 👍🏻

A wonderful local resource which provides delicious food in a timely and efficient manner.

Lovely local end of street pub. Good beer excellent service abd atmosphere. A real find.

Lovely friendly service, gorgeously decorated.