The King Rufus in Eastleigh

Very slow service, they were busy so fair enough. No one asked if the food was ok, had to ask for dessert menu, told the kitchen was closed, couldn't order dessert! Asked for coffee they'd switched the machine off! Really on a Saturday night!

Great service as usual from the king Rufus team. We love coming here. Thanks to kirsten on the bar. Always helpful and friendly.

Thank you to the staff. My family and I had a lovely evening. Look forward to coming back again. We have always loved it here it’s our local. And it will be for a long time to come

First time eating in this restaurant and the last time. I came here with mates which I anint seen in years, Our waitress was extremely rude, the guy with earrings behind the bar was drinking from a carton and the food was absolutely terrible. The steak had more fat than meat! If you want a decent meal don’t come here go to the harvester.

Amazing service Lauren served me. She was very polite and kind. It was one of the nicest pints I have ever had in my whole entire lifespan. Food was sensational, i’d definitely recommend to anyone who is looking to fulfil their taste buds needs.

Great pub good selection of beer and food..

Been a few times always nice staff and food well cooked not had a problem yet

Disappointed no ciabattas at the weekend. Very poor choice for vegetarians too. I had chicken burger, no bun, no chips just salad. Charged £13.99. Had to send the streaky bacon back as it was raw. Very disappointed as was another guest.

Disappointing Experience at The King Rufus We had a really poor experience at The King Rufus and unfortunately won’t be returning. On arrival, we weren’t even acknowledged—no welcome, no direction. When we asked how the process worked, we were met with a rude and dismissive response. At the bar, the staff seemed completely disinterested. One walked off just as we approached, leaving us waiting awkwardly. Another walked past us twice without even a “someone will be with you in a moment.” When we finally did get to speak to someone, they were abrupt and borderline rude. I asked one of the staff after ordering food at the bar if there was a QR code to order drinks (to avoid more unpleasantness at the bar) and got a curt “yes” in reply—no follow-up. When I asked to actually get the code, I was quizzed about why I wanted it by another member of staff because “the kitchen shuts in three minutes.” The code was then reluctantly handed over like it was a state secret. When the food arrived, it was underwhelming. The steak was chewy, the flatbread tough, and no one came to check if everything was okay. We waited ten minutes if not longer before having to chase up our desserts, again still not asking how our food was the dessert then came out without any kind of follow-up or care. They were left uneaten—we’d had enough by that point. We left without anyone acknowledging us on the way out either. Overall, a thoroughly disappointing experience with poor service, subpar food, and a total lack of hospitality. Avoid if you’re looking for somewhere welcoming or enjoyable.I’m

Attended yesterday afternoon We sat in the sun and I drank nearly a whole glass of coke when I then realised there was thick pink lipstick on the glass. I wanted to be sick. They were apologetic and replaced my drink. Then me and a friend order off the lunch time menu. The ciabetta grilled veg. It was disgusting. The bread was not ciabetta and was gross. I asked about the bread and said I thought it was ciabetta. Nothing wasn't offered so I asked if I could have some ciabetta. They brought me out the ciabetta amd I had to scrap it off and make my own sandwich. I didn't plan on leaving a bad review untill my dodgy sandwich so I didn't take a photo of the glass sadly. Very disappointing experience

Very busy but only had 3 staff working meaning we had to keep going up to ask for menu/ drinks / desert which was incredibly annoying ( we were in the restaurant) Sent main back as not cooked properly. Overall massively disappointed. You can’t have a full restaurant and bar with skeleton staff, customers will get irritated and leave as we did.

Very friendly staff, excellent service and food 👌

Had the private room. pre booked 10th May .food lovely and hot..the servers very pleasant polite & a credit to your company &the place appeared to be very clean .no doubt their were some faults but I personally couldn’t find any 10/10 👍

Had a great experience at the king rufus, as always, shout out to Jack for the great service at the bar, always so smiley

First time visiting this pub last weekend. Jack served us. He was very friendly and accommodating.

Had a lovely visit to the King Rufus pub last weekend, where we were served by Jack. Fab atmosphere, great service and food - will definitely visit again!

We had our Grandsons 18th birthday bash last night and it was fabulous. The food was amazing and the service even though the pub and restaurant were so busy was outstanding. I didn’t even realise they had a function room but I will definitely be using it again. Well done 👏 to Becky and the chef (sorry can’t remember his name) great service. I would definitely recommend this wonderful venue for a party. It’s also great for a meal or just a drink. Great team xx

visited at the weekend, Jack served us at the bar and he was great!!

I regularly visit the King Rufus, with my family. I wanted to express how wonderful and friendly the staff are, in particular jack behind the bar. Who always greets us with his amenable friendly demeanour. Jacks and the rest of the staffs professionalism and warmth is why we would highly recommend the Rufus

Had a lovely meal with my partner at the King Rufus. Staff were really polite and professional - Jess served us, and was very friendly and made our experience fab. Will definitely be back!

We visit the Rufus most weekends for food or Drink . One of the main reason we keep returning is because of Jack the Barmans hospitality. Jack is always very friendly and welcoming to us. He is an asset to the Pub .

5 star service. We visited for drinks the other day. Jess was serving us behind the bar. She was friendly and made us feel welcomed. Will be visiting again.

Great pub. Friendly staff, especially Jess. She was friendly and her hospitality was 5 star. Will be back

Regularly visit the Refus . Very friendly happy staff. Always made to feel Welcome. Jack behind the bar is the happiest barman in the south !!

This pub used to be our favourite but had a very disappointing visit today with two family members. Menus were greasy and cutlery dirty. Several very young members of staff seemed to be running the place. Drinks order was incorrect. Chicken for the mixed grill unavailable. Were offered dessert menu but no one came to take the order. My husband went to the bar to order. We then waited another 20 mins and had to chase it again ! It wasn’t even busy.Not the standard we are used to from this lovely pub. Glad we weren’t in a hurry!

Really good service when we visited this weekend, a special mention to the lad behind the bar Jack. He was friendly, professional and efficient. We will definitely be back!

Our meal at the King Rufus was absolutely wonderful, our waitress Lily was amazing and saw to our every need, we could not have received better service, the food was spot on and quick to the table. 10/10 Thankyou lily xxx

A fantastic evening and lovely meal celebrating my girlfriend’s birthday!! Lily looked after our every need in a very professional, polite and attentive manner whilst being friendly and making us feel very welcome. Food was great at an extremely sensible price. Been before and will certainly be back again. Thank you Lily & The King Rufus!!

I held my son’s 8th birthday lunch at the King Rufus for 18 children. Not only was I beyond grateful for the amount of food that was made for the children but the staff couldn’t have been better. The children had the outdoor area to run around before & after food. One happy 8 year old and very happy parents that have said they will book for their children too. I couldn’t recommend more!

Edit: Went back there yesterday and had the fajitas. They were amazing! Brilliant how even on a bank holiday the service was really nice, and the staff couldn't be more helpful. A lovely pub, with a welcoming atmosphere. I’ve received consistently good service and nice food every time I go there. Best of all, the Abbot Ale is always perfect, which makes it a winner ever time.

We were seated at a dirty table and then it took 25 minutes to get any drinks which were brought over with dirty glasses. One of the menus we were given had bird poo inside it... The food took 45 minutes to come out and the table next to us got their food first, despite getting there a good 20 minutes after us and they had more people at the table. The food was nice but the chips were lukewarm. Most of the waiting staff were friendly. We only came here to try somewhere different and given the severe lack of attentiveness, we won't be back. There were only two of us and we were there for an hour and a half having only had a main meal (only burgers as well) and one round of drinks. It's unfortunate, because as I say, the food was decent. I'm just glad we had 15% off with my Blue Light Card otherwise I would have felt cheated.

Really great breakfast much better than a lot of the other local places. Consistently good food and service Great service from Becca.

It had been over a year since our last visit, so today my family and I went back to the restaurant. We used to be regular customers because the service was excellent and the food was always delicious. But today we were honestly quite disappointed.we went for the roast, and it was cold, the potatoes were almost burnt, the vegetables were incomplete, and every plate had a different mix. The desserts were still amazing as always, but unfortunately, the roast was really underwhelming

Amazing evening at the King Rufus! Food was lovely and staff very attentive. The band playing was great. Will definitely be back soon!

The staff member that served me made it really difficult to order , we then waited 15 mins before we went to ask where our drinks are and we where told we need a receipt when we weren’t given one when we payed. The food came out and mine came out wrong even though I told the guy at the bar twice what I wanted and he even repeated it back to me, they then took it back inside and just scraped what I didn’t ask for off the plate , I asked them to remake it which then took 45 mins by that point my partner had finished his food so I wrapped the food up and took it with me. Also T-bone steak had more fat than meat on it definitely wouldn’t recommended going to this pub

Great experience would definitely recommend!

Music was too loud and waiting too long at the bar to be served

Hot sunny day so understand it’s busy and staff are trying their very best. So I can forgive the slightly under temperature food, but unfortunately can’t forgive the hair on the plate, chefs should be wearing hats! & lipstick on the glass. I would’ve avoided a google review if a check back was made, so I am sorry. I would return to give it another go!

Was in the king rufus today and was blown away by the food and service all was bang on! The sandwiches were light by delicious.

Attended 70th birthday meal. Lots of us. Food was brilliant and the service amazing. Daisy our waitress was polite, attentive and nothing was too much trouble. Will definitely be visiting again.

Brilliant food lovely service. We used the function room and was amazing! Will book again

Always waiting, poor service. I waited 20 mins for two pints

Went for dinner with family tonight, had an amazing experience! The atmosphere was great and the service was fantastic! Our waitresses Leah and Erin made sure we had everything we needed! Will definitely be back!!!!!!

Had a family meal at the rufus tonight, the staff were 10/10. The barman (Frank) was there to meet all of our needs and was very nice and welcoming!

stopped for lunch and pint , before driving back to manchester with the American car on the trailer

Very disappointed with our first visit. Like the other reviewer said, our service was very slow too. Again, pub wasn’t full. We visited as a table of 10 on the Friday between Christmas and new year. There was about 8-10 items on the menu which wasn’t available (someone didn’t get the shopping order in), we waited 30 mins to get any drinks order taken on arrival, meals were overpriced for the small portions received (it costs nothing to pile a load of chips and salad on a plate), and our lattes were cold (were told by staff they’d perhaps been waiting on the bar a while). Our bill came to £235 for a table for 10 and food wasn’t great. It was warm not hot, plates were cold, and portions small. Disappointing as eating out these days is an expensive luxury. A real shame as we met there for a family reunion, and have been put off using this place again. Staff were lovely and friendly but the place wasn’t that busy for such a slow service. I also called them about 11.30 to say we’d be late as stuck in very heavy traffic, but no one answered the phone. On 3rd time ringing I left a message but didn’t know if they got it or not. ______________________________________ Update: 2nd Visit - Fri 18th April 2025 (4 months later)……… ……Disappointed by Repeated Menu Shortages and Poor Planning by the management/chef AGAIN! Everyone deserves a 2nd chance right!! So went on out second visit to The King Rufus in four months (again as a table of 10), and unfortunately, the same issues persisted since doing my last review in Dec 2024! Once again, a significant number of menu items were unavailable. The staff were citing that their delivery was to blame (that day it wasn’t arriving until 2:30pm - we arrived 12pm), but also mentioned they had 3 deliveries a week. Given that this occurred during a busy Easter bank holiday weekend, (and on our last visit between Christmas and New Year), it’s reasonable to expect better foresight and planning from management in ordering more supplies in at hugely busy times of the year! It’s not rocket science!! The unavailable items included menu staples like the Ultimate Burger, Hunter’s Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Grilled Salmon, Koftas, Burnt Beef Ends, creamy garlic mushrooms and didn’t even have a basic ingredient like cheese!! This left us and our children with limited choices, and some of the dishes we did order were underwhelming. For instance, the side salad accompanying the rump steaks consisted of just half a small tomato and a single sprig of watercress. The steak however, was very nice. While the few staff members present were courteous, attentive and friendly and did their best under the circumstances, they were clearly overwhelmed. It’s concerning to see such great dedicated employees stretched so thin, and one wonders how long they can sustain this level of effort without adequate support. We had hoped our previous experience was an anomaly and decided to give The King Rufus another chance. Regrettably, the same shortcomings were evident, pointing to systemic issues in management and organisation. We won’t be returning again. There are plenty of better pubs out there.

I recently went in for a family birthday and it was an excellent pub experience. The food was delicious and the service from Becca and Jess was perfect throughout. Will definitely be revisiting and recommending!

Nice place nice staff nice food except the natchos think they were home made not as nice as original ones

We had an enjoyable evening celebrating with friends and to top it all great service from waitress who was Daisy, so helpful, polite & curtious would love her to serve us anytime....thank you Daisy

Really nice atmosphere good service friendly helpful and polite staff food was well cooked and well presented with good portion size overall a very enjoyable experience relaxing and chilled will definitely eat here again

Lovely meal served by lovely staff - thanks

Good food, friendly service, what's not to like!

We had a lovely evening at the king Rufus as always , our waitress Daisy was very helpful, very friendly and is a credit to the restaurant nothing was to much trouble makes a change to some of the restaurants we go to and the staff can be so impatient and rude . 5* Daisy 🙌

My friend and I had a dinner up there on the Friday. It was absolutely beautiful. The ladies we had to serve as Becca and genie they were fantastic recommended this restaurant the service the place fantastic

Our server Genie was brilliant. Friendly and really great. Food was lovely. Nice and hot and good quality.

Frank was absolutely outstanding!! Nothing was too much hassle!!! Very polite and friendly! Credit to the king Rufus!

Rebecca and her team always look after us really well. Rob looked after our table last night and was great!

Great food and reasonably priced! Our server Genie was amazing and making sure we had everything we needed!

Had a lovely lunch here yesterday served by Genie, who was so friendly and helpful. I met a friend with our babies which is often a little stressful but Genie was very accommodating, brought out all our food quickly and together as requested and even had a little chat with the little ones which they enjoyed. Made for a very nice lunch. We had food off the lunch menu which was tasty and great value for money. We will be back. Thank you!

Always a good meal here, slightly more expensive than average however you’ll be happy to pay as it is nice. Allergy order and confidence with how they deal with the ordering and preparing, thank you

Great place for food and drink,the service was good and our server(Genie) was excellent and when the dessert I ordered wasn’t available one of the alternatives she recommended turned out to be a brilliant choice I was more than happy with it!!!! Would recommend the king rufus to anyone!!!!!👍

Came here for our sons birthday, as we do for all our family get togethers. The food is always hot, fresh and delicious. The staff are amazing, it’s such a great team. And even better tonight with a live singer, brilliant. Thank you for the chefs who always make our occasions extra special with great food

Sunday Roast. Very nice. Good service really nice atmosphere. Looked after by Livvy. She was very friendly and welcoming. Thankyou

Alexia was great and saw to our every need. She was quick with our orders and checked in regularly. A great meal!

Thank you had a great night, thank you frank are amazing waiter, excellent service from him

We arrived in time to take advantage of the lunch time menu which still has a decent choice of meals with deals for 2 or 3 course meals We were welcomed by Sean who looked after us really well during our stay The food arrived quickly and just as we had ordered with the slight changes We all commented how much we had enjoyed our visit and won't hesitate to recommend the King Rufus to other friends

Lovely Roast Beef on a Sunday with family. Served by Frank who was very charming and attentive.

19/02/2025 Latest visit as a guest. , nearly six months since our last visit. Service still as bad as on our last visit. No service at our table for about 15 minutes, it was then we ordered our drinks and starters using the app. Still a long wait, my Son went to the bar, drinks on bar, but nobody thought to serve them. Response from the bar staff. ' I will get somebody' Main course ordered on the app, still very slow. Did not bother with desserts. If I was generous I might say a quarter of the tables were occupied. Staff just about made some appearances. Did not like dogs in the eating area. We used to be fairly regular customers, but after the last two visits, we will not return. NOW that The Hut has ceased operation, this pub is in a very unique position and look after customers Early evening dining. Evening not as good as we have experienced in the past. After sitting at our table an acceptable wait before our drinks order was taken. Long delay before they arrived at the table. Food order taken, delay for one starter to arrive. After a wait of over one hour and 20 minutes, no sign of our main courses. The waitress blamed the fact that a starter had been ordered. " YOU HAVE NOT WAITED THAT LONG " she said. Then referred to the times on their ordering system. What she had not appreciated, we were not responsible for their delays in taking and serving our orders. Excuse given to the table near us, people are ordering on our app. Hence another reason for the delays. I assume the pub likes to be busy, but they could not cope, and not all tables were in use. Very disappointed

Fast service and good food and reasonable prices.

Food and drink decidedly below average - pie and chips ok but the accompanying pot of gravy was cold and there was the tiniest pile of cold extremely pale and tasteless peas on the plate - the chicken grill looked like it had been baked in a oven rather than grilled - ale pumps were all but dry so sucking up the dregs and don’t know what the wine was supposed to be but it certainly was not even a half reasonable Merlot. I mentioned the peas to the staff to no effect.

It is one of my favourite pubs, we are going at list twice a month, the food is delicious and the staff very friendly. For example, this week I've been here twice, for a work session and a family dinner. No complaints! Thank you!

First time me and my wife have eaten here the food was 10/10 absolutely superb I had a mixed grill my wife had the signature burger both dishes were delicious, the service was fantastic and very professional the waitress serving us was a young lady called Leah i couldn’t praise her high enough she went above and beyond myself and my wife will definitely be visiting again very soon I highly recommend

Had a lovely meal here on way back from an appointment. Service was brilliant from Becca and sian. Will definitely visit again. Food was well cooked and plenty of it. Enjoyed deserts too.

Lovely meal, very helpful, super friendly staff. It was a birthday meal for a close friend and she suggested the King Rufus. So glad we went, we had a great time.

We had dinner here tonight and I was so pleasantly surprised! The Chicken Burger was so delicious and then we had the sharing cookie dessert - Yum! But the best thing about the visit was the staff! I was blown away by the absolutely delightful service we received from all of the staff we encountered! All of them smiling, polite, happy to help. It was a pleasure to visit and I made a point to report the excellent service to the covering manager, who had also been very pleasant. Five Star service to Sam, Leah, Rob and Sean! Thank you!

First time in Chandlers Ford and we chose the King Rufus pub for lunch. We ordered the grilled herb butter king prawns and the crispy squid for an entree. The prawns were absolutely melt-in-the-mouth delicious! I have eaten herb and garlic prawns in many countries worldwide, and these were the best yet! The crispy squid was tender, light and sweet, also delicious. We both enjoyed the grilled salmon and vegetables which were cooked to perfectly. We were so full we couldn't fit in a desert. And the waiters were so lovely, especially Sharn. We will definitely come again and bring friends next time. Thank you all for making this a lovely experience. Xx

Our waitress Lily was very knowledgable and helpful about the gluten free menu. The GF menu had good choices. The service was brilliant. The food was very nice and well presented. Will come back again!

The staff were very polite and made us feel very welcome on our arrival. I don't recall a lot of vegetarian options on the menu. The food looked very appetising but the only complaint was the corn on the cob. This was watery, ropey and tasteless. The venue is looking very tired with cracks and holes showing within the seating area we were in and a good deep clean needed. If we go again and things have changed, I will amend this review as I feel this place has such potential.

Sian and Robbie the chef were amazing and gladly accommodated a request for a change of bun so I could have the steak as a sandwich for lunch

Very good. Great service from Alexia. TY.

Lovely birthday lunch...Sian our server made the whole experience enjoyable...I had the lunch time menu and was impressed by the food being so tasty...

Excellent service from Alexia & Leae. A credit to Greene King

Alexia gave us an wonderful service

The best thing about our evening was the service we received from Lily, on 1st February 2025. Our aunt is coeliac which makes eating out challanging. The King Rufus have a specific menu, but Lily went further and suggested items (as she shared the condition). She was also lovely and chatty and made our evening very nice.

The food here is delicious and a great selection on the menu to choose from. The service from Genie was wonderful! She was so lovely and made sure we had everything during our meal. Would definitely recommend!

Great pub, with great food. Only point I can mark it down is I’m not a fan of dogs in dining areas. Food was fantastic & service was amazing.

Lovely evening meal with family plenty of food choices good atmosphere our server was Alexia who made the evening very pleasant

Excellent service, thanks to Leah for being very friendly and hardworking!

Really enjoy coming into the king rufus. All the staff are lovely and always pour a great guinness!! The lovely leah and genie served me today and always have a smile on their faces.

Visited in the evening, food was brilliant! Barman Jack was very friendly and worked very hard - would definitely come again.

Thank you kirsten. Your attention to service was perfect

We are regulars to The Rufus and love the friendly atmosphere and staff, nothing is too much trouble and staff go above and beyond to accommodate our needs, food is consistently of a high standard, good to know there is also a function room if needed......keep up the good work 👏

Since moving back to the area we’ve used The King Rufus at least once a week for food and drinks and not once have we been disappointed. The staff are amazing, nothing is too much trouble for them and they ensure you’re happy. Not once have we had bad food, the range is mouthwatering and cater for all tastes. Highly recommend .

Love visiting the king rufus. Becca, leah and kirsten are always so helpful

Table booked for 6.30pm. Had to wait 10mins for a table as very busy, understandable for a Friday night. The halloumi fries were unavailable for starters. Fish and chips were not available either, not good for early evening. Food ok, typical pub food, nothing outstanding.

Excellent service, during a very busy time. The food was very good, but several menu items were not available, which was disappointing.

I will add to this review as I go more. I've gone again, and I would just like to make a shout out to Frank, who was very helpful and friendly. For starters, the nachos and crispy squid were nice. For mains we had a variety of Crispy Honey Burger, Nashville Burger, and their Fish/Scampi and Chips. For desert, the warm chocolate brownie and their fantastic new ultimate cookie sharer (which finished so quick that I could photograph it) were must haves. It was all well as expectation. King Rufus is somewhere to visit if you live locally for sure.

Amazing place to visit! Went for dinner with a friend and were given great service from frank and genie, they both made sure we had everything we needed! Will definitely come back!

A very good small Sunday roast turkey with pig in blanket side dish, then cheesecake and latte coffee.

What a lovely evening. Excellent service by staff in the King Rufus. Very good food. Becca and Genie were very good ensuring that everything was ok for us. Thank you