The Mayflower in Basingstoke and Deane

What has happened to the best Chinese restaurant in town? And where’s best to sort a cracked tooth? Been enjoying the mayflower for 10 years and unfortunately tonight is our last order. Our duck was burnt and the new crispy lamb dish we had over a dozen bones in it. Gemma whom we spoke with initially offered a 10% discount on our next order, however these two dishes cost us £20 tonight (a rare treat) but our usual average order value is only £25 (3-4 times per month). We rejected this offer and so the driver came back to collect the two dishes. The duck was in tact but most of the lamb had gone and the driver went back with bones and a few scraps and probably part of my tooth… guess what? Gemma only refunded the cost of the duck! Terrible customer experience and a short cited outlook… if they’d refunded the extra tenner they would have retained our +£1000 revenue each year along with the dozens of recommendations. AVOID! AVOID! AVOID!

Best in town and very welcoming

Excellent dinner for 7 people last night. Delivered at exact time stated. Lovely variety of dishes and ample portions. Would highly recommend. Staff member who took the large order over the phone. Couldn't have been more helpful. Excellent service.

After a bad experience last time we decided to try again today. Was lovely to see Eric again. He remembered us both. Food was excellent 👌

The quality of the dim sum dishes is far below average. The wraps of the assorted dumplings are way too thick and all gummed to each other. The Pu-er tea is so thin with no aroma at all. We did not order more food after being disappointed by the 1st 3 dishes ordered and left halfway full and thirsty, probably due to the MSG. Being the only customers in the restaurant during lunch hour on a weekday, the service is quite good, though.

Really good food, excellent service. Waiting staff could not have been more helpful.

Warm up your stomach with Hot and Sour Soup and enjoy your meal even more I think it's delicious no matter what you eat.

I recommend the sour soup. My rule is to drink sour soup first.

Great food, good for quiet date or family birthday gathering.

I had a surprise 50th family meal on the 20th September, food was amazing, staff were just the best, they looked after us all and went above and beyond, especially with my 3 year old granddaughter. Can not thank them enough.

Ordered one Stir-fried Beef Noodles but did not expect to be charged £17.99 plus 10% service charge. This price is much higher than other Chinese restaurants in Reading and London. Very disappointed

Tonight, 11 adults and three children enjoyed the dinner buffet. They liked Chinese stir-fry and Cantonese stir-fry. It is highly recommended to try it, traditional flavor. Tonight, 11 adults and three children enjoyed the dinner buffet. They liked Chinese stir-fry and Cantonese stir-fry. It is highly recommended to try it, traditional flavor.

Having not been to the Mayflower for their Sunday buffet for many years we were looking forward to a great lunch. As so many have also commented the service isn’t great at all - very slow, not attentive at all. The prices for the buffet on the website are out of date it was a lot more expensive. If you go there with Children be aware of their 140cm height limit. My 12yr old was hauled over to the height chart they have on the wall. We have always rated the food and have had many a takeaway in the past. However, this experience was very different. The food was well below average. The house special was the most disappointing- Hard and actually burnt noodles

We’ve both visited the Mayflower many times over the years, either with friends or work colleagues. The food has always been good and today was the first time we’d ever been together. I don’t know if it’s under new management or has a new chef but we agreed that it was quite possibly the best Chinese meal we’ve ever had. (And we’ve had a lot!) The food was exceptional; very fresh and the portions very generous. Just for a change, instead of the usual duck and pancakes, we opted for the crispy lamb in a lettuce wrap. What a good decision! The staff were welcoming, friendly and helpful. Every mouthful was a joy and we’ll be back again very soon.

Excellent food, service and atmosphere, went early in the evening with my little boy who loved every second of it.

Some food was excellent. Seafood crispy noodle. Szechuan aborigine. Pak Choi with ginger. All super tasty. But the steamed rice was dry - not good at all. Service not great: lady with glasses, cold, abrupt and unfriendly. Lady without glasses, warm, smiley and friendly. However once the food was served neither of them came over to check that it was ok. And there was hardly anyone else in the restaurant so they had plenty of time to do so. Service was added onto the bill at 10% without checking with us that we were happy to pay it. I would not rush back.

This is now my favourite Chinese restaurant. Service is always good, food is superb. Will be back every time I’m in town.

Just been here for first time, recommended by a friend. Great service, good food,, had a good evening.

Perfect for a succulent Chinese meal.

Food really good Lovely and hot. Staff also very friendly. Would definitely recommend.

Really disappointed in last nights meal, sadly had to give one star as it didn’t deserve that!. We were starving so thought we would treat ourselves to a Chinese meal.Sweet and sour Chicken Balls were so over cooked if they hit you on the head they would knock you out. Mushrooms were so tough very difficult to chew in to.Spring rolls were so hard to bite into. The chicken dish we had was tough too. Everything was absolutely smothered in salt.Prawn crackers was probably the only edible purchase we made. Paid over £30:00 and then ended up driving to McDonald’s as the Mayflower Authentic Experience was a disaster.🩵

An excellent take away with prompt and friendly delivery. Our go to takeaway changed ownership and no longer provided the same quality or tastes. Giving Mayflower a go after a recommendation and have now found our new go to Chinese. Website was easy to navigate and order, delivery was polite and prompt and takes cash on delivery. Very good portion sizes and very flavoursome.

UK style/fusion Chinese food. Expected authentic

This was literally the worst meal I have ever been served. Just doused in sugar, hard to identify which was chicken or beef. Both were equally tough. Disgusting, completely dry and tasteless

Had an enjoyable evening at the Mayflower. Food good, staff friendly and also it is well priced too. Will definitely be back - thank you

One of the best tasting Chinese restaurants in Basingstoke. Slightly higher prices but well worth it. Restaurant is smaller than others so booking is required but they also provide takeaways.

Really nice restaurant. Buffet menu on a Sunday is great - food comes very quickly and is always hot. Staff are really nice and the place itself always has good music on in the background, which is loud enough to hear but quiet enough that you can ignore it.

Quite a poor service. Servers were unpleasant. Often looked frustrated and worn out. And immediately finished a meal indirectly asked to leave.

Absolutely disgusting crispy Mongolian lamb dish. Hardly any lamb just crispiness with a disgusting oily taste!!!! Other dishes were ok. However when we order this dish for the second time we asked for it to consist of actual lamb and we were told yes, yes 100% However when we got home & opened container to our surprise pure crispiness and a few strips of lamb. It’s not the first time we’ve ordered this dish either locally or nationwide. This is NOT how it should be. Even when we visited this restaurant during valentines we noticed a small written message within the menu mentioning price increases etc which is understandable but surely food should not be served sub standard!!!! We spent almost £60 tonight but the whole evening has been spoilt. Called the restaurant and asked to speak to a manager. Was told by LYNDA she was a manager so spent over 5 minutes explaining the situation, however after this she passed me over to Gemma, when I asked Gemma whether she was a manager she said NO. She was Leo confirmed LYNDA wasn’t a manager. At this point I gave up after being lied to as well as being provided with sub standard food. Asked for a Managers name and I was refused to be provided with this info. Hence I gave up and border to cut my losses. Dishes going to waste.

Great food as always. The Sunday buffet selection is great and highly recommended.

Portions too small and very slow service ☹️

Excellent all round, not 5 stars as it doesn't have non acholic drinks

Food amazing how ever I did not appreciate my table being cleaned before I finished eating.

Not the biggest restaurant but absolutely the best, the cuisine is superbly cooked and delicious, definitely one to try and highly recommend. From the first time we visited, it's felt like being invited to a friend's house. Child friendly too. Fair size public carpark virtually on the doorstep.

AVOID - especially if you’ve got medical needs, dietary requirements, reduced appetite etc! I booked The Mayflower as a treat for my friend, and I did ask if my friend could have a children’s portion as she has a medical card stating that she can have reduced portions due to medical needs. She has had 90% of her stomach removed, and doesn’t have the capacity to eat more than a small child. They seemed to be understanding, and confirmed this. The next day, the waitress (who witnessed that very conversation) refused this, and proceeded to argue with us. We calmly tried to explain the situation again, and she stormed off, not before pulling faces and huffing. She kept insisting my friend order the adult buffet, which is ridiculous as she can only eat a minimal amount! Another member of staff tried to help, and we saw this waitress argue with her, and this staff member wouldn’t stand up to her. We left and went elsewhere. To be honest, the experience was disgusting. My friend was very upset and felt discriminated against. It was heavily implied we were trying to get a reduced meal to be cheap, and they showed zero compassion or understanding to a guest with specific needs. We were also shoved in front of a fire escape in a very cramped area, and when we requested to move to other empty seats, we were refused, even though couples came in afterwards and took those seats. I won’t come back ever again and I will take my custom elsewhere!

Having had, through no fault of my own, the majority of my stomach removed, I have a medical card requesting restaurants allow me to eat for child prices. My friend decided to treat me to a meal at Tangs. However, due to a private function they were closed and so she booked a table at the Mayflower. BIG MISTAKE!!!!! My friend was assured when she booked that I could have child size portions at child prices. We felt discriminated against from the moment we arrived, being sat by an emergency exit and then having to wait just to order a drink. When the waitress, who had a serious attitude, was reminded that I have a medical card, she flatly refused to accept my order and told me I had to pay the full adult price, even though I cannot even eat the same as an average child. We asked to see the manager and the waitress stalked off, but not before huffing loudly. Another female arrived, who I suspect was not the manager who was very apologetic but did not stand up to the waitress who gesticulated towards us as though we were plague carriers. We left! What was supposed to be a treat to cheer me up as my father is terminally ill and my dog has developed neurological problems AND I am facing redundancy, turned into an evening being discriminated against for my disability. I felt humiliated! The Mayflower has always been my go to restaurant for take aways. Never again!!!!!! Tang, on the other hand, could not be more different. They were so welcoming and accommodating on my visit there and even allowed me to take what I couldn't eat with me, which is usually a no no at all you can eat buffets. Tangs food is also better. Mayflower have lost my custom for good, for the sake of £10....

Having had, through no fault of my own, the majority of my stomach removed, I have a medical card requesting restaurants allow me to eat for child prices. My friend decided to treat me to a meal at Tangs. However, due to a private function they were closed and so she booked a table at the Mayflower. BIG MISTAKE!!!!! My friend was assured when she booked that I could have child size portions at child prices. We felt discriminated from the moment we arrived, being sat by an emergency exit and then having to wait just to order a drink. When the waitress, who had a serious attitude, was reminded that I have a medical card, she flatly refused to accept my order and told me I had to pay the full adult price, even though I cannot even eat the same as an average child. We asked to see the manager and the waitress stalked off, but not before huffing loudly. Another female arrived, who I suspect was not the manager who was very apologetic but did not stand up to the waitress who gesticulated towards us as though we were plague carriers. We left! What was supposed to be a treat to cheer me up as my father is terminally ill and my dog has developed neurological problems AND I am facing redundancy turned into an evening being discriminated against for my disability. I felt humiliated! The Mayflower has always been my go to restaurant for take aways. Never again!!!!!! Tang, on the other hand, could not be more different. They were so welcoming and accommodating on my visit there and even allowed me to take what I couldn't eat with me, which is usually a no no at all you can eat buffets. Tangs food is also better. Mayflower have lost my custom for good, for the sake of £10....

Just found this place by chance and it was an absolute winner! Had a meal.for two (was great value for money about £25 each ) It came with 4 courses. Just managed to finish the mains. Highly recommend.⭐️

Are here last night with 3 friends. The food and service was excellent. Everything was beautifully cooked and the staff were just lovely. A great atmosphere with amazing food. Can't wait to come back.

We came across this place by chance as it was next to the car park. It was a good old fashioned English Chinese. Reasonable food at a reasonable price.

Good food, attentive and friendly staff.

Just had my wife's 60th birthday celebrations at this restaurant there were 17 adults and 1 x 2 year old everyone was pleased with the food & the services was excellent considering they were very busy for a Saturday night but most importantly my wife enjoy the evening so a BIG THANK YOU!

Another fantastic meal in the Mayflower. Food is very freshly made. Service is amazing and very quick. Large portions and fantastic flavours. Highly recommended. Sunday night is buffet night (minimum 2 people).

Really tasty Chinese meal. Very friendly staff, they gave me a phone charger to use which was a life saver. I will be back.

Awesome food as always. Sunday eat all you can, cooked fresh! Yummy

I went here yesterday with my Dad for the first time. The food was lovely and the service was quick the only thing that let it down was the bill, when i got home i check and they over charged me by £11 for want i don't know i did see the lady playing around with my bill when i went to pay i should of checked it before paying. To me that's really naughty. The food was lovely and the service was excellent but i won't be going back due to being ripped off. CHECK YOUR BILL TO WANT YOU HAD BEFORE PAYING. So Mayflower have the £11 as a tip Happy New Year.

Really good food. Good service even though they were extremely busy. Friendly atmosphere and excellent value.

Wonderful service, food, and prices.

The atmosphere and sevice was not as good as it was last time we visited, although that was about 4 years ago! Food lovely and tasty though.

Ordered from here before with no issues, however half the meal was inedible this time. Wouldn’t offer a refund without me returning the meals to them- hardly the point of a take-away.

A first class Chinese restaurant with brilliant food and well served too. Good for parking too and easy to walk to from the town centre. Highly recommended 👌

Great food and value, best in the town.

Tremendous value for money and superb food. We had their Set Menu E and there was enough left over after we were totally stuffed to have a takeaway that will feed 4 people another meal. The crispy shredded beef is to die for and the glazed toffee banana the perfect end to an outstanding meal.

Absolutely fantastic value for money lovely food and great friendly staff 😁

Ordered food for the first time and it is absolute gorgeous. Everything is cooked well and it arrived nice and hot. Delicious. Very funny and nice delivery driver too!

Lovely meal, pleasantly surprised, highly recommend.

Food is OK at best service the worst I have ever had anywhere, everything is to much trouble and work for the staff, £4 for a glass of tap water is a joke and then say we stolen chopsticks it's a absolute joke

Amazing place go go go! And the sunday menu is amazing lovely staff a must!!!!

Great food, friendly staff and good value.

Great food. Little bit lacking in Atmosphere but that was pretty much down to the time we ate. Will definitely go again.

Friendly staff and good service. Typical Chinese food, hot and plenty of it.

Very good all round ,food,service very happy owners food was fabulous 👌

Came here on Saturday night with some friends after a long day out in London and they fitted us in - I found the service efficient and abrupt, not rude at all but a little abrupt anyway! Food was great - cooked to order rather than Sat keeping warm so there was the correct balance of ordering and waiting for it to arrive, not too fast and not too slow either. Not unreasonably priced for a sit down Chinese restaurant. All in all, very enjoyable.

Starters were very small. Tasty, but small. Duck was delicious. Main course was very nice, not much rice for 2 though!

Very friendly service for the Sunday buffet - very attentive and excellent quality freshly cooked food. Will definitely return and recommend

Really fabulous food, great staff. I will definitely return.

Good food and little wait time... A good choice to visit for your Chinese experience

Went on Sunday! Clean and tidy restaurant! The service was excellent!

Love the food, well cooked, very friendly

Just ate here. The place was absolutely heaving but despite this the service was still reasonably quick. The food was absolutely delicious with a really good vegetarian selection from the all you can eat buffet. Great food, great service especially from the lovely cheery lady with the broken shoe. All staff were lovely and our meal was lovely. Great value for money but make sure you book or you might be disappointed.

First time eating hear in long time, Super welcoming and outstanding food, all 6 of us were happy and two of them were children that we all know are tough to satisfy lol will most defently be returning

Good quality yum yums to be had by all. Very tasty and ok for price 👍

I did not have a good food experience 10 years ago. Thought to give them another try and boy oh boy how wrong can I be. I would never come back ever again and won't recommend it to any of my friends. A bowl of rice cost £4 is a joke and one of my dishes included the metal washing thingy. You would better go to Tangs.

Delicious, fresh and large portions. Will be ordering again

Great choices for coeliacs and lovely Chinese!

Mayflower Chinese Restaurant 🌟🌟🌟🌟 We went there for dinner last Sunday and we ordered “All you can eat” for two people. Including service charge all together cost £55 Foods quantity and quality are quite outstanding. You can order whatever you want from the menu. And you can keep ordering the same things if you want. Really got a lot of choices for you, got different starter and we try some of them (check out from first photo) all of them are really great and tasty! 🤗🤗🤗 my favourite will be the shrimp toast! And we also order tom yum soup and hot & sour soup (check out from second pic) and I really recommend hot & sour soups! For the fried choices we ordered different kinds of dishes and they are all delicious excluding the crispy beef that one. And can’t believe they got some dessert for you to pick too! We chose ice cream one is vanilla and another one is chocolate flavor. Taste normal nothing special. Cheesecake is a bit too sweet for us and it got some white chocolate on top of the cheesecake. Staffs are very friendly and helpful, foods come very quickly and hot enough!

Excellent takeaway. Very friendly staff who are really helpful even when busy. It's a little bright for dining in so maybe not the most romantic of dinner places.

Need some form of sound insulation. We were unable to hear each other with the level of noise. Food was great as was the friendly service

After 2 hour arrived cold and food was very dry most of it end up in a bin. Very disappointing for a high price

Refused to be seated as we were 5 minutes early in an empty restaurant. Did not have the food ordered then had to ask for missing food. Rude stafff Will not be going back.

Very friendly good service delight with the kids quality food only good things to say second time here not one complaint

I have visited this restaurant many times over the last 25 years, and it has always been a lovely experience. This was my first visit in a while and sadly very disappointing and members of our party initially had a problem with getting seated despite the restaurant being empty (our booking was confirmed weeks earlier) apparently because they were 5 minutes early, not a good start. A huge party then arrived and we became 'lost' in the noisy chaos that ensued. We ordered our meals and some 15 minutes later we were told ' issues in kitchen, no DimSum at all' & 'please choose another starter' which two of our party did. Three of five starters then arrived some time later, the two that were changed had to be asked for twice, they eventually turned up some 10 minutes after the first three arrived (all with very odd plastic decorations on the plate in place of the usual lovely vegetable 'roses' or salad and garnish that usually accompanies the food). Mains were then delivered - minus one of the parties rice, again asked for twice, turned up approx 5-10 minutes later. Speaking for myself the main course was not a patch on previous meals in terms of size or quality. Prices overall increased substantially since last visit in May 2022, £4.20 charged for bottle of still water (when we had asked for tap water - which was eventually delivered) and £4.20 for a small lemonade. A 10% service charge was then added to the bill, which given the poor service we queried. We advised we were not happy to pay this service amount (£25 plus) but we would pay a token (and obviously covering all of our food & drink costs) the staff then became quite rude and agressive and we were told that we 'had to pay it' and 'a notice was on the door' stating such (but not on anywhere the menu) and that they kept 'the price of food low because service charge was added' so it wasn't 'really' service charge at all? Very bizarre. I never have an issue with service charge and am genuinely happy to pay 10-15%, especially if the service is good, this most definitely was not - it was poor. We each paid just a £1 less than the sum required on point of principle, this was more than any of us wanted to pay but we were feeling quite intimidated and disgruntled by the staff and the whole evening in general by then. Given the current economic climate I believe our local independent businesses deserve our support, but equally customer service should be valued, it clearly wasn't here - a shame given the longevity of my custom I will not be back.

Really good food which is reflected in the price, service was a bit slow and they've made the service charge compulsory.

Hi we placed an order for delivery but were literally put on the spot without any notification that the delivery minimum order had been increased to £50, we were obviously shocked and felt we were put into a corner and order more food that we actually did not eat. Not happy

a table fot two on a Thursday night with my wife and I. Very quiet and a prompt and customer focused service. A clean and pleasant environmet to eat. Good selection of drinks and food, evwn bought a takeawy for my eldest son. The food was of high qualit although I have to say that the seaweed was a little too salty (but not a big deal). We will definitely visit again. Easy parking in the local authority carpark.

Food was top notch coudnt fault it service not so great, On receiving the food they brought out 3 egg fried rice and we had only ordered 2, they said not to worry just keep it, Then another meal came to us to which we said it wasn't ours so sent it back, When we got the bill they had listed 4 fried rice so we said we only ordered 2, they brought 3 and said we could keep it, to then be told because we kept it we had to pay for it even though we didn't order it!, coudnt be bothered to argue so just paid it, stood up to put our coats on and before we had even got them on and left the table they started stripping it of tablecloths, thought this was a bit rude, at least let us get away from the table before stripping if

Moved to Basingstoke early last year & identifying the best Chinese was high on my priority list… the Mayflower is head and shoulders above the rest. Not on JustEat but can easily order online from the website. Quick delivery and top food (prawn toast is elite). Highly recommend (big John would be all over this gaff).

Only had takeaway but the food was ace and was made super quickly. Unusually for Basingstoke you can actual park nearby too. Winner! Will be back

Average food, ticks the boxes but nothing special. The food felt very westernised and not very authentic.

I order the same everytime I visit, the prices may be a little higher, but this is by far the best Chinese restaurant around, probably the best I've had in the UK. I love their deep fried squid (#65), sautéed fillet steak (#71) and roast pork fried rice (#157), all as pictured. We ordered one of each dish and two fried rice bowls, and the total came to less than £20 per person.

I visited Mayflower Restaurant on Sunday with my family, we travelled from Bournemouth and were in the area so thought why not enjoy a chinese buffet. I am ever so glad we chose Mayflower Restaurant as their food was delicious and the service amazing. The food was coming out super fast and everything was fresh and cooked to perfection. We enjoyed it soo much, we are already planning our next visit. Cannot recommend enough!

Great Chinese, considering it was New years eve there wasn't a really long wait.

Had the worst Chinese under cooked food or burnt food, absolutely disappointed with the service when we called, will not recommend

While walking to the venue it does look tired & not what you would expect to be a Chinese, as it's a converted pub re-purposed into a duck munching establishment. The food was awesome & would highly recommend 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👌🏻

Too small, M and S Chinese far better. Not special

We are new to Sherfield on Loddon,and were looking for a good Chinese restaurant for delivery. We had a leaflet through the door, so gave it a try on Saturday evening. It was excellent food,one of the best we have had. Sauces weren't over sweet and all was very good quality. We will definitely order again. The driver was very helpful and friendly

Definitely the best Chinese in Basingstoke, granted that isn't saying much, but it really is very very good. A bit pricey to eat in, but definitely worth it as a treat every now and then

One of the best in the area . It's 5 star worth. I come all the way from Portsmouth to eat here.

What a treat to eat homemade char siu bao buns! All the food was delicious and the staff charming. Looking forward to our next visit.

Ate here last week with friends. Food was fabulous. We went for the buffet. Every dish we chose was delicious and the service was excellent.