The Restaurant & Bar at Solent Hotel in Winchester

We enjoyed a fabulous meal for a friend / family birthday event. We had previously booked and from start to finish the standard of service was excellent, from the pre booking communication (we needed to pre order due to the number of people booking) to the actual meal nothing was too much trouble. The setting outside on the terrace was lovely, perfectly shaded on a hot day (or if we wanted we could have opted for sunshine on the Meadow). Blankets were provided if we needed them. The service was very efficient and a high level of knowledge when it came to drinks / wine etc. The food all came together which is often a worry when booking a large group booking, it was delicious and everyone enjoyed their meals. Staff were very attentive and accommodating with birthday cakes etc. Highly recommend and thanks to Daisy who was our waitress for the evening.

Booked for a family dinner in the restaurant. Absolutely nothing about this restaurant I would say is 5 star except the prices. Has the look and ambiance of a works canteen. Very cold and uncomfortable environment. Food choice not amazing but was however well cooked. Entertainment physically in the restaurant was far too loud. Guests couldn’t hear what staff were asking/saying and guests struggled to hear members of the same group across from each other. Requested it be turned down & told not possible. Staff didn’t understand the menu they were serving to guests so unable to answer questions about the menu or drinks. They were not clear as to if some drinks were available or not we were then served something we had been told they didn’t have any of. Already quite bright lighting being played around with then made brighter by managers during guests meals. That sort of thing should be done before opening time. The person greeting was unhelpful and lacked concepts of basic customer skills.

Since we dined here we saw the recent negative reviews. They must either have impossible standards or can’t see decent service when then they see it. This was our first time eating at the FRY restaurant and were served by Fay, who was knowledgeable about the menu and on it for drinks and ordering all evening. The steak and seafood was amazing as were the drinks. We couldn’t fault any part of the meal or evening and will be back again. We like eating out and will happily when things aren’t right. The team here should be proud of the service and food delivered. Thank you and we’ll be back soon

This is the second time the restaurant has completely failed us in service, in short it was an absolute disaster .Firstly they had no coca cola ? They is liberally a Lidl directly opposite or a coop 2 minutes drive away that sells it?.Meals are overpriced for what you get which is minimum amounts and nothing special.The service though was absolutely shocking and I never complain about anything unless it's absolutely awful. My sons meal ( Birthday meal) was taken away before he had finished it ,the menu was limited for kids and adults not much better .They clearly had a misconception about what we would order as when we told what we wanted from the menu cutlery was hurriedly taken off the table and then it seemed we were a massive inconveniences to them.My son ordered as part of his meal deal chocolate icecream which didn't turn up so we asked for it "twice" and it still didn't turn up although it was on the bill.We also pre booked a certain table weeks before the meal and they sent us to another table .when we mentioned it the girl just shrugged. Absolutely awful experience ,we will never return .The restaurant needs to get itself and staff in order because its sub standard in its current form .Sorry to say.

Food was ok but duck was impossible to cut even with a steak knife, when I pointed this out to the waitress who cleared the plates nothing was done about it even though we spent over 500 for our party of six four of whom were staying at the hotel

Very disappointing. Slow, lazy service, and poor quality food. Unseasoned, small portion sizes and over priced. Halibut main course was especially bad. Octopus starter was rubbery and tiny. Won’t be returning.

Disappointed. The first time we went here for Sunday lunch it was lovely which is why for our anniversary today we thought it would be the perfect place to go to. The dinner was lukewarm and potatoes had obviously been sitting around . It just wasn’t the standard we had last time and what you should get at a restaurant like this . However we didn’t complain as our daughter had treated us . Then the dessert arrived. Elton mess . A small glass with meringue chucked in at the bottom. A tiny bit of fruit and cream. No effort put in at all . A child could do better!! It is expensive here for a roast !!!!!!! Just not good enough

After a drink in the lovely garden we sat down for our dinner reservation at 6 pm and this is what followed: 6.00 Given menus 6.05 Ordered food and wine 6.35 Informed that one of main courses not available-why were staff not aware of this when we ordered??? and why 30 mins before we were told???? 6.40 Informed that selected wine was also unavailable-see above comments again 6.45 starters arrived-beef short rib was as tough and chewy as an old boot and was smothered in salt, presumably an attempt to hide the poor quality?? Very poor ingredients very badly cooked!! 6.50 WALKED OUT Conclusion: Nice setting for a drink in the garden but eat somewhere else!!!

Uncomfortable bed, terrible pillows resulted in the worst nights sleep. Called reception several times to change pillows but no answer :(

We had a lovely lunch at The Solent Hotel on Sunday Dec 4th. Father Christmas was absolutely great as were all the staff. All very friendly, couldn’t be more helpful a credit to the restaurant manageress. It was all very festive and very well done. A lovely start to the festive season.

I took my daughter & granddaughter for a birthday celebration last Sunday and I was pleasantly surprised at the excellent levels of service and attention. The starter was amazing and the Sunday roasts (mine a vegetarian Wellington) were very tasty and the portions were ample. I had the opportunity to speak to the manager, Dee, and thanked her & the staff & chefs for a very enjoyable lunch.Bravo, c'est magnifique !!

Starters were good and tasty but small. For the mains I ordered the monkfish off the specials menu again this was well cooked but a bit on the small side. My friends ordered a steak medium it came blue my wife ordered a medium to well done steak it came cremated. The actual steaks were of good quality but the chef needs to work out how to cook them. The manager was apologetic and gave us a discount but the restaurant is trying to give off a fine dining experience and can't cook steaks properly. Also we felt that the food is over priced and poor value.

We were all seriously disappointed with the minuscule portion of our main course. That would have been fine for a starter but definitely not as a main, we had to ask them for portions of chips to fill us in, immediately , as we were ravenous and the portions stupidly small. I am not a big eater, nor the party of friends I was with. I can not manage a starter and a main course, as too much. It was a monk fish , the portion was smaller than a fishfinger, with a spoon of dip and a spoon of couscous: the price was extorting for what we ate: £26. I spoke to the Manager , he just said he will let know the chef and that was that😡. Not good enough 😂. I was seriously upset to have booked it and dragged my friends, to that restaurant , specifically to come out starving. I will not go back!

Lovely meal, experienced staff catered to our needs and requirements well with young children. Lovely children's menu that offered more than just chicken nuggets and chips!

Really delicious food for a special dinner. Loved the live music. And our waitress, Bella, was absolutely lovely! Super friendly and attentive. Thank you for a great evening

Great food and service BUT My first glass of Hambledon sparkling wine was not sufficiently chilled. I was offered a replacement and this arrived 5 mins later and just about acceptably chilled. Management please could you sort your glasses and serve Hambledon in glasses worthy of it and not mass catering quality marquee glasses with a horrible thick rim ! Spoilt the enjoyment of the drink ! Even more so when I spotted woman’s glass behind me the correct quality.

We stayed at the hotel for 2 nights and ate at this restaurant for our breakfast and evening meals. The best starter we had was definitely the Goats Cheese Cheesecake - it was amazing. Lobster was good too. One of the let downs was the cheeseboard. It is very expensive. We ordered 4 types of cheese @ nearly £5 each. The pieces were tiny, (there is more cheese on the continental breakfast!!) it was for 2 of us, which they knew but we only had crackers for one person, the tiniest slither of jelly chutney and 5 grapes. Avoid the blackberry pavlova, it looks nice but it's rank, really dry. Funnily enough on the way back to our room someone had put an uneaten one outside their door! The Northern Full English Breakfast was good, the bacon was grey though, very unappetising but the rest was lovely. If you can tear yourself away from the full English, try the continental. You'll not be disappointed, I've attached a photo. It's huge, loads of cheese & meats and a lovely change to the usual eggs & bacon. Also attached are pictures of the Blackberry Pavlova, the Black Pudding Scotch Eggs and the Partridge. We recommend this restaurant and would definitely return. Thank you.

The food, atmosphere and pre-dinner cocktails were excellent. We were also exceptionally pleased with the brilliant service provided by Millie, who was very friendly and attentive. Would highly recommend!

My friend treated me to a spa day with afternoon tea and a massage. The afternoon tea was delicious and plentiful. The pool was nice and clean but very busy. I discovered that if you order drinks outside, they cost considerably more than inside which...

Billy served us for dinner for myself and my daughter he was extremely attentive. Would defiantly recommend a visit. The swimming pool staff were amazing! And very helpful, we will be joining as a member for the gym and spa as of tomorrow. We would...

We spent a couple of nights at the Solent Hotel and made full use of the restaurant on both evenings. The food served was very well presented and tasted good, the service however was brilliant. The young man who served us on both occasions was...

A very pleasant lunch - wonderful service, excellent nouvelle cuisine-style starters followed by dessert. I ordered cheese, believing that a normal portion of cheese would automatically be exchangeable with three small bits of different cheeses. Wrong, each little piece was charged as if an individual...

Enjoyed a very pleasant evening in the restaurant here. It’s well spaced out and the food is lovely, literally nothing negative to say, pleasant staff, good service and honestly we keep thinking of an excuse to return soon!

We stayed at the Solent Hotel for two nights after a recommendation from a friend and really glad we did the stay from start to finish was fantastic. The hotel itself was modern, clean and really comfortable, the food was really good, breakfast was especially...

Me and my Partner came here to visit during summer and the food was exquisite. We ordered lobster & a surf and turf 🦞 both were fabulous!! Then we ordered the crumble and the chocolate pave, and they were both sensational. Service was too excellent....

Friendly service, tasty food and a warm welcome for breakfast. Good portions for all the family. 👍🙂.

I stayed at this hotel for four nights over New Year 2019/2020 on a holiday organised by a well known Singles Holiday company. We were given an extremely limited choice of menu, to be selected each morning for the following evening. There was never more...

Efficient service. Fresh, tasty meals. Convenient and hassle free perfect for a quick lunch and casual business meeting.

A great hotel, very central to visiting lots of places including Beaulieu motor museum and the quay, Portsmouth. Lovely spa suite, breakfast great but strange that they had someone serving buffet breakfast, poached eggs took ages to come.

Booked the set menu over the phone. Price on the day differed. Confusion over if drinks were included for the kids, settled by giving us a free coke each for the kids having paid more over the phone that printed on the day on the...

Light, bright dining room with an unusual modern menu. A tired looking buffet table was available for either starters or main alongside a range of other unfamiliar choices. I had a fritto misto type Caesar salad with tasty pieces of fried fish served on top...

Me and my daughter had a lovely spa day at The Solent Spa today as our birthday treat. Every member of staff we encountered was polite and so helpful, going out of their way to make sure we had a lovely time. The pool was...

Lovely stay (apart from the fag buts on the patio and millions of kids in the pool) BUT Imogen our waitress was AMAZING. She was absolutely the epitomes of customer service - give her a pay rise!!!!!

We had a full breakfast here during our stay at the Solent Spa hotel and we loved it! Possibly the best UK hotel breakfast yet.

The first thing to say is that the staff were first class. Professional, attentive and helpful.Unfortunately the same praise could not be levelled at the food and pricing structure.The service was prompt. For starters we had Soup of the Day which I am sorry to say seemed to me to be bland whilst my wife seemed reasonably happy. The main course is where we had issues. I had a sirloin steak and my wife the chicken (barbecued, I think). My steak was tough in the extreme and my wife's chicken was dry. Each dinner came with the bare minimum of side ie french fries/potatoess, a tomato and cress. If you wanted, as we did, a side of carrots and brocolli it would cost you something like 12 -13 pounds for 4 portions. Why ? Having paid nearly a kings ransom for the main course I would have hoped that vegatables would be offered as part of the meal, not have to pay extra. All in all a disapoointment. For the prices charged I would have hoped for better.One saving grace was that the sticky toffee pudding was very good and priced more realistically.

Having not been for just over 2 years we decided to take the family for dinner to celebrate my birthday.We married there in 2016 and had a wonderful day and had also enjoyed meals there before hand.To begin with, the service was very poor.We waited ages for our wine, had to ask for steak knives and dessert spoons.The chefs table was not as good as it had been previously.Steaks really not worth the high price tag, smothered in pepper.The so called sea salted chips were just like oven chips with no sign of sea salt added. Not worth the extra price.Apparently the sticky toffee pudding is still good though.Unfortunately, we will not be rushing back.

The hotel itself and the rooms, staff etc are all good. The lunch was a real let down, over cooked, very basic quality and had been going stale under the heat lamps for far too long. Go to the Whiteley shopping area instead, plenty of places to eat there.

Lunch here on a weekday and the restaurant was busy. Food was good - especially the buffet style starters. Waiting staff were friendly and efficient.

We've visited a few times, sometimes just the two of us and sometimes with wider family. We have never been disappointed with the restaurant, or the service.

Came here with a group of 5 girl friends having a Sunday afternoon tea treat.

Despite merely average performance in the Solent Hotel & Spa, the restaurant seems generally well sorted with very friendly and attentive staff overseen by a working manager who gets stuck in - well done. We had breakfast and a dinner during our stay with both satisfying in a relaxing environment. Ample seating both in and outside with a mixture of seating types so everyone can find a chair to suit. On both occasions, welcomed at the entrance and procedures explained. The breakfast range was fair with the almost typical range of continental type foods and cooked traditional. Range of traditional British cereals modest and it seems that prunes are no longer available at this breakfast eaterie! Pity the restaurant does not open before 08.00 at weekends!

On the basis of 'if you can't say something nice its better not to say anything. I am making no comment about this place. The hotel's fine but...

Fantastic evening. The restaurant has been renovated which really has made it light and modern. Food very tasty couldn’t fault it. Staff amazing, especially Nathan, very professional first class service. Would highly recommend this restaurant. Thank you for a wonderful evening.

10 of us had evening meals 8 were excellent but 2 weren’t they were the same meal. We were offered replacements and money off the bill.

The hotel organises wine evenings, taking a particularly wine region and arranges a wine company to provide the wine and builds a meal of local dishes. The hotel partnered with the champagne company bollinger and married it with a 3 course meal. The evening started with free flowing champagne and freshly prepared hors d’oeuvres both of which were excellent and set the tone for the evening.

Beautiful food, offers something different and very well cooked, service ok but needs a little more attention, forgetful staff and on paying quite rude which was a shame

Después de haber visitado este restaurante varias veces, pero no en el último año, me quedé muy decepcionado tanto en la selección y calidad de alimentos. Mi principal objetivo cuando tener una comida en un restaurante es para probar algunas que no tendría en casa, el menú del restaurante ofrece nada especialmente diferente solent que un buen café del supermercado. Ido es el de los productos locales (quesos y embutidos) y hampshire especialidades como mariscos brixham para ser sustituido por hamburguesas de carne, de pescado y mediocres gougon platos de pollo.

Uno no puede venir a Inglaterra sin tratar real pescado y patatas fritas que estaba bien hecho en este restaurante.

Comer aquí sobre una base regular nunca me ha decepcionado, servicio y personal amable y no puede hacer más por ti.

Me quedé totalmente impresionado durante mi reciente experiencia en el restaurante. La comida y el servicio eran excepcionales.

Fuimos a este hotel el fin de semana pasado para una cena de beneficencia, y a bailar con lo que fue una velada encantadora, disfrutadas por todos. La comida estaba bien presentada, todos salimos a la misma hora, y probado excelente. El servicio era mucho con una sonrisa por todo el personal esperando, y había un montón de ellos para este evento. Este lugar sería ideal para cualquier evento futuro y haría un elegante, bien recordado, ideal para una boda. Noche excelente creado por un excelente equipo. Gracias a la maravillosa Chefs, esperando y el personal del bar, y la gestión para poner en una noche tan buena, y gracias por dar el 10% de las distribuciones de este bar la caridad bien merecido. La noche elevada casi £3000. 00 que fue increíble. Gracias.

No puedo creer lo que acaba de suceder. La semana pasada me preguntaron sobre las madres almuerzo día y me dijeron que los menores de 5 años comen gratis. Así que hoy llamamos para reservar. En realidad durante la reserva y después del empleado solent...

Éramos las únicas personas en el restaurante para el almuerzo. . . . . El servicio fue lento (gente muy dulce). El menú del restaurante es la misma que en la zona de bar, que no es realmente una zona 'bar' - más de un...

Had a really lovely lunch in the bar area today. The food is top quality and the staff are second to none, they are so attentive and friendly and make you feel so welcome, nothing is too much trouble. Moniker served us today and she was fantastic, an amazing member of staff, she was on top of everything and her manner and customer service is the best ive known. Had quite a few meals, functions at the Solent and i have to say all the staff are very friendly and helpful. Really lovely food. Every area is very very clean, especially the toilets. Looking to book one of the tribute nghts which i know are excellent.

Fin de semana como regalo de cumpleaños. En general, pasamos un fin de semana fabuloso, la comida, el tratamiento y el uso de la piscina y el jacuzzi y luego noche noche cena y desayuno.

Sunday lunch with style! Excellent value and the beef was amazing. We spent three hours enjoying great food in a relaxed atmosphere. Staff are very nice and you even get a glass of bubbly, perfect for special family occasions.

Very helpful staff, great service and the food is excellent. Eat in either the bar or restaurant (may need to book) - you won't be disappointed.

Cane to the restaurant for dinner as recommended by a friend. Ordered the dish of the day (confit duck) and rotisserie chicken with a side of roast potatoes and chorizo. Food was incredibly poor. Duck was dry and tasteless. Chorizo was burnt and potatoes taste like air. Chicken was dry and coleslaw side taste so overwhelmingly of garlic that I couldn't taste anything else. On the bright side, good service.

We have been a regular for Sunday lunches here, but recently it has slipped quite a lot. The prices have increased, this would be fine if the standards had at least remained the same. Our sunday lunch arrived and the vegetables were covered with a white sauce - I asked if it was cheese sauce and if so could it be replaced without the cheese sauce. Yes it is cheese sauce - but chef says it isn't available without cheese. WHAT???? Another negative is the reduction in beef portions. You expect sunday beef sirloin to have a bit of fat and historically the size of the beef portion at the Solent has made allowances for the fatty waste. Not on the last couple of visits. I did ask if there has been a change of chef and was told the chef hasn't changed. Not sure.....The quality of the food at the Solent has always been on the positive flip-side of the coin, to the close-run Navigator in Swanwick. However, definitely back to the Navigator.

The restaurant is not sign-posted from the entrance, so some wandering at first. Then absolutely no-one in the restaurant - and no staff member available. Returned to reception. No-one at reception. Waited a minute - caught someone at reception - who helpfully explained how to get back to the restaurant we'd just come from, and then phoned for a member of staff, who joined us at the restaurant after a minute or two. The hotel decor, food and staff were all lovely, but it felt a little awkward for a business meal. We then ate as just the three of us in the entire restaurant - which meant we could talk about anything as loudly as we wanted, but meant the place had little ambiance. The lunchtime menu is particularly limited compared the dinner menu for such a luxurious hotel - no starters available, sandwiches promoted on the menu, and only about 7 different main courses. A lovely place, but left feeling like the establishment didn't value lunch guests.

We had dinner here. The staff and management are very nice and helpful. The food is nice even if a bit prices. The outside terrace is very nice in the summer evenings

Stopped by for a Sunday Lunch; unfortunately things didn't run as smoothly as we would have expected. Most corrective action was undertaken by the duty manager, however a follow up letter was sent to the Hotel Manager outlining our experience. To give them their credit after a respectable time frame to consider the points raised, they responded with a phone call to arrange a follow up meeting to discuss in person. The outcome was favorable to all concerned. Nice to see a genuine concern for Customer Service.

Hi tripsters,we went to the Solent hotel for a wedding reception omg,it was fantastic,brilliant,the venue was amazing,staff were great,food excellent,it's a lovely hotel,easy to get to,to,lots of parking,very clean,would give it 10 out of 10..well worth a visit..

Stopped off at The Solent Hotel for lunch and had a really lovely meal in the bar area, not only was the food great but the customer service we received from a lovely lady called Moniker was second to none, she was excellent, not only with us but every table she tended got impeccable service. Had several meals here and each time has been excellent.

We went for Sunday lunch here on the 15th May ,We were welcomed by the restaurant manager , he offered us a couple of tables for our group of 4 , The food was very good , one of the best Sunday lunches I've had ,Nothing was too much trouble for the staff , they were very helpful and polite .We sat for a couple of hours after the meal talking , and drinking coffee , I can highly recommend this restaurant for Sunday lunch and we will be returning soon .

Food would of been lovely if they had heating service was a bit slow we had to find someone to be seated we dressed up for dinner we should have put on our themals they had a small heater which didn't do anthing. We had Breakfast in the morning the lady said she would find us somewhere warm we asked if there was s problem she said there was the Breakfast looks really nice but when eating it got cold quickly so did the coffee and tea.

I visited the restaurant yesterday evening with my girlfriend and parents and had a mostly fantastic experience. The staff were great, food cooked perfectly and although expensive, it was worth it.My only little moan was that my parents had to ask for steak knives , and my mum also had to ask for sugar for her tea. This is something that should be an easy element of service for staff to remember!! But overall 9/10

I canny fault the service, food and price at the hotel. £95 for 4 people is pretty good! I had the 8oz rump burger which was a fresh ground home made patty. My advice for the hotel was whilst the wooden server looks nice it's hard to eat the burger off it as the wooden tray is narrow. The food was fantastic and enjoyed the starters. The crumble tart was lovely and I was impressed when I asked for custard instead of ice cream. Always polite, always obliging. Would go again. Breakfast was fantastic, wonderful black pudding and delicious sausages!

I recently visited this restaurant with friends as was staying in the hotel attached. The range and quality here is top notch and I am very impressed by the variety and standard of cleanliness in the restaurant and bar area. Will definitely return with my partner when next booking a meal out. Well done to all staff as this was a very pleasurable experience.

try the buffet - excellent choices and very good value. Bar snacks also very good. Service was excellent - staff enthusiastic - wine list good too.

19 of us , including children enjoyed a pre-ordered Sunday lunch in a separate terrace area to celebrate an 18th birthday.Were able to sit at 1 large table, with room to place birthday cakes on a separate small table.It was nice to hear the buzz of a busy restaurant, yet be in our own area. The food was superb and service excellent and friendly.As we had the area from 12.30 till 4.30, we did not feel rushed.Look forward to returning.

завтраки традиционные английские отличные. в теплую погоду на улице столики стоят и вокруг прекрасная природа. для такого уровня, цены вполне приемлимые.

The Restaurant & Bar at the Solent has changed somewhat since my last visit over 2 years ago. The ambience within the restaurant area is pretty decent considering it also has to function as the main breakfast room for the entirety of the hotel's guests during the morning service. The wine 'cellar' is still a glass-walled booth on the right as you enter, and is certainly impressive to look at if nothing else.We started with drinks in the adjacent bar area before walking through to the restaurant - as guests at the hotel it was more than easy enough to charge items from both the restaurant and bar straight back to the room.We were seated at the top end of the restaurant and had a further drinks order taken. Drinks were quick to come and the guys/girls serving were all very friendly and efficient. We were given menus and were pointed towards the 'Taste of the South Coast' option, which was available as both a starter or a main course. As much as on inspection of the buffet counter the food all looked to be of excellent quality, I would also question, similar to some other reviewers, the origin of some of the products as part of what is billed as being a celebration of what you would assume would be exclusively regional produce. Granted, it is possible that each of these is from the South Coast area, but it seemed more like a very tasty selection of antipasti, albeit one to me that didn't scream 'South Coast produce' from looking at it. Still, if you feel like a slightly lighter option then this would definitely be a good choice, and I can imagine this is more popular in the summer months than the winter if the same selection is served all year round.We were all of a similar opinion with regard to the South Coast selection so opted to go for some standard starters/mains. Goats cheese starter from the special was nice - nothing more, nothing less. Crispy duck salad excellent.As for main courses, the ale-battered fish was excellent. A crisp batter, decent portion, good chips, good mushy peas, tartare sauce. Simple fayre but executed well in this case.It's difficult to sum up this place without sounding slightly negative - the food is pretty good in general and the service is exemplary. Again though, I'd echo the sentiment I've heard others speak of in that it's a bit caught between being 'just' a hotel restaurant and being something that bit more out there, something offering truly unique options to diners.It certainly seems like a lot of thought has gone into the menu, even if as others have noted, it reads much like a gastropub-esque selection. It's great to see a section dedicated to the 'best of the season' and I love the CONCEPT of a buffet dedicated to the best local produce. As alluded to above, though, I think to gain real traction with this type of idea, the whole restaurant needs to be billed as one which exclusively (or at the very least predominantly) makes use of seasonal, locally sourced produce, if that is to be the selling point.In spite of saying what is mentioned above, our meal really was quite nice, it's just frustrating seeing a restaurant which definitely has strong ideas as to how to separate itself from the competition and to do something really exciting, different, original. It seems that unfortunately these concept ideas have been somewhat watered down by the fact that the menu and the restaurant itself both need to reflect the needs of an 'average' hotel guest, rather than being too out there so as to potentially alienate residents who would have little other option for evening meals other than the on-site pub. If this could just be rebalanced the restaurant would be incredible, just decide which way to go and stick to it. I don't think people would have cause to moan about paying £3.50 for a basket of bread if the restaurant environment suitably reflected this type of expense - similarly I think people would rave about the local-sourcing ethic of the restaurant if it was better documented and communicated to diners.

A party of four had dinner. Very nice atmosphere with attentive professional service. The food was excellent and varied. The hors d'ouvres table is very different and I haven't seen it before - it was so filling, everything was very fresh! It seemed to be a popular choice but was always well stocked and looked good during the evening.

A lovely hotel with a lovely location and great for business connections. Have put clients here and the breakfast is well stocked and has a great selection.

This restaurant is located within the Solent Hotel in Whiteley. The ambience is good and so is the decor. The Staff are very friendly, and try hard to please. The menu is one step up from the usual Burgers, Steaks and Half Roast Chicken affair, which though still the mainstay of the menu are supplemented by some more adventurous dishes such Pork & Chorizo kebabs and Fish of the Day dishes. This is where I start to have some concerns. There is a buffet advertised as the 'taste of the South'. It has a fairly good selection of cold foods, however not sure that any of it is actually local produce as advertised - Roll Mops (almost certainly Scottish), Prawns (probably Asian), Cold Meats Palma Ham and Salami's (Italian probably) - maybe the boiled eggs were laid in Hampshire? And so as previous reviewers have said, this place is trying to be something it isn't. The prices are somehwat expensive for what you are getting, especially as there is a lot of 'up selling' going on. After ordering my meal I was offered some bread and butter, careful they will charge you £3.50 for this !! Tuesday's special is Spicy Mackeral with Mango, advocado & Chilli sauce - and to be fair it tasted good, the fish was particulalrly well cooked, however there was one tiny piece of advocado, with loads of salad and Mango dressing. No potatoes or side dishes are included for the £14.50 charge, when I asked if I could have some Boiled Potatoes, that added another £3.50 to the bill. To be fair to my waitress though, who was very good, she did later offer me a slice of bread without the £3.50 charge as she knew i wasn't impressed!! A Fillet Steak will set you back nigh on £30, the sauce another £2.50. For what you are getting this is starting to get a bit silly.The starters range from £5 (Soup) to £18.50 (9 Battered Prawns), again not value for money.The wine list is good but again very expensive. It would be quite easy for a couple to have ittle change out of £80 for a meal for two here, wine included.There are a couple of things I do like about the place, apart from the good staff, Tap water, chilled in a bottle is automatically offered, before you are fleeced with the bottled stuff, and they DO NOT automatically add a service charge to your bill which is very definately a positive. 3 out of 5 is a little harsh maybe (3.5 more like it) but a few little changes in my view could make this so much better.1. Offer a bread basket automatically brought to the table.2. Don't fleece people with the side dishes.3. Reduce the prices a tad.4. Be a bt more genuine about the descriptions and don't pretend it to be what it isn't.5. When ordering a glass of wine, bring the bottle to the table to pour, a table next to me was convinced that when they ordered a second glass of the same wine, that in fact it was not the same. Who knows, but if the bottle is brought to the table then there is no doubts.....then it would be a 5!

The ingredients seem to be cheap, the cooking wasn't great but the food is overpriced. The staff were nice and polite, the colouring for the kids is a nice touch but the food vs price left much to be desired.I had 'half chicken' which was more like a quarter chicken for the price of a whole chicken. This came with thin cut chips and a small ramekin of 'coleslaw' which had a horrible tangy taste... I complained about the coleslaw and the chef seasoned it which made it edible but certainly nothing like any coleslaw I've tasted. I expect far more on my plate for £16.50. The kids meals were a reasonable price but the salmon was overcooked and chewy and the kids pasta was dried and came with a very basic bland tomato based sauce. The ice cream also had a cheap taste. We cook/eat far better at home. My wife decided to have tap water as she wasn't willing to pay £8-£10 for a glass of wine! Disappointed.

Went here to experience ' The taste of the South' which was lovely but we're told that we would be charged extra for the slice of bread which was displayed beautiful in the same area as the help yourself food ( or help yourself to everything but the bread) to be sliced by the customer !!!. Now call me picky but I would expect a slice of bread/ melba toast to have with the pate which makes up part of the local produce. Now that is the kind of ridiculous nonsense that makes you want to say " your are kidding surely") With prawns and lovely meats the bread that costs a few pence to produce is the sticking point to this restaurant ( by the way, it is NOT a few pence they charge you for the bread). Has stopped us going back, shame

Excellent food with good children's menu of good quality food. Colouring in pack was also a hit. Very helpful staff.

Very good choice of food and very tastey. The staff are very polite and offer a brilliant service. You will have to book as it is very popular on a Saturday. When relaxing after a swim the staff will attend to your order for drinks and snacks to eat in the lounge looking onto the pool. So relaxing

Breakfast was good value for the money we paid. It includes options for kids, which is always a plus specially when you travel with family :)

Book a table for 6.30 arrived at 6.15 for a drink at the bar and was asked to sit out in the garden while we where waiting for our table. Walked through the restaurant towards the garden and was asked where are you going? "That's for dinning only"When out table was ready we walked back through the restaurant again to be seated on what was cheap dirty plastic chairs and table. Our fillet steaks were burnt in front of us on a BQ. Sadly we had to have our clothes dry cleaned to get the stink out. The food portions were so small I could have eaten both plates on my own. One piece of steak one half a tomato with watercress and a BQ sauce £5 extra! Sweet was creme brulee with dirty cutlery served by a spotty kid with food all down his shirt. Two glass's of wine at £31. The bill in total was £112. When I complained the gave me the wine free! Oddly my boss when the day before and walked out after waiting 45 mins for his food and £28 for two glass of wine.

The food was average, the ambiance is lovely, but the service was awful, lots of young people waiting on with little or no supervision. We had to ask for the wine list, and when it came to dessert, we had to look for some to even take the order.

We booked for a family party of 8 a least two weeks ago and found we had been seated in the conservatory, which was freezing. We complained and were told that guests were eating alfresco and that the doors would be shut when they had finished - alright for them they had heaters, we did not! The chips were cold, the cold slaw very sweet tasting, the summer buttered vegetables consisted of a few peas, green beans and a cabbage leaf which plainly had just come out of the microwave! One party member had to remind them that their potatoes were missing and finally the Chilean red wine (Merlot) was watery. Not all the food was bad, some elements were good and the crab and prawn dish with sweet coconut very tasty. We were offered free coffee to compensate. Overall we enjoyed our family celebration which was the main thing, but we do feel that the Solent Hotel has a lovely location and ambience and has let its self down. The portion sizes need to be larger and dishes of freshly cocked vegetables produced, after all it is not cheap.

A really lovely restaurant with excellent decor and very attentive, first rate staff; unfortunately the food was not up to the same standard. My Gnocchi was delicious but tiny! Really it was a starter size and for £11 was extremely expensive with not a great deal of mushrooms or spinach and a tad dry.I would go again but not sure if I would recommend to others.

We went to the restaurant for a wine tasting and dinner, it was such a great evening and we will definitely go again. The host was so knowledgeable and interesting. We had had wine with each of the four courses all of which were delicious and cooked to perfection.

Visited the restaurant for Mothering Sunday lunch. Initial service was good and we were seated and served very well. The restaurant was very busy with lots of families which was a good sign. The Mother's Day menu was excellent and included sparkling wine and flowers for the mums. A great touch and well executed. We were given bread but had to ask for butter.The starters came out fairly quickly and were good. The main course took 45 minutes to come out after the starters were cleared which was to long. During the delay no attempt was made to top our glasses of wine and water. Our white wine was not chilled enough and warmed up on the table. Once the mains came out it the food was excellent and the vegetables were first class. There was no attempt to clear empty glasses from the table and the etiquette was poor due to the busyness of day. We waited 20mins for our main course plates to be cleared and a further 15 mins to be offered deserts.Overall the food was excellent but the service showed signs of being stressed and under pressure which left us feeling a little disappointed.

All the meals we had were excellent although there isn't much choice and after a few days you would struggle to find something different. However, the breakfast options are seemingly endless and the waffles with maple syrup and bacon is not to be missed.

It's said that you find out just how good a service provider really is when something goes wrong. On that basis, I have to say the Solent Hotel is definitely scoring an 'A' grade at customer service.Four of us went for a family birthday dinner and I was impressed with the staff's attitude - a genuine 'hello' is refreshing to see. We were seated with the minimum of fuss and service through drinks and ordering was unobtrusive but attentive thanks to our excellent waitress.When our mains arrived, everything started off promisingly. Three meals were cooked to perfection but unfortunately one person's sirloin was rather more sinew and tougher than reasonable. The chef couldn't necessarily have realised; sometimes a steak looks fine from the outside. What might be an ordeal at other restaurants was handled extremely well - the manager was genuinely concerned, very apologetic, and replaced the dish without hesitation.The dishes were excellent - chateaubriand for two as good as any London restaurant, and a very tender lamb. Presentation was spot on, with spotlessly clean white plates to show off the dish to its best.The overall cost was reasonable, with drinks a little on the pricey side (over £10 for a glass of nice Malbec) but the customer service more than makes up for it.Sometimes it's the little things that stand out, and I noticed our waitress consciously serving the ladies at the table first followed by the men, in age order. A superb touch that suggests excellent attention to detail.Seriously well done, Solent Hotel and your restaurant staff. Based on our experience tonight, I hope you are very proud of your staff.

(This is purely for the restaurant - we didn't stay at the hotel)It's said that you find out just how good a service provider really is when something goes wrong. On that basis, I have to say the Solent Hotel is definitely scoring an 'A' grade at customer service.Four of us went for a family birthday dinner and I was impressed with the staff's attitude - a genuine 'hello' is refreshing to see. We were seated with the minimum of fuss and service through drinks and ordering was unobtrusive but attentive thanks to our excellent waitress.When our mains arrived, everything started off promisingly. Three meals were cooked to perfection but unfortunately one person's sirloin was rather more sinew and tougher than reasonable. The chef couldn't necessarily have realised; sometimes a steak looks fine from the outside. What might be an ordeal at other restaurants was handled extremely well - the manager was genuinely concerned, very apologetic, and replaced the dish without hesitation.The dishes were excellent - chateaubriand for two as good as any London restaurant, and a very tender lamb. Presentation was spot on, with spotlessly clean white plates to show off the dish to its best.The overall cost was reasonable, with drinks a little on the pricey side (over £10 for a glass of nice Malbec) but the customer service more than makes up for it.Sometimes it's the little things that stand out, and I noticed our waitress consciously serving the ladies at the table first followed by the men, in age order. A superb touch that suggests excellent attention to detail.Seriously well done, Solent Hotel and your restaurant staff. Based on our experience tonight, I hope you are very proud of your staff.

The restaurant is very good, serving quality food in nice surroundings. Bar has a great selection of beers and wines and the seasonal mulled wine is lovely. Same food available in the bar for more casual dining if you don't fancy the restaurant. Staff in all areas are polite, friendly and efficient so we eat there often.

I have eaten here many times over the years (that's probably a review in itself) but have never reviewed it. A visit to the hotel in late October caused me to eat here. There seemed to be many empty tables on this Friday evening. It was still reasonably busy though. Appetisers arrived quickly, as did drinks. Food quality and portion sizes are excellent, but to my mind, the food - and wine - here has always been a bit pricey. I have never had a bad dinner here ( although the breakfast buffet can often be cold ), but have always baulked a little at the bill. This most recent outing cost 100 quid and questioning that price leaves me awarding it a 'Very Good' rather than anything more...

Very nice menu, well delivered by good staff.The bar menu is great too. Had one of my best ever steaks off the bar menu.

Excellent dishes in this hotel restaurant. Furniture a little tired. Service friendly and smiling but slow and disorganised in a day with only 1/3 of the restaurant full. I will visit again for the food.

Excellent quality of food and outstanding service on the Friday night, then on Sunday morning they seated us at a table already occupied by another guest who was away from his seat and then made us move, didn't bring the bread and toast that we ordered (and saw two other tables complaining about the same thing) while others around us got served, and forgot to bring us one of their orders with the explanation for both the bread and the missing order as "sorry, we forgot". No denying the quality of the food, but the staff seemed unable to handle a Sunday breakfast at half capacity...

Сервис доставки еды в номер работает неправильно! Клиент не должен спускаться из номера в ресторан, чтобы заплатить за доставленный ему в комнату ужин!

Excellent from the moment we walked in, service 2nd to none and the food was quite possibly the best I have tasted. The service we received from Rose was also excellent. Very Pleasant and recommend for any occasion.

This was for Sunday Lunch to celebrate our wedding aniversary. The setting is lovely, the seating very comfortable with the tables nicely spaced, so that you are not backed onto the person behind. The service was excellent with a complimentary glass of wine thrown in. The starter was probably one of the best outside of a cruise ship. The choice on the table was fantascic and very tasty. We both opted for the roast beef for mains and this was far more than we could eat although both my wife and I have large appetites. This was a perfect Sunday lunch time experience, one that I would repeat anytime. Loved the food the service was great and the price was very reasonable.

A group of eight of us were celebrating a friend's birthday and we all thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Friendly efficient service in the bar was followed by the same excellent service in the restaurant. We were very well attended to and the food was lovely; very good quality, well presented and served very timely with the right amount of time between courses. Will definitely keep coming back.

It was my birthday and to celebrate we chose afternoon tea at the Solent. Firstly, contrary to their website they do not serve this on bank holidays, and secondly when I rang I was passed from one person to another to another before someone finally took my booking. Disappointingly, when we got there the table was laid out in the bar area, whereas I got the impression it would be on their terrace-as it was a lovely sunny afternoon, or at least in their conservatory. But more than any of that, it was the tea itself that was a let down, it was so unimaginative, consisting of a finger sandwich of one ham & tomato, one cheese & pickle, and one salmon (so barely a round of bread). You can buy more exciting sandwiches in a supermarket! Then we had a scone ( no butter or jam, although a small breakfast-table jar of it was provided on request), a mini muffin (that you would also find at the breakfast table), 2 mini eclairs, and 2 pieces of synthetic looking chocolate cake. I do not understand why 24 hours notice is required for this? Where were the speciality cakes and tarts?!I would stress that the young man serving us was very very polite, helpful and attentive, and he had set the table in as quiet a corner as he could find. Afternoon tea? Next time I will try M&S in the village!