The Snakecatcher in New Forest

After reading reviews on trip advisor, we visited this pub for a late lunch mid week. Dog friendly. The staff were so friendly, chatty and helpful. Ambience was welcoming. Menu varied. Good selection of drinks. Relatively reasonably priced. We ordered food at around 2.30pm which we were assured was no problem. Our food was delicious. No negatives at all. We loved it here and will return again and again. Thank you team.

Some of our group had completed a 30 mile training walk so were tired and hungry. We found a table but no one came to speak to us despite there being several staff around. I went to the bar to order drinks and ask about the pie of the day which I was told was steak and ale. My daughter ordered this but when the pie arrived it was chicken. We questioned this but we’re told it had never been steak and ale! My daughter was hungry so said she would just have it but asked for gravy as it was very dry. This we were charged for despite it being their mistake. It took ages for plates to be cleared and again I had to go to the bar to order pudding. Food was generally ok but they definitely need to improve their service. Plenty of staff but lack of training and/or organisation. Won’t be rushing back.

Nice beer and friendly atmosphere, but quiet at 4pm and chilly!

Friendly service. Nice atmosphere, played a few games of pool and had a couple of drinks.

First time trying The Snakecatcher and we were not disappointed. Friendly and quick service from the bar staff and the waitress. We shared a starter Homemade Ham Hock Terrine served with sourdough and mango chutney. Very tasty, but it was more like a pate. Main courses ordered were Pan fried pork medallions served with gratin potato, peach and cranberry, finished with Jack Daniels and honey jus and the Ham, egg and chips. Both very tasty and compliments tot he chef for the pork medallions. Tried a couple of the ales which were good. Will be going back when in the area.

Really lovely place for lunch with really tasty food. We love the “steak at the snake” where we can cook our steak on the hot stones. Really would recommend!

4 of us went Sunday afternoon for a Birthday the food that we ordered was very nice but unfortunately let down by the poor service, first of all we had to ask after 15 minutes for someone to take our order as nobody came to our table. Food all came out in good time and was all lovely while eating we were not asked if food was ok then after we had finished our mains we sat there for 30 minutes again nobody came to clear plates away and ask if we wanted desserts or anything else in the end we decided to go to Bar and pay as still nobody came to table it was a shame as we couldn’t fault the food.

Great pub, tasty meals, homey atmosphere!

What a lovely place to go for a meal in the New Forest. The food is amazing and the staff are lovely. We really enjoyed it.

A lovely country pub in the New Forest next to Brockenhurst Station we sat in the garden with our dogs there was a small area where the children could play and an outdoor bar area where you could buy drinks and snacks for yourself and children. I had for lunch the seafood sharing basket which I couldn't finish but took the rest home for later. My husband had a burger and fries which he said was totally delicious. I look forward to coming back in the future.

Popped in on the off chance of getting a table after a long day at Beaulieu. Few tables available and one of them was told we could have for an hour as they needed the table back for a reservation, fair enough. Food was ok but an extra £1.50 for a small pot of gravy to go with a meat pie was a little steep. Service was awful. Felt like we were being monitored on our time and were quite uncomfortable with the waitress attitude. Sunglasses on her head, sloppy attitude and arrogant with it. Made a comment when we had finished our dinner saying "oh you still have 7 minutes left". Very rude and inappropriate comments to a customer. It all seemed very rushed for a 7pm reservation when all they really needed to do was put four knives and forks and four paper napkins down. Felt like we were treated as outsiders in their pub where they prefer their regulars! Won't be returning and wouldn't recommend.

Lovely pub and the food was lovely! There's a play area in the garden for the kids as well.

Stopped in here for lunch and the food was really subpar. The Thai green curry was unbelievably oily. Halfway through I started scooping the excess oil out with my spoon. Looking back, I really should have sent it back as it wasn’t really edible in the state it was brought out. My partner’s fish pie was okay but the steamed veggies were undercooked. A shame as the atmosphere was quite nice :/

I never really do reviews but just wanted to say how amazing the food was here and the service was so quick! Best chicken burger I have ever tasted 😍 definitely coming back soon! Thank you!

Lovely pub the food was amazing we had the Mix Grill would recommend this to a very high standard service was excellent would definitely come again and would recommend thanks for a lovely night.

Lovely country pub. Friendly staff that made you feel very welcome. I was in a party of four and we all enjoyed our food. My Father's fish and chips with proper mushy peas was excellent. His words!

Unbelievably disappointed, and I barely ever write negative reviews, I always look for the positive. But today's visit has really not impressed me. I walked in and found a table, to be fair I was served quickly and the interactions were friendly. Menu, especially the specials, sounded great, but the sizzling steak appealed. The food is where it went wrong, nothing inherently inedible but, when a meal is £24 with steak and scallops you are looking forward to a feast. I got a 4oz steak (as advertised so not commenting there) but when the 4oz steak is sliced into 3 pieces and every single piece is 50% fat I got a 2oz steak. Scallops were cooked well......because I cooked them! The mushrooms were basically oil (though flavourful) and the sweet potato fries were the worst I have ever had, just mush. Absolutely felt like they were boiled not fried. The whole meal was served with 3 sauces that didn't compliment the scallops at all, at a push a couple could have gone with the steak. And then as I was sitting by the bar I had to listen to the bar staff talk about their visit to a strip club and cafe parfait. All in all, not a place I will revisit for food ( I am local)

Lovely pub, lovely garden, good is amazing and friendly staff

We had a great pub lunch with friends on the way too watch a show in Southampton. Great food and great service Will diffinately have a meal in the snakecatcher again when in the new forest area.

Pretty disappointed overall with our visit today. I understand it was Easter Sunday but our table seemed to be getting different service to others around. No table service but others were getting it, main food came out VERY quick after starters.. I’m talking less than 5 minutes- all hot and fresh but not ideal. A goats cheese salad was ordered that came missing the beans, no coleslaw for the two burgers ordered. We didn’t get checked back on to bring these issues up and no staff available to pull aside, maybe break time?? We had to keep asking for cutlery also. When it came to paying the bill at the bar we were acknowledged but the phone got answered first.

Great little pub for kids if the weather is nice and delicious new forest ice cream

Had two meals here in the build up to the Easter weekend, one magnificent cote de boef which we shared and then the following evening a mixed seafood main plus a rib-eye cooked at the table on hot stones. Everything was excellent, particularly the chips! Staff very friendly and helpful... special call out to Jake and Connor, who made our stay in Brockenhurst very memorable. Hope to be back in the summer, when some lovely weather will elevate the experience even further! Best wishes Vidal, Diana, and Dexter the Springer

Fantastic pub restaurant excellent food choice and quality lovely staff and great ambience good value too...well done everyone involved...Neil Winstone Alfriston East Sussex

Absolutely fantastic pub restaurant in heart of the new forest fabulous food menu and extremely enjoyable... lovely welcoming staff with great ambience throughout well done everyone involved 10/10

Great food and service - large group was welcome 🙂

We decided to stop on our train journey to Southampton airport. The pub is just 2 mins walk from Brockenhurst station. We weren't disappointed. The pub was clean and good menu. We had a fish pie which was piping hot and delicious, served with a side salad. I had sorbet for pudding, as they did not have the flavour I asked for, they gave me extra scoops, which was good. Not surprisingly, it got busier, but staff and manager coped and kept everyone happy. Would certainly go back.

Spike was an outstanding host, and really welcoming. He engaged in our social banter. He went above and beyond to make sure that me and my lover had a deeply, thorough enjoyable evening.

We stopped on our train journey for lunch. Only 2 mins walk from Brockenhurst station. The staff were very friendly and service was excellent. Great food, we both had fish pie, which was served with salad. The pie was piping hot and delicious. The pub got busier, but the staff were able to deal with the demand. Would certainly go again.

We called in here on two nights during our stay in Brockenhurst. A good pub with excellent local ales. We had a snack on the second visit which was good. Would certainly call in again if in the area.

Was recommended to dine here by a friend for mothers day, a treat from my son and daughter-in-law. I was so exited and then so disappointed. Lets start - We opted for the hot stones my son and husband had the mixed grill and my daughter-in-law had seafood. This is the service followed:. Ordered drinks - drinks arrived ok - waitress polite and friendly Ordered food - the knives and forks arrived and then food arrived on hot stones - we then had to ask for plates. No tongs or forks where given for turning and cooking whilst cooking and for dishing out food. This is not good practice when people are moving food around the hotplate after the fork has been in there mouths. When I asked for tongs the lad just shrugged his shoulders. No one came and asked us if we wanted more drinks. Toilets/Cleanliness - one of the most important thing when eating out and are a big thing for us, - the ladies were fine but the gents were disgusting my son had to hold his nose and my husband wouldn't use them. We paid and left, very disappointed and would not return.

Some of the best chicken I've ever eaten, the service was wonderful

Stopped here for lunch, delicious food, great service.

By far the best steak I've ever eaten. Service was great too. Will definitely return

Great boozer great food only drawback is high priced drinks

We had an excellent meal on Saturday evening. The food was excellent, well cooked and extremely tasty. The portion size was pretty good as well as we were all hungry. They keep a good pint if real ale as well. I can't fault the staff for their friendly amd helpful attitude. Five stars on all accounts.

I'm sorry to say the food was terrible. Actually, it was absolutely terrible. Staff slow, and they are not really enjoying their jobs. Won't go again. And as a resident of Brockenhurst, that's sad!

Nice place to eat and drink plenty of garden space and tables

Staying in Brockenhurst for two nights and our hotel recommended ‘Snakecatcher’ to us. Nice pub, good atmosphere and lovely food, portions were huge too! Great story behind the name, make sure you read it if you visit the pub.

We enjoyed our lunch very much. Will definitely visit again

Stopped off for lunch here, I ordered hunters chicken and my partner ordered chicken Caesar salad, both were good size portions, well cooked and very tasty. The menu had a good selection on offer especially for a lunch time menu, would absolutely visit again if in the area.

Amazing sandwiches, I had coronation chicken my other half had brie and some chips. Big plate of food lovely fresh bread. Was very cold when we arrived but once the fire was going very nice. Definitely be back.

Lovely dog friendly pub with great food!

Good spot to grab a quick pub grub, just minutes away from Brockenhurst train station. The indoors had a lot of history on walls especially about the local & actual ‘Snakecatcher’ who once caught 30,000 snakes from New Forest!! That bit was interesting. Staff and service were good. The food ok; fish and chips bit too oily and overdone. The fish pie was good though. Didn’t find a wow factor sadly but a good place to stop for a nicely poured local pint!

Lovely long lazy lunch with family. Staff were attentive when we were ordering and left us to relax and chatter after dinner. Lovely & warm. Open fire. Lovely hot food that was served promptly all well presented and prepared. Will certainly return again!

Had a lovely few hours in here enjoying drinks and company. Great welcome and lovely atmosphere, will Most definitely return.

My husband and I were in Brockenhurst for a few days and popped into The Snakecatcher Pub for our evening meal. We were served by two young staff who were friendly and attentive. We were the only people at first maybe because it was a weekday and we were early. Our meal arrived quickly and it was enjoyable. The portions were large and the menu had a good varied selection.

Popped in for a lunch. Food and service excellent! Chose the ploughman's sharing board and cheesy chips! Lovely! Highly recommend!

For the wheel chair friendly community, this establishment is a dream come true. Chefs Specials left me feeling out of this world and Service with a smile is always a bonus. An almost standing ovation. I asked for extra sauce and it came. Will be returning for more, snake catcher - you left my snake feeling great!

Wow, went here for my Xmas get together on Friday. wow, wasn’t disappointed at all. Staff so lovely and friendly. Food utterly amazing and good portion sizes. Stuffed was an understatement, the turkey, ciabatta, brûlée were so good. Reasonable prices for the area, and I definitely will be returning in the new year. Thank you all at Snakecatcher

Wonderful tasty lunch at this beautifully festive pub. Food was gorgeous and the staff really helpful and friendly. Really cozy setting, nice and clean. Would love to visit again.

Vegans, avoid this place like the plague. We paid £15.50 each for a jack fruit curry today. The only reason we ate it..was because we were so cold and hungry. I regret not complaining when it arrived. It was absolutely disgusting. A spicey watery soup like consistency with half a tin of unflavored jack fruit tipped in and some leaks. It's the worst vegan meal I've EVER had...and I've been vegan 18 years. My partner had 4 mouthfuls and left it. This is 2023....no game with vegan grub here. Don't waste your money.

Stopped here for lunch on our way to the Cottage Lodge in Brockenhurst. Generous portions (we had a light lunch of sandwiches) and friendly service.

Came in for an early dinner, staff were very welcoming and friendly. Service was excellent as the pub filled up pretty quickly. A young blonde lady was super efficient and remained smiling even though she was looking after a number of tables. Food was great quality pub food, well done chefs. We only had mains but were absolutely full. Reasonably priced too. Can’t fault it. Well done.

I stopped here because of a two hour switch between trains and a bit of family research, and I ended up choosing at random one of the best pubs ever. Great drink, even better food which is served by even better staff! Massively recommended to everyone!

My wife and myself are currently holidaying at Brockenhurst in the New Forest (staying at the lovely Cottage Lodge Hotel - Review to follow) - and earlier this evening we had an early supper at the nearby Snakecatcher Pub. Being relatively early diners we had the pick of tables and found a nice one towards the rear of the lounge. The staff could not have been more welcoming and were soon enjoying our respective dinners. Both our Pies (Fish and Steak & Ale) were not only delicious but were accompanied by a generous selection of fresh vegetables. All in all, a most enjoyable evening and - as such - this will probably not be our last visit!

Great food, reasonably priced with massive portions. Wonderful service by Jake. Will definitely be back

We always enjoy our visit to this pub we hope you do.

We enjoyed good beer (I should say ale) and good food and the service was good too. It was a Monday mid afternoon so quiet. But still worth a visit.

Fantastic food, venue, staff and setting!! We had a fab dinner today and we will be back. Thank you

Excellent food. We had steak and ale pie which was extremely tasty and contained good quality meat which was cooked to perfection, it came with lovely crispy chips and perfectly cooked vegetables. Our other meal was the fish pie which was also beautifully cooked and freshly made. The service was good and the staff friendly. Would definitely recommend a visit.

Would give 11/10 for food alone. I had a ham hock as a special, and it was exceptional. Staff were super friendly and made every effort to accommodate us, genuinely a 5 star experience in every way.

Below par food esp given the prices, much better places in the New Forest

Quick light lunch and coffee. Greeting / hospitality was genuine and warm - lots of lovely fuss of the dog. Service and food equally great. Loos were spotless.

Great pub. Always go there when we’re in the area.

Came across this pub whilst out walking; wished we had walked on by. Greeted at the bar by a smiling young lady happy take my order and chat, it fell apart from there; She was undermined and belittled by another member of bar staff, apparently being her brother meant he could put her down in front of customers. (She walked off embarrassed and emotional), I felt very uneasy along with a customer who was sat next to me. We received our order, Ham, egg and chips; pie of the day and vegetables. Eggs were undercooked and warm at best, the vegetables weren't cooked and cold, the meat in the pie was tough. The food was left. The only redeeming feature was the ale which was a good pint. We won't be returning.

Really lovely atmosphere to come for a drink and food we came with friends and each dish looked and tasted great. We would definately recommend an evening here and will come again.

Lovely atmosphere and great food.

Nice pub, good food pleasant atmosphere especially next to the fire on a cold day. Try the hot stone food clever idea as you cook it yourself. Good side portions.

Everything about this pub is excellent, especially the food, so good in fact we went there twice 😋 during our short break in Brockenhurst

Amazing food. Great quality and tasty.

Great atmospheric New Forest pub, excellent food!

Went lunchtime but the specials board was 12noon till 1.30 so just missed it ,so disappointed because I was looking forward to the Cote de bouef . After 1.30 you would have to cook it yourself on the hot stone , didn't want to cook it myself. Then the specials don't start again till 6pm.

Great pub. Been many times. Great value food.

Fantastic place, great food with a great atmosphere. No difficulty in parking either.

Took friends for lunch, very relaxing garden, and good food, we had the ploughman's platter and chips,

Brilliant pub. Has lots of character inside and a lovely garden with kids play area. Good variety of food to suit all tastes. Great place to visit.

A bit dark to read my magazine at the table, but lovely bangers and mash with steamed veg. I will be back next time I am down here.

Loved the food, the portions were massive which works well with my friends and family. The waiters/waitresses were really friendly. Only drawback is the fish pie was slightly salty for my taste but other than that, definitely a must for visitors.

Good food and good beer...what more is there to say.

Great day out, first since Christmas with friends, had a couple of sharing platers, brilliant food very tasty and plenty of it at reasonable price. Staff were great, helpful and attentive. Thank you Snakecatcher for providing a safe comfortable environment for our meeting with friends. Highly recommended. Came again had a sharing plater ploughman's and basket of chips. Staff as ever very friendly food brilliant and plenty for 4 oldies. Still highly recommended.

Cosy pub, large garden, friendly staff, great food

A well-run pub/restaurant with plenty of staff and a very good kitchen. We had the ham, egg and chips along with the pie of the week - both enjoyable and promptly served. A choice of real ales and a good wine selection made for a good evening. There’s a large car park to the side too… A sound choice if you want better-than-average pub food.

Amazing food. Friendly staff and cosy atmosphere

Last minute decision, called and booked 30mins ahead. Friendly, very polite, on the ball staff. Excellent menu choice, also a specials board. Large portions, hot and very tasty. Will certainly visit again and highly recommend

Last minute decision as we were staying just up the road. Staff were all really pleasant, greeted us on arrival, table was ready although we were a few minutes early. Good selection of draught beers (Snakecatcher bitter is recommended), ciders and wines. Great choice of food plus several specials on the blackboard, including "pie of the week". Scampi and chips with proper whole tails not 'reconstituted'. Snakecatcher burger and chips. Really good sized portions and very tasty. We also ordered the trio of bread which was probably a mistake given how much you got!!!. We did our best and the plates were almost clean. Highly recommended.

As previously mentioned by another reviewer, we too booked a table on line earlier in the day for 5 of us which was duly accepted & said 'booked'. Arrived at 7.15 ready to dine. Walked in and were completely ignored for at least 10 minutes until someone acknowledged we were there!!! Not once did a member of staff say a word not even 'we'll be with you in a minute' SO damn rude. Eventually the female staff member promptly asked if we'd received an email confirmation, with a snidey smile on her face, which we hadn't at that time but it came later after our booking time had come & gone! Ridiculous booking system - didn't offer to squeeze us in or come back at a later time or offer a table in the garden. Haven't received such poor customer service in a long time and having gone elsewhere, we had the best dinner at Enzee near the station who couldn't have been more welcoming & accommodating! Suffice to say won't be returning to the Snake Catcher any time soon.

Rude and unhelpfully Booked on-line but they said they had not got it. Made no effort to see if they could do anything. I see others have also had thus problem

Happy for you to while away the day reading and sipping good cider

The menu attracted us as there were very interesting choices. We both had the hot stone dishes. The side orders that came with the mains were extremely delicious too. Very friendly attentive staff, dog friendly and all the food we saw being served looked tremendous. Will definitely return and highly recommend.

On holiday looked on Google yours came up . First impressions when we walked in was to try your menu for something to eat. We didn't even have a drink ,the tables were all close together and very dull . Nothing against dogs but they sat on sofa which people are meant to sit . We walked straight out ,not very inviting.

Could be so nice. No vibe, no service. Boring food.

We are regular visitors to Brockenhurst and have had many nice meals sitting in the garden. However the visit on Friday evening is probably our last .There was red lipstick on the wine glass -bit off putting but glass changed and spology. We ordered the fish basket which arrived with cremated sweet potato fries, obviously unedable. Why would you serve this ? Such a shame .

We were really impressed with the food. Loved my steak on lava stone. Everyone liked their dish. Good pub grub and nice garden

Saved our evening! After being turned away at the huntsman up the road we made our way down to the snake catcher, we arrived at 8.20 and enquired about a table for 2, the staff let us know that the kitchen would be closing at half 8 and very graciously let us choose our table, saying we could come up to the bar whenever we were ready to order. Unfortunately many of the specials were sold out, which is to be expected as we were late in the evening and they all sounded very delicious. We were still able to find something in the main menu which we were very pleased with. The staff were very accommodating. Thanks everyone for making my evening!

absolutely amazing! food was great and staff were amazing even though it was incredibly busy! One of the staff had to deal with a very tricky customer who had emailed to book an hour before not had a response and still expected the booking. She handled it really well and apologised to me for the drama! Thanks guys your amazing will be back again

Lovely little pub, with a nice outdoor seating area with a kids playing area. The food really let the place down. Ide go back for a pint but not the food

The Snakecatcher...don't book online if you want a table In the New Forest for a short break. Booked a table at the Snakecatcher online via there app for Thursday 31st 7.30pm two people and a dog Turned up as planned barman can find no booking for us and they are rammed. He asked if I'd booked online and he said they have to manually transfer the on line bookings to the booking book...and he hadn't had a chance to do it No apology No we will try and squeeze you in NOTHING what can one do? Make a scene demand to see the manager Ask for a refund (except we hadn't paid anything) None of which would magic up dinner We opted for leaving vowing never to return and document our experience

Beautiful pub in the heart of Brockenhurst. Not much has changed in the 12 years since I last visited, but it remains as stunning as ever. Ideally situated for the train station too. Unfortunately, it was far too hot to sit outside, and I didn't want to be mobbed by wasps, but by the window was lovely. Thank you :)

Love this pub.. Service is always good and the staff are friendly.. Always visit when in the new forest..

Sticky tables, found a large piece of plastic in my pint (part of beer taps or something?!). Management did sort it by not charging us for our meal.