The Wellhouse in Winchester

Fantastic food, served by friendly professional staff to let you enjoy your evening, can’t get any better in Hampshire

I am genuinely confused. My family and I went for lunch at the WellHouse. My family all seemed to enjoy the food presented. However, I was totally unimpressed. My experience seems distinctly at odds with other reviewers and the food served to me decidedly different to other reviewers. Firstly whilst the Wellhouse itself is a rustic building with exposed timbers, the ambience was nothing special...think farmhouse kitchen. My food was also nothing special. The beef served to me was bland, tasteless, tough and thinner than a slice of parma ham. In fact I estimate that my 3 slices in total comprised less than 2 oz. The food on the whole was so tough that we had to request sharper knives. I should award 5 stars to who ever managed to carve 3 slices of beef thinner than a sheet of paper as this is quite an achievement whilst simultaneously making them impossible to cut and completely tasteless. The roast potatoes were equally devoid of taste. However the home made sourdough and caramelised onion butter were lovely. £240 for a 2 course Sunday lunch is over priced. Whilst I appreciate an unhurried dining experience as much as the next person, our lunch took over 2 hours, so the service was also nothing to write home about. At no point did any member of staff ask how our food was. Surely this is a basic courtesy in any restaurant and I would have certainly told them how disappointing the food was. For me this is one star at best..but the family seemed to enjoy it..so an extra star awarded for that.

We thought it was good but no more. The staff were very polite and attentive. Excellent sourdough (although would of been nice to be included on a £49.95 for 3 course lunch) and cracking pigs in blankets. Cured trout was a lovely light starter. Beef fillet although accurately cooked lacked the wood fired characteristics. A fillet really doesn't have enough time to get flavour from the wood fired oven due to its size. Other larger cuts of beef with some fat would be a better choice. Accompanying veg were ok but the cauliflower cheese again lacked any of the advertised 'wood fired' flavour and cheese sauce a little thin. We also thought this recently when dining in the Avenue restaurant what a shame there are no real local sparkling wines listed. Yes Ridgeview is in Southern England but some 70 miles away. You've got excellent quality producers like Black Chalk, Hattingley Valley, Louis Pommery, Raimes, Candover Brook and The Grange all within 10 miles.

Had been attracted to the concept and the online menu. But the on site menu had fewer choices and those we chose we poorly executed

A wonderful dinner at the Wellhouse. Service was great and nice to see the chefs out talking about their food. We opted for several small plates and none disappointed.

A full dining experience at The Wellhouse, a quick visit to the kitchen gardens to see the some of the produce being served up. A warm welcome on arrival and a menu selection of small plates or main plates - a good variety. A theatrical start with the homegrown sourdough bread , a hot coal placed on the butter to give it a slight char for extra flavour. Smoked trout starter with a cheese crouton served in a smoked cloche and unveiled at the table. We also had the cod with mussels, mackerel and the BBQ pork skewer , each dish explained by one of the talented chefs at the table. We each chose a different dessert to finish the evening, no complaints at all , highlights were the chocolates with biscuit ice cream and the blood orange sorbet accompanying the cheesecake. A woodfire dining experience to remember .

Fabulous meal, cooked to perfection by Dan and the gang, great service also from Ben, the perfect host. Lovely evening to celebrate our anniversary ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

well house was amazing food was impeccable and service was good the atmosphere was excellent, we had the bread which soft and elegant and the pork croquettes were absolutely sublime will definitely be returning 1010 highly recommend

Lovely night out with friends. Unique dining experience with really friendly staff. Beautiful setting. I'd recommend for special occasions.

Amazing from start to finish, we loved the warm sourdough and coal-melted butter, so original. We drove down from London to experience the Sunday roast which was exceptional with enormous yorkshire puddings. My dessert was spiced rice pudding, again very original. I'm sure we'll be back.

This place is absolutely amazing! From the service to the food.. Our waiter Nick and Raquel look well after us and the food made by the chefs, Charlie, Dean and George were perfect.. specially the sourdough and the Octopus! I will be definitely returning and recommend this place to my friends and family!

I came in to have dinner with my family tonight and initially we were greeted by a lovely man named Alberto for some pre dinner drinks that we had at the cedar bar before our dinner. The food was exceptional, it is hard to find a restaurant that provides fresh food with great taste and an amazing service as well. My expectations have been exceeded at The Wellhouse and I will recommend this place for a very tasty meal and nice environment as well for friends or family. Thank you to the chefs and our waiters Nick and Raquel for an amazing meal and service!

An absolutely incredible experience with my close friends! Beautiful wood-fired food, the steak is incredible-highly recommend! Has a really homely feel to the restaurant. 10/10 experience

What a fantastic meal my wife and I had at the Well House for my birthday last month. The food was excellent, and the staff engaging and knowledgeable on the dishes, their preparation, and the provenance of the ingredients. They delivered original dishes with fantastic flavours from the wood fired oven, demonstrating skill and originality. If you want to experience something classier than your standard bbq offerings I highly recommend it. We will certainly be visiting again.

We had such a exceptional, delicious meal at the Wellhouse tonight. The bao buns and steak were exeptional. The perfect balance of high quality food that doesn't take itself too seriously made a perfect evening, all locally grown and reared food. Our evening was made even more special by our chef, Charlie, who not only served our food, but also invited us into his kitchen for a personalised tour. Plus, he let us make a valentines wish in the very deep well under the restaurant. Spectacular!. Such a memorable evening made by a fantastic young and passionate chef. Thank you!

We recently visited on a Friday evening and had an excellent meal. The service was friendly and attentive and the food was absolutely delicious. The menu had such an interesting choice of dishes, all cooked in a wood fired oven. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening and can’t recommend the Wellhouse highly enough. What a fabulous restaurant, you won’t be disappointed!

We had 2 fantastic evenings at The Wellhouse as part of a recent corporate event. The food was excellent and the service was perfect. Couldn't have asked for anything else! The sourdough bread was great and lovely to be told about how they make it, plus the addition of warming the butter with a hot cinder from the woodfire was an extra special touch. Great wine too :)

Interesting restaurant located in a converted outbuilding which is just a quick trot across from the main Lainston House Hotel. The decor is upmarket-agricultural and the output is entirely predicated on whatever a large woodfired oven can produce. We kicked off our meal by conjoining some starter and snack options. The sourdough was presented and described by a bread butler who then kindly removed some foil from a hot cinder which was warming a pot of special butter. I'd like to say that it transcended one's usual perception of sourdough, but I can't. However, I did feel rather more elevated by a bowl of burnt brisket ends in a tangy red sauce; extra spoon required to ensure no wastage. Mrs EPR and I both had chicken breast and leg for our main course. Certainly couldn't complain about the quantity; two giant slices of breast on a criss-crossed bed of colourful puree. It was certainly very filling. We both managed to force down a cheesecake afterwards. I always think baked cheesecake has the texture of old shaving foam so not really my favourite. We partook of a bottle of merlot to keep us lubricated, and it was clearly not one of the better examples. The young lady managing the tables with some aplomb was very efficient and unobtrusive. As she was apparently the only front of house person on duty we were impressed by her professionalism. A pleasant atmosphere and a comfortable ambience meant that this was an enjoyable place to spend some time, and there are enough choices on the menu to make more than one visit worthwhile.

Great meal everyone had something difference and excellent setting. The young chef who brought the bread out was the star member of staff.

Was here for the New Year eve dinner which was around £370 for two people so not cheap (the service charge on its own was £40). Food was mediocre, and the service was ok. It was one of the tasting menu type of thing, some of the dish was very salty, and half of the menu was infused with “smoke” which seems to be one of a dated fancy food trends, including the dessert custard which was weird. The waiter (which also the restaurant manager I believe ) mentioned the “brisque” sauce (which I couldn’t understand due to wrong pronounciation and spelling) when I quizzed him he just told me it made of root vegetables in a rather obnoxious voice like I have no clue what he is talking about. It was actually a “bisque” I later told him so he is not going round saying brisque to everyone . And the same waiter totally ignored me and my son when he gave everyone a glass a champagne at the end and I had to go out and asked for it. Regretting the £40 service charge I paid earlier now 😂I don’t want to play the race card, but maybe because I’m Asian I get treated differently.?!??Some of the food had whole coriander seed and clove In it which was unpleasant, the fish(pollock) was very salty. Fancy (looking) but flop (tasting) really, I wouldn’t go back. The staffs are young, inexperience and clearly had no idea what they are serving or talking about. Oh and the deconstructed pretend to be a mushroom starter was just horrendous, a normal real mushroom cooked in butter would have been a lot nicer and a lot less work. And the carpet where the live band is was just so dirty, don’t you own a vax ? The Xmas cocktail also was a disaster, ran out of white currant syrup so was substituted by something else was overly sweet and didn’t go with any of the food. Anyway, I won’t go back for sure. I was going to book Tom residency experience as he won master chef but not too sure now.

Food was great, but the experience was poor. This place is an adjunct to the main hotel which is suitable for meals if you have children or fancy more relaxed experience. On entry, it is a beautiful building, but does a bit look a bit like a smart beefeater. it is not, despite the wonderful food, worth visiting of a Saturday evening as a couple. Reiterate, the food really is lovely but the experience is more beefeater than you might want for the money…