The Willow Tree in Winchester

Called in after visiting earlier in the year, during first visit staff were friendly and informative, decided we would call back next time we stayed in Winchester for a meal. Never again, most miserable uncommunicative staff come across, apart from young barman who was full of beans. Had one drink then walked back into town for a meal

I am crying tears at this moment in time over my dinner at the Willow Tree last night . I went alone before a Alice In Wonderland showing at the Everyman Winchester Cinema at 7 O'clock . I was told the menu had been changed 3 days previous I was so looking forward to the Chicken burger with chips dripping in chilli sauce peppers etc . My waitress said they now did a vegan tempura burger so I waited with high expectations very hungry and What Arrived !!! Not a proper bun looked very thin and weak and inside just a few grilled cucumbers and peppers no sauce ,mayonnaise in a brown packet impossible to open I had to ask the barman to open it for me he also had trouble and had to fetch scissors eventually . I did eat it I was so hungary she asked me if I wanted a pudding I declined but as I was leaving I vowed to see the Willow Tree no more. What Can I say . yours faithfully Ms A J B o w n..

Went for an evening meal, lovely atmosphere. Staff were all friendly and made us welcome. We really enjoyed our food. Thank you

I went for a little walk and this place Wow, sooooo friendly Couldn’t do enough for us … Top pub of the year!!! Coffee is amazing, sit by the water, has its own drinks A must come

Lovely surroundings. Meal well cooked and nicely presented. Service was very good. Would recommend. Sea bass was very tasty, as was the fish and chips.

Driving from Portland to Essex we needed some lunch but didn’t want to stop at a service station so googled places to eat nearby and found this easily off the motorway in such beautiful settings. It was a sunny day and the garden area was lovely, as was our sandwiches with the best skin-on-chips with insides that melted when you ate them. The staff were very friendly and food was served quickly. Lovely location and venue 👍🏻

The willow tree is a gem of a place in the perfect location. The garden between two rivers is gorgeous on a sunny day and the beer and wine selection are great.

This is a cracking little pub where the food is well prepared and plentiful paired with a well-kept cellar showcasing local ales. They do fancy well cooked food but I went for the Ham.and Eggs which didn't disappoint. Thanks for a lovely meal.

We visited here today for Father’s Day and had the Sunday roast menu. I rang ahead of the booking to ask if my daughter can use her own plate due to her disability she likes to use her own things. The pub was super accommodating and very kind about her needs. We sat inside to eat but had the free flow to go outside with her, all the staff were so kind and friendly and nothing was ever too much such a beautiful setting made even nicer by the friendly staff. Well done for creating such a easy and accessible setting for us to eat will definitely be coming back x

A homely pub near the peaceful Winnall Moors Nature Reserve. It has a beautiful traditional wooden decor inside and a large garden with a flowing stream. The staff are attentive and friendly. They do come around often to check if you want any food or drink, but it does not get too annoying. The drinks are perfect and there are various food options. I tried the Sunday lunch which was a hearty filling meal. Sitting outside in the garden was a relaxing enjoyable experience. The toilets are clean and well-managed. We received a warm greeting when leaving. An overall wonderful experience.

Unfortunately the food was poor quality on this day. My beef was mainly gristle which was inedible. I was offered another slice of beef but I declined. While there was a good range of vegetables on the plate, food on one side of the plate was much cooler than the other. A new member of staff was attentive and friendly. I won’t be going here again because of the quality of the food.

We reserved lunch for a family meal on a Saturday. There's a lovely atmosphere and we enjoyed good food and service. The portions were large, food tasty and we never waited too long to be served drinks or food. A good pub all round!

Terrible service. Host was extremely rude - shut the door in my face to berate his staff in full view of customers. Just awful.

Last minute booking and so glad we did. The food was excellent and very generous, I had the game faggots which were very filling. Good choice of real ales and reasonable priced wine. Would definitely recommend this pub/restaurant.

Outstanding lunch Great quality and value for money Delicious Felt guilty for not being able to finishing it all but quantity was high Will be back for another one but just a smaller portion

A lovely place to eat. Welcoming both inside and in the garden. The menu was not vast but there was enough choice. It was delicious.

Lovely location out of the mainstream of central Winch Really nice food and service river garden especially nice

Quick bite before shopping, best fish in batter sandwich and chips ever, will be back. Lovely setting and very attentive staff.

Awful Sunday Lunch ! Beef tough (described as ‘pink’ but so raw and gristly I couldn’t cut it). Fish and chips terrible - batter was like cardboard - not even salt on the table ??? Couldn’t face a dessert….where do these four star reviews come from ?? Most definitely NOT recommended !!!!

This is excellent bar for perfect night out with friends,very calm atmosphere with excellent service & lovely staff.recommended

It was nice to have restaurant close be. Couple of mins walk. Nice staff. Discount if staying in travel lodge. Meals ok. Steak really chewy which was disappointing. Sunday roast nice.

The Willow Tree holds so much promise yet delivers so little. The service was poor and offhand; not one member of staff really seemed interested in providing a good service, which I suspect is a sign of poor training. The food was mediocre. Our starters were asparagus, halloumi and hazelnuts - each lovely individually but together it’s an odd combination; and squid, which was nothing more than ok. The mains of a chicken burger and chickpea curry were no better. The curry was far too hot (admittedly a matter of test) and not even as good as a homemade curry. The chicken burger was also mediocre. It was a really disappointing meal. The only good thing was that service wasn’t included on the bill.

Glad to have proper food and service back at The Willow. After years of tumbling along with owners of dubious character and interest, a new management with good, straightforward pub food and nice friendly service, it is 'welcome back'

Amazing food and beautiful location with outdoor seating by the water, I always make sure to visit anytime I'm in Winchester!

A really great pub in Winchester with a intimate pub garden. Very close to the centre, the staff were really friendly and the food was so tasty.

Living in Winchester myself I’ve had plenty of Sunday roasts in various pubs and restaurants over the years. I’m telling you now and this is fact , you will not get a better Sunday roast in Winchester . Perfectly cooked quality ingredients , elevated to...

I could not fault my visit today in any way what so eve…the service was spot on and the food was cooked to perfection .We both had the Sunday roast and it didn’t disappoint.The desserts where perfectly cooked and I highly recommend the chocolate brownie….Jenny...

Long awaited return and so glad to see this lovely pub back to normal. Great new team, lovely refurbishment and good pub food.

Went to Willow Tree on its first Saturday after refurbishment for lunch. Beautifully clean and smart. Service was excellent, drinks reasonably priced and the food was of top quality and well worth the price. Sausage and mash very tasty and the Seabass dish top class...

The Willow Tree is beautifully refurbished and has a great riverside location; it will be lovely in the summer as there are tables and decking outside. We love the Queen Inn which has taken over the Willow Tree and on the spur of the moment...

We have just had lunch at the Willow Tree. Excellent food very friendly staff. Lovely atmosphere, nice bright and clean pub. Would definitely recommend. Good value. Well done to all.

We waited a long time for 2 soups and a plate of chicken wings. The wings were tough and the soup was flavourless. Not recommended.

Shame on you. Arrived after 2pm just for a drink . Wanted it to be a positive experience with a view to eating out regularly here. Asked to sit down as partner is disabled. Met with" nowhere to sit only outside " along with don't...

Wanted to try the newly opened willow to give support, had lovely food, nice wine and great surroundings, will definitely be returning, cant wait for summer, garden is amazing.

Amazing refurbishment, great staff , great food, Can't wait for the summer Will definitely come back Definitely a must visit place.

Recently re-opened with new owners and management and wow what a brilliant pub! Great location in the centre of the city by the river. Great food great atmosphere definitely one to visit if you’re looking for somewhere to eat / drink in Winchester!

We would just like to thank all the staff for their warm and friendly atmosphere nothing is too much trouble, we were visiting Winchester for my son's pass out parade and we were drawn back to the the Willow bcause of how friendly and warm...

In 2019 we were working in Winchester and had a company meal at The Willow which was amazing. Not only the nice bar, but the outside area is stunning along with great food. We decided to rebook again this year because of this and were...

Terrible food and awful service. This could have been a lovely experience with lunch in a good position near the riiver. It was, however, completely spoiled by indifferent service and bland, tasteless food. A considerable improvement would be needed to entice me back to the...

This pub has so much potential. The venue is perfect and the pub garden sits by the river. Sadly the place does look tired and as previous Tripadvisor people have said, there are still black sacks of weeds at the rear making the place look...

Guys come on please can you get the Willow cleaned up bags of rubbish and piles of rotting plants left all over the place for weeks on end ….pull your fingers out and get cleaning DAILY MORNING NOON & night Pubs inside and out should...

Burger buns were out of date and squashed, cheese wasn’t even melted on cheesy chips and chicken strips were as tough as rubber. It’s a shame because the garden is so nice, but it is totally let down by the awful food.

Having moved to the area this is very close to me. Had the Sunday roast with pork. Generous portions and served by friendly staff. The overall impression of the meal was that of genuine unfussy cooking with no frills. No catering style veg or spuds...

Very welcoming, nice surroundings, having booked for lunch it was empty, 75%of menu was not available,,we settled for 2 burgers, good beef Pattie, chips ok, but no garnish not even a tomato on the bun, at £12.50 plus an extra £1.50 for a slice of...

Truly horrible Sunday roast. Uncooked veg. Massively tough thick cut beef. Flat yorkshire puddings and all mired in what could well have been gravy granules mixed with water. Vast quantity of monosodium glutamate. Now, I still feel I'd like to benefit the young people running...

I spent a pleasant Saturday afternoon and evening drinking with friends in the bar. 2 of us had sandwiches and chips. The food was well presented and the bar was regularly cleaned. In spite of consuming a quantity Timothy Taylor as well as food I...

If it could be zero it would be. Food was actually inedible it was so bad. 3 meals all arrived at different times. Chef looked filthy - no apron worn. Staff stroking dogs and then serving food and drinks - no hand washing at all....

Very tasty food, good prices and very generous portions. Nice house wine. Very friendly staff, especially Alex who looked after us very well

My husband, daughter and young son visited for a spur of the moment hot drink after a walk at the nature reserve. The place itself is lovely and feels very cosy and the staff, you couldnt fault them. The big disappointment for us was the...

Food-wise, this place used to be really good. It is now bad. We ate a camembert, chill jam and sourdough starter. The paper of the camembert was burnt and flaking into the jam. The bread seemed like cheap white bread slices, toasted but not warm....

We have been to this pub before COVID hit and it was a thriving business with good food and a good atmosphere. Its now clearly under new management and is now very poor. The Sunday roast was amongst the worst I've ever had with luke...

We haven’t had food this poor for years and should have checked on here first. On arrival the whole pub wreaked of bleach and (as mentioned by other customers) the tables were sticky. Furniture was dirty, broken and chipped. Cleaned our own table. Roast chicken...

Young attentive staff, food was good but general ambience, fixtures and furniture needs attention. 6/10.

Went here after reading some reviews expecting a lovely roast dinner but it is probably the worst roast I’ve had, vegetables hardly cooked, potatoes anaemic and bland food luke warm (if that) and gravy really watery. Extra gravy brought out in a mug and horseradish...

Awful food, just terrible. New management or something, food nothing like the website. Simultaneously burnt, dry and cold. Just avoid and go literally anywhere else. Tesco Express do some great sandwiches

Desperately disappointing , it’s hard to know where to start. The roast beef so over cooked , it was like old shoe leather, tough and almost impossible to cut. Yorkshire puddings burnt. Roast potatoes hard. A vegetarian option that consisted of lots of loose nuts...

We wanted a special meal out with friends to celebrate our engagement and chose The Willow Tree based on their website, with promises of “the finest ingredients” and such dishes as “seared scallops”, “braised feather blade steak”, “Hampshire chalk stream trout” and such like. The reality was beyond disappointing. Sadly one of our party has mobility issues, otherwise we would have certainly walked away and found somewhere else.We arrived and sat at a sticky table covered with crumbs. We asked if they could clean the table and were told it is the anti-bac spray they use that makes it sticky (doesn’t explain the crumbs). The waiter then brought out a dirty dishcloth (no spray) and handed it to us to wipe the table ourselves.We were handed 1 menu for 4 of us. This consisted of fish & chips, steak & chips, sausage & mash, pie of the day, curry of the day... a far cry from the menu advertised online.We ordered 2 steak & chips and 2 fish & chips, then were told there was only 1 fish available. We asked for sausage and mash instead, to be told there was no mash available so it would have to be sausage and chips.The batter on the fish was hard and couldn’t be eaten. The chips were undercooked. The sausage and chips were served in a bowl. The blue cheese sauce for the steaks was the consistency of milk.When we asked what desserts were available, a scrap of paper was produced with 3 choices: brownie, ice cream or creme brûlée. Hardly “passion fruit tart” or “dark chocolate delice” as advertised on their website.Our celebratory meal was so awful, I wanted to cry. And so embarrassing to have brought our friends here for a special “treat”.Terrible food, poor service, not even close to the website description. I had to check a dozen times that I had booked the right place and that there wasn’t another Willow Tree bar/restaurant in the vicinity. Sadly it is this same place (the address on the website confirms this) that falsely advertises a menu that is a million miles from the reality. Do yourself a favour and go elsewhere. We can only assume this place has been recently taken over and has gone rapidly downhill. AVOID!!

We booked a table here on the basis of previous reviews, not realising it was under new management. Wow! Not sure I’ve ever had such bad food. Sad as the service was great and the staff were super friendly. But quite frankly if I’d pulled the shepherds pie out of my backside it would’ve tasted better. What a shame.

Midweek lunch, no other customers. Reasonably priced food, however, chef needs to learn that the addition of salt when boiling potatoes for mash and in the gravy is a necessity for taste and flavour. Sounds as if chef is still learning on the job. Will try again in a few months time. The good news is that the establishment takes cash.

Have eaten here 3-4 times in the last year and the food has been excellent. Good atmosphere, great hosting by Hayley and an excellent chef..... But....went for Sunday roast yesterday and the experience was terrible. A sign on the bar stated it was Under New Management which was a bit concerning. Not sure if Hayley still has this business - if so - it urgently needs fixing!!. Service was slow and did not seem have a grasp. The food was poor.....overcooked hacked off piece of lamb, black yorkshire uncooked in the middle (blowtorched??), roast potatoes advertised (they weren't) and cold veg on a cold plate. On complaint the manager didn't argue at all (or seem surprised) and roasts were comped. Paid for drinks and left.....hungry - what a shame!

Met friends for lunch, chose venue mainly for outside eating area which was nice but service was slow and food pretty awful. Ordered charcuterie board priced at £20 so assumed would be good for two to share, but consisted of few slices of chorizo and salami, couple of slices of bread, and some cheese and olives. We did question if the price was right and to be fair they said it should have been £12 which we paid, but still disappointing.Also ordered 2 chicken burgers but these were really just a plain cooked chicken breast in a bun with Mayo lettuce and tomato. Coleslaw looked like it was yesterday’s and whilst chips were ok, only had a handful.Food took over an hour to arrive despite pub not being overly busy. Overall a very disappointing experience and not one we shall be rushing to repeat

I came down on a quiet Wednesday night with my girlfriend, sister and friend and sat in the lovely little beer garden! Ate some good food, had a great evening! The f**knuggets will return!

Lovely atmosphere with great staff who were all super friendly! Landlady was so lovely and had such a great evening! Excited to go back!

Beautiful setting ..awful service . Waited an hour and half after booking and checking if they did veggie and vegan . To be told only meat gravy . My partner was left with his dinner 45 mins with no gravy . Extreme small portions and a chef with an attitude beyond belief . Felt sorry for the young waiting staff who tried ..

Came across this pub / restaurant as it is a short walk from the hotel we are staying in, and from the off we were really impressed.The food we had was excellent, and drinks were also great with a wide selection of wines etc, and the beer was well kept.We were well looked after for the evening by Alex, who made sure we needed for nothing.If you are in the area, we really recommend the Willow Tree - and we will be coming back.

There were some rubbish reviews on this place so we were sceptical. We took the plunge partly because it was on the route between the city centre and our hotel, and partly because its over the road from a pretty nature reserve.The beer was good. The food is priced to London standards but we've found Winchester in general to be as expensive as London, so this wasn't really a shock. Food was very generous in portion size. Service was a little sluggush on the food front and the chef "forgot" to make mash so gave me chips instead. Mash was offered too but it was already a huge plate of food so I declined. The garden is very pretty. The staff are all very young. As I am temporarily on crutches I can say it's not great for physical accessibilty. The toilet is level access but some parts of the pub are tight for space and there is a step to get out to the gsrden. The access at the front of tbe pub would be a challenge to nanual wheelchair users. Overall a decent place to stop, but the kitchen needs some organisation.

This pub used to be a cosy, fun and friendly and served fantastic food. Unfortunately since being under new management this is no longer the case.The food and drink is very expensive. The kitchen opens at strange times and is not as advertised. The food is not good for the price and I feel that they are trying to go upmarket but it us not working.The toilets are filthy and the floor has been gaffa taped in one area. The locks are coming away from the doors.Sadly inside has been 'refurbished' to a poor standard. This used to be a cosy pub but now they have replaced the lovely wooden furniture with cheap tat. The marble effect tables are plastic and the chairs do not look at all comfortable.Most of the staff are very young and it appears that there is a high staff turnover. The rules when you visit are also constantly changing which is confusing. I was surprised to see that card payments showed up on my bank statement under the landlady's name rather than the business. I would be surprised if the current management remains running this pub much longer.

We were staying overnight in Winchester so as this was near our hotel we thought to give it a try. We were shown to a table but found it very noisy so asked if we could move tables which we were able to do. We had burger with cheese and bacon with fries and moules and bread with fries. The food was very good but we felt out of place as most people were drinking only and the noise put us at unease .

In spite of it having, COVID compliant, to be outside the lunch was excellent and the service friendly, professional and patient. The day was enhanced by being in a well run establishment with excellent staff and good, wholesome food.

Pros: Lovely outside space. When the food did arrive it was nice (not mid-range amazing, just nice). Liked the very descriptive drinks menus. The poor waitress staff were very nice.Cons: - Massively understaffed. Those working did best they could. Went on Tuesday night, but no excuse as tables book now in advance so should know how many staff are needed. Two, including really new girl is obviously not enough, especially when they were doing both drinks and food. Desperately needed a third, and a fourth would have made it smooth. The amount of used glasses stacked at the bar was ridiculous, if a third could have just been based at the bar doing drinks and occasionally helping with bringing them out, the night would have improved tenfold. 40 minute wait for drinks, one hour for starter, about an hour and 30 for mains. At 7pm, one waitress's shift ended and went home, leaving a poor new waitress on her own to do absolutely everything, at this point I counted 12 tables with still new people arriving. How would anyone expect that to work well? - Just silly mistakes/basic etiquette that all add up. Cutlery should be served before food. Hot drinks should come with saucer and spoon. Buy in some disposable salt/pepper sachets rather then communal grinders during a pandemic. Many others but I'd be here all day.- During Covid times especially, tables should be cleaned or at the very very least sprayed between guests, this is basic hygiene.- Menus are misleading. Online they offer vast food menus which we were excited for, but its actually a limited menu that isn't found anywhere online. I totally understand the reason for limitations, but you need to have clarity with potential customers online. Have included them below.Giving the benefit of the doubt, maybe one waitress felt unwell and went home. But this is why it is essential to have AT LEAST three at all times. These are fundamental basics. I could have complained but what would that have achieved other than cause problems for the waitress staff that weren't to blame.Overall I wouldn't say never come here, my recommendation would be to come in maybe 2 to 3 months once they have sorted themselves out. Avoid disappointment while the owners sort out the basics of running a pub. Doesn't act like a mid-range pub at all. Management clearly aren't training/overseeing staff or caring enough.

Oh dear. I think this place has changed owners without the website being updated. We visited this evening with family for one of their famous Sunday roasts. We think we can perhaps now see why they are famous, and it’s not because they’re good!The tables were dirty (we had a deposit of what we hope was the previous guest’s dinner in the middle of it). They were not sanitised between guests. The member of staff serving us had his mask underneath his nose when he was giving me the Covid rules. We ordered 3 roast dinners and a gnocchi. The gnocchi was fine. The 3 roasts were stone cold. We were trying to be understanding, knowing that they would have just reopened, so we didn’t complain. Unfortunately, we found a load of paper in the cauliflower cheese. (A small amount in mine, a huge amount in another). In fairness, they did offer to change our dinner but having waited 45 minutes for it we decided to remove the paper and plough on! They took the cost of one of the meals off for us. I think we can safely say we won’t be returning... I prefer a bit of cauliflower with my paper!

April 16 2021. Had a lovely evening on the terrace at the WT. The food was lovely, Deluxe burgers and hand made pizza, Service and staff were efficient and friendly. Highly recommend, The garden is as spectacular as ever

Went to the opening night under the new management. Had a fantastic meal, good service from friendly staff. Reasonable prices. Will definitely go back.

It was as if Covid didn’t exist. We were seated close to an exit in the middle of a thoroughfare on a cold evening. The staff left the exit open leaving us in a chilly wind. Other customers were sat in the passageway between the bar and the exit to the garden with large backpacks such that passageway was completely blocked causing a constant stream of people heading for the garden to continually squeeze past me. I moved my chair to the other side of the table, cramped close to my partner cold and uncomfortable. We waited for the promised table service. It never arrived. We were not even asked whether we wanted drinks. The pub was almost empty when we arrived but still no one wanted to take our order. After 15 minutes we concluded that the business didn’t want our custom so we left. Can’t comment on the menu other than that it’s limited and uninspired but the Willow Tree is shabby, and the service shocking.

I was heading into town when I dropped in here for a drink last week. Lovely beer garden which was perfect for a drink in the warm sunshine. Streams running around the garden make this a really beautiful location.

Went with friends on a Saturday evening , great garden , great staff and more importantly the Cheese Burger was amazing .

We popped in late afternoon to see if they could squeeze us in for the evening. The young lady was super polite and sorted out a table outside as there was no inside seating available due to the pandemic. When we came back it was all geared up for the pandemic and everything was explained. The garden was gorgeous right next to the river. There was still plenty on the menu to choose from and we had the burger which was delicious. I work in a hotel and was very impressed with the level of customer service here. Highly recommend.

Popped in a couple of times on our walk into the city centre, just for drinks in the beer garden which is pleasant and flanked either side by large streams. Very friendly staff.

Lovely pub by the river. Had very tasty sandwich lunch in the nice beer garden. Friendly and helpful staff. Definitely worth a visit and would go back.

Lovely location to sit out on the island garden on a sultry evening. We had booked as it was very busy. Service was good. The menu was fairly simple and normal pub food but the chicken wraps and the cheeseburger were very nice. Good Plymouth gins to wash it all down.

Great meal, friendly and helpful staff. Limited menu but it has some lovely dishes and generous portions. just what you need for outdoor dining in a pretty setting.

Friday lunch in the garden by the river. We had not booked, but there was around 5 picnic benches in the garden that were available to walk-ins, a lot of the tables in the garden had been booked. We had bavette steak and a cheeseburger. Food was quick and very tasty,We will have to visit again when the pizza oven is going.The pub was covid ready, a lot of hand cleanser distributed throughout the pub.

Our first pub visit since March. We booked in advance and on arrival sanitised our hands at the door. On entering the pub we were greeted by a lovely set of staff wearing face masks. They explained the set up and we ordered drinks and then took them through to the garden to our socially distanced table. The food was delicious and the service was fab. The reason for the 4 is the face masks! Several staff couldn’t stop touching them and pulling them away from their face using the front of the mask to pull them. This is the mask equivalent of licking your fingers! Please don’t wear a mask if that’s what you’re going to do. They were too big, so fell down below their noses, they pulled them back up and then served people’s food and drinks! I had anti bac wipes with me and made sure I wiped all glasses, crockery etc but it is very off putting. Better to have no mask than to be touching your mouth constantly

We had a team dinner here on a Thursday night. Excellent atmosphere and gorgeous food. There was something for everybody here. The only dish we were a little disappointed was the Poutaine - we had some real pukka Canadians in the party and they said it wasn't authentic.However, we did not let that spoil our wonderful evening. Compliments to the whole team.

A very nice and cozy pub where I had my best Sunday Roast! I was very impressed, delicious beef, accompanied by not the usual boiled vegetables but nice seasoned and cooked vegetables such as cabbage and carrots. If I will ever go back to Winchester I will definitely stop there again, highly recommended! And honest prices;)

The pub does not seem to have regular hours and is sometimes shut, it however is always open for Sunday lunch and you do need to book a few days in advance Staff were helpful and friendly however the Sunday roast was quite bland and somewhat disappointing.

We went in for lunch yesterday. The staff were friendly and upbeat but sadly the food was really dreadful. One of the dishes did not even arrive for about 15 minutes after the others, by which time we had eaten as much as we were going to eat of ours. When the final dish did arrive, it was a hamburger with no cheese and the bun was burnt black! She struggled through half but left the rest. Very disappointing as it is a lovely pub, nice decor and the staff were very nice. Perhaps they need a new chef? They did give us a one free cup of tea, but that hardly made up for it.

The Willow was the first pub I went to when I moved to Winchester in Feb 88. Since then it has changed hands and decor a few times, but finally it is in the hands of a landlord and team who know how to make it great. I love this pub all year round and like sitting by the log fire in Winter and in the riverside garden in Summer. The food is excellent (thanks to the chef(s) and kitchen staff) and the bar staff are very friendly and laid back. The choice of beers is consistently good and always well kept. If this pub had a fan club, I’d join it. Just hope it never changes.

Came here yesterday evening for dinner, we sat down, to be given a menu which had 5 options on, 2 of which was chicken and apparently only had 2 fish ans chip portions left. Absolutely shocking for a Saturday evening, instead walked up to wetherspoons and have a great evening.

Went in the summer a few times for drinks, really liked the pub and garden. Finally tried some food this time. I loved my hearty salad and hummus! Thank you~

We hired The Willow Tree for my husband's 60th Party during January. It was a perfect venue. It has two bars which meant we could have dancing on one side and a quieter area on the other for those who just wanted to chat. The staff were fabulous - couldn't have been more helpful. The pub was decorated beautifully with candles and lights- looked very cosy and welcoming and the staff were on had to bring out the snacks, serve drinks and help in anyway we needed. It was a fabulous and memorable evening!

One of the best pub roasts we’ve ever had. Last minute visit after uni drop off. The staff were a real highlight accommodating and friendly. Food was great. Good portions great meat and the veg were perfectly cooked no watery veg all cooked together each element was a dish in its own right. Fresh tasty food well stocked bar and great service can’t rate highly enough

Great pub, good selection of beers, interesting decor (check out the newspaper wallpaper in the toilets) and friendly staff.

Family travelled from Dorset and Banbury to meet at Willow Tree for pre Christmas get together. Welcoming, staff friendly & attentive, nothing too much trouble. Cosy, relaxed environment. Food absolutely lovely, beautifully served. Will be coming back. Thankyou for making our meet up special.

We went as a large group: daunting for the manager, not to mention the other clients. We were looked after very well and discretely, being servied with large plates of very good, hot and freshly cooked roasts. I managed an apple crumble afterwards: simple but with crunchy crumble topping and not drowned in the yellow stuff. Delicious.

Well, the place is nove to have dinner with family and friends, nice outside tables and ambient and inside with that rustic, woody decoration. Service is attentive and kind. Unfortunately, food was very tasteless. We tried a Sunday Roast and was very lack of life, roast bees cut thicker with a fighter nerve and tasteless, potatoes was looking nice, but tasteless and Yorkshire pudding nothing special because the gravy was too liquid and tasteless. Perhaps the red cabbage and red potatoes was the best on the plate. I would loke to think that was not the good day for the kitchen , but I wouldn’t repeat.

Had a lovely meal here, food was great quality and tasted fab. Fiendly staff who were happy to help out with gluten free options as well as group photo's. The bavett steak I can definitely recommended 100% and the brownies were just yummy. Thank you to the Willow tree staff working on 11th, we had a great time.

Nice informal Sunday lunch pub. Outdoors area for the grandkids to escape into, with chalk stream and fish to spot. Food good and plenty of it, service a bit casual but that was Fine for us and we were not hurried in any way.

If you’re looking for a hearty Sunday Roast in Winchester, this is the place for you. With an open fire adding to an already great atmosphere.

Booked a Sunday roast after doing some Trip Advisor research and was not disappointed. Had a lovely lunch by a crackling fire. My partner had the chicken roast which he rated very highly and I had the butternut squash and nut roast which I thought was amazing. The portion was very generous (still full 4 and a bit hours later!) and the whole dish was really tasty, especially the nut roast on the butternut squash. I might even go so far to say it's one of the best Sunday roast I've ever had. The staff were really friendly as well which is always nice as the service is always as important as the actual food. Main thing both my partner and I commented on was the fact that everything was on one plate. There seems to be a trend recently to put the meat in the plate and bring the (tiny) vegetable potion on a side dish to share. It was actually nice just to have a nice generous portion all on the same plate. Will book here again next time we're in the area.