The Yachtsman's Bar & Garden in New Forest

I live locally so have visited before, taking various friends and family as the setting is so pretty and the walk from Beaulieu a pleasant way to work up an appetite. I've never found the pub at the Master Builders to be anything other than expensive, sometimes grubby, with a very limited menu and overall a not very customer focussed experience, but I've never got round to reviewing before. And always hoped it might improve! But enough is enough.....today we ordered the tomato bruschetta , which, for 10 quid, one might have thought would be a teensy bit more interesting than a chopped tomato on a piece of dried toast. ONE piece of toast...an uninspired tomato...no hint of the promised balsamic dressing that I could discern..no apparent olive oil rubbed into toast. Awful. Eat here if you are on a diet and want to feel ripped off. Better to take a picnic and sit on the tables down by the river. This pub leaves a sour taste and treats customers like idiots.

Been here multiple times over the years. It’s been tidied up over the past year but there is now less outdoor seating for the pub. Inside the pub may look authentic but to me always looks scruffy. However the location is great with lovely views of the river Pub no longer takes any cash. Drinks are very expensive. £9.45 for a pint of shandy and a tonic water!

The dont take cash! We walked out. Reading the reviews we dont think we missed much. Businesses must realise that not taking cash deters customers. We voted with our feet, others will as well. A shame, as it's the only pub in Bucklers Hard and Beaulieu is 3km away. We probably wont bring our boat back again, so the marina misses out as well.

Very pricey. £6 per pint for a cheap ale. Slow service.

If I could not give a star, I would. A medium glass of house wine and a coke, £14.50 in the pub. Sat outside with cigarette buts on the floor and stamped in the table. Staff were surly and when I asked why it was soo expensive "Yes, paying for the view!" More expensive than most, good, pubs In central london. Avoid this awful place at all costs!! TERRIBLE!

Im not one to write reviews but feel compelled to do so given that I paid just under £47 for two cokes (the small glass bottles which are just about half a pint), one pint of cider and a J20, with four portion of chips which are small portions at best. Whilst the pub is set in a lovely place, I still can’t get over their food and drink prices and the service was distinctly average.

On a chilly morning, after an interesting walk around Bucklers Hard, thought we would stop for a warming cup of coffee. The Captains Table looked quite welcoming with comfy sofa and chairs. How disappointed we were. The coffees were tasteless and cold and the Belgian buns stale. Yes it was Monday and they may have had a busy weekend, but. Wouldn’t recommend sadly but they probably don’t get too much returning trade being a tourist attraction.

Unhelpful Manager. Sailed to Bucklers Hard and planned to eat in Yachtsman's Bar that said on the web site could not be booked. Turned up and it was all booked out with people from the restaurant as there was an event there. The staff and the manager were most unhelpful and didn't know what was on the web site. Refused to feed us even though there were free tables. So we had to walk 2.5 miles to the Montague Arms - very welcoming ! - and 2.5 miles back in the dark through woods. Avoid unless sure

Sailed to Bucklers Hard believing the web site that said you couldn't reserve a table in the Yachtsman's Bar only to be told that no food was available that evening . Spoke to the manager who was unhelpful and said he wasn't in control of the web site (?) or knew what it said, and that the restaurant bookings had been transferred to the Bar. With no car or public transport, we had to walk 2.5 miles to the Montague Alms, where they were very accommodating, and 2.5 mile back in the dark. Lesson - avoid places like the Master Builders where the manger has no interest in offering a service

The service was slow, and lunch wasn't very tasty. It was very disappointing. For the price I was expecting more. Such a shame.

Visited with my family for lunch and the garden is lovely, but it stops there. Service was slow and confused, bringing wrong drinks and then falling to being further drinks ordered. The food was a bit "bleh" to be honest. It took an age to arrive, the open sandwiches were a bit skimpy - 4 prawns in one and a smattering of blue cheese in another. Definitely not worth the infated bill we received.

9 times out of 10 there will be some reason why you can’t get a beer. Such a shame as it’s a perfect location

Very poor service today - stopped for lunch, got passed from bar to restaurant back to bar as no one knew what was going on and what food you could order from what area. We left without eating due to the poor service. The manager responded very poorly and lost four customers due to unhelpful attitude. Your offer on the day should match what you say you do on your website and please train your staff so they know what is going on and where. Sadly I don’t think we’ll ever return.

Today we walk the beaulieu to bucklers hard walk with our dog stopped at the yachtsman for a couple of drinks staff were all helpful we all had a burger from the grill food was good, bit pricey but this isn’t a Wetherspoons!!! great views.. we will definitely be back in the summer to sit it the lovely gardens.

It’s a number of years since we last visited and we were very impressed to see the bar has been completely refurbished with soft seats and cushions. 2 of us had the fish and chips, one the burger and myself the pie of the day which was pork and apple. We were all impressed with the food and my pie with gravy, mashed potato and crinkle green cabbage was absolutely delicious. Andre gave us excellent service and with the Gourmet society discount the meal came to £74.25 with a glass of wine each. A very pleasant Tuesday lunch with a bottle of chilled water placed on the table too.

I like to visit Bucklers Hard with my young family and every time we drop into the Yachtsman for a drink and a snack. It's a wonderful pub with cozy interiors, large open fires at this time of year and plenty of comfortable seating for families and dogs too! They serve a good range of local and international beers and spirits and have a reasonable wine list too. It can get busy at weekends so service can be a little slow at times but it's only a small bar. The attached restaurant and hotel look lovely but we've not used them yet.

We have visited the sailors bar several times recently. The service has always been poor, except when Matthew was on duty. Often there is no real ale on tap. When you ask for an elderflower presse the barman has to go to another remote bar to get one, delaying other customers. This has happened at least four times. For some reason they cannot run a tab, which, combined with no real ale, meant they lost the custom of six thirsty sailors who moved on to the Turfcutters. One barman has been heard to announce proudly to a couple of sailors that the bar is not serving food this evening and no chance of a meal in the restaurant without a booking. This is such a continuing problem in a bar that should be making good profits that I thought I would mention it. Fortunately in the summer there are pop up bar and food stalls at the weekend on the marina quay which are run with customers in mind, unlike this bar.

Best avoided. Sadly very poor in every way. Great shame as has a monopoly on this beautiful location.

Empty pub. Really expensive main meal menu with no lunch menu options. We’ve been visiting this pub for 20 years and it was very sad to find what used to be a packed pub (no matter what time of year) almost completely empty. We went somewhere else for sandwiches and won’t be returning unless things change dramatically. So sad to see.

Lovely location, especially for outdoor seats. Had very unimpressive whitebait followed by the worst burger I have had for years. Thought the menu was lacking. Service was pretty slow, but not a problem Perhaps it was just a bad day for the kitchen.

The prices here are laughable, and the beer wasn’t great. And should you wish to have a coffee instead of a beer, I’ll save you the trouble. It’s a machine that they push a button on, and for the privilege you’ll pay more than you would at an actual coffee shop. Don’t even look at the food menu. Just don’t. Portions you couldn’t feed a mouse with, costing the earth. It’s a joke, praying on tourists with more money than sense.

Had a very tasty chicken burger from the barbecue. Staff were really helpful and friendly. Love this place, everything you need for a really enjoyable day out. Will be visiting again.

We've been visiting Bucklers Hard regularly since 2014 and in the first few years we really enjoyed lunches and evening meals in the bar at the Master Builders. We had some very memorable family lunches sat outside the bar overlooking Bucklers Hard village and waterfront. But over recent years we have been sad to observe a slow decline in food quality and service. We arrived today (Sunday) about 11.30 hoping for a coffee and to stay on for lunch but there was no sign of anyone in the bar till midday. Then we were told that they were only serving barbecue food in the garden. Garden - lovely. View - beautiful. Food - terrible. All they had on offer were burgers, nothing else, so burgers it was, one beef, one halloumi, £10 each. When we were called to collect them, we had to laugh or we would have cried. Presented so pathetically on a little cardboard tray - burger, tomato and lettuce in a past-its-best brioche bun. And that was it! No fries. Nothing else. We felt totally ripped off. We can't even say that the service made up for it - what service?! A cheery greeting and a smile would have helped. It's so sad, this used to be a great place. We definitely won't be back for a long time, and if we ever do consider a return visit we will definitely check TripAdvisor first (as we should have done this morning!)

Walked in from Beaulieu, so a pint in the Yachtsman's was very welcome. Sat outside at a picnic table. No food available from the bar though.

Not worth a visit any more. No longer a welcome here and no longer any food. You can’t get anything to eat now without being told to eat in the restaurant. You can’t sit outside unless you eat in the restaurant. And you can’t sit inside as you are banned from using half the bar. The restaurant is empty so waiting staff and cooks are doing nothing and earning nothing to keep the place going. Drinks are expensive and the staff are just hanging around telling you what you can’t do. Desperately needs a change of policy or change of management.

Used to be s friendly place, but no longer. You can’t get anything to eat any more without going to the hotel restaurant. You can’t use the huge garden without going to the restaurant and now half the bar is out of bounds (it was empty) as it’s just for residents only. Now one of the reasons of visiting Bucklers Hard by boat or car is gone. Total misunderstanding of the needs of visitors and yachtsmen visiting the marina. In the past it was brilliant, sadly now a place to avoid if you want an informal drink and bite to eat at the bar. Prepare yourselves to a cold reception and to go hungry.

We turned up at lunchtime 26 of us we just wanted to sit outside, the garden was empty and they turned us away!! Said no food or drink. Such a shame we would have spent a fortune! The woman dark haired was terribly rude and hostile! I felt that they were too lazy to accommodate us, as we called through later as there seperate family’s and we were booked in! Of course by this point we were not interested and took our money else where. Don’t use this place if you can help it! Shame as I have been for a few bbqs here and always been outstanding!

After a walk from Beaulieu we were hoping for a light lunch/bar snack with a draft beer and glass of wine which we had enjoyed on a previous visit. No food served in the bar - we were directed to the restaurant or walk up to the cafe. Other walkers were disappointed to find this odd state of affairs. After a beer and wine I returned the empty glasses to the bar and despite the barman watching what I did there was no acknowledgement or “thank you”. The same barman was 17 minutes late opening the bar. Such a shame how this place has lost its focus on customers trying to support it.

Last October I wrote a review detailing the poor service experience we had at the Master Builders. We returned yesterday following a restaurant refurbishment and there was a marked improvement all round. The food and service were very good; ŵe look forward to returning.

Nice little pub in the historic village. None of the problems mentioned by the previous negative reviews, and a good selection of beer and wine

I phoned ahead to check if food was on. I was told it was. Made the trip ashore in the dinghy to find no food and most of the bar turned over to hotel guests. The staff were unhelpful and rude with plenty of excuses. The bar itself comprised a couple of tables next to the open door. No fire. It was freezing. This should not be called a Yachtsman's Bar. It is barely a bar at all.

Visited here midweek in January. It is clearly getting back on its feet after restrictive lockdowns etc. The bar is open from 12 - 4 with a good small selection of comfort food for Bucklers Hard visitors, walkers and cyclists. (The cafe is currently closed)...

Maybe it should remember it's name and allow the people that come up on the boats to at least have a drink. Third time this year we have been turned away. Maybe it's time to find somewhere else to visit.

Still don't understand how you can get turned away because your too busy. Maybe if your 3 staff members weren't leaning against the bar then you wouldn't be that busy. We only wanted 4 pints, not really rushing you off your feet.

We walked out after seeing the prices on the bar menu. This is why pubs are closing, greed. Expect eye watering prices. If your a person with more money than sense and like to show off, this is the place for you. Nice setting and area full of history. The one star is for the ability to order via the website.

Excited to visit the Yachtsmans bar having treated ourselves a stay in the new Beaulieu Marina we were extremely disappointed to find it closed. The Master Builders House Hotel was only open to residents after 5 pm. For visiting yachtsmen a very disappointing experience. The...

Refused to have a drink, despite sitting outside and wearing a face mask. Absolutely ridiculous. We moored our boat up at the river entrance and took the dinghy up the river only to be refused twice. They said 'residents only' unless we buy lunch, which...

Been here numerous times over many years both by boat as well as driving. Today though dreadful service which means unfortunately its lost all its previous atmosphere. Worse they had run out of most of the Sunday menu. The staff then weren’t even interested when...

Lovely cosy pub come restaurant. Great selection of local and mainstream gins. Particularly enjoyed the Winchester. Good choice of pub menu favourites with a twist. Dog and kid friendly. Lovely outdoor space with views, best enjoyed in summer. Roaring open fires for cosy winter drinks. Friendly, affable staff.

Small menu but the food is very good, service OK though not very fast. Great place for a walk afterwards!

The bar oozes character in a delightful setting. The weather was good so we were lucky enough to be able to sit outside (pretty near full inside by 12:00 on a Sunday) and drink our (very good) coffees. Expensive though

A dog friendly pub in Buckers Hard. We visited this pub in a group of 4 with 2 dogs. The food and service was very good

We lunched here and found the light lunch we had of a high standard. I had the calamari and my better half, the crayfish salad. The Doombar bitter was well kept. Nice log fire.

Very disappointing. There was a queue to order as only one person covering the bar and passing out food. We ordered baguettes and the bread was not fresh. It was hard and we ate the contents and left the bread which were also disgusting. A...

Seven of us arrived after a good 5 mile walk and all had really good meals, Cray fish as a starter and,vegetable curry were great and all the other meals were equally as good. Friendly, helpful service too.

This is a great location, unfortunately the Master doesn’t understand how to make a curry . It was bland, bland ,bland. Everything a curry shouldn’t be. At £13.00 I expected a tasty curry but got an overpriced medley of distinctly average veg in coconut mush.

We walked here from Beaulieu along the riverbank which was lovely and then had lunch. We ordered chicken wings in bbq sauce and they were awful, basically over cooked chiken wings which had then been heated up in a microwave and then had some cheap...

The main restaurant was closed for a function and we dined in the bar (our intention anyway) where many of the guests at the hotel were dining. Service was good and the fish and chips very good. Desserts a bit limited.

Ate here in the pub attached to the hotel on Sunday, probably the best burger I have had for a while. The service however did not match the food. The staff were friendly but the service was slow and inept. We waited too long to order and receive our drinks and food. The menu was also more limited than we would have expected

Had a wonderful, reasonably priced lunch today, in the garden and cannot fault any part of it just lovely. Thank you for helping out days out to be special.

We sat outside and had a lovely lunch overlooking the river. The staff were fine - we did have to queue up for a quite a while, at the bar, as it was busy and they did not have enough staff to cope. It really is a spectacular place and the food was very nice. We had bagettes that were very fresh.

Situated on the banks of the Beaulieu river, and close to the 18th Century settlement where warships such as Nelson's Agamemnon were built, this stylish hotel & restaurant incorporates a quirkily attractive blend of modernity within historic buildings.

This is such a gorgeous setting the restaurant should be amazing but sadly is anything but. Long queues to order, 45 mins wait for food and when it did arrive it was awful. Dry tasteless Tuna baguette, tasteless Caesar salad (suspect out of a bag) and a poor sausage baguette with soggy tasteless chips. Wouldn’t recommend anyone to eat there - they really need to up their game.

On arrival at this lovely setting I had great expectations for a special lunch however I was soon to be disappointed . How anyone can produce such tasteless food is beyond me. I like another reviewer ( whose review I read on returning from the lunch) had the most unappetizing chicken Caesar salad to which I had to add mustard to give it some taste. My husband chose the vegetable pizza which was equally tasteless. I can only guess that cheap ingredients are used which do not befit such a splendid setting.

Took ourselves and our dog to Buckler’s hard and broke up the journey by having a quick lunch. Shared a veggie pizza with my husband. Was nicely cooked but very lacking in topping. Chips were nice, quite a small portion but it was fine for a snack.

Came here for lunch with my family on Saturday afternoon (6 July 2019) but they already stopped serving food at 3pm. How disappointing, you would expect some food served all day in high season but not in this bar. We managed to get two soft drinks and a beer for £15 !!!

We ate twice at The Yachtsman's and the food was good quality and large portions. I have a good apetite but could only eat two courses. The views over the river are superb but very busy at weekends in good weather.

Called into this pub for drinks during a visit to Bucklers Hard.

Lovely decor, nice seating outside and a beautiful view. Apart from that we had to queue at the bar for about 10-15 mins for a drink. There was another bar which I went to but they said it was closed today!! A Saturday in glorious sunshine why would you shut a bar it’s bound to be busy. I didn’t order food but chatting to other people they said food was average at best. They do do a good Pinot Grigio by the glass though

My friend held his birthday dinner here recently. Our group of around 25 people were well looked after my the team, the food was very good & the atmosphere welcoming. Was really surprised to see that they have so many unfavourable reviews.

Uninspiring, very average food. I;d ecpectedmore at such a great location. Soggy Caesar salad with absolute minimal amount of flavourless chicken. Shame for such a great location.

14 walkers on the way from Beulieu to Lymington via Buckler's Hard stopped for a pre ordered lunch. Good service, good food and a roaring fire (although it was a lovely day) what more could we want. Despite being very busy we were well looked after.

On a trip to Buckers Hard me and my friend decided we would eat here. From the outside it looks lovely with a few tables outside and inside is sort of old Worldly and pretty a bit dark but to be expected.

We called for lunch midway through a walk with friends. I ordered fish and chips at what I thought was a higher than average price of £13, however, I didn't mind as I was really looking forward to a lovely battered piece of fish and a nice plate of chips. However, what arrived, was something that looked like it had come from the freezer compartment and oven baked. It was overcooked, the fish was tasteless and the accompanying chips (a very small portion) were luke warm and also tasted like they were oven baked/very poorly fried frozen chips.

We arrived at 8pm but could not get a table until about 8.45. Just ordered in time and the chicken wings were dry. The next course of fish and chips was awful. The batter was like cement and the fish was far too dry. None of us was able to complete the meal. We told the staff and their only response was to promise to give the feedback to the chef. As poor an evening meal out we have experienced in any restaurant.

We had visited last year with some friends from Germany and this year it was my partner’s son and wife from Canada. They loved the quaint village and a fantastic guide in the church dressed in traditional costume gave a history of the village and details of the Master Builder. The innovation this season was the BBQ tucked around the corner from the pub part. The light bite menu at £8 per head including salad is tremendous value. Between us we sampled the tandoori chicken, burger and sausage in baps or rolls. With the outside bar the system was very efficient with tickets for the BBQ items given at the bar as we ordered our drinks. Please teach the person who ordered the tickets the English rule of “ i before e except after c” then “receive” will be spelt correctly! A super lunch in the sunshine sat on the tables in the garden with a glorious view. Than you.

Had a fantastic time. Ordered the Caesar Salad with Chicken, and was even allowed to have extra bacon (not strictly on the menu), and was delighted with the results.

As always, we walked to Bucklers Hard from Beaulieu. And although the weather wasn't fantastic, you could tell it was a bank holiday weekend - there were people everywhere.

We visit here once or twice a year and my wife , son and I were so disappointed by the new menu and really awful food we had yesterday. It is contemptuous of the people running this iconic pub in such a beautiful location to offer and serve tasteless dry haddock and chips straight out of the freezer. Same for the pizza which tasted revolting. Coronation chicken baggette was nothing special but the best out of the three. Whilst you will delight in the setting, you will come away disappointed.

It's a great setting in Buckler's Hard and we had a lovely evening to sit out and enjoy our food and drink. It was quite busy as it was a beautiful Easter evening but with only one person serving behind the bar the queue/wait for drinks was quite lengthy. We had booked a table inside for dinner but still had to queue at the bar to place our food order. When it arrived the food was good. All in all everything was ok, just a put a few more people behind the bar during obviously busy times please.

Had lunch here last week, the atmosphere and the decor are great and the service was good but unfortunately the food is not great value. I ordered a cheese and cheddar baguette, but it should have been called a salad and cheese baguette as it just had a few scrapings of cheddar cheese among the lettuce. If I could have had a better portion of cheese I would have scored it top marks.

Walked from Beaulieu to Bucklers Hard and stopped at the Master Builders for a pint in the sunshine. My husband and I shared a bacon brie baguette and an avocado halloumi baguette. Food came out in good time and was faultless, a thoroughly lovely lunchtime. Would highly recommend.

The cod was served with aniseed, but no vegetables. The batterred haddock was dried up and the batter like a biscuit, It maade me ill.

We popped in for lunch on a sunny day. there was a wedding on and the place was really busy. We queued for a very long time to order our food and drinks. They did say it would be 40 minutes for the food and we thought that would work with the car parking time. Sadly after 50 minutes there was no sign of the food and we had to ask for a refund and leave so we could get back in time for the expiry of the car park ticket. Disappointed as the food coming out looked lovely. Beautiful spot to sit out in the garden and views of the water front and boats sailing past.

The February Sunday sun gave everyone the same idea - a trip to the idyllic Master Builders at Bucklershard in Beaulieu. Sadly, they were overwhelmed by the demand and failed to deliver. When two families ordered their food at the same time for the same table, the food came out over 40minutes apart and that was after repeated requests for its prompt arrival after an existing 40minutes wait for the first delivery. The food was disappointing - children’s fish and chips were undercooked, adult dishes were clearly thrown together in such a rush that the vegetables were near on raw - certainly not worth the high prices! The staff were polite and obviously overwhelmed. We have been regular visitors and on quiet days the food and standards are high...unlikely to go again anytime soon for food.

One of the worst meals I’ve ever had and an excruciatingly long wait to order drinks and food. They said they’d serve us in the garden area then changed their mind once we got to the front of the queue with no apology. Appalling service and quality. Will never go back

Came here for (pub section) lunch on Friday as past of our day out to the new forest. We’ve visited in the past and thought it would still be good. Awful!

After visiting the excellent Bucklers Hard Museum, we decided to take lunch in the Master Builders Hotel Pub on my wife’s Birthday with our 2 grandchildren. The log fire was very welcoming and we ordered our 5 meals. After 30 minutes I ordered our 2nd round of drinks and gently ‘chased-up’ our food to be told it was just about to arrive. After further 15 minutes I chased again to be told that it was just coming. After a further 15 minutes and no sign of our food, We decided to leave - requested our drinks bill! The staff offered no explanation or apology, certainly not the expected service from the recommended Master Builders Hotel/Pub.

We shared a ploughmans. The nicest pork pie we have ever eaten. Not quite a full ploughmans but the quality made up for that and they're forgiven. It was delicious. Great service if a little pricey.

Visited here for the first time this week. Lovely location and thought the hotel was very nice indeed. Had lunch in the Garden Room Bar which was quite basic, there was only tables available with benches to sit at which were quite uncomfortable.

Lovely walk from Beaulieu to Bucklers Hard. Beautiful scenery along the way. Stopped in at The Yachtsman , a dog friendly pub and enjoyed a Sunday Roast Beef lunch. Busy pub inside and out but we found a table. Only criticism was that the plate was plentiful with beef and veggies but at £14.50 we would expect more that 1 roast potato !

Found this by accident as we fancied stopping for a drink, if you make the visit go out back for some lovely views of the Beaulieu river and the workers cottages. The pub is dog friendly and a great place for a long walk.

Popped in for a drink and some lunch to the Yachtsmans bar during a New Years visit to the New Forest. The overall ambiance and location was great despite being busy. The service was good, staff friendly and some good local ales available. My sandwich was a bit soggy but given all the other positives, we still enjoyed the experience.

A great big fire and generous portions of food made it an evening to remember. The bar is larger than you expect when you walk in and it is worth walking behind the fireplace to find the extra space. Ordering was a bit slow, but the food was great.

The Yachtsman was very popular today with lots of visitors looking for good pub fare. Although the beers were most acceptable and the staff friendly, but looking harassed, the food was poorly cooked. Both Angus beef burger and a chicken burger were very overdone and over dressed and the gnocchi was dense and over salted. Our chips were cold and soggy. To add insult to injury the poor waitresses didn't seem to know which table had ordered what and looked pretty stressed and embarrassed trying to sort things out. The customers on adjacent tables to us all had complaints, one sent back her Camembert as it hadn't been heated through as stated on the menu and another lady left having had to wait nearly an hour for a sandwich order! Furthermore when it did arrive it had been buttered despite the fact hat she had mentioned her dairy intolerance when she placed the order! The problems do seem to relate to poor management both in front and back of the house. This is such a shame, the pub being in one of the best locations on the south coast, with a rich history - and a captive audience! This is the first poor review I've felt inclined to post, but The Yachtsman is in the position of being able to enhance the experience of visitors to this magnificent attraction, but it only leads to a bad taste!

A great place to stop for a coffee after a work Gideon Beaulieu to Buckler’s Hard. The coffee and service are both good.

We had some time to fill in the Beaulieu area and decided to revisit this pub after many years, now part of the hotel. At the bar my husband asked to try one of the three beers on tap and found it warm as it had been sitting in the pipe overnight. The barman said he never pulled the old beer through but did so when asked. A basic thing for anyone selling real ale. The fresh beer was very nice. We ordered the fish and chips and the faggots. Both were very good especially the faggots which were rich and tasty and the mash buttery and the veg perfectly cooked. At the table in the window we had a lovely view of the river. We found the staff very pleasant and helpful.

This is a fabulous pub in a fabulous location, log fire, good beer, friendly bar staff. The whole great experience was marred by a burger that was hard as rock. The bun, slaw and chips were fine, but the burger itself was very dark through & really tough. I ate a quarter and gave up, wrapped the rest up for my mate’s dog. I just texted him to find out if the dog ate it, he said “Yes he did thank you but only after I’d chainsawed the life out of it!” A colleague who had the faggots had a similar view. There were six of us, other meals were reported fine and folks were very happy. The meals came incredibly fast, I wondered if the burgers had been pre cooked and then heated up. It was a day out for a group of old friends, we’d been to the nearby motor museum and had greatly looked forward to visiting this historic pub. Shame.

Stopped off half way through a hike at this gem of a pub, which is very picturesque and in a wonderful location.

Potted crab excellent but very surprised when a request for another bread roll resulted in an extra payment of 50p. Is it really worth asking the customer for this in what is already an above average priced establishment? As I found this very petty, I pointed out that my chips were cold when served (I would not have otherwise complained) and I received the reply “oh really”.

A summertime dream spot with pretty view.

We ordered 3 sandwiches and was told there would be a 45 wait.

We were staying at the hotel attached to this pub and wanted a light meal on our first night. Couldn't fault our dinner, the ambience or some delightfully enthusiastic service. My pepperoni and jalapeno pizza was light and well cooked, my companions liked their dishes too. We indulged ourselves with desserts, which were equally satisfying. I particularly liked my banana sticky toffee pudding with ice cream. Prices didn't seem particularly high for such an exclusive area as the New Forest. The menu is very helpful for those with allergies. A thoroughly enjoyable meal.

Went with friends & after a 2 mile walk yesturday we wanted a much needed drink & rest. We ordered, 2 pints of bitter & 4 soft drinks, 2 packets of crisps & 2 peanuts, £28.60 later!!! The settings lovely but honestly take your own drinks & sit on the grass outside the pub!

Called off here for a quick stop having walked from Beaulieu. Was going to have a bite to eat but soon changed our minds. It took us half an hr to queue at the bar just to get first drink. Not enough staff, plus prices are expensive. Two drinks were over £10. Decided to have drink and leave as didn’t want another massive queue to deal with. However - stunning views.

This place should be so good with super location and a good supply of hungry yachtsmen in need of good beer and wholesome food. However it is cursed with inept management which leaves the visitor feeling cheated of the convivial evening they expected. Our group of 9 had prebooked a table and arrived promptly to be shown to an already occupied table? Then to another table set for 12 . After ordering we were approached by someone we presumed was a manager questioning who we were and seeking some sort of identification. Then leaving saying we had a problem.? After a 're order of some food the meals did start to arrive but so did a representative of a party of 12 asking if we were at the wrong table. They were deserted by the 'manager' seemingly to make their own seating arrangements. We freed up some space for them. From that point the service became far to slow and yet more reorders were required. At no time did anyone appologise for any short commings. The food is not cheap ,but the service is.

Received a warm welcome from the bar as we dripped into the bar to be greeted by a roaring fire. They cheerfully told us the food was “hot and tasty”, advised us on their beers and took our food orders. There was a massive stash of napkin-wrapped cutlery which we helped ourselves to before taking our seats and the kids were amused by the huge selection of local information leaflets. We had the fish/ham&egg;, both with peas and skinny fries - the menu is standard pub fare but it was well executed. The food arrived quickly and was as hot and tasty as we were now expecting, no wait for sauces as there’s a full complement on the table (I would have given the chef a high five but they were getting busy by then).

Lovely view, nice local beer, however our food was box standard. Poorly presented and tasteless and cheap chips ( had fish and chips )

Bucklers Hard is famous for maritime history when Pirates were abound. Well this place is run by by miserable pirates. Yes it's a stunning setting but £12 for a medium glass of white wine and a pint of bitter ! Service rubbish tables in garden full of old plates and used glasses . Enjoy the view eat or drink elsewhere.

Ate here early evening. Only 1 other table with customers so not busy. All I can say is when my pasta dish arrived it was some kind of slop. It looked like it had come out of a tin. Very mushy and overcooked. Not the first time a bad meal here. Definitely trading on location. Not worth the price probably 50p in Tesco.