please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
There must have been a massive improvement as we ate there and the food was great and very reasonable.
Beer was Ringwood - Best and Cocky Blonde was on. £3 for Best so can't grumble about that. Tasted good too.
Beer garden is south facing and there is a patioed area which affords a windbreak what with the walls and shrubs.
Inside it is pretty spacious with a restaurant type area and the main bar area.
Staff were very friendly too.
Would definitely visit again if in the area.
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Good food at a great "special" price. The restaurant was heaving as it was "grill night" but we found a space in the bar.
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About 10 bad reviews in the last six years - just keep driving. Awful management; dire staff.
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Went to a friends birthday meal yesterday - took an hour and a half to be served with a cold sirloin steak, chips that felt like they had been cooked the day before and peas that looked like they had been left under the grill.
No customer service - eventually asked why I had left meal when waitress cleared plates - no response and "the manager not available" truly awful - there are some lovely places to eat near wimborne - so choose one of them instead.
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This used to be a really nice place to visit....something special...but it's gone downhill. The staff were excellent..no problems there. However, the food was mediocre and the bar area was downright scruffy. Some of the 'comfy' chairs were filthy. The paintwork was peeling and the carpets were in dire need of a clean. I definitely wouldn't go there again. And, why was there an old television set plonked down on a table in the ladies toilets?
Such a shame - as it's a very beautiful building in a picturesque area.
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Eyes light up: three handpump clips. Heart falls: they are all Ringwood Best. Heart falls even more: �3.25 a pint. Traveller, go the extra couple of miles to Drovers Inn. Marston's, you must be able to do better than this.
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A group of 8 of us visited the Horton Inn for lunch yesterday as it makes an ideal base for walks in the surrounding countryside. The positives end there.
On arrival we waited at the bar to find out if our dog was allowed inside. Once the 3 bar staff stopped talking long enough to realise we were there we were pointed in the direction of the bar. Sadly, whatever customer service training the staff had had didn't cover lowering your voice when criticising the customers' dress. They were overheard remarking on what we were wearing after our walk. The younger women behind the bar then proceeded to make us feel very uncomfortable for the rest of our visit by watching our every move around the pub.
The food was reasonably priced but poor quality.
The pub has great but unrealised potential.
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This has to be a place you visit just the once - never to return!
Being awkward we've been there on two occasions during the summer, but the result was exactly the same. As other posters have said the atmosphere is nil, which is a shame as it is a lovely building situated in the country, but it always appears as the staff are in mourning. I have yet to see one of them meet a customer's eyes, let alone smile.
A very strange setup. On both occasions I couldn't wait to get outside.
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I used to like this one then for some unknown reason they stopped selling Directors and that was the best pint of Directors sold within 15 miles of Poole.
I do remember asking to use the toilet when cycling home (to Bournemouth) from Sixpenny Handley in 1957 and being given a small glass of real lemonade. I was 14 then.
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To borrow dixon75's phrase, I want to like this pub, I really do. I remember what it used to be like.
The choice of cask beer is limited, though usually well drinkable. Going on my last two visits, Guinness seems to be the top selling drink, at least in the late afternoon.
On both ocassions the staff have seemed friendly, but not busy. The restaurant is popular, but going on my last meal there, some six months ago, I can't see why. Easy to get to, easy to park I guess.
A souless roadside dining pub, H & W do it much better.
My rating 6. I didn't want to kock it back as I've not recently been there when it was busy.
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I want to like this pub i really do, I've driven past many times but finally ventured inside on Saturday night (15/09/2007)first impressions were good, I like the heated outdoor area, but once I got inside, there was no atmosphere.
My guests and I were not made to feel welcome and whilst the restaurant area was busy, there just weren't enough staff to cover the bar.
Ordering a drink seemed like an inconvienience to the bar staff, especially ordering a glass of Kumala Red, because there were no bottles open, so the bar maid dissapeared for a good while before returning with an open bottle.
I asked to see a menu, purely to look at the type of food served, but because I didnt have a table booked i was refused to even view a menu. Needless to say I took one from an empty table, and to be fair the food selection was good, and the portion sizes seemed generous.
Over all it seems like it has the makings of a nice pub, but sadly the impression projected by the bar staff is one of poor management, being made welcome and comfortable is a big part of the 'pub experience' for me.
Could they arrange a drinking contest in a brewery? - i wouldn't hold my breath.....
I'd prefer to spend my time in the Olive Branch in Wimborne
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Always feels like an officers' mess. Geared up for its predominantly elderly clientel
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Good beers from Ringwoods and Palmers. Staff and regulars very amiable. Many thanks to the bloke who sorted a taxi out for me. Separate smoking and non smoking areas which is always a good idea.
John - 23 Aug 2004 13:39 |
