Queen Inn, Winchesterback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Very nice pub and well worth the walk from the centre. It's a GK house but don't let that put you off as the always have interesting guest ales. Haven't eaten but the food looks great.
|
Since they moved the bar back there's more room to squeeze through from area to area. This place is nothing more than an average pub, offering average beers from Greene King. There are a lot better pubs in Winchester.
|
A few years ago, I published a very negative review of this pub (scroll down, if you want to see it). At the time, it was a byword in Winchester for rude staff, lengthy waits, lousy food and possibly the most aggressive and obnoxious Landlady in Town. As others have noted, it's now a very different place. The food is fine (not spectacular, but perfectly acceptable pub fare) and the staff are pleasant and helpful. The infamous landlady is a thing (and I use the word advisedly :)) of the past.
Sadly, I can't drink beer any more, so I can't judge that, although I have heard that the stuff brewed on the premises is not bad at all. So, I take it all back and ask you to ignore my previous remarks.
It was always a lovely spot but now the service matches it. It's the nearest pub to where I live, so it's nice to be able to stroll down there for a drink, once again.
|
A real surprise for us. Unusually for Greene King pubs it has its own brewery and a fine selection of beers from small breweries including on our visit 2 dark beers. Some are on handpull but look to the rear of the bar where there are 4 casks on stillage including the excellent local Red Cat. It's a medium sized place but was full by 1pm Saturday and potential diners were been turned away so get there early. Food was typical pub grub and was fine. Unfortunately the brewery was being refitted so we'll have to return to try their own beers. I normally won't drink GK beers as I think they are awful but this pub was selling a GK Suffolk Porter which was superb apart from its confusing description as a rich stout
|
This pub has recently had a major makeover for the better. Dark woods; comfortable sofas; real ale straight from their brewery and sometimes tapped from the wood. Worth checking out.
|
littlecon....i dont work in any pub.....and my comments are about the queen pub.keep your comments from being personal you anus.
|
I don't think sud's comment can be about this pub!(probably works elsewhere, possibly the eclipse), It is now one of my favourite pubs in Winchester, friendly and knowlegable staff, good food, and an excellent ale range, all combine to make an atmosphere of a great pub
|
and just to add to my review....we arrived at 12.00 sharp,when surely the food would be served at its best.....sadly not!!
|
6 of us went for sunday lunch and not one of us had a good meal.the food was cold.the plates were cold.the gravy was awful,and again cold.the veg,especially the cauliflower was not al dente it was undercooked.the lamb was microwaved....this pub was recommended,but i am on here to tell you that the eclipse pub is a short walk away and its a million miles above the queen for lunch.i also noticed at least two other couples with large amounts of uneaten food on their plates looking like they experienced the same deal.this is only my second review of a pub,prepare for disappointment if you eat there.
|
Pretty pub. Reasonable prices compaired to the Wykeham Arms just down the road. Still both good pubs in different respects.7.5/10.
|
I have used this delightful pub, with it's very pretty gardens for some time now. The service is always good & the staff always do their best to accommodate. I have even been to the quiz, but it was a bit busy, and the questions were a bit tricky!
The Queen Inn is delightful, no where better, on a summers evening.
|
Attended the recent wine festival which was a refreshing change and would have gone back for the beer festival if I was around. Friendly staff and nice looking food. Will be going back.
|
Called in twice in the evening, on a Friday and a Saturday night in April 2011, first for drinks second for food.
Had warned my companions of mixed reviews but was delighted to find that only the most recent reviews are accurate.
Excellent beer and food.
VERY welcoming barstaff.
Would use it as my local if I WAS local!
|
The recent refurbishment and new landlord has vastly improved the Queen in terms of food quality and friendly service. Alas the improvements that were planned to make the bar area larger have proved not to be cost effective, but the clever use of space has meant that this pub can now accomodate larger groups and families out for a spot of lunch. Large rear garden is still a bonus especially on those lazy summer days. Beer range could be better - ale price about �3.20p a pint.
|
Sunday Lunch was lovely, in this quaint Winchester pub, food good, didn't wait too long, even thouh pub was busy, garden has plenty of space for all, staff friendly and attentive, no loud music inside, had a great time with family & will return. Thnx.
|
I had sunday lunch here last weekend, and it was so delicious I will be going back again very soon.
The pub had a lovely atmosphere, and the garden was a delight, full of people enjoying a BBQ, which is cooked by the landlord on sunny Sundays.
This pub changed hands a year ago - and the transformation is wonderful. It's clean, bright and fresh. With vibrant bar staff only too willing to make your occasion run smoothly.
On the day of my visit it was particularly busy - but even then, with only a miniscule wait our food arrived, delicious, piping hot and delivered with a smile.
|
Saturday midday visit in early April. Good weather, so many people in the garden and none in the pub (which we avoided because of loud canned pop music not to out taste). My pint of Morlands was the end of the barrel, with an uncontrolled finings head, served about 5-10% short. The bacon and Brie sandwich we decided to share was mediocre, though with a very nice little salad accompaniment. Overall, the pub was unmistakably staffed by young people new to the business and with quite a lot to learn. The whole operation felt fragile.
anonymous - 13 Apr 2010 23:31 |
Having eaten in the Bell I was expecting good food in the Queen too. Sadly disappointed. I remember eating there ten years ago when the former tenants specialised in various pies - it was one of Winchester�s best pubs then. The beer was fine although nothing to write home about - Greene King at its best. If I can wish one thing for the pub it would be that they replace the one slovenly, inept, unkempt, illiterate, innumerate member of bar staff�
|
We visited on a Sunday at 1pm and found the pub to be busy but very underwhelming.
There was a one hour wait for our meal, with some disgruntled customers nearby suggesting it might have been longer. We were informed of the wait when ordering so were prepared and it wasn't a major issue. The food was well priced and arrived within the hour but was bland, poorly seasoned and my partners roast beef was luke warm at best. Like much of the pub the food was underwhemlingly average (as suggested by the score on BITE).
As others have commented the beer garden (front and back) are the saving grace, although it's not the most challenging achievement to place some benches and an awning in a large garden.
I think many people, including us, were seduced by the exterior and prime position. However once inside the experience fails to live up to the expectations these factors encourage.
Plenty of much nicer places nearby including the Wykeham Arms which is only a short walk.
|
The Queen Inn has now been taken over by the same people who run the Bell Inn (St Cross, Winchester) and the Fulflood Arms (Winchester). They have booted out the old kitchen staff and old landlord and redecorated the pub to the creams and woods enjoyed by the other pubs.
This pub has a fantastic pub garden and - unlike other outdoor areas today - doesn't suffer from crowds of smokers huddled in one corner. You can enjoy a summers evening pint in the garden without the heady smell of burning tobacco leaves.
The beer is the usual mix of Greene King brands with Sun Dance taking the guest slot on the day I visited.
The food menu seems okay, but uninspiring at the moment - steak and chips etc. I can only guess that the new chef is on a learning curve to get the food choice up to the standard that is offered in the other two pubs.
Overall, this pub looks more promising than it did under the old landlord!
|
DO NOT EAT HERE.
[in brief]
The food was overcooked, served cold, far to salty, all seemed to be from pre-packaged or frozen, and all of very low quality.
The only thing worse than the food was the service.
The bar maid began as rude a surely, but quickly descended into aggressive when we asked for clean cutlery.
[Full]
We were attracted to the pub, while on a walk, by its beer garden an promise of food.
When we were eventually served at the bar, the bar maid having ignored our presence for several minutes eventually snapping at me for my order when I began to pet the dog laying on the counter, we found that, even though it was only mid day, most of the items on the menu were unavailable.
The bar maid seemed to take our wanting to order food they had listed on the menu, but not available to serve, as some form of personal malice and responded very aggressively. I first put this down to 'it must be a busy day'.
Trying to pay by card the bar maid merely pointed at a piece of wood at the corner of the bar, behind some taps. Walking over to it I found it was a sign, facing away from us, telling that they were unable to take payment on card. Why she was not able to simply tell this herself is beyond me.
Most of the pub and the beer garden were deserted, and I can understand why as it took an hour for the first meal to arrive and another 30 minutes for the remainder, even though they were ordered at the same time.
There was no cutlery available, when I asked the bar maid for some she positively glared at me as though I was the most unreasonable person and stormed into the kitchen, she finally returned with some cutlery, which was still dirty, as I did not intend to eat my dinner with the remains of someone else's dried to the fork I asked for it to be cleaned.
This was obviously a selfish indulgence to far on my part and the bar maid slammed the pint she was pouring down on to the counter so hard that she spilt it.
The dinner, when it did finally arrive, and we were actually equipped with clean means of eating it was truly awful.
I find it hard to describe how utterly vile it was in every possible way, taste, texture and appearance.
The vegetables, which were obviously from frozen and reheated, were cold to the touch, flaccid and far to salty.
The beef was tough and the gravy was, again, very salty.
The sausages were, thankfully and somewhat surprisingly given the quality of the rest, cooked all the way through at least.
There was a good selection of ales, however that is not enough to redeem it from the ignorant, ill-mannered, crass, rude and eventually openly aggressive staff and absolutely appalling food.
|
We stopped in after a long hike through Winchester during our vacation in England. Staff seemed more preoccupied with starting the fire in the fireplace than serving anyone. Beer was okay when it did arrive. The place was quiet, as it was early afternoon and only other patron left before we did. Staff were grazing on food at the bar, oblivious to us. Not a bad place, just not special. There's a beer garden outside so it must be nice on a warm evening.
|
I visited recently for the first time in two years. It was Monday lunchtime and not very busy. There were three of us plus the dog. This is a pub which is dog friendly, not merely tolerant. The Abbot was perfect, albeit pricey. The gammon and pineapple all disappeared, as did my wife's scampi. Fortunately for the dog she dropped one. My cottage pie was excellent. Plenty of beef and veg with just enough gravy, topped with roughly-mashed potato (no Smash used here!) If there is one criticism, the chips were rather dark, but this I suspect was due to the oil needing a change. They were neither greasy nor overcooked. We will certainly return.
|
This pub has to be the most appaling in Winchester. Having experienced very average service and food once or twice a few years ago, our recent visits have been nothing short of disasterous. It must surely be the most shining example of a nice country pub in a fabulous location, that has been totally wasted on bad management. With all the opportunities in the world to make it a success, it has been left to dribble down the drain. One visit was for lunch. Not greeted for several minutes while the landlady finished her chat/drink. Ordered food and paid for it only to find out that on a weekday lunchtime the wait would be 45 minutes. Having waited over an hour we finally received one of the 3 below average meals (packet food, not exactly home cooked). To wait a further 10 minutes for the other 2 meals with not so much as a genuine apology or attempt to get the food to us any quicker. All a bit of a joke to the staff. Not so much fun for me in my lunch hour, and with my hungry parents. A subsequent visit meant that we were to see the landlady grooming her dog on the bar. We drank quickly and left. Most recent visit (to give it one last chance) was for an evening drink. We didn't have money on us so we checked it was ok to order just a couple of drinks and pay on a card. We were told clearly yes. We sat outside, enjoyed our drinks and when we came to pay we were told a card was not acceptable. We explained we had already asked and were told it was fine, only to have what I can only describe as a particularly vile member of senior staff 'bark' at us to say that we would have to pay. She was rude and clearly happy to start a full on argument with paying customers; incapable of talking to us in a normal manner. Keeping our calm and trying to quietly deal with the matter we eventually managed to pay and leave, only to go away massivley disappointed that this pub had reached such lows. If I were you, I would walk 5 more minutes down the road to the far more superior Wykeham Arms which has friendly and courteous staff, good food (actually home cooked and completely delicious) and drink and is without the incompetent, lazy, non-caring people who somehow manage to call themselves managers. Shocking and we will never go back.
|
Mmmmm,
Went there for lunch a couple of weeks ago. Stood at the bar for ages and got ignored. Admittedly we were standing about for ages dithering about what to have but then we were clearly minds made up, waiting to be served, the barmaids (three of them behind the bar and still they weren't very efficient) said "who's waiting" and ignored me twice when I said me - even when I said it in a louder voice.
Not very efficient behind the bar all told. I've had better experiences.
Food was okay, nothing special.
anonymous - 30 Nov 2007 17:59 |
Beautiful setting on a quiet street near the river, we visited this pub on a summer evening with the local cricket team drinking outside. Idyllic.
However, despite it quietening down by the time we ordered, the service was still very patchy, we got ignored at the bar for far longer than is polite and the waitress didnt spot us in the beer garden, despite us calling (she might have been distracted by the cricket team though? :o).
Hope the service improves as it is a gorgeous spot.
anonymous - 13 Feb 2006 13:43 |
Worst pub ive ever set foot in (and I lived in Watford!!) Terrible landlady who ignores you, beer that is either flat or tastes of cheese!? Very overpriced food, and deffinetly not worth the hour long wait.
Great barstaff though if you steer clear of the landlady.
�5.00 for a small slice of apple pie!!!??
|
We booked a table for lunch several weeks in advance. On arrival (with two young and hungry children) we were told that there would be a one hour wait for food because a large party had just ordered. In the event, the food (standard, mediocre pub fare) took 1.5 hours to arrive after considerable hassling. Beer so-so. Avoid like the plague :-(
|
The situation remains lovely, but the new landlady means I wouldn't bother visiting (see H above)
S - 3 Jul 2003 10:09 |
It's called The Queen Inn (the Queens head is on the local council estate and is the pits) and is in Kingsgate street (not college street). used to be great but the new landlady has an attitude problem.
H - 22 May 2003 15:41 |
A nice, quiet, little tucked away pub, with a big beer garden that gets all the sun in summer. The service is good and it's got a dartboard!
Alex - 21 May 2003 16:38 |
|
