Sparsholt Restaurant Guide

Opinions divide a little on this elegant chamber, where “fantastic views towards Winchester enhance the atmosphere”; and where MasterChef: The Professionals winner 2023, Tom Hamblet took over at the stoves in 2023 providing a nine-course tasting menu for £125 per person. The odd reporter feels that “it’s disappointing with uninspiring dishes and small portions at a big price… and without any table cloths!” The majority of reports, though, are more positive, and vouch that “it lives up to the hype in spades” .

“Calling this a gastropub is doing it a disservice” say fans of this Victorian village pub, which was refurbed extensively in 2018. “Never once disappointed – it’s a little out of the way, but well worth the trip”. The menu is a roll call of upmarket gastropub dishes: alongside burger and fish ’n’ chips there’s Chicken Supreme, Creedy Carver Duck Breast and Hampshire 36 Day Aged Chateaubriand for two.

“Thin-crust pizzas with interesting, fresh and tasty toppings” are the draw at this well-established pizzeria, known locally for its oversize 20-inch pies. There’s another venue in Poole, but a London branch in Battersea Rise closed down last summer.

There is a “surprising effort to make Thai food accessible for vegans and vegetarians – without compromising on taste” – at this “lovely, buzzy little restaurant” of two decades’ standing. Further plaudits this year include for the “great selection of regional specials and revolving weekly specials”, all of which are “very solid”.

Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan was – as of mid 2025 – rumoured to be on the verge of buying a £1 billion stake in Richard Caring’s restaurant empire, of which this famous brasserie chain is the crown jewel. Presumably, he’s more interested in ‘rolling out’ the brand in The Gulf and beyond rather than dropping by for a Salmon Fishcake and ‘Ivy Chocolate Bombe’, but if he’d asked the opinion of our annual diners’ poll, we’re not sure that he’d sign on the dotted line. “How can a restaurant with this heritage produce such uninspired, tick-box food?” is a question merited by its poor ratings, ditto what explains the “very slow and disinterested service”? The answer may be that “you don’t come here for the food, obviously” but for the “gorgeous” interior design and “picturesque” locations that continue to underpin their appeal. Let’s hope for the Sheikh’s sake that the middle classes of the Arab World are as undiscerning as those from the UK!

“A Winchester institution that’s good for food, drinks and atmosphere” – this large ancient inn is “tucked in near the Cathedral and Winchester College” (whose teachers, known as ‘dons’, use it as their local, and whose ancient school desks have been put to good use in the bar). Nowadays owned by Fuller’s, it’s “a fabulous pub” that’s “always busy” – and old-timers feel it “may be getting back to its heyday 30 years ago”. Top Menu Tip – “it’s worth travelling a long way for the Wyk pie, a classy version of a shepherd’s pie”.

Even now it’s nearing its fourth decade, the menu is bolder than your average subcontinental at this well-rated stalwart, with delights like grilled wood pigeon and seafood platters in the mix. Regulars declare that “the whole experience is made by Ronnie” (Chowdhury), who founded it way back in 1987.

“The new location is amazing” is the consensus on Abdul ‘Miff’ Kayum’s well-established local fixture, which was founded in 2012 nearby and moved last year to this new 60-cover address (with 20-seat courtyard) on the former site of Bridge Street House. He continues to invest, and in early 2025, Chef Shintaro Ito arrived from Tokyo, adding his 16 years of experience to the kitchen (early feedback says “food quality has gone up several notches”). All reports are full of praise: “love the sushi bar and omakase counter – no need to go to London, New York or Tokyo now!” Top Menu Tip – “the Winchester Roll, served this with fresh wasabi. The flavour is fantastic”.

A hugely “charming” setting is par for the course at Winchester’s oldest commercial building – a timbered delight with a six-hundred-year history that has been a restaurant for 75 of those years, and under the same team of friends since 2008. The classical cooking doesn’t attract quite as much attention, but is never rated less than “good”, and the “well-priced set lunch” is also replicated for early evening, making this a handy destination before a play at the local Chesil Theatre.

Relaunched in January 2024 by the owners of the nearby 16th-century country house estate Avington Park – who stepped in to save the day after receiving a letter from villagers aghast at the closure of their beloved local – this “recently refurbished, attractive pub” is once again back in business. Nowadays there’s a “lovely outdoor terrace”, plus a village shop and deli, and rooms should you wish to overnight; on the food front, “good” small plates and pub classics, and it’s also “perfect for a traditional Sunday lunch”.

A wood-fired oven provides the dishes in this converted former outbuilding of Lainston House complete with high pitched wood ceiling (which also houses a cookery school) where smoked and roasted steaks, fish and other fare make up the menu. Reports are not numerous, but all excellent.

2023 Review: “A busy, excellent Indian restaurant worth trying for both eat in and takeaway”. It’s a plain and simple operation in Winnall on the fringes of the town, where the inclusion of Nepalese dishes adds interest to the menu.

This yearling near the station is “a terrific addition to the Winchester food scene”, serving “ample portions of high-quality, authentic cooking”: “the menu looks run-of-the-mill Middle Eastern, but having tasted a wide range of mezzedes, the food turned out to be really good”. It’s a follow-up to the original in Newbury from founder Mohammed Elshabrawy.

“Extremely good fish ’n’ chips at a reasonable price, with friendly service and homemade gelato in the heart of Winchester” – all reasons to love this modern-day chippie run by Lenny Carr-Roberts, whose CV includes the likes of Le Gavroche and Claridges, alongside reviving two local pubs (The Bugle Inn, Twyford, and The Fox, Crawley). Eat in smart booth seating as you devour the victuals (“the hake is particularly good”), which are “always moist on the inside and super crispy on the outside”, just as they should be.