Latest reviews from Southampton
| 76 /100 Craft 101 @ the Hub (Bar) 107 SHIRLEY ROAD “Visited this late in the day due to its unfortunate opening hours, so we made it the last port of call and my notes had become somewhat fuzzy. Bright and open venue with a decent beer list with 5 hand pulls and 10 keg lines on our visit. Lots of seating, reasonable service, reasonably close to the central station. Worth a look.“ |
| 80 /100 Bottle & Stoat (Bar) 45 BEDFORD PLACE “This is what has replaced the Unity Bottleshop, it is now a full on Craft and Real Ale bar just up the road from Beards & Boards. It is micropub size but with a macro beer list with around 6 hand pumps and a dozen keg taps. Really good choices to be had, it is popular and friendly. Seating is at a premium in here, we had to stand for most of our time in here. Really well worth visiting.“ |
| 60 /100 67-75 LONDON ROAD “Third and final bar in a pre-cruise Southampton pub crawl on 29th November 2023, cheers for the recommendation SilkTork. Large corner plot with a busy upstairs area on our early evening visit (Southampton FC at home that night), whole place was packed. Not keen on joints that need bouncers to be honest, but it's getting more and more common, even in Shropshire! Own brew being the main player selection wise. Reminded me of 'Wetherspoons' without the cheap prices!“ |
| 72 /100 Beards & Boards (Bar) 33 BEDFORD PLACE “Pre-cruise Southampton pub crawl with Auntie Sue and Margie, 29th November 2023, cheers SilkTork for the recommendation. 3 Cask lines, nine keg plus ciders and a couple of well stocked fridges in this converted shop. It's basically a Micro-pub with skate boards hanging around, a few beards too. People kept leaving the front door open when arriving or leaving, annoyed me and the ladies as it was pretty cold outside. Friendly enough place, no flights but I had three halves which were all new rates for me.“ |
| 60 /100 South Western Arms (Bar) 38-40 ADELAIDE ROAD, ST DENYS “Pretty average boozer, mostly locals as far as I could tell, surly barman. Admittedly the selection of ales was fairly enterprising, quality more than acceptable. Better pubs to be found in Southampton I suspect, but ok for a swift pint.
“ |
| 62 /100 Standing Order (JDW) (Bar) 30 THE HIGH STREET “You know what you get when you enter a Spoon
But it is quite all right
Decent tap/cask selection and bottle/can selection“ |
| 64 /100 36 BUGLE STREET “Nice traditional and historic British pub
About 10 min walk from the harbor
Fine pit stop
Decent beer selection
“ |
| 74 /100 1 BUGLE STREET “Lovely place at the harbor
5 min walk from the Isle of Wight ferry
Nice patio in front
Fine wooden interior with the brewery equipment inside
Good beer selection
You can also get beer flight
“ |
| 70 /100 Rockstone (Bar) 63, ONSLOW ROAD “Visited June 2019.“ |
| 72 /100 Guide Dog (Bar) 38 EARLS ROAD “Visited June 2019.“ |
| 70 /100 Junction Inn (Bar) 23 PRIORY ROAD “Visited June 2019.“ |
| 40 /100 90 MILLBROOK ROAD E “Red and black painted corner pub both inside and outside in the gritty suburbs immediately north-west of the train station. Almost deserted and not a beer destination, perhaps its greatest interest is the unusual location of the bar, which is right upon you after you enter via its corner doors. Has a couple of outdoor tables.“ |
| 72 /100 184 ABOVE BAR STREET “Brick and panelled cellar bar under a gin bar close to the Civic Centre on its eastern side. As the name suggests Belgian beers are readily available but crafted ales and keg are here too, as are several real ciders. Food served in here as well.“ |
| 74 /100 1 BUGLE STREET “Twin floored historic stone wool house opposite the ferry dock for the Isle of Wight. The modern-traditional converstion looks good, is sympathetic to the building whilst maintaining a fresh look. It serves plenty of its own beers and keg ales as well as guest brews. Food is served here too. There's plenty of picnic tables out front too if the weather allows.“ |
| 62 /100 Platform Tavern (Bar) TOWN QUAY “A few yards east of the dock for the ferries to the Isle of Wight. This is a traditional styled pub, dimly lit with a few modern touches including a sofa. They have live music in here too. A few seats are out front by the busy road and a couple of local cask as well as keg options are available at the bar in the middle of the pub. It's decorated with tribal masks and other associated odds and ends in this respect. The building is built against the city's historic stone walls, of which some are visible from the inside.“ |
| 70 /100 Beards & Boards (Bar) 33 BEDFORD PLACE “Two and much more keg in a relaxed shop unit microbar, catering perhaps for a lower than middle-aged crowd. It puts some tables out in the wide enough pedestrian area out front. Decorated with skateboards inside.“ |
| 72 /100 BrewDog Southampton (Bar) 18A UPPER BANNISTER STREET “Backstreet mill styled building with exposed brickwork located north of the centre. It's a small affair with mostly the BrewDog regulars available at the bar, but guests brews are plentiful too. The venue is twin-floored and open plan so the upper level looks down on the busier ground floor.“ |
| 72 /100 23-27 PRINCES STREET “Visited June 2019.“ |
| 70 /100 23-27 PRINCES STREET “A stone's throw away from the Prince Of Wales pub, and very handy for the football stadium. I turned up on the best week for some, but perhaps not for me doing a tour of the city's pubs as their beer festival was on - all you can drink for £40 according to the bouncer. It's the first ever brewery bar I've turned up to and found a queue to get in.“ |
| 42 /100 The Prince of Wales PH (Bar) 198 NORTHAM ROAD “At a busy road junction just north of the football stadium, this is an old style urban pub still looking like a timewarp from the 20th century with a prominent pool table in front of the bar. One Isle of Wight brewed cask ale available.“ |
| 60 /100 67-75 LONDON ROAD “Not far up the road North of the Civic Centre. This is a twin-floored chain style bar with heavy wooden features and sport on its television screens. There's several cask ales and you can try and keg of their own brew too.“ |
| 56 /100 Rockstone (Bar) 63, ONSLOW ROAD “In a prominent position on the main road north of the centre. It occupies a fork in the road with a suburban street that has attractive terrace houses - from which the pub takes its name. Its front picnic-table filled garden is triangular in shape because of the fork. A central horseshoe shaped bar means seating is all around its exteriors, with a traditional look and leather backed bench seating against its walls. Just two local ales available when I visited.“ |
| 66 /100 36 BUGLE STREET “Visited June 2019.“ |
| 78 /100 1 BUGLE STREET “Visited June 2019.“ |
| 68 /100 Platform Tavern (Bar) TOWN QUAY “Visited June 2019.“ |
| 70 /100 Guide Dog (Bar) 38 EARLS ROAD “Suburban corner pub north of the centre that's won plenty of CAMRA awards, and indeed there was a decent row of cask ales to choose from when I was there - including lots of local options. Traditional in style, a back room called the 'Dog House' has a slightly more funky design and includes a bell if you require service without having to leave your seat. From this room you can access the small covered terrace area at the pub's side.“ |
| 60 /100 Standing Order (JDW) (Bar) 30 THE HIGH STREET “Visited June 2019.“ |
| 74 /100 Bookshop Alehouse (Bar) 21 PORTSWOOD ROAD “In a row of shops just slightly south-west of St Denys Station by about 10 minutes walk. This is a shop-unit conversion into a micropub with the bar located at the rear. Its name is not accidental though as they do sell books with a row of shelves in the middle of the room mostly with fiction and biographies. There's a decent row of local cask ales and craft keg is here too.“ |
| 48 /100 Junction Inn (Bar) 23 PRIORY ROAD “Backing on to the railway tracks with a large beer garden, and just a couple of minutes walk south of St Denys station where a junction happens to exist! This is an old school urban public house currently with a worn 20th century appearance. It's also a Greene King concern but amongst its limited GK cask options (which included a seasonal) was a local guest ale when I visited.“ |
| 74 /100 Butcher’s Hook Alehouse (Bar) 7 MANOR FARM ROAD “Shop unit conversion just across the Cobden Bridge and directly under the flight path into the airport. The single tile floored room has several gravity poured casks at the rear, and a lot more keg options available, but no bar as such. There's a couple of tables and an 'L' shaped bench sofa against its large glass window. On the other side of this is a couple of outdoor tables in front of the large clock tower at the road junction.“ |
| 70 /100 South Western Arms (Bar) 38-40 ADELAIDE ROAD, ST DENYS “Next to St Deny's station with a traditional exterior but is strikingly wooden and brick in an open plan interior - perhaps in a slightly Pacific North-West vibe. A little more ordinary can be found in its pleasant rear garden where you'll hear trains passing by. Over half a dozen cask options from local brewers are available from the square bar in the far corner.“ |
| 60 /100 47 HIGHFIELD LANE “Yellow brick detached pub in suburbia on the north-east edge of the Southampton Common a few houses off it. With a heavily wooden appearance it can appear both modern and traditional at the same time as its chain-pub features also stand out. The beer garden that backs on the private gardens includes four beach huts with tables inside time. Four cask ales includes a seasonal and keg from the brewer are available.“ |
| 56 /100 36 BUGLE STREET “In the historic areas just up from the Isle of Wight ferry terminal and past the current operators headquarters building, this corner pub is olde world in style with large wooden beams throughout, as well as wooden floors. There's mostly 19th century military images on the walls. Its cask selection was four Wadworth brews.“ |
| 72 /100 Bookshop Alehouse (Bar) 21 PORTSWOOD ROAD “Visited June 2019.“ |
| 72 /100 BrewDog Southampton (Bar) 18A UPPER BANNISTER STREET “Visited June 2019.“ |
| 68 /100 67-75 LONDON ROAD “Visited June 2019.“ |
| 76 /100 184 ABOVE BAR STREET “Visited June 2019.“ |
| 78 /100 Guide Dog (Bar) 38 EARLS ROAD “Visited on 11th June 2022 with Margie and Auntie Sue. Nice selection of Real Ale, three new rates for me, friendly barman, place spotlessly clean. I like old fashioned pubs like this.“ |
| 66 /100 Bookshop Alehouse (Bar) 21 PORTSWOOD ROAD “Visited on 11th June 2022 with Margie and Auntie Sue. Second hand books and beer. Four hand-pulls, four keg lines and two ciders in a box, limited can and bottle selection. Plenty of books. Friendly staff and customers, dogs friendly too. Strange cellar room and no outside area, the girls didn't take to it, but I was fine. No food.“ |
| 76 /100 Bookshop Alehouse (Bar) 21 PORTSWOOD ROAD “Staff super informed about beer.
Good selection of local-ish beer.
Often a weirdo out-there experiment on tap.
Always somewhere to sit, there's an extra basement downstairs.“ |
| 76 /100 184 ABOVE BAR STREET “There's a great selection here. But even the standard non-belgium stuff is way to pricy compared to other places around Southampton.
It is often busy, so be prepared to have to stand.“ |
| 92 /100 1 BUGLE STREET “Has to be one of the most impressive buildings I've ever seen a brewery in.
There's also a good rotation of beer, and staff can advise on what's what.
The best style here has to be their NEIPAs. They are willing to play around with other styles, but the IPAs are always on point, and stand up to some of the other Fuss out there.“ |
| 96 /100 23-27 PRINCES STREET “Has a good range of styles on keg. Mainly brewers own, occasional guest. Beer fridge always has something really interesting I’ve not tried before. 750 sharers. Solid cider selection. Food vendors on w/e. Staff know their shit.“ |
| 72 /100 1 BUGLE STREET “Stopped here after taking ferry back from IOW. They had a vast selection of taps and styles for everyone. Service was okay, but it was crowded on weekend day we stopped. Beers are very well made.“ |
| 78 /100 23-27 PRINCES STREET “Taproom within the brewery building, Unity moved here 2 or 3 years back. 10 or 12 taps pouring on my last visit, mostly Unity's own. It's a cosy, friendly space. They do stock guest beers in the fridge, in addition to selling cans of their own wares. They've got an online shop too. Walking distance from St Marys stadium so busy on match days.“ |
| 78 /100 Beards & Boards (Bar) 33 BEDFORD PLACE “Reviewed during lockdown release phase 2, inside allowed, social distancing. This is a small Craft Beer Bar, close to The Brewdog, next street. There are 3 hand pumps, 2 in operation currently plus 10 taps with a good range of beers. Friendly and informative staff, quite a chatty place. Reduced seating indoors due to ongoing restrictions but they do have some outdoor tables for when the weather is favourable, however the local council are now trying to do away with these, and for other businesses in favour of the motor car, sign the petition. Well worth seeking out.“ |
| 46 /100 Guide Dog (Bar) 38 EARLS ROAD “Reviewed during lockdown release phase 2, inside allowed, social distancing. Community corner pub, quite close to The Bookshop. Confusing opening hours at present. Extremely quiet, very few beers on offer. Appears to be run by a Thai family, very friendly. I was a little disappointed with this.“ |
| 46 /100 Rockstone (Bar) 63, ONSLOW ROAD “Reviewed during lockdown release phase 2, inside allowed, social distancing. I am informed that this is under new management, non of the hand pumps or keg lines were in operation other than for nationally available macro lagers. My only option was cans and bottles from the fridge, all from the Unity May Provisions stable. It's spotlessly clean, well organized, other than on the beer front and the food was tasty. But this is a beer website and basically there was very little.“ |
| 30 /100 Giddy Bridge (JDW) (Bar) 10-16 LONDON ROAD “Reviewed during lockdown release phase 2, inside allowed, social distancing. Basic city centre Wetherspoons, quite close to the bus terminals, which would have been handy for a breakfast stop, except they had no food in. It seemed really quite disorganized in here. Across 2 floors plus a terrace, it's a bit grubby and worn.“ |
| 84 /100 1 BUGLE STREET “Visited 12/10/2020. Great place, very enjoyable visit. We were lucky to get in as place was packed when we arrived but staff were very accommodating finding us a place to perch until a table became available. Very glad they did. Worked our way through 4 x 3-flight selections of their mostly good to very good house brewed beers. They had around 14-15 on offer, with a wide variety of styles. Excellent service, friendly crowd. Definitely one I will go back to if back in Southampton.“ |
