Jolly Farmer - Winchester

I visit Winchester every few months to see family and on almost every occasion, we visit this pub. The food is good value and reliable, but the reason we always return is the fabulous staff and the general ambiance. It is generally busy, which reflects the popularity of their food, drink and service. The only blemishes I can state are that they can run out of some items on the food menu and that if walking in without booking, you may be disappointed, but even then, the staff will do their utmost to find you a table and make you welcome.

We made a booking for 3.30 which we changed to 5.30 but they never checked to update the lists and we done this around 11am. So the lady after bickering with me about the fact that I should have been there at 3.30 told us we could only have the tiny table in the corner and was slightly rude about this. Around 30 mins after being placed here a couple came in for a table and were told you can sit on any without a reserved sign! So I felt a little frustrated. Food came fast but overall the experience wasn’t to the standard we normally experienced in the jolly farmer… sorry just an honest review.

A relaxing bar with friendly and professional service. I would strongly recommend The Jolly Farmers.

Overall this is a lovely pub. Situated just outside the city centre, it has good connections by car rail. Food is good reasonably priced and there 's a good range of beers, lager, cider other drinks, esp gin to keep one entertained. However (there 's always a but , immediately opposite the bar there is a fire place facing the seating area which has a hearth in front of it. The hearth is raised approximately 1 to 1 1/4 inches above floor level and, as I found out last night having twisted my ankle quite badly, it is a major trip hazard waiting to happen. The frightening statistic from last night is that out of the party of 32 people in our group, 4 of us fell foul of this hearth to one degree or another which is an unacceptable percentage. When I reported my trip to a barmaid, I was met with surprise, disbelief and no interest whatsoever. The following morning I am unable to go to work, I would appreciate a response from Greene King management or lawyers.

This pub is conveniently located near our home. It offers delicious traditional pub food and has a recently introduced menu. It gets very busy during peak times, so we recommend making a reservation.