The Bush Inn - Winchester

I visited this restaurant last week and had a wonderful meal. The service was excellent and the quality of the food was top-notch. I absolutely love this hidden gem and always feel welcomed whenever I dine here.

I ordered the lamb for dinner. Lamb is best served pink and rare, with the juices cooking slowly over low heat to make the collagen gel and the meat tender. Unfortunately, the lamb I received was difficult to eat, pink, chewy, and filled with unrendered collagen. The garnish of rosemary stuffed into the bone added no flavor. The red cabbage was also tasteless. The jus was nice but there wasn't enough, so I left most of the potatoes without any. It was served in a bowl, which I found inconvenient. I removed the collagen and put it aside, only for it to fall back into the small amount of jus. Why do restaurants serve main courses in bowls when it's difficult to eat from them? If they must use bowls, they should strain out any solids and let us use a spoon.

I went to lunch today without a reservation, but we were quickly seated. The service was excellent and our drink orders were taken promptly. We both ordered the soup of the day, which was served hot with warm bread (perfect for a chilly day) and it was delicious! Our main courses were also fantastic and the staff were all very friendly. We will definitely be returning!

Welcome. menu not very extensive. we had both soup. Perhaps a bit more seasoned would not have become arsch, but tasty enough, with warm brot. bark meat and vegetables wellington. the wellington was quite tasteless, but much delicious veg. the frying of the partner was tasty., part of good size. service was attentive and friendly. our bill came for two alcohol-free drinks, soups, net and coffee. great value.

I couldn’t comment on the food as we didn’t actually eat. In fact we didn’t even visit the pub. However we’ve been many times before and I’m sure it would have been tremendous. This review is about the customer experience leading up to an ultimately...failed attempt at a friends’ reunion. Having made the lunch booking for people a few weeks ago I had liaised with the team at The Bush a few times with our pre-order ready for our post Xmas gathering of university friends and our troop of kids. Our aim was to enjoy lunch, walk it off along the Itchen and then recreate a photo from the exact same day, years prior, of all the kids lined up in age order. Alas! The interactions with the pub were always friendly, accommodating and cheerful despite what is a torrid and uncertain time for the hospitality industry. I was therefore incredibly impressed with the response when I was forced to cancel less than hours before our sitting. We had all done Lateral Flow Tests in advance and unfortunately my son tested positive. Our Xmas break in Hampshire cut short. Not only were they extremely understanding of the situation, my son’s health was enquired after and we were wished well for our journey home and the pending isolation. We were so looking forward to the lunch and I was very anxious to let them down at such late notice however it was dealt with brilliantly. Thank you for making a difficult situation less stressful. We’ll be back one day I promise.