St Leonards, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: “Amazing food and friendly service” characterise this “impressive” restaurant on the edge of the New Forest, run for more than 20 years by chef Mike Womersley (ex-Lucknam Park) and his wife Jayne. “The ambience has been transformed by a refurbishment – a welcome surprise since our last visit”.

Unrecognisable from its days as a Pontin’s in the early 90s, this slick, nautically themed spa hotel has a striking setting overlooking the harbour and River Stour, making it a “lovely place to dine” (perhaps after enjoying a pre-dinner drink on the terrace). The dining area is split between a convivial lounge bar and more formal dining room, both serving the same classic, fish-centric menu that “never disappoints”. Top Tip – if you’re feeling adventurous, it’s possible to arrange a trip to the Isle of Wight, just a 45-minute journey by boat.

“Jan and Stacey are still amazing as their empire expands!” – the Bretschneiders’ small venue is celebrating its 10th year of operation, continuing to deliver a ‘Discovery’ tasting menu for £130 per person, with a less expensive option available earlier in the week. Feedback was more limited this year, but for those who comment it remains a highly rated all-round favourite.

“Such a fun place that coped so well with a mixed-age group of ten people” – the ‘dressed down’ option at this famous country-house hotel occupies a contemporary, pitched-roof space overlooking the kitchen gardens and complete with outside terrace and cookery school. The brasserie menu includes burgers, pizza, steak and other grills, plus a good selection of other options; and reports say “it’s just really good food backed up by friendly, informal but efficient service in a convivial environment”. Not cheap perhaps, but “well worth the price”.

2022 Review: A “beautifully situated restaurant” in an Art Deco solarium overlooking Poole Harbour, and where “drinks on the upper deck are an extra delight”. One or two off reports on the food front this year, but also plenty of plaudits for its “really good breakfasts and lunches”, and “service has improved” of late too.

“The view overlooking Poole Harbour makes this a romantic location” for an Italian meal – although it’s “very much a good-weather venue”. The hotel is at the heart of a long-running planning dispute, with vocal locals opposing a plan to convert it into an ‘aparthotel’ under a £300m redevelopment of Sandbanks.

“Fresh local fish” is the star turn at this beachside restaurant – in “an excellent location with wonderful coastal views on a good day”. Chef Andy Waters worked under the great French chef Paul Bocuse early in his career. Top Tip – “they also serve an exceptional breakfast”.

2023 Review: This “brilliant thatched country pub” has “lots of game dishes” on its menu – appropriately enough for a traditional establishment in the historical hunting landscape of Cranborne Chase. “Vegetarians and vegans are well provided for” too, while there’s also a “well-stocked bar with local ales and a reasonably priced wine list”.

“I might have walked past if I hadn‘t been looking for it” – David Wykes opened his small contemporary fish bistro supplied from a “small, one-man open kitchen” in 2010. Despite its modest size, it’s nowadays one of the top-100 most commented-on venues in our annual diners’ poll thanks to its “exceptional fish dishes, presented with flair and imagination”. “You choose the number of courses you want, and say if there is anything you don’t like and then the most amazing fish just keeps coming” to create a “unique and outstanding food experience”. “Chef is keen to emphasise at any opportunity, everything is made in house with lots of interesting spices and flavourings, many made from his own foraging expeditions”. “It’s quite simple in décor and unpretentiously welcoming” (but while “the space is comfortable, when a large group arrives it can become near deafening”). Many reports suggest that “all fish lovers need to experience Verveine at least once”… “I live a couple of hours away, but I’ll certainly be back again soon!”

The “idyllic New Forest location” is the big draw at the original Pig, where Robin & Judy Hutson set the template for their shabby-chic country-house hotel group that had grown to 11 branches by the time they stepped back into retirement at the end of 2024. The “food is perhaps not quite as adventurous as it used to be”, but its basic premise of “fresh local produce, cooked perfectly” still passes muster for most reporters. Black marks, though, for some “poorly trained staff” and “seriously overpriced wines”.

2021 Review: “TerraVina’s resurrection” – “in its new guise as a boutique B&B and café” – “has become a real favourite in the beautiful New Forest”. Founder Gerard Basset, the famed wine expert behind the original Hotel du Vin, died in January 2019 after a two-year fight against cancer, and his widow Nina has kept the business going. There are “no evening meals now, but breakfasts and lunches are splendid” and “in summer it’s lovely to sit in the garden”.

This two-year-old restaurant in a “boutique hotel on the main street of Lymington” specialises in “simply prepared and beautifully presented fish, straight from the local boats”. Experienced chef Matthew Tomkinson, previously of The Hambrough on the Isle of Wight, took over the kitchen in early 2024.

“Still amazing after all these years” – “Andrew & Marjolaine Du Bourg are excellent hosts” and continue to win high esteem at this quaint fine-dining venue, in a pretty street near the harbour. “A real foodie restaurant”: choose from four-, five-, or seven-course menus where “every course is a surprise and you don’t get the actual menu until the end”: “inventive, delicious food and wine throughout”.

2023 Review: This “nice gastropub with large gardens” has undergone a dramatic £800,000 refurb since our annual diners’ poll, to be reborn with cocktail bar-style décor replacing the traditional pub interior, and fitted seating with cushions in the 100-seater garden. The new menu replaces standard 3-course meals with a globally inspired selection of small plates.