The White Horse — Restaurant in Chichester

In order to leave the fairest review possible, I think it’s best to summarise Pros and Cons after a brief explanation.||My parents and I stayed at The White Horse last weekend when visiting the area for a large family gathering to celebrate multiple family birthdays. Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the young lady at reception who took us to our rooms. Initially, I was given the key for Badger which was a first floor room with a lovely roll-top bath and vaulted ceilings. However, upon further inspection when I went to splash some water on my face (we had an unseasonably hot weekend here in the UK), I realised the towel rail was on full heat- not ideal when it was already over 28 degrees out. I tried to open both Velux windows with no joy and when I tried to turn off the radiator the valve kept spinning.||When I went back to the front desk, the ladies were kind and helpful when I explained how brutally hot the room was due to the weather, let alone with the heating on and they promptly relocated me to Roe, underneath Badger. This room was lovely as well, but it is worth noting that the same issue was present with the towel rail, just not as bad in this room. When I checked with my parents, their room- Partridge- had an electrical towel rail whereas both the previously mentioned rooms had mains-water supplied towel rails and radiators. So even in the “off” setting, they were still letting off heat- not ideal.||The room was nice and clean – but there was no fan to be found. I dread to think how during an even hotter day how stiflingly hot it would be. Factor in that the room directly backs onto where the kitchen area is, you couldn’t sleep with the windows open or else you’d get all the noise of the White Horse employees going about their usual business. Finally- I’m not sure who slept in the bed previous but either it needs a whole new frame, a new mattress, or both. This was mentioned to the manager upon checkout and he did apologise profusely- and provided a partial refund- but it resulted in an awful two night sleep- every time I moved trying to get comfortable the frame squeaked and creaked and the mattress itself felt light it would fold in half at any minute!||However, where the White Horse absolutely shines is through its lovely members of staff and delicious food. The breakfast both days was absolutely delicious and nothing was ever too much trouble when we requested something. I would say come for the food and hospitality- absolutely- but maybe not for the rooms.||Pros|-Gorgeous breakfast- loved the porridge and the smashed avocado|-Wonderful members of staff who were so friendly and welcoming||Cons|-Rooms need a bit of TLC…between aforementioned towel rail issues in addition to the rickety bed and limescale stained shower in Roe and the jammed windows, cobwebs and broken radiator cover in Badger, it just feels like the rooms need a bit of attention|-Safety needs to be considered…there is no way to double lock the door in the rooms and as a solo female traveller that made me...

Friendly but disappointingly average, not as advertised and overpriced. On 12/07/23 I booked the White Horse Inn as a surprise overnight birthday treat for my wife on 08/08/2023, based on a recommendation from friends who have stayed there several times over the last few years. I selected the “Indulgent Signature Plus” option from their website, which promised a jacuzzi and four poster bed in a luxurious room. I also added a bottle of prosecco for our arrival, all of which totalled £259.50. Upon arrival, the room we were shown was surprisingly small and average, with no four poster bed and no jacuzzi. In fact, there was no bath at all in the tiny bathroom, just a shower cubicle. When this was explained to the friendly staff we were given the option to move to another room with a bath and have the difference between the two room rates deducted from our evening meal, as apparently all jacuzzis have been removed for safety reasons between booking and arrival. It would have been nice to have been informed of this beforehand, as we would most likely have cancelled our stay here in favour of other luxury alternatives, including spa resorts, all at similar prices. The new room was “ok” but also small and sparsely furnished unlike the website pictures, with no cushions or throws, not even any lamps on the bedside tables - just ceiling lights with the light switch at the entrance of the room, which makes going to bed and getting up in the dark rather interesting and not quite so “luxurious”. Dinner was fine, but rather limited in choice due to “supplier issues” - we managed to have the very last dover sole and steak each as we were one of the first couples to order, so plenty of guests afterwards were left with the more basic fish and chips, burgers or chicken. The “supplier issue” continued for our breakfast when even orange juice was not available. It was all rather ordinary and disappointing. Yes, the staff were friendly and the price difference between the booked room and the one we ended up in was refunded. But this simply wasn’t the luxurious experience we had expected. We have a very good local pub in The New Forest with much better rooms, superior food and lower prices within walking distance of our own home, yet we drove for over an hour to The White Horse to end up with less for more. The friends who recommended this stay to us were as disappointed as we are with the decline in standards and will also not visit again....

I don't normally write reviews for anything but I feel really strongly about the experience at the White Horse. The service was very poor and the food, for the price, was just about average. There were two staff behind the bar when we arrived. Although there were no guests at bar we were totally ignored. I do appreciate they might have been busy with the orders from the restaurant but they could have at least had the courtesy of acknowledging our presence and we would have been happy to wait around. Eventually the barman asked us to go through to the restaurant/dinning area and he told us he will inform his colleagues that we would like a table for two. We walked through and were once again ignored. There was a free table just opposite the bar and I eventually asked if we could sit down. We were dismissively grunted at and once we were sat down I asked to see a menu. I was rudely informed that the kitchen is busy and we should have had a drink first. My partner was ready to leave at this point but it would have been too much of an ordeal to look for another pub. In hindsight we should have just stood up and left but we all learn from our mistakes! We eventually managed to order some drinks and sat there for about half an hour waiting to order food. There wasn't a single smile or any eye contact from the staff even when they brought drinks and later food to our table. Eventually another waitress came to take away our menus without asking us if we have order which we had not. Once they finally managed to process our order when the food arrived we weren't impressed. My partner's pie was dry and the the crust was overdone (hard as rock; inedible really). My mushroom dish just tasted strange - apparently Moroccan spices but non-recognisable to me. Two field mushrooms with a smear of couscous, a bit of melted cheese and red pepper pure and all this at a mere £13 plus pounds!

My main complaint is not actually with the food but with the inattentive staff who never smiled and just looked grumpy. Since sitting right opposite the till I also had the misfortune of overhearing an unpleasant conversation between a disgruntled guest and a staff member who wasn't at all professional in dealing with the unhappy gentleman.

All I can say is...