The Jolly Sailor — Restaurant in Eastleigh

Been here multiple times for a drink and some food over the years, but first time this year. Well the service has gone out the window. Having made the mistake previously of not booking I always make sure we book now. Well we (group size of 2) turned up early confirmed the booking and had a drink whilst we waited. 3 groups, 1 of 4 people and another of 2 people came in with the same time slot as us and were seated almost immediately (there was another 2 groups but they were late for there reservations but were sat immediately), then a couple came in with no reservation and was seated immediately as they knew the staff. I then go and speak to the gentleman who told me where to sit and "I'll get you as soon as your table is ready" and ask him about our table. He then asks if we have a reservation again and I confirm it all and point out he had been waiting he replies saying yes you reservation was for 5 minutes ago and takes us to a table which has been unoccupied for over 15minutes as we watched the people leave from where we were sat. Food has gone down hill the chips here used to be an amazing addition to your plate now they are so skinny and oil soaked they make McDonalds chips look like a thick healthier option. Also the size of the beef paties has decreased which is a shame as paying almost £20 for a burger and chips is only ok in my opinion when either the size of the food is large or the quality is high and they have neither now. My wife left all her chips due to them being so oily. The moment we were done eating, I asked for the check. Before the plates had even been taken, most people in the service industry, see this as a flag when the foods left and people want to leave immediately they normally ask if everything was ok at this point. Understandably we were served by three different people so consistency doesn't seem to be Jolly Sailors thing anymore. Finally just a pet peeve to finish off the meal including a service charge in the small font you list items on the receipt then have the bottom half of the receipt taken up by block large font saying the total then tip then the space for total amount after tip is misleading. I know people are happy to tip or pay a service charge normally but not both together when it's almost like your trying to hide one. It's a long review because I'm truly disappointed used to love coming here with my family and my wife. All little things which together warranted the bad review...

I really like this pub. A beautiful waterside location that really comes to life in the summer with people arriving on foot, boat and paddle board!

Staff are also very accommodating - in our case we had booked lunch for six indoors but they allowed us to find a space outside on the pontoon which really made it a unique dining experience.

For the food, it was perfectly OK with a couple of stand out dishes, albeit very much more on the pricey side for what we got. But I sometimes think that the attention a kitchen pays to their salad / bread options says a lot about their ethos. In this instance we were massively let down. We asked for a side of the bread with balsamic glaze (already pricey at over £6). After an awkward pause we were told that we had the old menu and that now there were only breadsticks (which we went on to order at the same high price). What turned up was six very thin slices of limp wholemeal bread - not sticks, not toasted. I can buy an entire hand baked sourdough from an artisan bakery for less. When we pointed this out we were told that the kitchen would be made aware of our concerns about the pricing. When we came to pay there was no mention of this and no attempt to either comp this dish or perhaps offer some kind of apology through another means. A very disappointing response. I strongly suspect that they had had a failed bread delivery over the weekend but I’d rather they just say this rather than try to fob us off with sub par substitute.

All in all I think this is a lovely pub and I would recommend a visit. However I would think twice about coming here for a full meal or a special occasion. Come for the drinks, the venue and the view. See how the food looks when it comes out of the kitchen and then make your choice

For the managers of the Jolly Sailor - please take note of my comments. I really want to come back and enjoy this place and I think a little tweak of these basics / recovery when things go wrong will make a...

The Jolly Sailor has always been a summer time pub for me and I have to admit due to it's popularity I have avoided it for years. A Saturday afternoon in the sun, a good ale and the menu was a draw for us to recapture our youth. The pub was heaving with customers but a table was found quickly by the polite and courteous front of house staff member, the menu was good for pub grub and of course there is a good selection to drink. The waiting staff were as to be expected friendly and attentive, food and drink ordered then the wait which was average for our meals. One of us ordered fish and chips and the Eton Mess and I ordered just Caesar salad. I have to admit a pub that can serve a good Caesar salad is a sign of a good chef and their team. Many are rather bland and unappealing but the chef prepared the best Caesar Salad I have had in a long while. Mountains of crisp lettuce, chicken, croutons, anchovies, bacon, cheese and just the right amount of dressing with black pepper evenly distributed throughout made the humble Caesar salad a feast of pure pleasure. I have to award the chef and his team a gold star for creating this delight. I would like to praise all the staff at the Jolly Sailor for making our visit a pleasurable one and you are all a credit to this...