The Golden Bowler — Restaurant in Fareham

Four of us had Sunday lunch here for the first time just recently. Note that 5* is for something exceptional so not a score I give easily.

Pros - we were with my brother and my adult son who both have special needs. We were offered a table in a quieter room at the front which was very helpful.

The young waitress who served our table was very nice. Attentive and friendly but not over bearing.

For the price the food was good. We ordered one king prawn tempura starter, a cheeseburger, a jacket potato with tuna, hunters chicken and a ploughman's for main courses and cherry cheesecake, apple crumble/custard and mango sorbet (loved this) for dessert. With 3 soft drinks and an apple juice the final total was £97.

The coleslaw was especially good. Seemed to be made fresh and was unlike any I've had before. The ham on the ploughman's was very nice and proper baked ham.

The venue was clean if a little dated.

Cons

Nothing major but felt the hostess seemed a little bit aloof. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but she made me felt a bit uncomfortable.

The venue is clean but definitely dated. I understand given the current climate it's hard for businesses to invest in cosmetics but I think some investment would increase footfall.

They could really do with a POS system. By the time we paid there were 5 tickets! One for the starter, 1 for the mains, 1 for dessert and 2 for the bar. You pay at the till but it's difficult to check that your bill is correct because of the numbers of bits of paper and the way they calculate each one separately then add them together.

The food was good but the ploughman's is pretty basic. While the ham and coleslaw were very good the single pre sliced piece of cheddar was mediocre and there's a baguette but no butter for it. I'd pay a couple of ££s more for a better offering but it was ok for the price.

Overview

If we lived in the area I would definitely visit the Golden bowler again. There are some good midweek deals and overall I think it offers...

Booked in for Sunday lunch today with my husband and adult son. What a lovely place. Clean,comfortable and welcoming. The well lacquered table gleamed in the light conservatory area. Our table was tucked out of the way which normally I wouldn’t like ( cos I’m a nosey people watcher!)but it looked onto the neat garden and new furniture))and that was nice.We all ordered the roast. The meat was plentiful and good. The vegetables cooked perfectly and enough gravy so we didn’t need to ask for more as we do everywhere else. Plates were warm and food was hot. The wine was good too. Also the beer ( although they didn’t have Brains SA at this time!)I told my son that this is what pubs used to be like! The staff were very polite and kind. We also had the apple and pear crumble one with custard and mine with pouring cream (not on the menu but was provided without a problem) 2 of us has a latte which was far better than many coffee places and a lot less expensive! So I think we’ve found our go too pub! It’s only taken 30 years! And as Arnie says-“ I’ll be back!”. Thank you Golden Bowler for surviving and maintaining good old fashioned care,...

I have just had the worst experience ever in over 15 years in this area. A friend and I were having a beer after a charity bike ride and as it was dark, we walked our bikes into the empty pub. Staff were polite and we ordered a cider to unwind from the day’s activities. Some 20 minutes later, a member of the public sat at the bar, challenged my friend and I why we brought our bikes into the pub. Much to our surprise this individual continued to become aggressive; to the point I asked him what was his issue - pub was empty and he took umbrage to us bringing our bike, to the pub. We tried, to ignore this individual. Though to our dismay, the landlord approach us and said (some 30 minutes post entry into the pub) I don’t want bike is my pub. Landlord backing an unknown aggressor. The WORST pub I have ever visited and would STRONGLY recommend you give this pub a wide bearth unless you...