Monty's Inn — Restaurant in New Forest

It's been at least a couple of years since mum and I visited Monty's, which is part of Montague Hotel and Restaurant, Beaulieu. At that time there was a bar menu and we each had a sandwich and a pint, the place was lively and we enjoyed ourselves despite noisy children.

Our return visit was awful. We walked into the bar area and no staff (the barman was changing a barrel but this wasn't relayed to us when I went to the restaurant side to find a member of staff). Lifeless and souless. The customers comprised a family with a noisy barking dog who thankfully left and a chap sat by the fire. I asked for a bar menu and the reply was "we don't have one but we have a restaurant menu". I scanned it and thought at nearly £30 per dish for a main course....no thank you. I went back to the bar area and mum spotted that there was 'soup of the day' being advertised which was being served with a toastie (mum would have the soup and I would have the toasty). I then ordered 2 halfs of Flack Manor's Romsey Gold. I set up a tab and the 2 halfs came to £7... you do the per-pint maths. Far too expensive, even by London prices and this is only 4% ABV. Even Molson Coors Blue Moon 5.4% is only £6.80 in establishments near to this place, and is of far superior quality.

The few (and young) staff present needed more experience in working in a bar and being able to offer banter with customers and the lack of any atmosphere caused me to cancelled our food order, pay for our drinks and leave. It was the first time I have ever cancelled a food order in my life. I'm unsure who owns this place and whether it is part of Lord Montague's empire.

If you're wanting an up-market meal then yes, this would be perfect, eating in the restaurant. But for what should be a lively bar with its own menu then please don't bother. You will be disappointed.

This place has so much potential but is desperately lacking personality. Maybe it relies to much on its location, the seasonal tourists and the fact that there is no other bar in the village. Running a bar with hotel and restaurant staff...

We are on a Keto diet atm and rarely eat out due to how many carbs are in every meal wherever you go, so were looking forward to having not cook for ourselves for a change and thought a Sunday lunch would be ideal (without the potatoes and Yorkshire pudding of course!). We had driven past Monty's lots and always thought it looked like a lovely place and had recently heard it was dog friendly, so while we had one Sunday off together we thought why not! I phoned up Monty's on the Sunday morning to double check dogs were allowed in, they responded yes dogs are more than welcome but only in the bar area not the restaurant. I asked if we could book a table for Sunday lunch in the bar then and they said you can't book a table in the bar it's just 1st come 1st served for seating, which was fine. Turned up to the bar at around 1pm and smiled, said hello to a woman who worked there and asked if we were in the right area and where could we sit and we just received a dirty look off her as she mumbled 'anywhere' so didn't feel 'more than welcome' to be there at all! Never mind with the dog! We sat down anyway, out of the way (and the bar was near enough empty but the restaurant was apparently full) and my partner went to the bar to get a menu so that we could order our Sunday lunch to then find out they are serving a different menu at the bar than the restaurant and they only serve pub food I.e. sandwiches and not proper meals! I'm massively disappointed as I phoned up specifically to ask about Sunday lunches and whether my dog was welcome and we felt neither welcome nor were we able to get a proper meal! So we had to go...

Disappointing experience — poor service and unwelcoming attitude

We had high hopes for our lunch at The Monty, having booked well in advance for a relaxed family meal. Unfortunately, the experience was disappointing from the start.

Despite the early booking, we were offered a table right in front of the bathroom door, with no alternative suggested. We asked to sit outside instead, but the table there was unclean and covered in cigarette ashes. Still, it felt like the better option — even if it meant eating next to a busy road.

We ordered promptly: wine, a shared starter, and mains for both children and adults (burgers and fish & chips). While the drinks and starter arrived fairly quickly, we then waited 45 minutes for the main courses, with no update or explanation. After asking twice — and only after mentioning we might leave — the food finally arrived. It was decent, but by then the tone of the meal had shifted.

When I politely asked why the delay, the staff member responded with defensiveness and attitude. I was told the wait was “perfectly normal,” then that there was only one chef for two kitchens, and finally — quite unbelievably — that it was our fault for ordering a starter. I was also made to feel as if we were complaining to avoid paying, which was frankly inappropriate.

We were told the drinks would be removed from the bill, but only the service charge was waived, with no clear explanation.

The food was acceptable, but the poor service, lack of basic hospitality, and unpleasant attitude left a sour impression. We will not...