The Compasses Inn — Restaurant in New Forest

I can echo what many others have said: the place could do with a bit of a facelift. That said, the room we stayed in was clean, comfortable, and warm. We spent two nights here, and on both evenings we enjoyed a varied menu. We understand the chef and the owners’ family are Nepalese, so alongside the traditional country pub classics there’s also an extensive Nepalese and Indian menu to choose from. We went for the Indian dishes both nights and they were absolutely divine.|The staff were friendly, attentive, and genuinely welcoming. We were shown to our room, given clear explanations about its quirks, and even offered help with our bags — service you’d be lucky to find in a hotel at twice the price these days.|This is very much a locals’ pub, with a main bar (complete with pool table) and a lounge bar with more casual seating, perfect for a meal. The locals themselves were engaging and great fun to chat with. A special mention must go to the young bar lady, who went out of her way to provide exceptional service throughout our stay.|We chose this place because it was reasonably priced and only about 45 minutes from Southampton. Yes, it’s a little dated, and you can’t help but imagine what you might do to refresh it — which picture you’d hang there, which paint colour you’d pick, maybe even a lush green carpet! But despite that, the pub has a genuine warmth and charm that makes it easy to overlook the décor.|Being above the main bar, we did experience a little noise in our room, but it wasn’t disruptive enough to spoil our stay. Overall, a charming, friendly, and great-value place that we’d...

We lived in Fordingbride for many years we like to return and visit friends. The last few times we have chosen the Compasses as we can have our dog stay with us. Room rate is reasonable but rooms are a little tried. After months of Covid-19 closure a lick of paint and general rethink of decor could add another few quid to the rate. Sunday evening we met with friends two tables , 8 covers. When we finished our mains and asked for desserts we were told kitchen closed at 9!!! Really , in my day the kitchen closed when the last table finished their meal. Having read other reviews complaining of the same issue perhaps you could tell any tables seated at 8.45 that if they want dessert to order now as the kitchen can’t be arsed to provide a proper dinning experience. All desserts are preprepared so not to tricky to plate up before the chef legs it out the door. 8 desserts could put another £70 in the pot, worth having I would think. It could buy a pot of paint!!! congratulations on your breakfast very tasty but don’t forget to give teaspoons with cups and saucers and a pot of hot water with tea is always a classy thing to do. It’s a shame because with a few tweaks and attention to detail with customer service this could be a 4 star rating. We will stay again but let’s up our...

Came for lunch, seemed fairly quiet in the restaurant with only a couple of other tables already seated. Waitress took the order from the table (3 mains and a side of chips). The waitress then preceeded to another order from a table of what I presume were her friends, but then stood chatting to them about local gossip for 5-10 mins meaning our order was delayed. A further 30 minute wait and still no food (we hadn't been told about a delay). Food chased with the barman who advised it would be another 5 mins. The waitresses friends food came and went and another 10 mins (40 total now) before ours came out. The lasagne was burnt and the salad gritty. Our side was clearly forgotten off the order as we waited another 5 minutes before this arrived. This was then incorrect anyway and were advised they were out of stock of skinny chips. Food was average and overcooked. No table check was done and we waited 10 mins for the bill before settling at the bar. The waitress tried to argue it was a failure with a delivery that had resulted in a terrible experience and refunded our drinks and side. £37 for the pleasure. Shame as previous visits have been...