The Snakecatcher — Restaurant in New Forest

I popped in here today for lunch with my son. Ample parking and a large amount of outdoor seating. Inside this lovely old building it was spacious and welcoming. We made our way in and were greeted by the staff. We were told we could sit anywhere, so my son chose a table in the corner. This is a pub... it's been there for a long time and the decor is as you would expect. My only criticism would be, it's in need of a jolly good dust and maybe a bit of a refresh for the walls. They have pictures and information about the Snake catcher, which was very interesting but my eyes were drawn to the layer of dust on the pictures, dado rail/small shelf and the items on the shelves above us. The building is right next to a busy road and whilst it was lovely having the windows open, the traffic noise was pretty constant. We only waited a few minutes before our drinks came out and only around 20 minutes for our food from time of ordering. We got there at opening time for 1200 so it wasn't very busy. The food was delicious, decent portions, not over priced for the portion you get and for the two of us we spent around £70 on lunch including non-alcoholic drinks. My son had the wild boar burger, which comes with chips and salad (he gave it a 10/10!) I had the surf and turf with prawns (you can choose prawns or scallops) and chips (I really enjoyed mine, 10/10). You are brought your steak on a hot brick to cook yourself at the table! It was a really nice touch, not done that since the 90s, I forget the restaurant chain that used to do that. They also provide bbq, sweet chilli and another sauce which i couldn't place, but was nice! On the side. We also ordered a side of dirty fries (my son gave them 10/10) and a large plate of nachos. They were also lovely, topped with sour cream, guacamole and a salsa, with jalapeños. We had no room for dessert but there is a modest selection and we'd probably have chosen the cheesecake of the week and the ice cream. I would recommend the Snakecatcher, it was enjoyable, the service was excellent and the food was really delicious. We travelled 2 hours to check this place out and I'm glad we did. They do have a play area for the kids, which is fenced off, and plenty of parasols for the outside...

Food was so good - we both opted for the steak which was amazing. Veg was delicious.

Our kids ( aged 4&2) had spag bowl and a pizza. Both were reported as very nice, but we had quite a lot left over as the portions were very generous. One meal to share would have easily been enough for my two children, so something to think about if you are feeding under 5s.

Service was quick by friendly and cheerful waitresses.

We've eaten out somewhere different every night this week in the New Forest, and we was slightly gutted that we only found this place the night before heading home - 100% the best place we've eaten all week! Will be back if we are in the area again.

Only downside in my opinion is that it wasn't easy to book a table. I called twice (no answer), so submitted a "request" for a table via the website, but my table was never confirmed in the two hours that followed (presumably no one at the pub looked at the request). In the end we just turned up, and we're immediately seated, so it wasn't an issue. But it was 530 in the evening, and I suspect we may have been turned away if it was a bit later on, say, a Friday night. Perhaps you could invest in a better booking system that provides real time...

Nice place, great outdoor seating areas and the food was OK as well, what let it down was the service. It's half term, the sun is out and the New Forest is rammed and the pub is busy, I get it but you can't help wondering who is organising the staff and where they are working. We had one lad covering 15 tables outside on his own at lunchtime, taking drink orders, taking food orders and then delivering drinks and food all on his own, I really felt for him (especially the third time I complained to him that I had hungry kids and that we needed to order after waiting 30 minutes to do so and him pleading his case that he was the only one working that area!), he was let down badly by the management and left to deal with an increasingly hostile bunch of customers! Eventually someone came to take our and we were then told it would be a 1 hour wait meaning we would not eat until 3 having arrived there just after 1! Thankfully, this was not the case and food came quicker than predicted and as I've already said, it was pretty good and most welcome. Would I go again, possibly but there are many other options...