Yachtsman's bar — Restaurant in New Forest

Disappointing Experience for Visiting Yachtsmen - Avoid if Vegan

As a visiting yachtsman with a crew of three, we were looking forward to a pleasant meal out in Bucklers Hard. Unfortunately, our experience was far from satisfactory.

As a vegan member of the party, I was dismayed to find absolutely no vegan options on the menu. Upon politely inquiring with the staff if anything could be prepared – even a simple sandwich – the response was a blunt "No." The only offering I received was an uninspired and frankly insulting "you could have chips." This complete lack of consideration for dietary requirements was incredibly disappointing and made me feel unwelcome.

My crew, who are not vegan, reported that their meals were mediocre at best, and certainly not worth the inflated prices charged. This further compounded our negative experience.

For visiting yachtsmen, especially those with any dietary restrictions, I would strongly advise looking elsewhere for a meal in Bucklers Hard. This establishment clearly does not cater to diverse needs and offers poor value for money. A truly disappointing experience that left a sour taste...

Not worth a visit any more. No longer a welcome here and no longer any food. You can’t get anything to eat now without being told to eat in the restaurant. You can’t sit outside unless you eat in the restaurant. And you can’t sit inside as you are banned from using half the bar. The restaurant is empty so waiting staff and cooks are doing nothing and earning nothing to keep the place going. Drinks are expensive and the staff are just hanging around telling you what you can’t do. Desperately needs a change of policy or change...

Unhelpful Manager. Sailed to Bucklers Hard and planned to eat in Yachtsman's Bar that said on the web site could not be booked. Turned up and it was all booked out with people from the restaurant as there was an event there. The staff and the manager were most unhelpful and didn't know what was on the web site. Refused to feed us even though there were free tables. So we had to walk 2.5 miles to the Montague Arms - very welcoming ! - and 2.5 miles back in the dark through woods....