Waterloo Arms — Restaurant in Southampton

I visited the Waterloo Arms late afternoon, Saturday 27/01/24, and I’m so glad I did. In the fading light, the entrance made me feel like I might be about to step through a portal into Middle Earth, but once through the door I was welcomed with a smile and hello from the barperson and the general vibe. The pub is one large open area in the shape of an L, with lots of tables and comfy looking seats plus stools for sitting at the bar. A wood burner keeps one arm of the L nice and cosy with a dartboard adorning one wall with TVs (on mute) nearby. Round the back is a conservatory with a pool table (£1 for a game) and only a few tables and chairs. Beyond that is a garden/patio area. Everywhere was spotlessly clean and new looking. There is no jukebox, but music was playing everywhere at an unobtrusive volume for some pleasant ambiance.

The pub is Hopback Brewery affiliated, so lots of Hopback cask beer plus one guest from Downton Brewery. I started with a Summer Lightning (5%) at £4.80 a pint. There is a loyalty card scheme for all cask ale, so I got my first stamp – your eighth pint is free. The beer was crystal clear and dangerously delicious, which I said out loud as I finished. This prompted a genial conversation with the other patrons at the bar about ABV and I was made aware of GFB (3.4%) so I tried that next at £4.20 a pint. Again, the beer was in sparkling form and surprisingly tasty for a lower alcohol content. The friendly barperson explained the guest (New Forest Ale, 3.8%) was very popular at the moment and might become a permanent guest, so I tried that too, at £4 a pint. A stunning price for what I discovered to be a great beer, no wonder it’s popular. It was slightly hazy (the barrel had just been changed) but I was reassured it was fine. An old pro like myself suspected it would be and I trusted their confidence in their beer. It was fine, but I had a few more pints to be absolutely sure.

As the evening progressed, lots of customers came and went. Some locals, some regulars and a lot of people trying the pub out for themselves for the first time. I played some pool and all players and spectators were friendly, good natured and happy to play doubles - but perhaps a chalk or white board for names would be a good addition instead of coins on the side.

The pub hopes to be able to offer simple food in the near future and, if successful, this may expand into proper pub grub. This is excellent news because it gives me an excuse to visit this excellent pub again. I think ABBA said it all when they sang “Waterloo, couldn’t escape if I wanted to. Waterloo, knowing my fate is to...

So heard the place had a refurb and thought I’d check it out. After my pint I needed the loo and as I went in a bloke came out the cubicle and had obviously had something and that’s where my nice evening came to halt because not long after this a group of harmless people were accused of taking drugs in the toilets and were refused to be served any more and they seemed really embarrassed and I think they were singled out for being young. The guy who I saw was definitely not in there group because he was still there after they had gone. If the new owners treat customers like this then that’s unacceptable. So well done you lost probably ten customers and still have a druggie in your pub. Maybe get a personality refurb too and don’t be do...

Absolutely fantastic little pub. Really cosy, feels traditional, and sometimes has live music too. There’s a great choice of drinks on tap and they’re always good—never had a flat pint here, but I have in other places nearby. Ale is always crisp. The staff are friendly and welcoming. Honestly, not much else to say—if you want a local with good drinks and a nice vibe, you can’t...