Chilworth Arms Southampton — Restaurant in Test Valley

A Huge Disappointment at The Chilworth Arms

We recently visited The Chilworth Arms on Friday, 1st November 2024, expecting the high standard of food that we had always associated with this once upmarket pub. Sadly, our expectations were met with a shocking drop in quality and value.

I ordered what was supposed to be a “buttermilk chicken burger.” What arrived was a disgrace to the description, looking and tasting unbelievably cheap. The chicken itself resembled something you might grab from a budget supermarket, and the bread was clearly the bulk-bought, pre-sliced variety that you’d expect from a school cafeteria, not a premium pub. The garnishes were equally depressing: a withered lettuce leaf, two minuscule slices of tomato, and a sad dollop of pre-made coleslaw. At £18.95, it was overpriced and underwhelming. Honestly, I could’ve had a tastier, better-presented meal at KFC or McDonald’s for a fraction of the cost.

My partner’s seabass fillets initially looked passable, but on closer inspection, they were small portions that certainly didn’t justify the £19.95 price tag. For an establishment that used to offer excellent value and quality, this felt like an outright rip-off.

The only redeeming factor was the friendly staff, but it’s clear that this venue has shifted focus entirely to profit margins at the expense of quality. The Chilworth Arms has, without a doubt, lost its charm and its culinary standards. I won’t be going back, and I strongly advise others to think twice before spending their money here. An utter shame.

------ THIS IS MY REVIEW FROM FOUR YEARS AGO ----- Great place for a Sunday roast or romantic evening meal. Although this place can be on the pricey side it is worth every penny. Great selection of beers and food! Worth a try if...

The restaurant area was fairly empty. We were sat down and waited 20 minutes or so before our drinks order was taken. We ordered food at the same time which arrived in a timely manner. My partner had the half rottiserie chicken which he said was tasty but very dry and his red wine tasted corked. I ordered the banana blossom and chips and I couldn’t eat more than ¼ because the batter was so greasy. At no point anyone asked us how the meal was until we mentioned it during our starters and then one of the servers came quickly to check as soon as the mains had been served, which didn’t really give enough time to eat a couple of mouthfuls to see if the food was truly any good. We were sat by the window near the car park and it was full of mould all over the edges of the glass panes. The gloss painted window sills and wooden trims was all tired looking and scuffed, the same thing with the skirting boards. The carpets in the restaurant are filthy (they’re overdue a replacement) and you can see the dust on the chairs. The tables are in need of sanding and varnishing. The dark carpets next to the kitchen and bathrooms are worn down, thick in dirt (most likely from spilled foodstuffs) and stink too. The bathrooms are filthy with the urinals smelling bad and the stone tiles in severe need of cleaning and descaling, in addition to that, the area around the sinks needs a deep clean and directly around the hand dryer is disgustingly filthy too. The whole area needs a good lick of paint. The only positive I can give is that your staff is polite and friendly but, unfortunately, that doesn’t get enough stars and a good review, specially when you charge top dollar for dining at what’s meant to be a top notch restaurant for a...

I have been coming to the Chilworth Arms for over ten years now and have always felt it to be consistent in terms of customer service, ambience and food. Came here today for my mum's birthday and had booked the bottomless brunch as a treat for us both. The service was just sadly poor, they were setting up for their summer event and seemed too distracted by this rather than serving those that were already paying customers. We were told we basically needed to be gone by 3pm, as soon as we were sat down a reservation sign was put down on our table despite that not being for another 4 hours. We had to ask for our table to be wiped down as it was dirty. The list goes on I'm afraid...15 minutes into our 1.5 hour bottomless we still had no drink, the waitress was extremely condescending and insisted on standing over my mother who is 64 to ensure she finished her drink before she brought another which would take another 25 minutes anyway as the service was so painfully slow, I appreciate there are rules but there is also an aspect of using your common sense, discretion and tact and this just seemed bizarre and distasteful and overall made us feel really uncomfortable. Food was nice however I had to chase for cutlery and sauces and I also had to chase for dessert. I voiced twice that service was incredibly slow and disappointing, the place wasn't anywhere near at capacity and nobody came over to apologise. To top it off we were asked to move from where we were sitting as the 'summer event' was starting. Again the venue was nowhere near to capacity and there was no need to move us. I have had many bottomless brunches but this was truly appalling today,...