The Bear & Ragged Staff, Romsey — Restaurant in Test Valley

We were visiting friends and booked Sunday lunch here on their recommendation. Quiet country location with lots of parking, and a pleasant welcome when we walked in. As we were shown to our table we saw other diners eating a fantastic roast with yorkshire pudding. The service was very attentive and we quickly had our drinks, and we had to laugh when we all ordered the roast beef - we all saw how good it looked. Our order arrived in good time, and we were offered condiments and we asked for horseradish sauce. The beef was locally farmed, and the vegetables were varied and plentiful, lots of gravy too. The horseradish sauce was powerful with good heat , and a compliment to the tender beef. The conversation died down as we all tucked in - a good sign. We were approached several times to make sure the meal was okay. We all cleared our plates, and the conversation continued, our plates were quickly collected and we looked at the desert menu. Local laverstoke farm ice cream is featured, and our party chose the lemon posset and the sticky toffee pudding, one member declined having filled up on the roast. The puddings didn't disappoint, and the local ice cream was excellent. The bill was reasonable for the quality and amount of food, and the staff deserved their tip. Clearly the locals know this pub is...

Went here this evening to celebrate my brother in laws 50th birthday, i had my 20 month old daughter and 8 and 10 year old niece and nephew who are very polite and well behaved children.. after dinner they were playing all together but were not going near other people eating or drinking (there were only about 10 other people in the whole place) a grumpy man shouted at my nephew who was left really upset and then we were told by the waitress to stay in the corner where we were sat as to not upset anyone!! (I guess these were regulars??!) I felt really upset and uncomfortable and felt very unwelcome here so me and my 20 month old daughter left as there was no way i could keep her contained to the table! She is a pleasant happy little girl and if the sounds of laughter and happiness is not allowed in this pub then its very sad. We left without our dessert and will not be returning again. It was meant to be a nice family celebration but turned into a very upsetting experience! There were other people eating in the restaurant who were happy to see the children! I think this pub should make it clear that families and children are not welcome! On a positive note the bar lady was very nice and she was very lovely and we had a nice chat at the beginning.. she is a real asset...

UPDATED POST October 2024 - Very poor service on a Friday lunchtime, 1.30pm. Our mains took a while to arrive but it was fairly busy. I paid for two ice creams at 14.19. Twenty minutes later (our main dishes, dirty, were still in front of us), my wife went to enquire and 2 desserts soon appeared - but - they weren't ours. The server went to investigate as there were no other dessert orders in the kitchen. Oh, she said later, the till roll had run out in the kitchen so they didn't know about your order. When our ice creams finally arrived, they gave us an extra scoop for free to make amends. ORIGINAL POST had 5 stars, April 2024.Four adults and one child called in for lunch on a Monday in March. The pub was unexpectedly busy. The ONE server behind the bar - the only person at all 'out front' - found a table for us. When ordering, he warned us there would be a longer than usual wait as they were short staffed - we appreciate such honesty. Yes, the food did take a bit longer but not that much and it was delicious. We felt sorry for the poor chap as he was literally running around. He was very apologetic when he...