The Black Dog — Restaurant in Winchester

Wow what an experience at the Black Dog. I rang ahead on Saturday to book for Sunday lunch as reviews raved about fantastic lunch and dog friendly too. I mentioned that we had a large lab sized dog and the table was booked. We arrived for our Sunday lunch and was greeted by the locals all huddled at the entrance with the tables arranged so they could all see the football on the tv. Once passed this obstruction i was shown to a small round table wedged between the gents and a door that said Private. The table had 3 chairs so i moved one chair slightly so my dog could lay partially under the table and in the new space created. I was then told the i had moved the chair in the way of the passage to the gents toilet so my wifed moved around to the large chair squeezed into the corner, i then took her seat that to me seemed to be blocking the entrace to the non dog dining area. I went outside to see if there was outside seating in the shade available but the lovely building out there said no dogs allowed. When i came back in with some water for my dog, bearing in mind it was 25° on this day we were told no bowls of water allowed as its carpeted and the owner doesn't allow it. So i would like to rate the lunch but with one swift phone to a pub 5 minutes away......come out of the car park turn left then right began with the word brick but naming no names we were greeted by a lovely lady showing us to a wonderful table and had a thoroughly...

Ah, Christmas Day, the season of joy, generosity, and, if you’re dining at The Black Dog, the unforgettable £85 roast dinner. Unfortunately, my experience was more ‘unforgettable’ in the way a clown at a funeral would be. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I couldn’t grace the establishment with my presence. Instead, the group I was meant to be with asked to box up and bring this culinary masterpiece back for me.

Imagine my glee when I was presented with a portion so meager, it wouldn’t even suffice as a light snack for a famished squirrel. The presentation? Think abstract art, if the artist was a toddler in a temper tantrum. As a seasoned connoisseur of fine dining across the UK, I’ve seen my fair share of roast dinners. But this? This was a culinary catastrophe wrapped in a riddle, topped with a mystery.

At the princely sum of £85, one might expect a feast fit for royalty. Instead, what I received was more akin to a jesters’ joke. I can’t help but chuckle in despair and extend a warm, hearty warning to fellow diners: at The Black Dog, your Christmas spirit might just turn into a ghost story....

I was really let down by the staff at the Black Dog yesterday (Monday 31st May). We arrived at the car park and walked over to the side entrance, where we were greeted by two staff members behind a desk asking us to sign in the NHS COVID App and given a debrief to stay COVID safe, which was brilliant 👍🏻 We noticed that there was no obligation to book a table and all we wanted really was just a drink. We were allocated a table in the garden, and we just sat there and waited, waited and waited for 25-30 minutes and no-one came over to take our order. Clearly, we weren’t a priority due to all of the meals that others were ordering and there wasn’t many members of staff at hand either. If the hosts at the desk told us that there would be a delay or they couldn’t accommodate us then I wouldn’t of minded. But, the complete lack of customer service was quite shocking and no what I was expecting. So, we just walked out in the end and had a drink at home. The Black Dog needs to get it’s...