The Forge — Restaurant in Winchester

Christmas lunch: There was a group of 6 of us and we all just wanted a nice atmosphere and a good ol roast dinner. £60 per person for 3 course and tea and coffee. The booking and communication wasn't smooth....we were told to visit the venue with 50% in cash to book then got told it was 100% deposit when we went eith cash and then it was half on card..half in a few days...it was frustrating but its a busy time and construction work I'd going on.

Atmosphere and customer service: The staff were all miserable and it made us feel a bit uncomfortable. I know it's horrible having to work christmas day (3 of us have all done it in the past) but a simple smile goes a long way and would have likely lead to a generous tip from us. The owner was very grumpy and reminded me of basil faulty and we had to ask to have our tables cleared and more cutlery (which was just plonked down on the table) .no-one ever checked in or popped over in the 3.5 hours we were there.

Food: The starters were lovely. We then made our way to the carvery where we were informed that there was no more turkey...my mum and nan ( who don't get out much) were so upset. After several people got annoyed in the queue a turkey crown then appeared a minute later?? I can only assume it had been held back for the staff..very naughty indeed! The veg and meat was all lovely, fresh and well cooked but the potatoes were frozen and so disappointing. The dessert that most of us were looking forward too (the cheesecake) was all gone as had the chocolate fudge cake..most of us ended up with a dry chocolate brownie as an alternative. We never got our tea and coffee...no-one came to clear our desserts and the staff were only interested in running around clearing and cleaning the tables as people were leaving. We did get a merry Christmas when we gave up on the hot drinks and left. All in all, it was disappointing. Half of our family had been there before but none of us will be...

Decided to try this carvery for a change we normally always go to the White Swan in Mansbridge. On entrance loved decor and beautiful lighting, went to bar and asked by young girl if we had table booked gave her my name and she pointed with her finger to our table I wasn't sure what table she was on about eventually we worked out what table was ours I would have expected her to have shown us herself. Ordered carvery and drinks at bar by another young lad no smiles or any hospitality skills at all when ready to pay the Italian man asked the lad what we had ordered and gave us a ticket for our carvery I found this guy whom I'm assuming is the owner not happy at all no conversation between us ? Went to Carvery station vegetables good selection and clean surface area. I'm going to be honest now loved the vegetables but very disappointed with roast potatoes we didn't like the taste of the fat they were cooked in and quite dry shame . When leaving not one member of staff said bye and I found the whole atmosphere of the staff and the vibes from the pub lacking, after reading good reviews about staff maybe we were just unlucky? Would we visit again sorry no I'm sticking with the White Swan we get shown to our table pub is always busy and great atmosphere and price for a carvery on Saturday night £8.50 not £10, and desserts are £4.20 the forge £6 not that I hung around to have one for that price vegetables are not as good selection as The Forge but I'm not bothered their roasties at the white swan are cooked in beef dripping and Yorkshires twice the size as in the Forge stick to what you know...

I have visited The Forge a couple of times now and I am so glad of being introduced to this place!

I am a big fan of roast dinners and The Forge have this every day of the week!

The decor is beautiful, very Turkish inspired with the coloured glass and wood. Their new space is very light and spacious and the original space is lovely and warming. Plenty of seating and areas.

Self service at the bar which is fine. You pay for your food then head up to the carvery.

Queues can often be long so pick your day and time well and allow a bit of a wait if you go at peak times.

The food is ample, the meat is perfectly done. The beef is so soft and falls off the joint. It's usually beef, gammon and turkey. Would love to see some lamb or pork on occasional days!

Ample veg!! So much you are spoilt for choice! The plates are quite small so it always looks like your plates are overloaded but to get a choice of all the veg this is easily done. Gravy, perfect consistency.

It is so nice to be able to come here with my little dog!

This will always be my number one choice for a carvery for my whole family.

Toilets are very big but cold.

Access.. there are steps from the back which go down but at the front there aren't as many steps, so anyone that has access issues would be better coming through the front. Carpark is often over full.

There are 2 little huts out the back and up the stairs for outside...