A Mediterranean restaurant, cocktail bar and night club.
Not visited. Probably unlikely I will.
50 Oxford Street
Southampton
SO14 3DP
Open 3pm 'til late
50 Oxford Street
Southampton
SO14 3DP
Open 3pm 'til late
* MedBar
* WhatPub
Sunday, 5 March 2023
Revolution, Bedford Place
Brogan outlined the offers available, which included two cocktails (they have to be the same) for £10, and a lunchtime offer of a meal and a soft drink for £6.95 (which is cheaper than the meal by itself, plus you get a free drink). As we pondered the offers, Brogan suggested that we go for both offers, and then upsold us on adding chips (£1) and converting the soft drink into an alcoholic drink (£2). Her suggestions were taken up, and we ended up with a boozy, fun, tasty, and satisfying lunch for much less than we expected.
I asked Brogan about the veggie meals, and she enthusiastically pointed out the plant based crispy fried chicken, which she says was her favourite, as she was also a veggie. There are lots of veggie items on the menu, which is a big plus for me. My partner had a chicken and bacon sandwich. When the food was served Brogan brought out a special 'slaw, which she said was also one of her favourites. It was wonderful!
We enjoyed the experience, and the cocktails (though filled so much with ice it was really hard to detect the alcohol, and were garnished with what appeared to be last week's lemon slices saved from the bin) were great fun!
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| Enjoying our Sex On The Beach |
There are no cask ales on offer, and the keg beers were fairly limited to ordinary lagers, no craft; but I don't think Revolution is aiming for either a cask ale or craft beer audience.
The hand dryer in the toilet wasn't working, and there were no paper towels, but Brogan brought paper towels out straight away, muttering that someone (presumably the cleaner who had just finished in the toilet) should have put paper towels there.
All in all, even with the lack of - for me - a decent drink, and an empty daytime atmosphere, this is a very good place, and while not suitable for all, would be a great venue for fun loving youngsters and the young at heart looking for a good night out that would be safe and good value.
28A Bedford Place
Southampton
SO15 2DB
Open Noon 'til late
Food Noon to 9pm
* Revolution
* TripAdvisor
Slug & Lettuce, Southampton Central
Slug & Lettuce is a female friendly pub chain in Southampton city centre, owned by Stonegate and aimed at a young adult market.
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| Relaxed vibe |
We sat by the window. There was a relaxed vibe, though on the whole the place felt slightly dull and ordinary. There was a lack of warmth and character.
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| General ambience |
The place was calm, relaxed, unhurried. Though it was also largely unoccupied. We had the Brewdog Planet Pale keg lager. Like the venue, the lager was inoffensive and unmemorable.
Date: March 2022 Score: 4
I'd forgotten that I visited in March 2022, so came again. Sat at the back away from the window this time. And I was on my own, having popped into town on an errand.
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| Limited keg beer selection |
This has a similar vibe and set up as All Bar One, but has two floors, and is a little scruffy and in need of a refurb. The upstairs room is light and open and quite pleasant, while the downstairs is somewhat dark and blocked in with pillars.
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| Upstairs bar |
Clientele on a wet Wednesday afternoon are three other tables occupied with small groups of women, and one man drinking and chatting at the bar. Limited choice of popular keg beers.
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| The downstairs is a little drab and closed in |
This is the start of a very pub and bar congested area of Southampton so I am unsure of the attraction of coming here rather than other bars, but I suppose I'm not the target market. It's an acceptable place, but it lacks charm, needs a refurb, and the dark and blocked in feel is off-putting.
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| Halloumi wrap and nachos |
I had the Brewdog Planet Pale, a harmless and forgettable keg lager. To eat I had a halloumi wrap and nachos, which I found quite tasty, and reasonably healthy. It was approx £12 for meal and drink. An acceptable lunch.
Date: March 2023 Score: 4
103-105 Above Bar Street
Southampton
SO14 7FG
Open 12noon to 11pm
* WhatPub
Papillon, Southampton Central
A converted church opposite the Mayflower Theatre. Previously known as The Vestry, it was rebranded as Papillon in October 2021. It is more restaurant than bar, though owners say they do have areas just for those who wish to drink.
Date: March 2023 Score: N/A
First time I've been here. The place is beautiful inside. Pretty empty on my sunny Tuesday afternoon visit. Much more bar than restaurant. High stools and tables, sofas, etc. Upstairs is more restaurant oriented. Kitchen is open from around 11 till 8, so at this moment there are something like four times as many staff as customers. The menu is limited and expensive - and not very imaginative, especially for non meat eaters, so I'm highly unlikely to eat here. The drinks menu is also limited, including the wines - only 10 reds offered. No cask beer. And the keg beers are quite dull - Amstel, Heineken, Guinness, Neck Oil, etc.
The background music is a tad too loud and echoey - it's also a tad too modern and studenty for me. Not my taste at all.
The big asset of the place is how beautiful it is. But given that the ambience on my visit was cold and with the harsh music somewhat unpleasant, and that the seating is less comfortable than a bus - a little too cheap and functional, then that beauty wears off quickly.
On the whole, I was wowed on entry, but somewhat disappointed on exit.
Date: May 2023. Score: 3
Commercial Road
Southampton
SO15 1GG
Open 11.30am to 11.30pm
Commercial Road
Southampton
SO15 1GG
Open 11.30am to 11.30pm
Saturday, 4 March 2023
Star Hotel, Lower Southampton
Hotel bar.
Not visited
Date: March 2023 Score: N/A
26 High Street
Southampton
SO14 2NA
Southampton
SO14 2NA
* The Star Hotel
* WhatPub
* Sotonopedia
Heartbreakers, Southampton Central
Music venue, club and theatre with a downstairs bar. Open from 3pm to late. Not visited.
Date: March 2023 Score: N/A
7-9 Hanover Buildings
The Strand
Southampton
SO14 1JX
* WhatPub
Quayside, Woolston
A great new venue right on the river in Woolston. We've been several times now. Food is good, the ambiance is awesome, and the view is to die for.
Full review will follow.
Date: March 2023 Score: 8
It's been a while since I've been to Quayside, so when Lads Who Lunch gathered together in Woolston (we had intended to try out lunch at the Woolston Social Club, but it was closed), we made our way to to bar, unsure if it would still be open because whenever we've been there, it has been low on customers. However, with the return of sunshine after weeks (months!) of rain and drizzle, the place was warm with customers. Not busy as such, but certainly not empty.
The Beavertown beers that I had enjoyed when here with Mi and Chrissie are no longer on offer, but they had a bottle of Whitstable Bay by Shepherd Neame (though it says Faversham Steam Brewery on the bottle, it is made by Sheps), and for seconds I had Cruzcampo Seville, which seemed more appropriate for the tapas that we were having (even though it's brewed to a lower abv here in the UK).
The tapas was not successful. Essentially at Quayside, currently, you either have tapas or you have pizza. We were the only ones at that point ordering food. About five to ten minutes after we'd ordered, a table inside ordered some pizzas. We were still waiting for our tapas about 30 minutes later when the pizzas arrived at the inside table. It seemed the chef had decided to make the pizzas first. I chased up our tapas, and they finally arrived 45 minutes after being ordered. To be fair they were generous potions and reasonably tasty, but the time they took, and the price was off-putting. We paid around £50 for two drinks (one soft) and four tapas.
The Beavertown beers that I had enjoyed when here with Mi and Chrissie are no longer on offer, but they had a bottle of Whitstable Bay by Shepherd Neame (though it says Faversham Steam Brewery on the bottle, it is made by Sheps), and for seconds I had Cruzcampo Seville, which seemed more appropriate for the tapas that we were having (even though it's brewed to a lower abv here in the UK).
The tapas was not successful. Essentially at Quayside, currently, you either have tapas or you have pizza. We were the only ones at that point ordering food. About five to ten minutes after we'd ordered, a table inside ordered some pizzas. We were still waiting for our tapas about 30 minutes later when the pizzas arrived at the inside table. It seemed the chef had decided to make the pizzas first. I chased up our tapas, and they finally arrived 45 minutes after being ordered. To be fair they were generous potions and reasonably tasty, but the time they took, and the price was off-putting. We paid around £50 for two drinks (one soft) and four tapas.
Date: May 2024 Score: 5
Unit 3, Azera, Capstan Road, Centenary Quay
Woolston
Southampton
SO19 9UR
Woolston
Southampton
SO19 9UR
* WhatPub
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