Scholars Arms, Southampton Central

Greene King pub in the upper part of Southampton's city centre.  As with most other pubs in this area (notable exception being Belgium & Blues), this is a bland utilitarian drinking barn. Family friendly, though not much to offer the children by way of entertainment. On weekends it appears to offer sports TV continuously on five screens. It does standard Greene King pub food - mostly meat and chips. And beer choice was limited to the three main GK brands - Speckled Hen, Abbot and IPA.

Beer selection (five pumps, but only three beers)

Ambiance

Very popular. We came in after the Southampton Marathon Fun Run. Tables were still dirty when we entered, but were quickly cleared away and cleaned.

It's a functional place of little character or interest.


Date: May 2019    Score: 5



Open: 11am - 11pm  (Meals 12-9pm)

Family friendly

166 Above Bar Street
Southampton
SO14 7DU



* WhatPub
* Greene King
* FaceBook
* PubsGalore
* BITE
* TripAdvisor 

Greene King pubs in Southampton

O'Neill's (formally The Spitfire), Southampton Central

O'Neill's is a Mitchells & Butlers pub in the Above Bar area of Southampton called the Cultural Quarter. It used to be called The Spitfire. It's the same pub run by the same people serving the same food and drinks, but now under a different name. 

Owned by Mitchells & Butlers, who operate it under the Sizzling Pubs brand, this is a potentially decent pub that serves food all day (largely meat and chips, but some limited veggie options can be found) and a small selection of common cask beers plus an occasional quest. Our family visit on a Saturday afternoon was unfortunate in that the sport tv was on and was very loud, and the card machine was broken so if we wanted to buy anything we needed to use cash. I was directed to go to the cash machine in the street. Given that the menu was not inviting, the beer selection was boring, and the tv noise was uncomfortable, I thought that being instructed to go outside was the right option. So we all went outside to Yates and ate there (though that turned out to be a less than pleasant experience in itself - so I'm still struggling to find a decent family pub in the city centre on a Saturday afternoon). 


Date: May 2019    Score: 5


In November 2019, a few months after our visit, M&B changed the branding from Sizzling Pubs to O'Neill's. I've only just noticed! 

Feb 2022   Score: N/A 

   

Walking from breakfast at The Rover to lunch at The Red Lion I stopped at O'Neill's for a refresher. A fairly standard selection of taps, with three handpumps. I fancied the cask cider, but that wasn't on, so I opted for the Tribute, but that wasn't on. The barman said Doom Bar was on, but it's not really my thing. I hadn't had a Peroni in years, so I opted for that. It was cold, fizzy, and harmless. 

  

The tap selection - though only two of the casks were actually available

The place is large, comfortable, family friendly, with low cost food offers (veggie sausage and mash with a pint of Guinness for under £8 - not bad), and several large TV screens showing sport. It's a relaxed, low key, friendly sort of place. A little anonymous, but then this is the main street in a busy town not a local on the fringes.   

 

The ambiance

On the whole, an acceptable place to stop for a drink and watch the world go by, or watch the sport, and perhaps have a little chat. Also cool for a low cost meal - though not yet tried the food so not sure what it is like. I assume the mash will be powdered. 


Date: July 2023    Score: 5 



130-132 Above Bar Street
Southampton
SO14 7DU

Open  7am to Midnight (alcohol from 9am)
Meals 7am to 10pm 



* WhatPub
* BITE

Yates, Southampton Central

Large and popular modern pub on Southampton's main street. Yates is very similar to Wetherspoon in layout and in cheap meal deals and cask beers. Main differences are less choice of beers, large sports TVs, and piped music. There are also evening DJs and quiz nights.  The window seats are popular, so the tables are a bit close together, but there's plenty of room elsewhere.  The pub is popular during the day with young working class families, as well as older couple and friends; then during the evening it attracts students and hen parties.

Ambience

The beer selection is OK. There are seven hand pumps, with one of those for cider. On my visit two pumps were not available. I had the Fullers Swing Low, which was not entirely fresh.

Beer selection

All in all I found the place to be workable. Attractive meal deals, and cask ales with ample seating, and the music is kept low. If in town with the family this is an acceptable spot for lunch as the two nearest Spoons are both a little walk away.

Date: March 2019   Score: 5


Popped in on a Saturday afternoon with the family. We sat by the window. which offers a pleasant view of the park across the road, but is too near a speaker for the sports tv, which meant we had difficulty relaxing and conversation was a bit difficult. There may be other places in the pub where the tv is not so loud, but we found it rather off-putting. There was no cask ale available at all. All five of the casks were off. There was a cask fruity cider available. It is bad management to have no cask ales on. The pub was not so busy that one of the staff couldn't pop downstairs to change a barrel. The only rationales would be a) that there was no one in the pub trained to change the barrel (poor management) or b) the pub had completely run out of cask beer (poor management - that would be like a chip shop running completely out of chips - you need to keep on top of stock management). When our food was brought to us we were given five forks (for the three of us) but no knives. A small error, but it took time to fix as the cutlery is kept in the kitchen and needs to be requested and waited for.  All this was compounded by the fact that the table we chose to sit at is awkwardly placed such that it is difficult to get in and out. Not a good day for Yates, and overall not a pleasant visit.

Date: May 2019   Score: 3

113-117 Above Bar Street
Southampton
SO14 7FH

Open 9am - 11pm (later on weekends) 

Food 9am - 9pm 

Family friendly 

* WhatPub 

* Yates 

* Stonegate 
* BITE 
* Trip Advisor 

Stonegate / Enterprise

The Linden Tree, Bursledon

I thought I had reviewed the Linden Tree on my blog, and came here to record a second visit, but I seem to have visited the place before I started doing my blog, so my review went on BITE:

I'm new to the Southampton area, and still exploring the pubs. I'm finding that Wadworths pubs are pretty good. They tend to be well run, and with lots of character. The Wadworth's beers are to my taste, and sometimes there'll be guest ales. This is fairly typical. A very pleasant characterful place. Real fire in the corner, cats and a dog in the bar. Lots of wood. Everything clean and in good shape. No guest ales on my visit, but apparently they do sometimes put one on. However, there were four casks of Wadworths ales available, which is plenty enough. 

I like the place, and could see myself popping in here for Sunday lunch, or lunch before doing shopping in the nearby Tesco. But they no longer do food - not even rolls. The pub is apparently busy enough that they don't need the food trade, and they don't find it profitable enough. That's a real shame for me as it's too far to be my local, and without food on offer or a frequently changing guest ale or a nice location, or some other special draw, other than being pleasant, I doubt I'll be visiting again. 

This is, essentially, a pleasant locals pub. If you're close by, it's worth a visit, but if you're more than a mile away, then the Cottage Inn in Butlocks Heath is also a Wadworths, and has a lot of character, and does food. Or go to Hamble-le-Rice, which is a pleasant village with a good selection of pubs to choose from. 

SilkTork - 25 Mar 2015 03:43

Since I wrote the above, the Cottage has stopped doing food. And I have discovered the Fox and Hounds  just down the road. And I've just noticed that I haven't reviewed the Cottage, even though I've been there several times.   [Note, I have now reviewed The Cottage, and they are back doing food. Good pub. Nov 2021] 

Anyway, The Linden Tree is the same as it was on my previous visit. Four Wadworth cask beers, a cat and a dog, roaring fire, laid back atmosphere, mildly charming,  quirky nik naks, friendly locals, and no food other than snacks. The place is clean and well run, and makes for a pleasant local, but it's not really a pub you'd go out of your way to visit. Indeed, I would say if you are on the road leading to The Linden Tree, you'd be doing yourself a favour if you kept on driving a little bit until you came to the Fox and Hounds - that is a pub worth seeking out.

Date: Dec 2018    Score: 5 



11-11 Mon-Sat; 12-11 Sun

School Road
Lowford
Bursledon
SO31 8BU


* Pub Website
* WhatPub
* FaceBook
* BITE

Wadworth Pubs in Southampton

The Fleming Arms, Swaythling / Bitterne

This is a large Greene King Hungry Horse on the outskirts of Southampton, not far from the airport. We've been here a few times (though not for a while), and I was surprised I hadn't reviewed it before.

I don't think I've been back here since it was refurbished in September 2017, and I'm struggling to remember what it was like previously. It has been nicely done, but I struggle to see the original character of the pub within the overall family pub rustic English charm style that is so common these days. Once inside you could be anywhere in the UK, and in any building, 300 year old pub or 6 month old airport. My memory is of a place that felt more natural and organic, yet a bit run down, and less popular. Today it is busy, and there's a warm communal atmosphere. Popular music plays, but quiet enough that conversation buzz can be heard all around. I like it. There's plenty of seating at the rear, and an upper floor seating area. The outside courtyard beside the Monk's Brook stream has the potential to be pleasant in summer, but smokers are allowed to use it.

The bar area is split in two. All casks are from the Greene King range. Four pumps on the right, with three of this repeated on the left. The food menu - which is what people come for - is good value popular food decently cooked. I was very pleased with my meal. I had the over 60s special, so I had a tasty and satisfying two course meal and a pint of Speckled Hen for exactly £8.

It dates from the early 18th century, although parts of it are thought to date back to the 15th century. It has been a public house since about 1850 and was previously a doctor's residence. It was named after the Fleming family, who owned much of the land in the Swaythling area. The side extension dated 1903 replaces an earlier side building.

This is a decent place if you live locally. To be fair there's not a lot to encourage outside visitors because there's nothing special here, but there is a nearby river walk which might be worth exploring.

Date: Nov 2018    Score: 6

Returned with Myles for lunch. Place is popular and busy, though we found the upstairs to be quiet and relaxing.  Good value meals. Decent cask beers. There was a deal on BrewDog's Brewgooder Clean Water Lager, so we got that. I'm quite happy coming back here. It's an OK place.

Date: April 2019    Score: 6 


  

We had a cracking family Christmas party here in December 2019. The staff made a few errors, but the manager for the day put things right, which is always a good thing. I'd be quite happy to use them again for a large party. 

Date: Dec 2019  Score: 6 


 

Myles and me chewing on our chips during a Lads Who Lunch visit.  

Service was friendly, but very slow and a bit remote during a Lads Who Lunch visit in Feb 2022. It was a Mystery Shop, so we were, as always, very limited in our choice of food and drink. The Greene King menu is unadventurous in range and  rather plain in its cooking - frozen chips and instant mash with meat "loaded" with cheese is the order of the day, but an observant diner can pick out some healthier and less environmentally damaging options than loaded burger and chips (such as the Mexican spiced pulled jackfruit with Ancho chilli sauce. Served with Mexican rice and salad garnish) - sadly, the Mystery Shopper criteria specifically forbids veggie or healthy options. Despite some shortcomings, we felt reasonably satisfied with the visit. 

Date: Feb 2022   Score: 5 

High Road
Swaythling
SO18 2QN

Open 11-11
Food 11-10 (Sun&Sat 10-10)

Child friendly 


* Pub website
* Trip Advisor

* WhatPub 

***

Pubs in Bitterne

Greene King pubs in Southampton

Dancing Goose, Netley (closed)

Closed Sept 2020. Will be converted into housing and a smaller pub 

(possibly called Woodies Wine Bar). 

The Netley Grange has reopened as The Dancing Goose after being bought by Questmap Ltd, a Southampton based property developer. It is being run by Mike Andrews and his family.  The pub appears to have been purpose built around 1995 as The Mill House by Spirit Pub Company (owned by Punch Taverns), before being rebranded as Fayre & Square and renamed The Grange. Greene King acquired it in 2015, then closed it down in January before selling it to Questmap.

More restaurant than pub but decent quality and excellent value family food.
We enjoyed it, and were pleasantly surprised at the quality (and quantity) of the food, and of the friendliness and willingness to please of the staff. However, we were not a best fit as we insisted on selecting our own table, and fetching our own beer, which is not the way they wanted to do things! They did oblige us good naturedly, though it did feel as through we were swimming upstream at times.

It's the same place as it was as The Grange, though clearly aiming to be more upmarket. I'm not sure if the kids indoor play area is still open round the back - that used to be a big attraction for people. It all feels a little more sedate these days, and certainly less busy - though that may depend on visiting times.  Some seating has been removed to allow a carvery area to be put in.

The surroundings are peaceful. There is an ample sized car park and a free outdoor play area for the kids. Inside it has the look and feel of a converted barn, with an attractive upstairs seating area with a view over the interior of the pub.

It's an OK place, though we doubt if we'll be back as we like our pubs to be pubs, and to have the freedom to sit where we want without having to ask. That is just a personal thing, and - funny enough - we're OK with being sat when visiting a restaurant - perhaps because that's a different experience. If you come here expecting it to be a carvery style restaurant then you will be prepared. And they are friendly and flexible. And the food really is good value! 


My review on Trip Advisor from June 2016 when the place was The Grange, and had just been taken over by Greene King:

       Family pub with good points and bad points

The Netley Grange is a sprawling modern barn type building in a fairly isolated spot on a fast road about half a mile from Netley Abbey. Acquired by Greene King when they purchased the Spirit Group, the brand owner of Fayre & Square, the pub serves Greene King IPA as its only cask beer. The target clientèle is working class families, and it succeeds in attracting them, both the good and the bad. It is a roomy and attractive building, with a pleasant seating area around the bar, and a smaller seating area in the attic of the steeply pitched roof. There is also seating outside, some in a landscaped garden, and some by the road and car park, and by a useful, though limited, play area. There is an additional room just off the main bar, which is cramped but popular. In addition there is a function room which can be hired, and a soft play area, Wacky Warehouse, at the back, which is free during the week if you spend £10 or more in the pub. As the soft play area is accessed separately from the pub it's not clear how this works unless people eat first, and then the children go play in the Warehouse.
There is a down to earth atmosphere, with relaxed and friendly staff, though it's not clear to those unfamiliar with the pub how everything operates. Those sitting outside do not have menus, so you have to find those yourself, and on asking the staff, this is done by taking one from an unoccupied inside table. Tables inside have knives and forks and condiments, tables outside do not, so, again, these have to be taken from an unoccupied table otherwise your food is brought to you and left in front of you with no means by which to eat it. It's not clear what happens on busy days when all inside tables are occupied.
The seating area near the playground is very popular, and families will turn up with their own picnics to occupy these tables. They are also popular with smokers. Some families do not supervise their children closely, so you have boys kicking footballs against the car park fence, with balls sometimes missing and landing on or near the tables. You have children hurting themselves and left to cry for long periods. Sitting near the playground is not advised, especially as the seating area appears to be rarely tidied or cleaned.
As with some other Greene King family pubs we have encountered, the staff can struggle and make mistakes. One family during our visit waited over an hour for their meal to be served, and were told at the last minute that some items would be missing. The family at this point were clearly at the end of their tether as they had a toddler who was very tired and hungry and making quite a racket.
We can see that on the right day, and sitting in the right place this can be quite an acceptable family pub, but we can also see that sitting in the wrong place or going at the wrong time the experience could be quite unpleasant.
We had the 2 for £10 deal, which was excellent value. We had the all day veggie breakfast, and it was very acceptable, with quorn sausages. Our daughter had a kids meal which she loved, especially the make your own (unhealthy!) pancake (lots of sweets!).

Date: Oct 2018    Score: 5

Grange Road
Netley
SO31 5FF

Open from 11am to 11pm
Food from Noon to 9pm. 

Family and dog friendly




dancinggoose.co.uk
WhatPub
Trip Advisor (Dancing Goose)
Trip Advisor (Netley Grange)

Steam Town Brewery, Eastleigh

Steam Town is newly opened in a former brewery. It's a little outside of Eastleigh, but close enough to the Itchen Way to make it a viable stopping place in Bishopstoke as an alternative to the Toby Garvery. I popped in at lunchtime during the week - not a busy time, and the restaurant side was empty. There were a few blokes of assorted ages having a drink. The lunch menu appears to be limited, especially for vegetarians, but there are halloumi sticks, which are always welcome.

The bar brews its own beer in a brewery visible through glass doors off the restaurant area. There are four active pumps, all offering Steam Town's own beers. In addition there are around ten kegs behind the bar. Difficult to see, but there is a blackboard to the left of the bar which lists all the beers on it. The kegs are from a selection of breweries - none of them are Steam Town. The bar does third pints, but only on the keg beers.

The place has been stripped back to bare brick to give a modern vibe, and there are occasional train themes to add more character - a station clock, train carriage seats in the restaurant, plus brewing/beer themes, such as using cut away kegs in the toilet.

Dogs are welcomed and "well behaved" children are tolerated it seems, though not exactly encouraged.  I kinda liked the place, though it felt not quite finished, and a little soulless during my visit - it's probably warmer and friendlier in the evenings. They occasionally have live bands. It's certainly a place worth making a detour to check out as it does have character, and it does brew its own beers. If you're a dog owning, burger eating, beer drinker, you'll like it even more!

1 Bishopstoke Road
Eastleigh
SO50 6AD

Opening Times

11-11

Meal Times

12-3, 6-9 Mon-Fri; 12-9 Sat; 12-6 Sun

* Website
* Facebook
* TripAdvisor
* WhatPub