Visited Winchester for the day Found the Crown & Anchor pub at the end of high street & went in for a drink & food. Had pie of... read more the day, lamb shank & chicken burger. All three meals were amazing, very good value & super...tasty all homemade too. Highly recommend this pub. Will definitely we back next time we are in Winchester. Staff also friendly. More

  Family visit during Holiday, best choice of Gluten Free dishes I have ever seen on any Pub or Restaurant menu, good quality food plus really nice and friendly staff, good... read more child food choice, good beer, couldn't of been happier with visit

  We called in a bit late in the afternoon but were still served a delicious roast beef lunch - very tasty - husband could have ate another ! Only a... read more teeny gripe- a bigger yorky pud please ! We were served promptly and well done too all the hard working team in these difficult but hopefully only better times too come .

  A fantastic, friendly and welcoming pub where after just one visit whilst holidaying, the supervisor was already remembering our drinks order. An excellent and much appreciated experience when visiting an... read more obviously popular and busy establishment.
This was however totally surpassed by the service given when they discovered my partner has food allergies and the chef made a special beef and mushroom pie, just for her.
Top man and top supervisor for that level of service, thank you both
So, if you’re looking for great food, a good range of ales, beers and spirits, all at good prices in a warm and friendly environment then you don’t have to look much further than the Crown & Anchor

  Came here a week ago with a friend and she had what she describes as one of the best ever tasting pies. I had the lamb shank and it was... read more amazing!! The meat fell off the bone and was melt in the mouth!! Won’t be going anywhere else for a lamb shank. Returned today, the pie was once again incredible and the burger was juicy and flavourful. Great value and great food! A must visit.

  Had a great evening at the Crown and Anchor. Good Covid safe measures and we couldn't fault the welcome.

Vegan friendly and generous portions. For meat eaters I heartily... read more reccomend the lamb shank.

Really good prices. If your looking for an honest pub with great affordable food in Winchester, this is the place to go.

  Really polite staff, excellent food, and a food selection that also included an entire vegan menu  - We went in for lunch whilst shopping in Winchester just before Christmas. We were 4 people and a small dog. The pub was busy, and we had not booked, but... read more the staff kindly found is a table all the same.

One of our party is vegetarian, and we were really pleasantly surprised to find a complete vegan menu in addition to the non-vegan one. My daughter was really pleased with the selection of dishes.

The food was excellent. All of us were really surprised at the quality and the value of the meal. The staff were really polite and obliging - I have read some of the recent reviews that suggested otherwise, but that was not our experience. On the contrary, they seemed to make a real effort, in spite of all tables being occupied, and they even made a fuss of the dog. We all decided that this pub deserved a Trip Advisor review as we were really pleased with our visit. Thanks to the staff for a really good afternoon.

  A Bar & Restaurant, Close To The River - The Crown & Anchor is situated close to the South Downs Way and in the city centre. There are bus stops and car parking spaces close by.

My initial... read more first impression of the Crown & Anchor was being overwhelmed with the amount of instructional signage - "prove you are old enough to drink", "no fake identification accepted""no standing at the bar". The latter I found rather perplexing. I did ask why they didn't want customers to stand and was given the banal and exhausted reason, "COVID". There are too many dictating notices and orders. People go to a bar to enjoy themselves.

The barman was polite and gave good service, and I overheard the Scottish lady being very polite to customers that she was serving. Some customers, rather cheekily ordered one pudding and wanted three spoons to share it! The staff remained professional and accomodated this request, none the less.

The decor was pleasant and smart. However, I would have liked a bench seat sans chair, as I find they offer a greater spinal support. The toilets were clean and pleasant smelling.

I did see a gorgeous white rabbit in the beer garden.

This is overall a good bar and restaurant.

  I have visited the pub for food a number of times in the past, as they have an extensive vegan menu. So when we wanted to celebrate some family birthdays... read more with a group of 3 vegans and 2 meat eaters (one with a dairy allergy) it seemed like a great option. And we weren't disappointed. All 5 of us had something different and everyone really enjoyed their food. The waitress was also very attentive and friendly. Highly recommended.

  Lovely sunday lunch at a good price. We went when the Christmas Market was on so it was quite busy. We prebook which was lucky as they were turining people... read more away who hadn't.

  Best pub ive been in for a long time! - Looking for somewhere vegan friendly and found this. Best sausage and mash , and freshly prepared veg! Busy but good atmosphere and great staff. My daughter isnt vegan but ooved... read more it as much as I dod.

  This is the place to go.... - What a find, a lovely friendly pub with terrific food, dog friendly ( Edward loved it and his sausage) and wonderful barstaff. We will certainly return when we next return... read more to Winchester and weve already told our best friends , this is the place to go.

  This pub was a great choice. Felt comfortable the moment I walked in, the lovely waitress was bright, friendly and very accommodating. Her honesty was refreshing when she told me... read more the second I walked in that there are no tables available for at least half an hour as everyone suddenly came in just now. That was impressive for a start, because that told me if everyone descended on this place to eat, it simply must be popular. I said I would wait as two friends will be joining me. Then a chap walked in and she showed him to a table with a Reservation sign on the table. She asked if this was my friend, he then said I would be welcome to join him. What followed was really the unthinkable. I sat with this really lovely affable guy I had never seen before and we started a really fun, light-hearted conversation about Kung Fu and Bruce Lee of all topics. When I was trying to choose from the Menu, he said the Lasagne was very good and he might have that again, he also said he had the Sausage and Mash dish before and it was very good. Then the cheerful chap on the next Table overheard us talking about what to choose and joined in and said he thoroughly recommended the Lasagne, it is a very generous portion size, hot and very filling. By then I was so happy, comfortable and thought if this is the sort of great locals they have in this pub then I am very happy coming here again.

The lovely waitress then came back to say there is a half an hour wait for the food as the chef is snowed under with all these sudden orders but asked us if we wanted something to drink. By then, my two friends had turned up and joined us - by then we were all having a bit of a party. This lovely chap I had never seen before and the great guys on the table next to us were really delightful, very funny and loved their sense of humour. If these are the locals then am not surprised it was packed out.

All the tables were full and was really impressed to see that several tables had the Reservation signs on them, so this is one popular pub. The locals clearly make a happy relaxed and enjoyable ambience and by then all of us were talking about Lasagne, Bruce Lee, Tai Chi, Kung Fu. You name it - we were all talking about fun topics and loved the friendliness and lovely customer service the waitress was serving up. She had great customer service and bang on cue - in half an hour our Lasagnes were served with delicious looking triple cooked chips. This was one gorgeous Lunch. The Lasagne was Home Made and worth every penny. It was a very generous portion, very hot and cooked to absolute perfection - so top praise for the excellent chef who knew how to ensure we come here again. I was thrilled to see the chef went the extra mile by adding in grated carrots and chopped onions in the beef mince. The beef was perfectly tasty, just a hint of a garlic taste to it, the pasta was al dente and the Bechemel sauce was creamy and gorgeous.

Overall it was the great waitress who helped my first time experience here the best one I have had in a very long time. The food was superb and it was definitely home made, the chips were cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Also the side salad was fresh and crispy, it had a really tasty dressing on top, it was so good and fresh I ate the lot and polished off every bit of the Lasagne. I did not waste a morsel as it was that good.

Also chatting and laughing with the local customers added to the mix. The two guys on the next table had great personalities and helped make it a very enjoyable visit. They were cheerful, friendly and fun to talk to.

I would definitely recommend this eating place to anyone who wants to drink and eat in a great pub which was in a very good spot near all the bus stops and the Park & Ride stop for travellers who are visiting Winchester for the day.

  Great place with friendly,efficient and happy to help staff, with a great selection of drinks and the food was awesome. Loved our visit there

  We have to travel to Winchester once a year for work and found this gem of a pub last time we were there. Looked on the menu outside, but there... read more didn't seem much of a vegetarian offering, but my guest was happy with the one dish available, so we went in about 6pm. Greeted by a lovely lady with amazing blue hair and a big smile. She was happy to recommend one of their gins (honey) which I'd never had before an she very promptly brought our drinks to the table. Then she stayed and chatted for a while, which is always nice when you're not from the area.
When I mentioned that my dining companion was a vegetarian, she brought out a completely different 'vegan and vegetarian menu', which they really should advertise outside as we nearly went elsewhere when we thought there wasn't much veggie stuff on offer.
I had the lamb shank with seasonal veg and my friend had the Mediterranean bean pie, with chips and veg. Both meals looked and tasted AMAZING! and they were huge!!! There was no way we could have eaten a pudding, we only just managed to eat the main course and we consider ourselves to have quite big appetites.
Chef came out and had a chat too, we told him how nice is was to have decent fresh veg and very nicely cooked they were too. What a nice chap.
Can't fault the place, will definitely be back next time we are in Winchester.

  Called in here on the off chance of a Sunday roast for 6 of us.
We were served quickly at the bar and the food arrived promptly.
Very... read more tasty and excellent value for money.
Staff very friendly and accommodating, recommend a visit if you like a traditional pub.

  Great pub food at decent price. Good vegan menu too. And a lovely and professional Irish waitress. Plus our dog was welcome so a fantastic lunch all around

  Its STILL ALL GRAVY BABY!

It’s our 12 year wedding anniversary and my beautiful amazing wife let me go and get my gravy fix.
To be greeted... read more as Ahh your the gravy man brought a huge grin to my face and some of the regulars as I ordered a Guinness and Steak and ale pie with mash kale carrots peas and a BOAT of gravy.
(The gravy is hand made and has the meat juices which is rich and dark)

I have to admit I did arrive with a light sweat on my brow as my walking speed increased whilst weaving through the busy market stalls with my sights fixed on the crown and anchor sign hanging proud on the wall of the pub.
I also had that butterfly feeling of excitement in my tummy and the hope that the food and drink would be as scrumptious and plentiful as it was on my last visit a few months ago.

Well I was not disappointed.
And you will not be disappointed either.
This is a GEM of a pub and it’s a PUB.

If laughter, great beer and food is your staple then pay a visit!
The staff are friendly courteous and genuinely enjoy there work.
Food is quick as is the humour.
If you want to sit in and enjoy your own company then there is seating for you.

I have been told the lamb shank comes with MINT GRAVY… oh and it’s hand made… not your boxed imitations.

Until the next time..