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.

  Best in winchester, soo so good, friendly atmosphere, omg the roast phenomenal, def going back, staff are so sweet and make you feel welcome,

  Wow.. what a treat!! Yuuuuuuuumy !!!

My friend and I went for dinner and was so overwhelmed with the expansive vegan & GF menu . Usually you just... read more get one or two options but we were spoilt for choice and it was DELICIOUS!!!!!

We both had the bannna blossom “fish” & chips.. for pud the apple pie & crumble with icecream

Highly recommend!!

  My friend and I visited today and felt very welcomed by the staff. We both had the lasagne, for me it was the best, cheesiest, lasagne I've had. I will... read more be visiting with another friend soon as the Gluten free menu has a great range too. Thank you to the staff.

  GreatSunday Roast - Booked a table for the Sunday roast whilst visiting Winchester and was not dissapointed with the quality and quantity of the roast pork dinners we had. A decent drop of... read more ale too.
We were given a table that had been hemmed in by an adjacent table where the occupants had spralled out however there was no issue in moving us to another table.

Staff were very friendly and helpful.
This is a dog friendly pub and used by locals.

  Lasagne-mainly cheese and undercooked mince. Burger undercooked. In retrospect we should have complained but we just paid up and left

  Good traditional pub food done well, good portions, v tasty and v friendly helpful staff. Good value too. Will be back!!

  It’s all Gravy Baby!
When’s the last time you walked into a pub and were greeted with a big smile and “Welcome, how can I help you?”. This Pub... read more is a pub that’s not trying to be something else or has got lost trying to be something else or ashamed that it’s a pub.
Warm friendly and a relaxed atmosphere is what greets you as you enter. There’s a wide selection of drinks and real ale waiting for you at the bar. Now let’s talk about the food.
It’s classic pub grub and they don’t hold back on the portions. If you have kids they will not leave hungry! Even better they have a vegan menu and GF too, you don’t have to whisper your food choice in fear that there will be a baying crowd with pitchforks ready to burn you where you sit, in fact they embrace it. Now I have been to so many pubs and said “Extra gravy and I mean extra gravy like fill up a boat and sail it to my table only to be greater with a jug you your daughter would have in her barbie house.. not here ITS ALL GRAVY BABY..and that’s what this PUB is… if u want to have that warm fuzzy feeling (without 10 pints of show of posh lager) then they have buckets of feel good to give you… oh yeah if you want to have a chat don’t be scared you might find yourself belly laughing with the locals and staff.. If I could change one thing it would be to order a magnum of gravy and not that fizzy pop stuff…
I am from Northampton and I go here just for the Pie of the day!! Go on treat yourself

  We popped in here on the off chance and was really happy with the food and the service, we will definitely be back again
Thank you

  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

  Was Mother’s Day, arrived on the off chance. Very busy as expected but was asked to come back after 3pm which we did. Didn’t disappoint ! I had the roast... read more beef and hubby had pie both sensational! Lovely and hot, great portion size and staff who went above and beyond! Will definitely return! Special mention to Jason the chef!!!!

  Wonderful couple of hours here today. Visiting beautiful Winchester. Came to this warm friendly pub. Ordered pie of the day. Beef and Guinness and ohhh wow wow wow..what a gorgeous... read more pie it was. The best pie we have eaten in a pub for a long long time. Lovely friendly efficient staff our compliments to the chef. Beautifully presented too..and the gravy was such good quality. Lovely dinner that accompanied our bottle of red wine. Very reasonably priced too. Lots of people eating which is always a good sign. Great atmosphere. Thank you. We will be back

  Served quickly with drinks given a menu. Took a seat and looked at the amazing choice of food. My partner and i both ordered the chicken and mushroom pie with... read more veg and mashed potato,came with seperate gravy. Have to say, delicious. The service was quick and very efficient. The lady behind the bar taking our order and bringing the food was friendly and efficient.

  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.

  Marilyn was such an awesome host! Will definitely be be back for her hospitality. Enjoy the brunch so much!
We will return!

  We've visited several times on a Sunday lunchtime for a roast dinner. Although very busy on the first occasion, we were given a very warm welcome; both times the food... read more was excellent and plentiful. We will return.

  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.

  Shanice is amazing!! Sooooo friendly we love her xxxxx will be back after lockdown and shout out to Scott for buying us shots