please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Everything in order as the 'Boys' and I enjoyed our Xmas meal. I had the excellent veal and not bad value at £16 by Hamble standards. The lads went for the Burger and they cleared their plates. Ruby Rustler is the sixth and final instalment in this year’s seasonal ale calendar and is a brand-new ale celebrating the doormouse and is in fine condition as all their beers are, though a pint is now approaching £4!! We love the staff and the Landlord and lady are always willing to have a chat and let me sample the mulled cider (NICE!!). No problems getting served as we approach the festive season at our regular boozer on the river.
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I was in the area with my daughter, and lunchtime called. Delightful setting, and I am sure it is beautiful in summer. This winters weather meant there was no pressure on tables or service, and everybody who dealt with us was very pleasant and efficient. My daughter had a pint of orange and lemonade, allowing me to have a very nice pint of Badgers. We were both displeased with our sandwich for lunch, which in fact came in the form of a roll. Too much bread and too little filling. The price for two drinks and two sandwiches was a little over £22, which I thought would be excessive even if we had enjoyed them.
I worked out that it is almost exactly 40 years since I last visited this pub. If I will be in a position to re-visit it in another 40 years time it will only be for a beer and not for lunch.
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My wife and I went here two weeks ago, when we eventually found it in the maze of roads around Burseldon. We had the table with the best view in the building, and enjoyed a superb helping of fish and chips. As we were just about the first people in that evening, service was smooth and friendly so I cannot comment on the on-going discussion about it. You have to be careful not to overdo the liquid stuff, though, with all those steps to get up again.
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Just up-dating my review as I see on the state-of-play at the 'Jolly'. After I wrote to the brewery about the slow service and was told they didn't take into consideration the views expressed on web sites, they seem to have done nothing! In fact my friend the 'Cosham Connoisseur' walked out of the pub last Sunday as it was three deep at the bar and only had two person's serving. He ended up at the 'Navigator' over the marina which has plenty of parking but not the atmosphere of the 'Sailor' and that's the thing, as pictures testify nothing can take away the view. The Firsty Ferret is on and in great condition. Roll on Winter, when we can sit around the fire and moan about things in general in peace and quite.
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truly awful pub, great location
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First of all sorry to Topsaljohn. I should have commented on the beer on my last posting as that is the reason most of us frequent the better pubs. Many visits have past since my last posting on the Jolly Sailor. I keep going back for different reasons. The fantastic view, nostalgia & sometimes the half decent food. But not today. OK the beer. I had the Badger, well kept & very tasty. As was the Hare & the Tanglefoot. We had a lovely lunchtime session, I took �5.00 off Mike in a game of chess. Then 'Sorry Topsaljohn' the food arrived. I had ordered a starter, the prawns at �8.50. Just four prawns in a bowl, no salad, no bread & butter, just four prawns in seasoning with a dip alongside. My advice avoid the prawns, I would not have minded but they were not even tasty. I commented on this to the waitress, 'do you think this is good value, I said', Sensible girl said I am not allowed to comment.
Sorry Jolly sailor, I will be back but your rating drops to a 6. This is no reflection on the staff who must take all sorts of flack by working there.
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First of all sorry to Topsaljohn. I should have commented on the beer on my last posting as that is the reason most of us frequent the better pubs. Many visits have past since my last posting on the Jolly Sailor. I keep going back for different reasons. The fantastic view, nostalgia & sometimes the half decent food. But not today. OK the beer. I had the Badger, well kept & very tasty. As was the Hare & the Tanglefoot. We had a lovely lunchtime session, I took �5.00 off Mike in a game of chess. Then 'Sorry Topsaljohn' the food arrived. I had ordered a starter, the prawns at �8.50. Just four prawns in a bowl, no salad, no bread & butter, just four prawns in seasoning with a dip alongside. My advice avoid the prawns, I would not have minded but they were not even tasty. I commented on this to the waitress, 'do you think this is good value, I said', Sensible girl said I am not allowed to comment.
Sorry Jolly sailor, I will be back but your rating drops to a 6. This is no reflection on the staff who must take all sorts of flack by working there.
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Seems like comments about the service may be getting through as we had a pleasant lady take a survey questioner from us the other night. We'd walked out the week before because of the slow service on our second round. The HB still clocks in at +�4 a pint but the 'Hopping Hare' is now on and well served. They've re-furbished the bars and put in a new front door. We like the staff and they do the best they can with their small numbers. The views over the Hamble will always be here and as the Summer gets nearer some of the best looking women on the river use the place.
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The proprietors have a terrific business here; I've visited four times in the past three years. It has a great location and attractive premises and it has always been busy day and evening (I've not been later than 9pm) but I can't believe it's with regular customers.
The food is expensive and not even good pub quality although pretentiously described and presented. The service is unacceptably slow. Fortunately, I don't drink a lot so the beer price is not a deterrent to me but for bigger drinkers it can be an expensive night out.
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I have emailedHall & Woodhouse about the slow servive in 'The Jolly' and received this answer - "We measure the success of our business in many other ways and are confident that on most occasions our guests are satisfied with us, when they are not we do everything we can to satisfy them. The comments you have pasted into your e mail are only from a very small minority given the thousands of drinks and meals we serve". So the comments on this site are a 'minority'. There was me thinking I was helping the bar staff out. Nothing has changed with the service. Hey! ho! the boys and I still keep going on Wednesday and my rating still stands as I like the place. The HB larger has returned but at �4 a pint I'll stick with the 'Fersty Ferret '. Merry Xmas!!!
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Had a meal here last evening, opted for the Steak and Ale Pie at �13.50, what a disappointment, came to the table served on an old bread board, the pie was in a dish, the mash was in a ramekin and the buttered cabbage on a very small saucer.
Have had far better similar meals at other pubs for a fraction of the price. Who in their right minds serves this type of dish on a board.
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We have been going to the JOlly Sailor for around 4 years now, we always liked the place. Lately however things seemed to have really gone downhill. I ordered the Chicken & Ham Pie lakst visit and when I removed the crust there was very, very little filling inside the dish it was that ridiculous I sent it back. I said I would have the steak instead, I had to wait obviously then ate on my own after my friends had finished their meal and yes they STILL charged me full price on the steak. (Im not that fussed about the money the gesture of perhaps matching the steak price to the pie would have been appreciated though) On our latest visit we where served the bread board as a starter, the olives were basically rotten..and the butter was definately on the turn. Appaling quality of food especially at what I would consider a premium price. We ate the bread which was ok (not amazing)
I ordered the fresh bream for my mother in law, its cost �14.50!! when it came out I actually burst out laughing, she was served a single side/fillet of Sea Bream no bigger than 8cms x 4cm on a bed of salad, ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS! My Steak and Ale Pie crust which also cost �14.00 was hard, chewy and not what I would consider good quality. (At least there was some filling in the pie this time)
We were a party of three, we had 1 orange juice, a spirit plus mixer and a beer. 3 Lunch Time Mains, 1 Bread Board and our lunch bill came to over �60.00!!!
Final Opinion: Food is of poor quality and very overpriced, the beer is limited and also overpriced. Service is average (make a note of your table number order at the bar etc)
Location is beautiful, spoiled by the proces and poor quality.
If your going to charge premium money for your food, make sure that you food meets the standard that the customer is paying for, and seriously guys throw that jar of olives away and buy some good quality fresh olives & butter or just dont bother serving it!!!
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Boy! does this pub get some mixed reviews. The lads and I don't eat here as in these recession hit times the cash is short, but the food looks OK. Best thing is to have a pint, look at the view and eat else where. Yes they could do with more staff. They've finished serving the HB larger and a pint of Peroni clocks in at �4!!!!!!!! I've gone on to the well served seasonal 'Fox'. We get on fine with the bar staff, but we are about as close as it gets to 'locals'. I think a 7 is more like it at this point in time, but the Winter will probably take it back up!
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4.30 pm bank holiday monday; 25 minute wait for drinks 3 deep at the bar. Why not hire some more staff on an expected sunny bank holiday; food wait was 1 hour so we did not order. Bar staff had no idea who to serve next and were amatuerish and brash; a pub that survives on location alone at prices this pub charges is a one time only experience for anyone but the most easily satisfied customer.
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Whilst the location is hard to beat, it is inevitable that this place gets very busy and the service was bad the last time we went. It's best to go at quiet times as it is much more enjoyable than spending 20+ minutes waiting to be served (and even longer for the food). The food was fine but definitely over-priced fro what it was.
So for me it's usually a one-drink stop-off to wathc the river then move on.
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Myself and a friend decided to have a late lunch here on 27 Mar 2011. We knew it could get very busy there, so left it until approx 1500.
It was fairly quiet and found a table outside easily. When we went to order food, we were told they had stopped serving, because they were so busy, which made me wonder how they coped when all the tables were full??!! Eventually they took food orders once more, and after a 40 minute wait our food arrived. We both had opted for a vegetarian option, which sounded delicious and at 10 pounds, we were expecting something quite special. Disappointment is an understatement, the food was something I could've quite easily thrown together at home with a tin of tomatoes! Fortunately, there was mayonaise on hand to add some interest to the food. I wont be eating at this pub again, although the setting is ideal for an evening drink al fresco when the weather is good. Of note, service at the bar was slow and gin was served at double measures as standard, with no warning to the customer!! I think the owners are cashing in on their location and short changing the very people that are keen to keep these historic pubs open!!
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May I say that if your looking for SKY sports you won't find it in the 'Jolly' as they thankfully don't have any telly's. The real hey-day of this pub was at the time of Howard's Way but it's been altered from those days and now has a long bar down the pub. Visiting is a wallet lightning experience and the 'lads' (we're in our 50's) and I visit this place every Wednesday rain or shine (yes! that's us by the fire). In all that time I can't say I've spotted many 'locals'. OK! so it's Hall & Woodhouse, but they serve a good pint and have a rotation of their seasonal ales. It's always nice and tidy and we get to know the 'attractive bar staff' who indulge our complaints about the state of the nation and how it's 'going to the dogs'. I like to look at the papers on the bar while I'm waiting (yes service can be slow) for my pint. Check out the taped editions of 'Round the Horn' in the toilets. Nothing changes my 8 rating and that against a background of other highly rated pubs in the area.
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Miketucker is quite right! I never used to go out in Britain as I used to enjoy travelling across the globe- Some reviewers are obviously one of the vast majority of Brits who doesn't know what happened to their life- all they know is that he enjoys his SKY sports, enjoys a traditional meal of home-cooked pap and probably sits on the 07.45 London Waterloo for 104 hours per week- then YES- he will be overjoyed with the offerings at the Jolly Sailor and you bet he will be extremely scared to voice any opinions whatsoever about the place- welcome to MONDEO Man..... at the end of the day, this is a corporate behemoth which will extract profit from customers at the minimum expense- and it shows. Free Rupert-Murdoch-controlled paper anyone?????? Mr Phil Collins-listener and ordinary man will be happy with this- FOG IN CHANNEL CONTINENT ISOLATED
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Alezilla, perhaps you should stay at home with your microwave meal. You sound like a bit of an idiot! Just don't go out, do us all a favour!
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what a great location, what a crap pub
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The views (although obscured by a smoking shelter) and the views of the Hamble are the main draws to this pub, which nestles cosily down a dangeous flight of stone steps. Hall and Woodhouse are the masters in charge, and as expected, Badger Beers and all the other staples are on offer. The overwhelming experience is that of the typical 'safe' chain pub. Large fake chalk boards explain how you can do such simple everyday tasks such as order your food in ten easy steps. We are informed that the newspapers are complimentary, thus dullling the blow on the horrendous prices found inside. It is family-oriented and you cget the overall jist of the McDonalds' with beer experience. The beer is ok- nothing more than that- I've been a couple of times and I have left with a twinging in my stomach, not the freshest pints. The food leaves much more to be desired. If you haven't been put off by the astronomical prices, although the pub is at sea level, then the food is uninspired, microwaved and cheap. As I bit into my 'roasted' chicken the water flooded down my chin like a an oasis well. Mashed potato- how difficult can this be to prepare? All this average quality and high prices means this is a typical chain pub with no extra experience, apart perhaps from a smile or two from the sultry teenagers who run the place. Overrated but this is Britain 2011 so what can you expect?
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'This is the 'flag ship'bozzer of Hall & Woodhouse which is apt as it sits on the Hamble (Yes Howard's way). For me it's best in the Winter when the crowds die down and you can get to the bar. Park in the Station and take a walk to save yourself the pain of finding a parking space. I always drink the HB Premium larger here but their real ales are first class. Not a 'locals' pub. The food is slightly expensive but I suppose you are paying for the great views of the marina. The lads and I like this place as it attracts some of the best looking women in the area and you can dream of what it would be like to have the money the 'yellow welly' crowd have.'
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Expensive - drinks and food. food pretty good but you pay for it. beloved of the yachty set and you can feel the money in this place. It is a nice place but the nause of getting there defeats the purpose (for me anyway). Worth a go but I do think its a bit overated to be honest.
odbod - 14 Sep 2010 15:04 |
Visit this place whenever possible in the summer,it is one of my favourite places.The food is nice but a bit expensive but my view is you are paying for the location.The menu could be a bit more varied.Good choice of beers.
If anyone wants a peaceful drink by the water this is the place to go.Parking is sometimes a problem so sometimes it is best to park in Bursledon Train Station car park and take a short walk to the pub,by this time you will be ready for a drink!
Last visited August 10th 2010.
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Put off a number of times by expensive average quality beer, poor service, average food. Don't get in there much now as better pubs available in the area. Good view of local marinas. Best visited by launch. Don't bother with the pedestrian access unless you are able-bodied. As for Mike Tuckers review, is he a shareholder? He's only ever written 4 reviews on BITE and all of the Jolly Sailor. Mike you should get out more!
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John T. Good food review, but I thought this was meant to be a pub. what's the beer like? Last time I was in there it was average quality with tourist prices.
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I know this place gets a bit of stick for the commercialisation and prices etc but for anyone visiting the area it's a terrific location and worth looking into. On this occasion I found it very pleasant with a reasonably priced (and surprisingly good tasting) Badgers Hopping Hare.
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Right, this is John.T's honest review of the Jolly Sailor. I am afraid that if T1000 gave this pub a 10 he needs to get out more. I myself have frequented the J.S for more than 40 years & as for Howards Way, well I was in that as an extra. But enough of my fame, back to the pub review.
The staff are hard working & attentive, they went out of their way to accommodate our unbooked party of 8. The view is superb as is the olde world feel of the pub. I know they have to move with the time's but I hated it when they originally opened up the bars. I accept now that it was done as tastefully as possible. The food is expensive for the quality which is a bit hit and miss. My vegetables were good, but my roast beef was tough. And then some of our party ordered the multi pudding dish for �9.00 & it was out of this world. Bit of a strange menu with the prices in fractions on the right hand side. Another plus the real ale is clean, clear & perfect. So to sum up, the J.S is still a great pub in a sought after location, if you are visiting the area you will love it. By the way, at busy times park below the pub at the Bursledon Railway Stn & walk up the steep path. Our walking party will be back at a future date but if your pennies are tight lunch in Hamble, only �5.00 for a Sunday roast at most of the pubs. I rate the J.S an honest 7.
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Good points: lovely location, nice looking pub, rasonable quality beer.
Bad points: dissappointing interior, expensive, terrible service.
A better bet for a proper pub is the Vine in the High Street.
Mike Tucker, if you are willing to pay �3.90 for Peroni (mass-produced, low quality Italian lager) the you are a Marketing Man's dream. Try Magners next as that's also low quality and vastly over-priced but well marketed.
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the jolly ajewel, don't make me laugh, it's a very average managed house in a very nice setting, but could be so much better, but it's not, long waits to get served longer waits for microwave food
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I always enjoy The Jolly Sailor and I review it every time I visit because I just want to share the jewel Old Bursledon with other people. I agree with teetop metz that the location is second to none, and on a hot summer day, there is no other place like it! The beer is good - and they always have a seasonal ale available. The Peroni is �3.90 a-pint, but it is Peroni! Places in Southampton charge almost a fiver (and that's just for a bottle of it!). The food is reasonably expensive and there can be quite long wait times on food, but I suppose if you go there at the same time as everyone else of course there is going to be a delay! The quality is what counts though, and it's good food. There are very few other places that I would be happy to sit in and wait for my food to arrive than The Jolly Sailor! Well done Jolly Sailor! A strong 8/10 (almost 9!)
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Now I love this pub, I have been going here for over 20 years and remember it as a 2 bar pub and have seen it change a lot over the years. The location is 2nd to none, however some might find the steps a bit much, You can sit at the front a look over the river Hamble and watch the boats go up and down the river. The food, a little expensive is good, the staff are mostly friendly and the furniture comfy. My only complaint would be its Badger beer and not always looked after that well and the Peroni costs �3.90 a pint. All that said it's worth a visit, just stay away from the lager. I give it a 7/10.
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The last time I went to The Jolly Sailor was in November last year. I'm not saying that I'm a regular by a long way but I do enjoy it there. The food is good, and I agree that it is on the high side, but the quality is excellent. I was talking to the waitress and she said that the food is made from scratch. You need to wait for the food to get the quality! Service at the bar is quick and professional. They've got Peroni now aswell. All round, well done. The setting of course...amazing!
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Visited for the first time today while out walking. Beautiful location. Friendly staff. Food OK, found pub menu a little disappointing & certainly overpriced for the quality of the food that you recieve. Service was also pretty slow although pub was busy. Would visit again if in the area, mainly for the view.
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Being pretty local we have tried this pub on several occasions as the location is lovely. Each time we have been disappointed. The food is OK but over-priced for what it is and the service is dreadful. Dirty glasses, long wait for food orders, long waits at the bar. We had to wait 45 minutes last time to be told that the dish I had ordered was not available. After choosing a second dish and waiting a further 15 minutes we were told again that this wasn't available either. At the third attempt we did finally get a meal but what started out as a quick evening meal (on a fairly quiet night) turned into an ordeal. They need to try much harder!!
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Went to The Jolly Sailor yesterday and it's still as good as ever. I don't know what the last comment was all about?...New menu since I was there last and a new chef as I was told by the barman. The taste of the food is amazing, it takes a little time to get it as the food is cooked to order. If you want fast food - go to McDonalds!!! Setting is amazing though and the atmosphere at the pub is brilliant. (The fires were roaring last night). Once you are there it's a brilliant experience. If you haven't been there - give it a try.
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Lovely view & nice hanging baskets outside but that's about the only positive thing you can say about this pub. Service was dreadful & I ended up with a dirty glass -not nice to have someone else's lipstick on your glass. Food looked OK but they've obviously had complaints about their chips. The menu says you'll get "hand cut chips" with the fish & chips but what you actually get is frozen McDonalds-style oven chips - not exactly hand cut. There was a disclaimer on the bar that they aren't actually hand cut 'cos they've had a problem with the hand cutting machine!!! Apparently it used to be a lovely pub, it's got a long way to go to get back to that sort of description.
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Lovely setting and a lovely looking pub exterior.Inside the pub is of the soulless corporate variety. The service is absolutely atrocious - VERY slow and incompetent. Food is okay, but expensive(�10 - �15 for standard pub dishes). Beer is generally well kept(Hall & Woodhouse) if you don't mind waiting 10 minutes to be served.
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Very busy pub, with pleasant young staff who on our latest visit were struggling to cope with problems that were not of their making. There was only one person behind the bar (on a Sunday lunchtime!) and the queue stretched right across the pub. They ran out of all but one real ale. And the computer crashed (funny how pubs always used to function without a computer). We ordered drinks from our table and they took 25 minutes to arrive -- came after the food. The meals are not cheap, but on the whole they are well prepared -- though it's a shame they don't use proper risotto rice in the risotto. Best to sit outside if the weather's up to it.
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Loved this pub 20 years ago when it was a free house.Has now been stripped of all character by Hall & Woodhouse. Nice view though.
anonymous - 13 Nov 2007 15:41 |
Great service, nice selection of drinks and special ales. Not the cheapest meal but massive portions and lovely grub. Would definately recommend to others.
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The Jolly has been through quite a few changes in management the last 2 years but think they have got it right again now. Went in for dinner on sunday night and was chuffed to see the service, atmosphere, decor, beer and staff were back upto scratch. the food has always been awesome and there is no better location in the south. Well done The Jolly!
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Fantastic place. Great food, wonderful open fires. Parking is a bit of a problem as you have to park at the station and walk there, but well worth the effort. Just read the other remarks, and I don't think they were at the same place. Give it a go.
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Used to be my favorite pub until Hall and Woodhouse destroyed it. last went 2 yrs ago and was dismayed by the changes not to mention the extortionate cost of beer and food.Does, however, still have a nice view.How about the brewery build a big wall and ruin that as well.
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wow what a change in a pub - went back for a quickie. A complete dump, beer was awful and the food was plastic while service was non-existant - a totally different place from last summer - shame
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Good views, bit touristy but always was. Nice spot in the week for some lunch by the water.
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Once a locals and 'yotties' pub selling reasonable beer in a cosy atmosphere. Now after yet another expensive face lift it has lost all its character and is just another riverside food establishment to milk the customer. As the previous reviewer said, best avoided.
anonymous - 14 Mar 2006 20:59 |
Iremember when it was worth drinking here. This pub is now best avoided
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went back in there on Sunday - 17th July - yes it's trtue the beer is good, conditioned and tasty. Food is high quality and the service is much improved - I have upped my rating. I still reckon the best way of getting to the pub is via the river! Moorings at swanwick marina and row over to the JS pontoon. Rowing back can be fun - depends on the volume consumed.........
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Made famous by Howard's Way, but also deserves to be famous as a genuinely excellent pub.
This pub has it all. Decent beer, very good food (but don't expect usual pub prices), great outdoor seating area by the river for warm summer evenings and great fireplace for cold winters, and friendly staff.
Great combination of modernity (comedy tapes playing in the loos) and history (timber beams, uneven floor etc).
The one downside is the difficulty in parking on Lands End Road. I suggest parking at Bursledon station and doing the five minute walk up the path and down the road to the pub.
anonymous - 12 Jul 2005 21:28 |
spent some good evenings here before the refurb - arrive by boat and row over to the pontoon. It was great then. Went back by car - park at the station then climb the mountain - the refurb was good, the food was better but there was something not right about the beer. maybe this summer..............
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Visited the place on Xmas eve 2004 & didn't have a good night at all! Local thugs ruined the night & appeared to be friends with the landlady! Shocking!
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Great pub with terrific Badger beers. It's in a cracking spot overlooking the Hamble River/Elephant boat yard (which is handy for parking the yacht) so the pub does fill up quickly, but is pretty huge and the staff are very competent so if you get a table you're laughing. Didn't eat there but the food looked delicious so will definitely do so in future. They pipe comedy tapes (Have I Got News For You etc) into the loos which is a nice touch!(I would advise eating at the Jolly Sailor rather than going to the Ferry Restaurant nearby - the Ferry used to be very good, but is now under new management and on the two occasions I have been they would have been put to shame by Basil Fawlty.) Jolly Sailor - thumbs up.
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has been refurbished, has kept its charm. Unfortunately it is very popular so don't expect your meal for an hour, we waited a further hour between courses and food was of the average variety for the prices! Great atmosphere so perfect for drinks.
Madeleine Rose - 28 Apr 2004 08:04 |
Apparently was featured in the TV series Howard's Way
Ann - 12 Mar 2004 06:22 |
Overlooks river, great beers, wicked beer jetty!!! Very old, was the pub from Howards Way.
Alastair - 10 Oct 2003 17:01 |
