Southampton Restaurant Suggestions?

[Len3]

OK, all of our UK friends - please tell us where to eat in Southampton. We have 2 nights pre-cruise and don't want to miss something special.

[The Monocled Mutineer]

To eat well in Southampton is quite a challenge as I find a city of this size to be somewhat of a culinary desert.

 

For non-ethnic cuisine The White Star Tavern in Oxford Street has the best reputation, but I cannot give a personal recommendation. Kuti's, Oxford St., Indian cuisine, is very good.

 

The best eating out in the area is outside the city.

 

Winchester: The Old Chesil Rectory is the best in town and stacks up well as one of the best restaurants in Hampshire. The Hotel du Vin is also good.

 

Emsworth: 36 on the Quay - very good.

 

Stockbridge: The Greyhound - Michelin *'d gastropub.

 

Stuckton: The Three Lions (not a pub) - very good.

 

All the above places are circa no more than 30 minutes away.

[DonLou]

I'm not from the UK but I can recommend Ennio's at High St. & Town Quay at the Town Quay Dock area. It's an Italian restaurant & bar and we had a marvelous Chateaubriand for two (picture below). Absolutely delicious. We were kidding that we were already indulging on a "cruise" dinner before our cruise. (Not a good idea to fatten up before you board the ship) :p

[Albert Ross]

There is a TGI Fridays by the West Quay shopping centre....:D

[Len3]

Looks like a great way to start a vacation.

[KarenR_UK]

Any where in the Oxford street area is generally considered to be good - lots of little (and not so little restaurants) plus a couple of pubs - personally, of the pubs, I would use the Grapes - its nice, and has the added touch of reputedly being the pub used by the Titanic crew before sailing (it has some pictures/memorabilia) but it can get crowded Saturday nights:D.

The only restaurant there I have eaten in recently was the Oxford Brasserie (and that was 2 years ago:( ) - the food and atmosphere was great:cool: .

The downside is, depending on the day, the restaurants in this area can get busy and it may be advisable to prebook (especially in September I would imagine, i.e. when the boat show is in!)

 

Some links :

General info : http://www.visit-southampton.co.uk

http://www.visit-southampton.co.uk/site/nightlife-and-eating-out

 

Oxford Street : restaurant lists, links & maps

http://www.oxfordstreetsouthampton.co.uk/

http://www.oxfordstreetsouthampton.co.uk/map.htm

 

plus a 'review' site I came across some time ago (& haven't really looked at recently - but it is still there :D)

http://www.ladieswholunch-in-hampshire.co.uk/

http://www.ladieswholunch-in-hampshire.co.uk/directory.htm

 

hope some of this helps

 

Karen

[Len3]

Thanks so much for the info. We'll be in Southampton on the Thursday and Friday night prior to sailing on Saturday. How was your Canary Island cruise? This is what were doing in October.

[KarenR_UK]

Thanks so much for the info. We'll be in Southampton on the Thursday and Friday night prior to sailing on Saturday. How was your Canary Island cruise? This is what were doing in October.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed it - it was my first solo cruise, which was an experience in itself, but was on a ship I had been on before, which made things a bit easier:)

 

The weather was very good (this was the 2nd half of October)- it was raining while docking in Tenerife, but it quickly cleared up. I don't remember it being too hot (unlike Athens in August 2006), but it was still pleasant up on deck at all times.

My favourite thing to do this cruise was getting up before we docked, having breakfast and then watching the docking process (between about 7 and 8am I think) - on this trip dawn coincided with docking so it I out for the sunrise photos too:D

 

Sailaways were brilliant too - if you waited long enough (one day I didn't go in to get ready for second sitting until 1/2 hour before) you got the sunset and dolphins.

 

My favourite islands were La Palma and Madeira (not strictly Canaries I know, but it was part of our itinerary) - these were the first places I had visited that I could imaging moving too (that was until I saw Madeira's airport:D - short runway, mountain at the end:eek: ) - both quite green.

All the islands are quite different - Lanzarote, black and flat - La Palma, green and mountainous.

 

The only down on the whole holiday was coming back to Britain the day before the clocks went back - post cruise blues, and walking home from work in the dark - a real downer :(

 

At the time I said I wouldn't go again - 'bin there, done that' - but I think I probably will go again in a year of so (if only because the best single supplements on P+O seem to involve that area <G>)

 

Karen

[KarenR_UK]

The weather was very good (this was the 2nd half of October)- it was raining while docking in Tenerife, but it quickly cleared up.

 

One thing I had forgotten, until I checked out the photos, the islands with mountains attract clouds about lunchtime! They looked ominous, but I don't remember it actually raining (except in Tenerife as mentioned above)

 

anyway I have finally uploaded some photos of the holiday - my old photo board is closing down, so i am experimenting with a new one - the order it uploads seems a bit odd, hope you can find them ok:)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/karenr_uk/

 

Karen