The Black Rat

Birthday lunch with family - the whole experience was faultless!

Excellent service all staff are very attentive and knowledgeable. Food is fantastic and the weekend lunch menu is great value.

Always fantastic - incredible food, amazing service and attention to detail through every element of the experience. Our favourite place to eat in the world!

You won’t find a better food and service are amazing

excellent food reflecting Michelin recognition. we went on valentine's day and were treated to a special menu and a wonderful evening. the restaurant responded perfectly to my request for a slight change because of my wife's shellfish allergy. the current dinner menu has some very eclectic ingredients maybe not to every ones taste eg brains, snails, etc but I am sure we will pay a return visit.

It was my birthday and I had an amazing meal, they even brought me a candle in my dessert. The staff were friendly and professional. Would recommend! Also go to the Black Bottle for pre drinks.

It just wasn’t good value I’m afraid. Food was uninspiring and lacking in flavour. Service seemed ramshackle and far from slick. Overall it felt like a token gesture set lunch menu, with the minimum of effort applied. I expected so much better from a Michelin Starred establishment. :-(

The website does not reflect the rather macabre ambience and decor, which together with the menu choices were rather challenging for some of our party. However, the food chosen from the menu was excellently prepared and enjoyed by all.

Lovely lunch menu, well thought out with locally sourced ingredients. Nice atmosphere, not at all stuffy and vey relaxed which is refreshing from some other Michelin star restaurants we've visited. Knowledgable staff too. Will definitely be returning.

Food wonderfully prepared and presented, fantastic flavours. However the restaurant was so dark that it was impossible to see what you we eating, such a shame that all the chef’s hard work could not be fully appreciated.

We had a lovely evening, the service was impeccable and the food was delicious. We are looking forward to going back!

Awesome food, as ever. Unusual, delicious and not off the scale expensive. Loved it.

Historic building, shabby chic furnishings and a warm welcome. Unusual food bursting with flavour, artistically arranged on the plate; nouvelle cuisine. A relaxing environment.

Actually yes with some concerns

The dining room is deliberately poorly lit -which was not to our liking

The menu is weird although it was nice food

They had no coffee because the machine was broken! I thought they had a Michelin star

Loved the venue, really quirky and not pretentious at all like some Michelin Starred Restaurants. Starters were a little bland to be honest but main courses and desserts were amazing. Would definitely go back.

Wonderful flavours and beautifully presented food.
Perfect lunch time treat.
Drinks a little expensive.

Superb food and service. Quality local ingredients used to create high quality delicious and innovative dishes.

Delicious dishes with unusual but well blended ingredients, an excellent and memorable evening.

Over priced and poor value. Tiny amounts of food that tasted bland. Good homemade bread however and delicious if expensive wine

Exceptional service we had a fantastic time, food was absolutely gorgeous and the g&t menu was impressive! Thoroughly enjoyed the experience thank you!

Outstanding food and service. Thank you for a wonderful evening!

Short lunchtime menu but choice was excellent and very different. Frogs legs? Smoked huss? Pheasant? All there with interesting accompaniments. The haggis with my partridge was just outstanding. Even the butter with the (squid-ink) bread was unusual.

Fabulous, as always... a complete pleasure!

Really lovely creative meal, with excellent and unobtrusive service. Highly recommended.

We were well looked after from when we got there till we left.
Food was so tasty, couldnt fault anything
Looking forward to going back

Excellent food great service and a lovely atmosphere a treat for my wife’s birthday will definitely come back again

Very enjoyable meal, good choice from set menu. Very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable staff

Would have given 5 stars but my husband didn't enjoy his main (wagyu beef) which would have been nicer if it had been rarer. Some of the menu required a real adventurous spirit - pigs blood bavarois for pudding was a bit much even for us!

Very special and great gastronomy! We enjoyed the treatment and the entire dinner.

Booked the restaurant for a friend’s birthday lunch as we went to Winchester for a day trip. Surprised to find a Michelin Star restaurant can still be pretty affordable and value for money. Food was great, and displayed nicely on the plate. Service was very good and felt welcomed. Interior decoration was cute and nice ambience. They managed to put a candle on a piece of fruit for the Three Cheese my friend ordered as her dessert for her birthday, which was very nice of them.

Amazing food and service as always and very reasonable for this quality

Always book Michelin starred Restaurants for special occasions, this one was really disappointing.

We’ve been twice and loved the food both times, you can’t fault it and the service.

Atmospheric cosy pub style restaurant, lovely spacious tables, service was impeccable, food truly special .... beautifully presented and the taste wow! Everything dish we ordered was a delight to look at and tasted so delicious ! The smoked trout was full of exquisite flavours !

We had a lovely meal with special friends for Christmas, tried the gins for the first time and like it.
Food was lovely and didn’t have to wait to long.
The only thing I would say is that I would have like a bit more choices of desserts that didn’t contain chocolate
Otherwise very nice evening

Great to have a one star Michelin restaurant nearby; how much better to have one that is relaxed, informal, quirky, friendly AND with the most amazing unusual but delicious food. We found this place when it first opened - what a bargain it was in those days! Now more expensive so its for special occasions really. Expensive but so worth it - would dine here 3 or 4 times a year if it was less expensive.

We had heard about this restaurant so were eager to try it and it did not disappoint. We were meeting another couple for a pre-christmas catch up. As we could only book a 12.15 table I was a little concerned they would want the table back. Not at all we had a very relaxed lunch and were never rushed about anything.
We ordered from the set lunch menu and were all spoilt for choice. They also had a specific gluten free menu which was great, I was not made to feel like the odd one out. This is a very thoughtful restaurant. The food looked appetising and tasted just as good. I would have added photos however I was too eager to try it...
The wine list was very appealing and we throughly enjoyed the bottle we chose.
We were welcomed from the minute we arrived to the moment we left three and hour hours later. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff with the right level of attentiveness. They have also been incredibly thoughtful with the size and layout of the tables. You do not feel like you are sharing a table with the one next to you. In fact we were hardly aware of anyone else in the restaurant.
Thank you for an amazing experience. I would thoroughly recommend this restaurant.

I thought the food choice was limited the portion size was small and I found it not very tasty
mind you the cheese board was ok I did not think you get value for money and would not recommend this
to my friends
there was a service charge of 15% I did not find mentioned on the menu I prefer to decide myself on the quality of the service and tip astoundingly

Gourmet food, amazing flavours and there is nothing else like it in Winchester. We will definitely be going there again.

Took a chance based on favourable reviews. Booked Tuesday evening for dinner. Dining room contained 6 tables to accommodate up to 4 per table and 1 accommodating up to 10. Tables well spaced allowing private conversation. Venue quirky, cosy, warm and inviting. Staff friendly, knowledgeable and funky. Food delicious from a relatively small and varied menu. We are desperate to visit again and I foresee this becoming a firm favourite for relaxing lunches and entertaining guests despite the 45 minute drive.
Hint. Try the local gin and ‘no 9’ tonic if you are driving or just not drinking. The ‘no 9’ tonic is refreshing served with ice.
Try this restaurant and enjoy.