The Black Rat

Simply excellent!

Excellent food. A limited menu but if they are cooking to this standard in a small kitchen it's undersyandable.

Fantastic just book ahead and go great food nice surroundings and lovely people

Fine dining in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. My partner and I got married on Saturday and knowing that we'd have a proper reception next year we booked The Black Rat to treat just ourselves on the day. I'd heard fantastic things about this restaurant and I'm so glad we booked, it made our night special and we helped an independent restaurant before the start of the second lockdown. The staff were lovely and attentive, the food was incredible; tasty, artfully presented and of a high quality and it felt like we were honouring our special occasion.

Outstanding food and service. Thank you for a truly exceptional dining experience.

This is a real treat, and excellent value for the lunchtime menu. Staff efficient and courteous. Thank you

It is always a pleasure to dine here. Everything is perfect and consistent every time, from the friendly welcome to the exquisite flavours and presentation of the delicious, seasonal food. We eat out a lot and none of the other places are anywhere close to the quality of the Rat!

We had been looking forward to our visit for a long time, and were delighted with our visit.
The food was exceptional, as was the service.
Would thoroughly recommend to others.

Another superb lunch . Fantastic value. By chance our party of 3 chose every option on the lunch menu so we can vouch for how delicious and well presented each dish was. Portions were generous and the bread superb ( the squid ink bread is wonderful).
Great service , covid safe yet still an okay ambience . Such a shame lock down means they have to shot again but we will be back .

Visited for my wife's 40th and chose a lunchtime sitting.
The service was first class and the restaurant was stunning and well equipped for dealing with the Pandemic.
The menu was small, with 3 choices for each of the 3 courses on offer (I can't comment on vegan or vegetarian options).
I started with a Pork Jowl followed by Duck Confit and a fig tart for desert. Each course was delicious.
There's a good selection of wines and beers and expert advice to help you choose a complimentary one. The wines were quite expensive, but a good choice, and I felt that the value of the food made a good balance overall.
I cannot wait for the restaurant to reopen and to try and evening meal with more friends.
Very enjoyable lunch.

We were there to celebrate our son’s birthday. The meal was absolutely delicious.

Delightful evening, superb food and a quiet ambiance. Clearly C-19 compliant but the procedure does limit gaining the full Black Rat ‘experience’. Nevertheless, an excellent evening.

Excellent food, made you eat and try things out of your comfort zone. Service was excellent and very knowledgeable staff. Tried very hard to protect staff and customers during lockdown.

In short, I believe The Black Rat to be the only Michelin starred restaurant in Winchester but in my opinion, it is far from the best restaurant in Winchester. Based on value for money, I wouldn't recommend The Black Rat to a friend.

We have been to The Black Rat five times and it has always been consistently good, food and service. The staff we’re excellent under the constraints of COVID. Well done to all the staff.

Even though the atmosphere was a little subdued due to COVID-19 the welcome was warm. The service was very professional, the food exquisite. Overall a very good meal and lovely experience!

Always wanted to eat here since moving to the area. Did not disappoint. Covid secure, polite and helpful staff.
Food was interesting and delicious.

Outstanding food. Simple ingredients prepared and presented beautifully. We will be back as soon as possible!

The food was good although we felt the menu didn’t seem varied enough ..three of us liked fish but for anyone who didn’t it was limited ....We could only get booked outside and it was really too cold the heaters just aren’t enough for an autumn evening other people on outside tables looked cold .....service was good but would not recommend outside tables .

The Black Rat is a labour of love. These people love food.

Excellent service and food. Will definitely return, would like to try the tasting menu when it is back

Fabulous anniversary meal, and a main course we both keep dreaming of having again! (and especially glad we did not pass on dessert)
Even with the Covid-19 restrictions the staff were attentive and welcoming, ensuring all needs were taken care of, including addressing a dietary restriction by checking what dishes could be adapted without impacting on the quality or experience.

We are looking forward to visiting again, and definitely recommending to friends and family who are wishing for a romantic and high quality dinner out.

Very "foodie" friendly ! If you like chef-y Michelin style food, the Black Rat is the perfect place for you to eat. You get what you pay for, beautiful food.

The staff are incredible; professional and friendly. We have eaten both inside and outside and we all think the inside decor needs refreshing; out of date with a lot of stuff in the windows and on shelves.

Brilliant food, inspired pairings and definitely now on our ‘go to’ list of foodie places to go. Felt very safe re Covid and catered to my nut allergy with no fuss.

I would, and have, recommended this.

The food was excellent and consistent with our previous experiences too. The ambience was really pleasant and intimacy on the table was achieved. The service was very good and the advice and knowledge of the menu plus advice on wines. One was also able to be detached from CV-19

The food was absolutely beautiful. The service was also perfect! Thank you for such a wonderful evening. We will most definitely be returning!

We had a beautiful meal that truely lived up to expectation. The Black Rat catered for a vegan in our party very well. We can't wait to make a return trip.

We have booked a return visit to this very good restaurant. The staff are all extremely polite and helpful.
They are taking good care during the pandemic with sanitiser on each table & timed arrivals

We went for a birthday celebration. It was our second time and both the food and service were outstanding. Given current COVID restrictions we thought the staff did an excellent job.

The food was delicious. We particularly enjoyed the turbot but the madeleines really left a lasting impression.

Thank you for making a special birthday really memorable.

Enjoyed the excellent food and the relaxed atmosphere. Due to Covid rules we had to leave by 10.00pm but did not feel rushed to do so.

The seaweed and Parmesan bread was fantastic. It truly was a brilliant evening.

We had an outside table which was lovely however it's expensive and menu was limited on a Sunday lunchtime.

Unusual But very tasty menu very intimate dining with only 3 tables in the room

Loved the whole experience and will
Definitely return as soon as we can get a table lol

Lovely restaurant- sat in the outdoor hut which was heated and very cosy.
Food was delicious!

Amazing experience all round. Thanks so much for such a delicious meal

Excellent, all dishes delicious and interesting combinations, I can see why they were awarded a Michelin star.

Incredible experience dining here. Blown away by the flavours. Sizes were as we expected but definitely worth it as the quality was so high!

Lovely meal and my only thought was that there was only one meat option on the menu, for those that are not fish eaters it meant there was no choice.

Winchester is fortunate to have such a stylish, un-pretentious and warm-hearted restaurant. A pleasure to eat there, and looking forward to returning when the staff don't have to wear masks.