The Black Rat

What a wonderful lunch we had (never disappoints)
Once again from the moment we walked through the door we were welcomed and spoilt. Thank you.
Gareth your team did you proud. Everyone one of your team excelled from service to kitchen. 😀😀

Excellent service
Delicious food and wine
Many thanks

The food was good but not outstandiing and I hadn't realised there would only be a limited set menu available (Sunday Lunch). The service was reasonable until it came to us wanting to get the bill, which took about ten minutes to attract waiting staff who had all disappeared. However this is where the experience started to turn sour - the waitress muttered something about their card machine playing up but tried and failed to get it to work. Next the manager(ess) came and asked to type in the card details;nhowever did not give me a chance to enter my pin as I beleve shd be an option. My bank refused the payent quite reasonably for a £200 plus payment without verification, my bank tested me, I confirnmed in reply that I wanted to make payment but two more attempts by the manageress still failed. I am now getting frustrated as it was b40 minutes since we got the bill and the manageress was being very unhelpful and did not seem to have a clue as to how banks work. The manageress very rudely told me three times to not shout at her - I may have raised my voice but was not shouting by the way. Eventuall sorted when the owner turned up and eventually gave a reasonable way forward but the experience with the manageress soured what was meant to be a birthday cvelebration meal. I have been to this restaurant several times over the years but I am not likely to return.

Our expectations were high . But food was average, cold starters, main course of duck undercooked , not pink but very bloody.
£10 cheese board ,3 wafer thin ,tasteless crackers. 1 picked walnut .

Having read glowing reports, and also hearing first hand from friends, we were looking forward to our visit. However, I have to say we were disappointed. Maybe it just wasn't our cup of tea. It was extremely expensive, which wouldn't have been a complaint if the food had been memorable. As it was, it was memorable for the wrong reasons. There were no highlights. All courses served had a portion size that was laughable. My fish starter was barely warm, overcooked to the point of being rubbery, and far too salty, effectively masking any other taste. My wife's duck main wasn't just pink ….. I'm sure I heard it quack! I sampled it, and agreed with her, that the metallic taste wasn't good. My main was hay smoked horse …… OK, but certainly not a taste sensation. The source that it was served with tasted of nothing, which I guess in itself is a difficult thing to do. The menu said it had a horseradish content ….. really? Not a hint of horseradish. We are both fans of the pudding course, but we declined as there was absolutely nothing that on the menu that appealed, even in then slightest. The coffee was weak, but we have to say that the £12 pound a shot brandy was delicious. In closing, I must stress that neither of us are inexperienced with regard to good food, but with a final bill of £212, we agreed that The Black rat was terrible value for money.

Food was amazing - although the tasting menu had a few similar dishes on and normally I would like to try completely different ingredients! Atmosphere was nice and staff were friendly. Slightly disappointed that I did state on the reservation that it was my husbands birthday but there was no mention of it and they also brought out a dessert for another diner with a candle as it was their birthday so slightly disappointing - but he enjoyed the overall experience!

Excellent meal - the food was excellent but the sommelier’s knowledge wasn’t entirely comprehensive but the wines were excellent.

Good food in an informal atmosphere . Tables well spaced and service very prompt

A wonderful experience of fine dining. The presentation, quantity and quality of each of the six courses was wonderful. The serving staff were polite informative and discreet. There is a great quirky ambience and the rooom / space on the tables is just right.
Our only negative was that te time between a couple of the courses was a little too long.

A curious, almost inconspicuous venue with truly outstanding seasonal food; and exceptional catering for my special dietary requirements (coeliac).

Really tasty food and a lovely atmosphere. The food was quite slow coming out so on the taster menu it was a bit of a wait for all the courses. I was really put off that horse was on the menu in a British restaurant. In all, it was a really lovely evening

Food was sensational and you do get what you pay for. Will visit again

Delicious food, great presentation of plates accompanied by a beautiful rustic ambiance.

Lovely food and great service. Deserving of their Michelin star!

Love the black rat, was a regular visitor pre kids, will be getting back into the habit now.

Wonderful restaurant, highly recommended. Very quiet, fabulous unobtrusive service, delicious food. Wine is relatively expensive but we very much enjoyed the bottle we had. Would return without question.

Food was exceptional
We had sole and venison as mains. Delicious.
We had de Wetshof. Chardonnay great choice

Our first visit...excellent and inventive food, beautifully presented. Atmosphere, service and value for money all first class. We hope to revisit soon!

Awesome food, fantastic service and an all round great experience.

Every dish was unique & delicious. The service was superb. Would definitely visit again.

Lovely atmosphere, staff very attentive and food was excellent

The black rat has a lovely ambience. We enjoyed the taster menu but found that although the food was tasty we found the amounts on the small side. The pacing of the meal was a little slow but the service was excellent! Would love to come back again and try

Excellent evening, a special vegan menu for my partner taking account of her dietary requirements but still maintaining the finesse.

I enjoyed the meal but wasn't overly impressed by the lack of flavour in my starter .... pigs cheek ....it could just be my taste buds! Lovely loin of venison though. Food beautifully presented ...small quantities.
Interestingly my pudding was too big! I sound very picky....!
Pricey ... £196 for 2 incl 12.5% service charge.... how we did have a glass of champagne each initially but only a half bottle of Chablis.
Probably won't come again unless I feel flush with cash.
Special occasion / Valentines.
My wife really enjoyed it all and would recommend the restaurant.

Wonderful food, great service, cosy atmosphere. Will definitely return.

Amazing food in a lovely environment. Wonderful service with someone available throughout the whole experience. Each course was as delicious and beautiful as the last

Great . choice for something special in Winchester

I had lunch at the Black rat on Saturday the whole experience was excellent. I could not find fault in any direction.

This is our 'treat' restaurant where we go to celebrate. We are always guaranteed a wonderful experience.

Delicious food and unlike other resturants good size portions

Cooking is both surprising and exceptional. Sometimes delightfully simple but tremendous combinations of taste

Fabulous experience - staff so attentive, friendly. Had the tasting menu which was wonderful
A belated Christmas treat for my son and girlfriend who have gone away and already looking to book again

Keep it up - a very happy customer indeed

Very attentive staff and lovely food. We thoroughly enjoyed it - thank you!

Taken portion size to de minimis level!

Always A fantastic meal and services can't wait to go back

went out of our way for a Saturday lunch, a very interesting building with top class food and great service, very busy , if we were that way again would certainly go again.

Lovely food as always need one more potato to go with the one on my plate for my main course

We really liked it, however we had high expectations and the food was delicious but not memorable.

We had the taster menu at the Black Rat. The food and service were exceptional. The surroundings were eclectic. Will definitely book again.

Best meal we have had for ages. Will definitely return.
The duck was cooked to perfection.