The Hare & Hounds

Unfortunately, our 3 night stay was not as it should’ve been. We had BIG issues with the cleanliness of our bedroom and bathroom to the point we asked for a re clean. Unfortunately, that didn’t improve things and if it hadn’t been a busy December we’d have left for another hotel. ||While cleanliness was a big issue the major issue for us was a total lack of understanding from the waiting and kitchen staff for a coeliac guest. We’d said ahead of time that my daughter would be joining us for dinner, informing she was coeliac, and we reiterated to the server yet when the menus arrived there were no indicators of what would be safe for her to eat. Indicators for vegetarian but nothing for GF. My daughter had to then ask the waiter for info on several dishes, as to what would be safe. It was a really busy evening in both the bar and in the restaurant and it was quite clear he didn’t have the time to do this so he came back with an A4 folder full of paperwork describing symbols which would have taken a professional chef quite some time to read! Being a vegetarian or a vegan is a choice but being coeliac is not and we were disappointed there was no effort made to ensure a safe and enjoyable dining experience. My daughter was due to join us for breakfast on our last morning and this was cancelled as we felt it better we ate elsewhere. After our dining experience my daughter also cancelled her works Christmas lunch here. I should mention, a year ago I actually gave my daughter a dining voucher for here and her and her partner had a really enjoyable meal so I’m not sure what has happened since then and now.||While others have had good stays, and enjoyable meals, our experience means we definitely won’t return despite the manager offering us a generous discount if we were ever to return. I personally would have preferred a small refund on our credit card as we definitely did not get what we had paid for.

We stayed here over a long weekend with a large group, including children, and had an excellent experience. The staff were outstanding! Max, in particular, went above and beyond to make sure everyone was well taken care of. The level of service was exceptional. The rooms were comfortable and spacious and well maintained, and the food was excellent. We would absolutely stay here again and highly recommend it to others.

Today we had our Christmas team lunch here, second year in a row. We booked in advantage, gave a list of our foods, team were great at communication and wonderful accommodating our requirements. Table was lovely, cosy and we had so much fun. The food came out fast, hot and tasted amazing. Price was amazing too!! The staff were friendly and wonderful too. Highly recommend

100%%%% Outstanding :). We stayed as a couple over a weekend in December, (Friday to Monday), for our family pre Christmas lunch get-together on the Sunday in the restaurant. All aspects from start to finish were on point. We were happy with the food, accommodation and service. It’s nice to find a hidden gem which displays a high standard of room quality, cozy and nicely finished. Beginning to end we were so impressed with the happy team which always displayed their best attention. We were particularly happy with Stephanie whom always took it upon herself to read the room and was attentive and ahead of the guest expectations, but in any event we would wish to thank all staff for all of your service. The food and the menus were fantastic with a great balance of offerings, all of which was enjoyed by all of us as a family. We have already considered returning in the new year, but In the meantime, thanks again to you all for a wonderful luxury but great value experience. Warmest Regards Rob

We chose The Hare and Hounds because the location suited us all as a group of 4 couples from different places.|On arrival we were pleasantly surprised at how lovely the whole place was fitted out. The decor was unique and quirky carrying through to the Hotel bedrooms, Restaurant area and even the Cloakrooms.|We couldn’t fault the delightfully decorated bedroom, compact but with a boutique feel and was adequate for a 1 night stay. ||The area that sadly is a little underwhelming was some of the food we ordered.|The Cheese Soufflé was lacking any cheese sauce and was dry and had collapsed obviously being left sitting on the Kitchen pass for too long before being served. The Scallops were very salty, the Burgers were overcooked and the Carrot Houmous whilst being a starter was barely a scrape of Houmous. The rest was fine.||That said the service we received from checking in to the Hotel and the Table service was excellent with particular mention of Max and Summer who were very accommodating and professional and the Spanish waitress who unfortunately I did not get her name at Breakfast was charming.||Overall we all had a very good time meeting up as a group and a very comfortable nights stay but think the Kitchen needs looking at..

Trying to find a date to get the whole family together is always pretty hard, and a pub that works for everyone. We were all so impressed with our first time at Hare & Hounds. We will also be coming again. ||We’re a large family group – kids, grown ups, and a mix of dietary requirements – and everything was handled brilliantly. There were plenty of gluten-free and vegetarian options, so all of us could happily enjoy our meals. The bourginion, pie and mushroom risotto were our top reviews but all the food was delicious.||Desserts were lush – definitely worth saving space for! The profiteroles a cheesecake were delicious. ||A special shout out to Max, who went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. He even made a non-fizzy soft drink and kindly softened the garlic bread for my step-daughter, who was a little sore from a dentist trip. Small touches like that make such a difference and really stood out.||Would absolutely recommend for groups, families, and anyone with dietary needs – we’ll be back!

Good Morning to be polite with no malice neither offence for none intended!! Having come across the feedback page for this establishment and having read a number of feedbacks, I am very dismayed by the number of complimentary opinions! Our experience for one Sunday Lunch we had some weeks ago and so looking forward to it turned out to be just plain AWFUL! Having ordered One Roast Beef and One Roast Pork main meal for our lunch it turned out to be this! The plates were not HOT! when arriving at the table! The Beef and Pork came in slices which were carved cold by a slicer and warmed up, then the warm gravy for both of them was exactly the same! The Yorkshire Puddings were dire! burnt and tasting of being cooked in old fat and hard!! Apple sauce was out of a jar! The selection of vegetables was nothing to write home about and the Roast potatoes had no colour, soft and were tasteless! My apologies for our high critical stance and was very disappointed not to receive an apology from the management. I cannot see myself recommending the "Hare & Hounds" unless there was a dramatic change to the overall catering improvements and cleanliness! Noticing the serving staff at the time, their serving quality was as if it was just a job to do and hardly a smile on their faces. With Regards, Mr B. Griffiths.

We enjoyed a last minute stay. A lovely lady in reception was kind enough to show me the available rooms before we booked and then when we asked about swapping rooms (due to some noise issues), she kindly showed me 2 other rooms to choose from. Nothing was too much trouble, all the staff we very friendly and accommodating and despite a birthday party of 50 guests, we did not see this impact the service in any way. The rooms are beautifully decorated. Breakfast was delicious, lots of choice and all extremely high quality. There is a continental selection as well with fruit, yoghurt, pastries, some meats and a large choice of jams. Fresh high quality juice as well. The only things that were not so brill were the temperature of the bedroom, it was very hot, however would rather be hot than cold! And the room we originally had, 18, you can hear everything outside as the front window and door are essentially in the car park. We had no noise issues at all after changing room though. Thank you to all staff who made our stay thoroughly enjoyable and we will absolutely return and recommend this place!

This pub and restaurant is convenient to Highclere House. The staff were number one friendly and helpful. We had a better food experience than room experience. Four stars for food, three for room. The dinner was quite excellent! We enjoyed two different draft ales. The best dish was the outstanding caramelized onion and goat cheese tart, served with a small salad of frisée and mixed greens. It didn't look like what I think of as a tart, it had pastry on the bottom, but it was baked in a larger square pan. We also enjoyed the flavorful and creamy butternut squash risotto. The scallops and black pudding received a very high rating. The portion was restrained, two scallops and two slices of pudding. The potato and leek soup was okay, very leeky. For pudding I had the strawberries and cream. That's exactly what it was fresh strawberries and plain cream. I admit I was expecting a bit of sugar, or perhaps a bit of a whip, but I decided to act healthy, and have my pudd unsweetened. We had the full breakfast the next morning. The eggs, back bacon, stewed tomate, etc were tasty. Skip the fried bread. I'd never seen fried bread on a menu for breakfast before. I asked the waitress about it, who encouraged me to try it. To an American taste it was not very nice. Basically a deep fried triangle of toast. The croissants were so-so, have the granary toast. As for the room, we had an attic room for a family with three beds. The price was reasonable, but I didn't love the room. I'd say ask for a room on a lower floor. You had to duck to use the bathroom sink, and the basin was teeny-tiny. Two of the beds were in the eaves, I pulled mine out, and my husband risked the head-bonk, but he seemed fine in the morning.

Nice looking pub & hotel on the A4 just 2 minutes from the A34 towards Newbury. The pub is warm and clean, the staff friendly and welcoming. There is a nice heated outdoor patio area and beer garden at the side of the building and plenty of parking. This is very much a food pub, with most tables set for food a good fixed menu and a couple of Weekly Special starters, two mains and a Catch of the Day. Starters range from around £3-5 and mains £11-16. I chose a special off the starter menu: button mushrooms, garlic, white wine & cream sauce served on toasted Brioche; it came with a small side-salad and was good, not wonderful, but good. For the main I went for Medallions of Beef Fillet, char-grilled red wine mushrooms and pancetta sauce served with sauté potatoes, roasted Mediterranean vegetables. I received two thin slices of steak served with button mushrooms and what looked like bacon (not pancetta), sat on some soggy potatoes. The Mediterranean Vegetables reminded me of Ratatouille: courgette, carrot and others in a lightly peppered tomato sauce. Quite nice, but not what I would have described as 'roasted'. Overall I enjoyed the food, it was good, but I think it could have been very good, nearly 4* ranking, so somehow just a little disappointing. The hotel part is rather Motel style with several blocks of bedrooms, each with their own external door, scattered around the side and back of the hotel. The blocks looking in keeping with the rest of the building, so it looks nicer than it probably sounds. Meals are served back in the main building. Breakfast is the usual cereal, orange juice and a choice from the traditional English breakfast: bacon, egg, sausage, mushrooms, tomato and fried bread. Tea, coffee and toast round off the choice. It was all well cooked, tasty and served with a smile.

The Barn is a nice restaurant with great food. Do not stay at the Inn in summer. We were put in the top floor with a tiny window and no fan on an 85 degree day. The room was not possible to sleep in so we were moved to other rooms downstairs. These rooms were much cooler but still not great. The bathroom smelled of a septic tank and the faucets did not operate properly. The water went from ice cold to scalding hot, burning one of us while showering. TV & internet did not work (for some phones it did, others didn't).

Stayed here several times now, as we think its very good value for money compared to places like the Travel lodge. Friendly and helpfull staff, nice clean rooms with everything you need. The pud is very nice too, a good atmosphere. The restuarant food is nice but we do prefer to eat elsewhere. The breakfast however is lovely. We go here simply to enjoy a night out and its a lovely place to stay. Will be using again for sure.