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Hinton Arms, Alresford

Petersfield Road
Cheriton
Postal town: Alresford
SO24 0NH

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


E TA left this review about Hinton Arms

An attractive roadside pub and restaurant, well described below. We found one of the staff rather irritating and intrusive, though the landlady was welcoming and pleasant. The food was OK, but it was overpriced - gastro prices for school dinner quality. Portions were large, though, and doggy-bags were allowed. The beer selection has improved since Quinno's review, below, and there were 4 ales on offer, 3 of which were not from Bowman. I had Flack's Double Drop and Ichen's Hampshire Rose, both in very good condition. The thing that most puts me off is the prices, and in future I'd go the extra mile (literally) to the Flowerpots, just around the corner.

On 11th May 2017 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3272 recommendations about 3237 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Quinno _ left this review about The Hinton Arms

A come-hither roadside pub, what with all the hanging baskets and flowers outside. The promise of (albeit rebadged) Bowmans ales was the lure and what a crashing disappointment. Four were available and not cheap either. All three I tried were poor, one was vinegary and murky, another tasted of damp cardboard and the final one was just flat. I did try taking a couple back but the response from behind the bar was (abridged) “I have no idea, we’re too busy serving food, go away”. In between taking my beers back, I noted that the interior was pleasantly decorated (if a little bland) with portable wooden dividers to break up space between diners (drinkers are marginalised). Oddly, there was a TV broadcasting to no-one in particular. The rear outside decking adorned with flowers was a pleasant enough space to attempt to drink the beer. Maybe I caught this on a low ebb but it was a dismal experience and I would actively recommend you avoid drinking here. Though given the value of some of the cars parked outside the pub, I doubt they'd miss you.

On 15th July 2011 - rating: 3
[User has posted 5050 recommendations about 5033 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Pub SignMan left this review about The Hinton Arms

This roadside pub is certainly very striking on approach thanks to numerous hanging baskets and well tended flower beds, all in full bloom on our early July visit. In comparison, the inside is a bit underwhelming with a country-pub-by-numbers feel; dark wood beams, photos of rural scenes (mostly horse related), hops hanging above the bar, deer heads mounted on the walls and so on. It's location on the relatively busy A272 means that it gets its fair share of passing trade and so it shouldn't have been too much of a surprise to find a food-led set up, with almost all of the tables taken up by eager diners. There is essentially one large L-shaped room (with a small alcove sticking out at the front of the pub) with a large stone fireplace and some unusual movable wooden screens which reminded me a bit of the room dividers you see in some restaurants. A TV screen was showing Wimbledon coverage, but with no real place for us to enjoy our drinks without being surrounded by diners, we took our drinks outside.
There were four beers available - Hinton's Own, Hinton's Crest, Sportsman and Hedgerow - all rebadged beers from the nearby Bowman’s brewery. I tried a pint of the Hedgerow (Bowman’s Elderado) which was in fairly decent shape, although others in our party experienced problems with the quality of their choices. A yard of ale glass hung from above the bar counter but none of us were brave or foolish enough to make an attempt at it.
This is a nice enough place for a meal out and I can certainly see why the place has decided to focus on food, but it didn't strike me as the sort of place you would go to just for the beer (I've definitely had better pints of Bowman’s before). Personally, if I found myself passing by in the future, I would be more inclined to navigate my way through the nearby country lanes and stop at the Flowerpots instead.

On 10th July 2011 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3102 recommendations about 3102 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Michael Wright left this review about The Hinton Arms

As we visited the adjacent NT property today, a hot & sunny Easter Monday we took the opportunity to eat here for lunch [The adjacent NT food is very expensive and IMO really too much for what it is, you may disagree, but this review is about the pub, not the NT property]

No real changes to beer or layout, the ample parking as I anticipated in my earlier review was required on this day, but we found a space without any trouble

Although plenty of space outside in the sunshine we chose to eat inside due to a bit of a breeze blowing, you know us old codgers :-), there were many empty tables to choose from despite a near full car park, not sure if this is good sign for pub finances on a lovely Easter Monday lunchtime

I had a pint of ??? I have forgotten, but it was draught, local brewed Bowman re-badged brew, and very pleasant, my companion had coffee, no complaints on that front either, had another cup later [£1.75 a cup BTW]

For food we had smoked salmon sandwich and a BLT baguette, both came with salad garnish, the baguette with chips on side, the SS with crisps on side, SS was packed into the sarnie, the baguette was also packed full, both were very large portions, as was all the food we saw being served. As my earlier review, it is not cheap, but it is ample and good value, unless you want burger & chips for £2.50 of course [the home made burger is £10 I noted]. Wwe both left some of our meal, just no more room, & I can confirm food is tasty

So having now tried food, ale & coffee I can upgrade my review to 10, well worth a visit, luckily they take credit cards, you may need one if eating

On 25th April 2011 - rating: 10
[User has posted 526 recommendations about 382 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Michael Wright left this review about The Hinton Arms

Despite passing by this very pretty pub for over 20 years I have never been inside until this Monday lunchtime, I imagine many must pass by on the A272 on the way to either Winchester or Petersfield, let me now say they & I missed a treat

The car park is large, with overflow available, and as the pub is adjacent to Hinton Ampner National Trust property I would suspect on fine summer days all the parking is needed

There is a large outside area, with kiddies swings, benches & tables, open fields, all very rural, and away from road at back of pub

The speed limit past the pub is 30mph BTW, so exit and entry to parking is not pray & hope for best

Should mention car park is firm, packed, gravel, so wheelchairs may a bit bumpy ride

On entry the bar is immediately ahead, with 4 lovely hand pulls, serving their own "specials" Hinton Arms ales, {actually made by Hampshire Bowman of nearby Dundridge, owned by ex brewers of Cheriton Brewhouse, and re-badged by the pub]. My pint was lovely, and cost £3, can't tell the name as I forgot it

To right is dining area, to left is more dining, so you may guess this pub is "foodie", which it is, but 4 real ales, plus 1 draught cider, only one lager, 1 Guinnes, no keg beer, no TV, no pool, no fruit machine. There are some bar stools for drinkers, but given rural area I suspect "locals" as such may well be in short supply

The decor is rural pub style, you know the kind of thing, dark beams, some jugs hanging from them, horse brasses, copper vessels, hunting horns, plastic hops entwined on bar, a couple of deer horns, wooden tables & seats. My description may sound off putting, but it is not meant to be, it is not over done or too tacky

The staff were polite and knowledgeable about the beer, which is how I know where it is brewed

As it is a foodie pub I had better mention it, even though I have not tried it. Home cooked & locally sourced where possible. The menu is fairly extensive [you can download a PDF file of it from their web site]. It ranges in price from around £5 to OMG, from the meals I saw I reckon they would be good value and tasty, I saw a steak & kidney pudding, huge, but is around £12 so be aware, take your filled wallet and you will be in for a treat

To sum up, given location it has to attract foodie types, but caters for real ale fans par excellence.

If your idea of a night out is a couple of pints of Fosters, a game of pool, watch Sky sports whilst f'ing & blinding with you mates and perhaps have a pub burger & chips you may not like this pub, if the above scenario is your idea of hell, and you like real ales, good food, pleasant polite staff and civil customers you will love it here

9 points as food not tried, but probably a 10 really if I had the food

On 5th October 2010 - rating: 9
[User has posted 526 recommendations about 382 pubs]