The Pig - Brockenhurst

Jazmine Colley

Having booked to stay nearby we thought we would explore a different Pig, as our local one is in Coombe. We just wanted to let you know what exceptional and friendly service we received from Jack, our waiter. It really was refreshing to be served by someone who clearly enjoys his job so thank you very much. The restaurant is beautiful and we had a wonderful lunch, by far the best gnocchi we have ever had. It was so utterly delicious we ordered another one to share!

Jane S

We enjoyed our visit to the Pig. We had the 25 mile lunch which was very tasty and the restaurant atmosphere was very good. The members of staff were all individually very helpful and polite. However, we encountered multiple delays in service, we waited 20 mins for someone to take our food order, and getting the attention of staff was challenging. Ideally the restaurant would benefit from someone overseeing the room co-ordinating activities, or alternatively train staff to scan their assigned tables regularly. Everyone had their assigned jobs but it was clear noone really owned overall responsibility to deliver excellent customer service. A good restaurant, but service would benefit from a few tweaks.

Jane Backhouse

We booked for a special lunch and unfortunately left disappointed. Whilst we received a lovely warm welcome the service soon fell short of expectations. The waiter was so laid back he was horizontal, we had to ask again for our drinks, no non wine menu was offered, and we noticed we were the only table not invited to take our dessert and coffee in one of the lounges which left us feeling unwelcome. The food was fine but lacking really in flavour and really wasn’t that special- maybe this was because we ate from the set menu? Overall the experience was lacklustre and I resented my choice of location . Such a shame as if used to be something really special.

derrick d

Having read some recent poor reviews regarding service I am pleased to say this wasn’t our experience. On the contrary, we were served well. This was a Thursday lunchtime & busy with a pleasant smart casual relaxed atmosphere. The 25 mile menu was well planned & catered for our party. The alternative fixed price menu was very good value. I wouldn’t hesitate to go again.

Koko Deng

Overall fantastic experience! The food was amazing, loved how they focus on sustainability and locally sourced ingredients. I particularly loved the gardens and decor. The staff made us feel very special as celebrated our engagement. Thank you for everything, I could not recommend the Pig in the forest enough!

Henry

Great restaurant with food sourced from within 25 miles. Lots of wine available and also beer and cocktail menus. The staff are very attentive and service is excellent. It gets very busy and bookings are essential. The only drawback is the restaurant area gets very loud due to being in an old orangery, making it difficult to hear when it's busy with large groups. But there are quieter areas which could be requested.

Simon Jones

A disappointing shadow of it's former self.

We used to be regulars at The Pig and The Pig on the Beach but haven't been for a few years due to having children. We loved it and used to sing it's praises.

However, we went today with our two young children and it seems to have gone significant downhill. The experience was quite disappointing to be honest.

Firstly and most importantly, the service was really slow with very long waits.

Examples:

- We were offered butter for our children's bread and ended up asking again after 15 minutes.

- Our childrens' mains were served around 10 minutes after ours, we can only assume they forgot to cook them.

- We asked for an extra couple of minutes for our 2 year old to finish her main (given it was served later than ours and piping hot so we had to wait for it to cool) and the waitress didn't come back for 20+ minutes.

- The waitress then finally cleared our plates and it was another 15 to 20 minutes before we were offered the pudding menu. And a further wait before we could order.

This was frustrating enough but it got worse.

About 10 to 15 minutes into the wait for our pudding to come, we were approached by a member of staff who looked like a manager and told they needed the table back for the next guests and we needed to leave. We said we were still waiting for our puddings and were told we still needed to leave our table, despite the length of time we had been there being entirely due to the poor service. We, 2 adults, a 2 year old and a 5 year old were then escorted from the restaurant and sat on a sofa in the lounge with a tiny side table (no where for us or our children to sit and eat properly) and eventually served our coffees and puddings. An absolute disgrace to be honest.

A NOTE TO THE MANAGER AND THE INDIVIDUAL WHO FELT IT APPROPRIATE TO EVICT US FROM THE DINING ROOM - If you need the table back by a certain time then A) you should have informed us, and B) you should ensure your service was up to scratch and prompt.

Secondly, the toilets were simply dirty and smelly. With children we had to visit them a lot over the 3 hours we were there and they remained dirty and smelly throughout. There was one gents cubicle that we just couldn't use because of the state of it.

Thirdly, the menu was lacking a lot of choice with only one pork dish (at The Pig!?), no chap, no crackling. All the old favourites had gone and were replaced with a disappointing lacking selection. The food itself was okay but not what it once was.

All in all it feels like prices have increased a lot and service and quality have decreased even more significantly. Cost cutting greedy owners I feel.

We won't be in a rush to revisit and will have to find a new 'nice restaurant'. Very disappointing.

I should also say, I did explain this to the person who took my payment (not in uniform so I assume a manager) and didn't even get an apology.

Leigh Almond

As locals, we’ve always regarded The Pig as a bit of a treasure. So when we heard murmurs from fellow villagers about the service having gone downhill, we thought perhaps it was a touch of exaggeration. Unfortunately, we soon found ourselves eating our words—though not, sadly, much else—when we visited for a special birthday lunch with overseas guests.

We had a 1pm booking on a Friday and arrived with high hopes of showcasing one of our favourite local spots. After being shown to our table, we asked for some water and a moment to peruse the wine menu. That “moment” turned into a good half an hour before we had to flag down a passing waiter, like you might try to hail a black cab on a rainy evening.

At last, our food and drinks order was taken—but alas, not to much avail. Another ten minutes passed, and still no sign of anything remotely drinkable. With spirits (and patience) waning, we had to collar yet another waitress, who assured us she’d check on things. She soon returned to inform us that the order hadn’t gone through, and we’d need to start again. At this rate, we were wondering if we might have to harvest our own grapes for the wine.

By 1:50pm—nearly an hour after being seated—our drinks finally arrived. Well, some of them. Two were completely wrong, but we decided to soldier on. The celebratory birthday mood was starting to resemble more of a wake.

Shortly after, the food appeared, though not without its own set of issues. One of the main dishes was entirely incorrect, and back it went, leaving one guest awkwardly waiting while the rest of us tried to politely nibble without finishing too soon. It was all beginning to feel rather farcical—as if we’d wandered onto the set of a low-budget comedy about the perils of dining out.

When it came to dessert, the service lagged once again, and we were left debating whether to order or simply head home for tea and biscuits.

To give credit where it’s due, The Pig did acknowledge the catalogue of errors, removing the drinks and service charge from our bill. It was a kind gesture, but it didn’t do much to rescue what should have been a lovely, memorable meal.

It’s so disappointing to see our once-favourite local slip like this. We’re holding out hope it was just an off day because The Pig has always been a gem—but at the moment, it feels like it’s in dire need of a bit of spit and polish.