February 2024 by Greg Milton
We have recently stayed at the Cottage Lodge Hotel and decided to have a meal at the White Tails. Our host, Ramsay was a kind man and really went out of his way to make our evening very enjoyable. The food was superb, my wife & I both had the steak, cooked perfectly! The cheeseboard was well thought through and we liked the fact that the produce was locally sourced. Thank you for a great evening, we will be back when we visit the area again.
February 2024 by Moira Waddingham
Fabulous. What more can we say.
January 2024 by L4167BSgeorgiab
We were staying at the Cottage Lodge Hotel next door and decided at the time of booking to arrange to eat here on our first night. We tried to book for the following night as well halfway through our meal as we were so impressed, but unsurprisingly, they were fully booked. Great dishes on the menu, and a friendly service throughout - we will make sure to come again next time we are in the area, and will be recommending to others!
January 2024 by Moogei777
We booked a visit to the restaurant on Tuesday and enjoyed it so much we booked again for the following night on our short break in Brockenhurst. The food was excellent, well presented and tasty. We had three courses each night and a bottle of wine, plus tea and coffee. Ramsey the host was very good, helpful and knowledgeable. We will visit when next in the New Forest.
January 2024 by Paul Young
Went to Cottage Lodge as a surprise for my wife as it was her birthday and our wedding anniversary. White Tails is the restaurant there. The food was fantastic, as was the service. Only 4 for the atmosphere as we were the first people in the restaurant at 6.00pm, but it improved as more people turned up.
January 2024 by Hasmita S
My husband and I stayed at The Cottage Lodge Hotel for my birthday celebrations. White Tails Restaurant is independently run and is located in the hotel. What is amazing, this small restaurant is run by only two people, the Manager called Ramsey and his amazing chef called Matthew. Our meal was truly delicious with all products locally sourced. The service was excellent with time to relax before our next course. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening meal and would highly recommend this restaurant.
January 2024 by charlesmH1227TS
I and a group of friends had an excellent experience at White Tails Restaurant. The food was exquisite and very affordable for the quality. With a rustic, cosy ambience, it?s the perfect place to eat while staying in the Forest.
November 2023 by Steve B
My wife and myself are nearing the end of a most enjoyable 4 night stay at the Cottage Lodge Hotel (see separate Review) in Brockenhurst and for the last 3 nights (the restaurant is closed on Mondays) we have dined at the White Tails Restaurant. It is an interesting arrangement with the Hotel team serving Breakfast in the same premises which becomes the White Tails Restaurant in the evenings. An arrangement, however, that works extremely well as not only have we been made most welcome by the Manager/Owner but have thoroughly enjoyed all of our 3 dining experiences - both the food and service have been of the highest quality. So much so as whilst my Review Title flags up White Tails as ?Brockenhurst?s Finest? it would come as no great surprise if it was also considered to be one of the ?New Forest?s Finest?! Either way, I would certainly have no hesitation in recommending White Tails to others as - certainly based on our experience - they won?t be disappointed!!
November 2023 by iowmax
We visited this excellent restaurant as part of a break in the New Forest. Ramsey has a lovely gentle kind manner about him and the restaurant had a great atmosphere. We were made to feel like we were the only guests (of course there were others), nothing was rushed and there was a good variety of options for all courses. The wine selection was also very good. Both food and drinks were reasonable priced. It was a lovely evening and we would wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant to anyone. We will definitely return.
November 2023 by BarryBB70
Easy to book. Nice, simple elegant decor. Food delicious. Service wonderful and friendly. Will definitely be back. Thank you.
November 2023 by Itchy306
Spot on!! We had a lovely evening although a little early. White Tails is the restaurant offshoot of the Cottage Lodge Hotel. Setting for couples, soft lighting and background music. The food was just exceptional, some of the best I have had in a long time. Starter: Scotch Egg with homemade chutney - utterly delicious - the little I ended up having after my "green-eyed" wife wanted a taste. Main: Pan fried fillets of Sea Bass with beure blanc - my wife doesn't like fish, so devoured it all....mmmmm. Pudding: Creme Brulee - topping as hard a nails, just gorgeous. The wife had the Pork Loin, which was slightly pink, but cooked perfectly. Could wax lyrical for ever. Would recommend to anyone.
October 2023 by Simone Webb
My husband and I ate at White Tails as we were staying at the hotel, and other restaurants in the area were booked out on the Saturday we were staying. We had a very disappointing experience - I'm really confused as to how this has ended up one of the top-rated restaurants in Brockenhurst.As other reviewers have mentioned, the decor isn't great, but I don't think this is the restaurant owners' fault; I imagine decisions over the interior come from the hotel.The food, however, should be entirely their responsibility. We each had the goat's cheese as a starter, then the mushroom stroganoff and the vegetable cakes as our mains. The goat's cheese was fine - but it was cooked only on top, still almost fridge-cold in the middle, and it was on a bed of entirely undressed rocket.My vegetable cakes were actively bad. They were largely cakes of mashed potato with an eclectic mix of possibly-frozen vegetables scattered throughout. They were flavourless and quite dry - the chilli sauce they were served with wasn't nearly enough to deal with the dryness. Again, they were served with a large side salad that was entirely undressed (why? A simple olive oil and vinegar dressing wouldn't have been hard).My husband had the wild mushroom stroganoff; this was reasonably nice, although we weren't sure how wild the mushrooms were. The rice wasn't prepared well; it was clumpy.Both the stroganoff and the vegetable cakes were served with parsnip crisps - these were okay, but not an obvious choice for either meal.For desserts, I had the roulade - perfectly pleasant - and my husband had the creme brulée. The brulée was not served hot, and the custard was splitting a little in parts.I wonder if some of the issues with this restaurant come from a lack of thought and understanding regarding vegetarian options. We overheard Ramsay talking to another pair of vegetarian diners and describing the prawn linguine and salmon cannelloni as vegetarian - I think very few vegetarians would concur.The quality of the food was especially bad considering the price point; we paid about £75 overall (and didn't drink wine or anything alcoholic). £15 for my vegetable cakes felt especially egregious.It's also odd that in a hotel that generally prides itself on local produce, the food here doesn't seem local in origin. We heard another couple here enquiring about local ciders, which White Tails doesn't serve. The cheese board also seems to have nothing local, in contrast to The Pig hotel restaurant which serves some lovely local cheeses.I will say that Ramsay's service was very pleasant, and he was very friendly and welcoming. However, I would not eat here again.Vegetarian options: The vegetarian options are limited and not very good.
October 2023 by Wanderer478713
Bearing in mind the reviews and rating I was disappointed with this restaurant. Whitebait was too uniform, clearly not prepared in the kitchen, at the price charged, perhaps some bread? Mushroom stroganoff had no interesting flavours, my ?fillet? strips as an extra were minute steak overcooked & chewy. Rice was from a pouch if I am not mistaken. Bland.
October 2023 by Deborah M
So many times restaurants (even with lots of staff) don?t deliver great service. White Tails has just one person FoH and they are fantastic. Everything is done with care, warmth and professionalism. The menu has plenty of choices, but not too much to overwhelm the kitchen. The food is delicious and well cooked. The care and professionalism from FoH clearly extends to the kitchen. You would need to book as it is a small restaurant. You won?t be disappointed.
October 2023 by Robin_Aylesbury
Excellent food from a varied menu coupled with a charming Maitre D. This led to a pleasant and relaxed evening. Nice attention to detail and never hassled. A winning formula for us.