Lanes of Lymington

I was hoping to give Lanes a really good review as other people's reviews were really positive, in the main, but we got a really mixed bag and came away quite disappointed... A table of 4, we ordered 2 beef tournedos, the hake and two starters for a pescatarian who preferred those options. The diner who ordered two starters really enjoyed them. My beef was perfect - cooked rare (as requested), tasty sauce in the middle and on top. Well cooked potatoes pont neuf. The other beef was ordered medium rare. I know this is really difficult to acheive and match a diner's expectation as people have very differing views on how medium or rare they like it. However, although the outside of the beef was cook slightly more than my rare tournedos, the centres were actually verging on blue, and the diner could not eat it that rare. It was an impossible dish to send back to be re-cooked and he didn't want to wait for a whole new dish to arrive and be eating as we were finishing, so he ate around the edges of the beef and left the centres. This led him to feel that the dish was not in any way value for money. The diner who ordered the hake enjoyed the fish, however, when they swapped plates with me so we could eat half each, I was surprised at the low level of technical cooking - the tomato and herb crust was anything but - the tomatoes had been cooked down so intensely that they were almost at the point of tomato puree - obliterating the delicate flavour of the hake - and the herb "crust" was a soggy mush spread over the top. Absolutely nothing like I had expected of this dish. My greatest bugbear, though, was the vegetables brought to the table. Not buttering boiled potatoes I could just about forgive, however the mixed vegetables I couldn't. It is highly likely that they were frozen veg which was just boiled and plonked in a dish. Why do I think this? No chef (or their underling) is going to waste so much time chopping up French beans, courgettes etc into 2cm pieces AND take all the sweetcorn kernals off the cobs to then just boil them. Boiling tiny vegetable pieces just removes all the flavour and texture, and there is absolutely no need to do this if you are using fresh produce. Time costs money, and restaurants have little of either in this economic climate, so I cannot imagine an instance, unless you are Michelin star, where you would be cutting up vegetables into tiny pieces (or plonking them into a dish without oil or butter to finish them). Maybe I have higher expectations than most, but for the prices that were charged for the disappointing dishes, I was left sore compared to the meal we had in a pub the night before - better quality cooking at cheaper prices.

Just amazing food and atmosphere Great service friendly and welcoming

Friendly excellent service. Fantastic food good value for the money.

What a lovely dining experience we had from entering the restaurant to leaving ,great attention to detail . The service was amazing, the food was delicious and looked fabulous . The restaurant is very attractive inside , it was warm, quiet music was played in the background . An overall excellent dining experience. Many thanks .

Excellent food and service. Friendly and sociable staff and owners. Great atmosphere even in the depths of January.

The food was exceptional . Front of house exceptional . So sad we and another couple were the only diners in this amazing restaurant . If we lived in the area this would be a regular choice for us , would highly recommend .

Peter and Nicole are lovely, they couldn't have done any more to make our special meal for my dad's 90th birthday any better. It's a very interesting building. The food was delicious and we all left happy and satisfied.

Very welcoming helpful and friendly front of house. Our seafood-based starters were beautifully presented and delicious. Our mains -halibut and a pork fillet- were also a delight to look at however the pork was a little overcooked but still appetising. It was a little draughty where we were seated, possibly inevitable in a lovely converted chapel with high ceilings on a cold winter’s evening. I will take my cashmere wrap next time!

We had a lovely meal at Lanes. The food was amazing and the staff so friendly

As always, a really enjoyable and relaxing experience with a wonderful meal and hospitality. Thank you Nicola and Peter.

My husband and I went for an evening meal to celebrate my birthday. We had a delicious meal. Nicola, as always, was very friendly and efficient without being over familiar. The timing was great allowing us as much time as we wanted. Unfortunately, through no fault of the restaurant, it was very quiet, with only a few of us there so there was a lack of atmosphere and buzz. This is no doubt due to the post Christmas slump and we were advised that it had been much busier at lunchtime. I was presented with a small platter of fruits at the end of our meal with Happy Birthday written in chocolate on the plater, which was a nice touch.

As always an excellent meal with a friendly and efficient staff.

Excellent service presentation and food would highly recommend .The only downside as it is a converted church it was chilly and I had to wear my coat.But apart from this it was excellent

Always a lovely place to visit, Nicola and the team are so friendly, the service is excellent and the food is delicious!

A great lunch with excellent & very attentive service- many thanks - we hope to see you again soon

We will be back. A very good dinner, thank you

As usual great food and service, nothing more to add

Superb food , great service , lovely people , a must when in Lymington

Absolutely delicious food and perfect service. We had the three course lunch and loved it

Food was excellent service was great. we had a very nice evening.

Absolutely great menu, and a lovely atmosphere, we always enjoy dinner at Lanes.

Really nice setting and friendly and welcoming staff. Food was very nice and some interesting menu options

Had a great evening in the lanes , owner was so friendly, and food was fantastic would recommend to go👍😋

We are two ladies wo periodically enjoy lunch at Lanes. We always receive a warm welcome, the menus are varied, the food is well-prepared and presented, and it is unfortunate that we are seldom able to accommodate a dessert as well!!

Food and service amazing as always. Can't wait to return.

We have visited this restaurant many times…each time equally impressive. Beautifully presented food prepared with not only care but considerable flair…we always feel excited when we look at our meal and are equally pleased with the service and welcome. Nicola on front of house makes our evening in her non intrusive way.

Food was great and we had exceptional service from the owner.

This is the second time me and my husband has been this year and the fourth time I’ve been. All the times the food has been excellent and the service good. We just love going there.

It’s always a treat to have lunch at Lanes .

My wife and my self had a lovely time, the food was spot on and very tasty ,we were looked after. 110% looking foward to the next time

Fabulous evening. Food was so delicious and the staff were attentive and friendly. Beautiful venue. A lovely evening. Would highly recommend a visit!

Welcoming, good food, great ambience. Will definitely eat there again.

Really friendly staff- lovely atmosphere and delicious food- would highly recommend

A wonderful meal served by wonderful staff. We would highly recommend this restaurant and next time we visit Lymington we will be visiting Lanes. Our best meal for a long time and a brilliant way to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary

We were recommended to eat here whilst on a long weekend break and what a great recommendation that was. Great reception, great service and wonderful food. Thank you.

We are so pleased to have found this gem of a restaurant off the main lymington high street to celebrate our wedding anniversary- thank you for the special celebration plate. Delicious good quality fresh food beautifully cooked and presented. we had 3 course set menu £34 each. Recommend

A lovely meal expertly prepared and delightfully served. Thanks to Peter and Nicola it was a splendid evening

Lovely food in a very relaxed atmosphere and very attentive staff. Can’t wait to return

Absolutely fantastic meal. Could not fault it, top class. Many thanks

Food is always delicious and the service and staff are amazing. A lovely gem in Lymington!

We had seen previous good reviews on this restaurant so thought we would try it. Absolutely brilliant! Couldn't fault the food, the service or the staff's attitude. Near the end of our visit another party came in that was a bit noisy, but that's not the restaurant's fault. Wouldn't hesitate to go back there again.

Fabulous, lovely food cooked and prepared attractively and with substance. Flavoursome and filling.

lovely experience, not been for a long time, but did noy disappoint. Relaxed friendly and great food.

Amazing dining experience. Food delicious & top service by Nicola.

Excellent as always. We have always been impressed by the food and servive. It never falters.

Excellent food and as always service with a smile. Thank you.

Great service and wonderful food in a slightly quirky setting but with plenty of ambience. We appreciated the way flavours enhanced each other. Nice to get a decent helping of veg at no extra charge

Perhaps the best restaurant in Lymington! Friendly personal service. Try it!

Delicious food excellent service lovely evening we will be be back

Excellent presentation. I excellent service. Food was an eclectic mix of flavours, textures and taste. Fabulous value for money.