Quirky venues

Eating out with a difference can be fun. With our quirky venues you can watch exotic animals while you eat, go back in time at a Victorian railway station or surround yourself with nostalgic memorabilia – each venue offers a unique dining experience 

At Café Graze at Marwell Wildlife near Winchester you can sit on the terrace while you eat, watching endangered animals such as giraffe, pygmy hippos and gemsboks. 

Café in the Clouds at the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth is a coffee bar with stunning views over the Solent.  You can also enjoy an elevated high tea – 105 metres above Portsmouth Harbour.

Take afternoon tea in the delightful surroundings of Horsebridge Station, a restored Victorian railway station in Kings Somborne, with stunning gardens and lovely views of the River Test.

The Wykeham Arms inn, tucked away in the heart of Winchester, has a close association with Winchester College and is adorned with college memorabilia. Eat delicious, home-cooked food sitting at a traditional school desk, complete with inkwell.

Once Southampton's grandest hotel, the Grand Café in Southampton, dating from 1865, was used by first class passengers of the Titanic and had a role in the D-Day preparations. The former Wedgewood Ballroom is now home to a quirky bar, bistro and restaurant, which also offers afternoon teas.

Hambledon is known as the 'cradle of cricket' and there is a memorial to Hambledon Cricket Club on Broadha'penny Down opposite the Bat and Ball Inn. The pub, which used to serve as the pavilion and clubhouse, is full of interesting cricket memorabilia.  
 
The Vestry, opposite the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, is situated in an old church and offers a bar, restaurant, live music and traditional Sunday lunches.