Whether you are a Ringwood local, or you are just visiting this beautiful little village as part of your trip to The New Forest, there are lots of great restaurants in Ringwood. Whether you are looking for some British food or maybe even some exotic Thai – Ringwood has a lot to offer. We have put together a list of the best restaurants in Ringwood so you can book yourself a table in one of Ringwood’s best restaurants!
Table of Contents
The Old Cottage Ringwood Restaurant
As the name might suggest, The Old Cottage is a restaurant in Ringwood located in an old cottage. This gorgeous little gem serves mouthwatering British and international dishes in a homey atmosphere.
Prices in The Old Cottage range from £5.50 for a starter to £16 on average for a main. On the a la carte menu you will find dishes such as Tender Pot Roast Shank of Lamb with Mash or Tender Braised Steak with Mushrooms & Red Wine for the meat lovers while they also serve vegetarian and vegan dishes such as Vegan Sausages with Mash & Onion Gravy Cheese & Walnut Rissoles with a Provençale Sauce.
If you are staying in Ringwood you will be pleased to know The Old Cottage also offers take-out via their website where you can order some of the best dishes this Ringwood Restaurant has to offer at a lower price.
Visiting Ringwood during the festive season? Don’t forget to book a table so you can enjoy one of their festive menus such as the pre-christmas menu, the christmas menu or the New Year’s menu.
Prezzo Ringwood Italian Restaurant
Most British visitors will know the italian pizza and pasta chain Prezzo with restaurants all over the country. It is, however, still a fan favourite of many visitors here in Ringwood. This Prezzo restaurant is known as one of the best italian restaurants in Ringwood.
The pizzeria offers a large range of pizzas and pastas for lovers of italian cuisine. People with dietary restrictions will be able to order Gluten Free pizzas while vegetarians and vegans have a whole section of pizzas to choose from.
When looking at the pastas, we see that Prezzo offers a range of well-known pastas such as Penne Arabiate or Spaghetti Bolognese, but also some luxury pastas such as the Penne Alla Rusticana with dried ham or the Spaghetti with King Prawns.
On the desert menu of this Ringwood italian restaurant we will find Raspberry sorbet and Sticky Toffee Pudding. Don’t forget that you will also be able to take out a pizza or pasta at Prezzo if you want to spend the evening inside in front of the the TV.
V and G's
Looking for a good Italian Restaurant in Ringwood? Have a look at V & G’s. This contemporary Ringwood Italian restaurant is located in the centre of Ringwood, close to both Prezzo and the Old Cottage – in fact, all these Ringwood restaurants are all located on the same street.
The mouthwatering Italian dishes that come out of V & G’s kitchen are handcrafted by italian chef Gramo. V & G’s has been able to build a very solid name as one of the best Italian restaurants in Ringwood.
On the menu you will be able to choose between gorgeous starters and scrumptious Italian mains. You can order pizza or pasta, and when ordering mains a la carte you can choose between Italian favourites such as Vitello Al Saltimbocca or Filetto Ai Porcini.
Love italian desserts? V & G’s has a great dessert menu which includes Tiramisu, Cremè Brulee Tart or even Lemon Posset.
Additionally, this gorgeous Ringwood Italian Restaurant also has a large selection of Italian wines for you to choose from. Don’t worry about price as they will have something for every budget.
V&G’s offers both dine in and takeout which means you can just walk up and order your favourite pizzas, pastas or deserts to take home.
Lovitaly Ringwood Italian Restaurant
Fan of Italian food? There literally is no shortage of Italian restaurants in Ringwood. Lovitaly is the third ringwood italian restaurant on the list and is located on the same street as the three other restaurants mentioned above.
Lovitaly is an italian restaurant, cafe and deli and fully licensed wine bar with an extensive wine list all in one. This means Lovitaly is your one stop shop for great italian dishes and wines where you could head over for breakfast and lunch to have a cup of coffee with some delicious home made cakes, or meet your friends after work in the wine bar for some cocktails, beers or wines. On the weekend you won’t have to cook as this Ringwood italian restaurant will offer you an amazing menu of both dine in and take out options.
On the a la carte menu you will find a large selection of antipasti or starters including Bruschetta al Pomodoro, Bufala con Prosciutto Crudo e Pomodori secchi and Gamberi in salsa verde which are Pan fried Red Argentinian King Prawns with garlic, parsley and a hint of chilli. Prices for these starters range from £5.50 to £9.50.
Lovitaly also serves Taglieri which are priced at £21.95 and contain generous amounts of cheeses, sun dried tomatoes, cured ham and lots of other things to pick at over a glass of wine.
When we look at the pasta menu we notice there is a large variety of pastas available from the ordinary Penne all’ Arrabbiata at £9.50 to the scrumptious Spaghetti with Bottarga and Cherry Tomatoes at £15.90.
The a la carte mains at this Ringwood italian restaurant consist of dishes such as the vegetarian Parmigiana di Melanzane for £10.90, the Italian Style Hamburger for £13.90 or even the Tagliata di Manzo for £19.90 which is a large 10oz grilled Ribeye steak served on a bed of rocket, cherry tomatoes and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings.
Lovitaly also offers vegetarian, vegan and dairy free pizzas as well as paninis and salads which are great for lunch.
India Cottage Ringwood Indian Restaurant
After a run of Ringwood Italian restaurants we will now have a look at India Cottage, probably the best known Ringwood Indian restaurant.
India cottage is located on Christchurch road, the main road through Ringwood where almost all other restaurants in Ringwood are located.
India cottage offers great Indian food in a welcome environment with both inside and outside seating available.
Although the food at India Cottage is incredibly nice – the prices are very reasonable with starters from £3.90 including Aubergine Fritters, Thai Style Spicy King Prawns, and Onion Bhaji.
India Cottage also offers signature Indian and Asian dishes such as tandoor, Garlic Chilli Chicken, and Jaipur Chicken. Being an indian restaurant in the United Kingdom, they also offer lots of delicious curries such as the popular Kurma, a nice Jal Frezzi and of course an hot, sweet and sour Dansak .
These curries can come with a bread or a nice biryani, or of course with plain, pilou or lemon rice.
If you are a vegetarian, you can also order lots of vegetarian curries in India Cottage such as Egg and Potato Curry, Roshoun Vegetable Dansak or a nice Vegetable Balti.
India Cottage also offers a take out menu which comes in handy when you are not looking forward to a long evening in the kitchen! Just order your favourite curry to have in front of the telly!
The Railway Pub and Kitchen
Looking for some nice British burgers and a pint of beer? Head to The Railway on Hightown Road in Ringwood. This pub cum restaurant comes highly recommended. The railway pub and kitchen is known for its epic burgers, nice sides such as fries and wings, its beer, wine and great cocktails and its large selection of beers.
The Railway Pub and Kitchen offers both inside and outside seating with a small playground for kids. This makes the Railway Pub and Kitchen a great choice for families with kids that are looking for a great restaurant in Ringwood.
When looking at the menu, we see that The Railway pub and Kitchen in Ringwood offers lots of great burgers at a great price. Thik of Franks Hot n Blue Chick burger or even the Biscoff Animal Style Double Bacon Cheeseburger. Looking for something a bit more exotic? Why not try the Korean Fried Chicken burger at just £8.50?
Not into meat? Vegetarians and vegans are also more than welcome to eat at The Railway pub and Kitchen. You can choose from great veggie burgers with blue cheese or vegan korean fried fake chicken burgers to space up your day. The pub even offers a vegan cheeseburger!
As for sides, there is loads of choice such as Chicken Wings or Frickles (fried pickles) but you can also go for a poutine or dirty tater tots.
If you would like to sit outside, it is best to book a table beforehand!
Framptons Restaurant in Ringwood
Framptons is a bar in Ringwood that is known for its great brunch, lunch and dinners and of course the typically British cask ales and pale ales. Now you can even take cocktail classes in the bar!
This beautifully decorated, quiet gastro pub does not only serve a mean cup of coffee with beautiful slices of cake, it also offers some of the best ales, cocktails and dishes in the area. Before we dive into the meny it is important to say that Framptons not only offers great seating areas inside, but that there is also a small outside seating area where you can have a drink or enjoy lunch or dinner.
For brunch you will be able to order eggs benedict or eggs florentine, but also some buttermilk pancakes or a british breakfast. When you head over to Framptons for lunch choose between the Ham, egg and chips or the battered cod, or maybe one of the scrumptious burgers.
In the evening, Franpton serves its delicious burgers such as the Applewood burger which consists of beef, applewood smoked cheddar, red onion, marmalade and streaky bacon as well as a falafel burger which contains falafel, grilled halloumi with mint and cucumber yoghurt.
Of course you can also go for the battered cod with chips or one of the salads.
The New Forest Pantry
Head over to The New Forest Pantry for a great breakfast, a nice cup of tea and a delicious milkshake. This cosy little cafe in the heart of Ringwood offers both inside seating as seating in the small garden.
Decorated in a cottage style with lots of cute vintage pieces, The New Forest Pantry is the perfect place to go for a romantic breakfast or a nice cream tea.
They serve a large variety of coffees and teas, as well as a couple of great hot chocolates. In addition, you can also buy one of the many fresh, home made cakes that are displayed on the cake stands.
Hungry? No worries as you can also order some classics such as a ploughman’s sandwich, a classic or even spicy Welsh Rarebit or one of the many delicious sandwiches of jacket potatoes. Prices range from £5 to £7.50 for a full english breakfast.
Elm Tree Ringwood Restaurant
Let’s be honest: We all love a good old British pub, especially when it has a bit of history connected to it. Enter the Elm Tree, this gorgeous thatched pub has served as a pub or an inn for generations and is still serving fresh pints and gorgeous grub to its patrons.
Elm Tree is located on Hightown Hill, a road coming directly from the A31. This means Elm Tree is the perfect pub to stop at when travelling past Ringwood, but when you are looking for a good and substantial meal. The fact that this pub is located on the edge of the New Forest also means you will have easy access from villages such as Burley and Bransgore, where you might not have that many choices when it comes to eating out.
This Ringwood restaurant and pub offers its guests home cooked food seven days a week with locally sourced ingredients. Elm tree prides itself in offering value for money menu items as well as providing a great and welcoming atmosphere.
On the meny you will find loads of great starters at reasonable prices such as soup of the day for just under £5 or beef chilli nachos for £11.95
When looking at the mains we see a lot of recognisable pub food such as a pie of the day for £11.95 or fish and chips for £11.95 but also a gammon steak for £11.95 or a burger for £11.95. In addition the pub also serves vegetarian food such as a vegetarian pie of the day, a vegetarian chilli or a vegetarian burger.
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party in Ringwood is located in the same complex as Waitrose and Joules, just off the RIngwood highstreet. This ringwood restaurant is more a breakfast bar with coffee and smoothies than a restaurant, yet, they serve incredibly nice food.
This chain has spread quickly throughout the South and midwest of England with locations in Chichester, Bristol but also Ringwood and Plymouth.
Known for its great cups of tea and delicious coffees, Boston Tea Party attracts customers for breakfast, brunch and lunch. Not only do they have delicious pastries such as croissants or pain au chocolats, they also serve great orange juices.
The food served at the Boston Tea Party in ringwood ranges from scrumptious pancakes to a nice full english breakfast. Additionally you can also order healthy sandwiches or eggs your way.
Lieze Neven is a globetrotting travel writer and expat currently based in Nepal. With a passion for exploration, she has lived in Dubai, the UK, and Belgium, alongside her international teacher husband. Her parents live in France and she tries to visit Paris at least once a year. Together, they travel the world looking for the best hotels, experiences and food locations have to offer!