The official top ten!

Name Location Price Entertainment Atmosphere Looks Beer Total /25
=1 The Hobbit  Bevois Valley 3 6 6 4 4 23
South Western Arms St Denys 2 5 5 5 6 23
=2 Guide Dog Bevois Valley 4 3 4 3 6 20
Junction Inn St Denys 3 5 4 4 4 20
=3 The Swan (Woolston) Woolston 1 6 4 3 5 19
Windsor Castle Shirley 5 5 3 3 3 19
=4 The Eagle City Centre 5 5 2 3 3 18
Sporting View Sports Centre (Lordswood) 4 4 3 4 3 18
=5 The Alexandra Bedford Place area 2 5 3 3 4 17
The Angel City Centre 3 5 4 2 3 17

I have to say I am somewhat surprised at these results as some great pubs are not here yet some other pubs that are average do appear in this list, however that says a lot about the unscientific survey methods employed.  Next year will hopefully bring about a more accurate list!

The top five all deserve their place in the chart but I am surprised The Alexandra and The Angel did not chart higher.  I am also surprised about the lack of the Wellington Arms and the Royal Oak in the top ten.

Meanwhile at the other end of the chart, the following pubs all scored only six points.  That is not to say they are bad pubs necessarily, it may be that I visited on a bad day.

Name Location Price Entertainment Atmosphere Looks Beer Total/25
C Breeze Ocean Village 0 0 1 2 3 6
Cucchini's Ocean Village 0 0 2 3 1 6
Dock O' The Bay The Avenue 1 0 1 2 2 6
Poletric Above Bar 2 0 0 2 2 6
Saints Millbrook 2 2 1 0 1 6

The first three in the list all lose out because they are not proper pubs - more restaurants that perhaps should not have been included in the survey.  Polextrix is sleazy and The Saints is in poor condition because it is threatened with demolition.

I would also like to say at this stage please excuse the state of the tables on this page, they are copied from a spreadsheet and don't like being pasted into a web page!

Rankings by category

Looking for a great looking pub or just somewhere with great beer?  This guide list the top pubs for each category.

Price

Name Price Total /25 Comment
Giddy Bridge 6 17 Like most Wetherspoon's pubs, the prices are hard to beat
Bar Risa 6 16 Has ridiculously cheap deals on drinks
Park Hotel 6 16 One of the cheapest locals in town
Standing Order 6 16 Like most Wetherspoon's pubs, the prices are hard to beat
Kellys 6 15 Good deals on drink
Brightwater Inn 6 14 Like most Wetherspoon's pubs, the prices are hard to beat
Cork & Bottle 6 14 A Laurel Pub Co chain offering good value
Flares 6 13 Has cheap drink deals
Windsor Castle 5 19 Cheap for a local
Eagle 5 18 Cheap for a local
Dorchester Arms 5 17 Cheap for a local
Hotshots 5 17 Has cheap drink deals
Wine Bar, The 5 15 Surprisingly cheap for an upmarket establishment
Ferryman & Firkin 5 13 Very cheap drinks
Two Brothers 5 12 'Sizzle' chain pub; great value drinks and even better value meals.

Entertainment

Name Entertainment Total /25 Comments
Hobbit 6 23 Probably Southampton's best entertainment pub, great value entertainment 7 nights a week.  Open mic nights, live music, theatre, comedy, great jukebox, huge garden and pool table and it won't cost you loads of money to get in (in fact it's free most of the time - even at weekends if you arrive before 9pm).  Home to loads of quirky people, anything goes here!
Swan (Woolston) 6 19 A great live music pub with live bands several times a week including Sunday afternoons
Royal Oak 6 16 One of Southampton's best city centre pubs, the Royal Oak offers karaoke, quiz nights and live music every week as well as an open mic night once a fortnight and the usual pub staples including quiz machines, Sky Sports, pool, darts and fussball.
South Western Arms 5 23 Live entertainment several times a week
Junction Inn 5 20 A fantastic old-fashioned pub with live music and bar games
Windsor Castle 5 19 A rough and ready local with karaoke and disco nights at weekends
Eagle 5 18 A 'local' style city centre pub with a disco at weekends
Alexandra 5 17 Great selection of bar games, as well as the usual pool/darts etc, there are also giant Connect 4 games, quiz nights and very popular movie nights.
Angel 5 17 A 'real' pub that urges you to say 'no' to plastic High St pubs (quite right!), featuring pool, darts and the famous Landlord Quiz where the correct answer to a question wins you a free drink!  Check out the landlord's excellent cocktail menu.
Castle Inn 5 17 A 'local' pub with loads going on, including the obligatory bar games and karaoke/disco/quiz nights
Dorchester Arms 5 17 A 'local' style pub popular with students that regularly features live music and has the usual range of bar games
Englishman Inn 5 17 A friendly local pub featuring  large TV, pool, darts and karaoke twice a week including the only Wednesday night karaoke in Southampton
Hotshots 5 17 This place has more entertainment than you can shake a stick at - amusement machines, tenpin bowling and live DJs occasionally.
Ice House 5 17 A full compliment of bar games and regular disco/karaoke/quiz nights await you at this 'local'
Shield & Dagger 5 17 A local pub well off the beaten track that features occasional disco/live music events and a full range of bar games.
Gatehouse 5 16 This recently refurbished town pub features regular live DJs, bar games and weekly open mic nights.
Bent Brief 5 15 A very welcoming pub with a refreshingly casual approach to live music featuring an intimate performance area with no segregation between performer and audience and no entry fees.  They have live music or open mic events every night. 
Firehouse 5 13 A large city centre 'rock bar' that usually features tribute bands to Guns 'n' Roses or Bon Jovi at weekends.  Expect to pay to get in.
Hare & Hounds 5 13 A rough and ready local with karaoke and disco nights at weekends
Brass Monkey 5 12 This self-styled 'Sports Bar' features loads of TV screens, a jukebox, about three pool tables and live DJs/karaoke at the weekend.  It's a bit on the trendy side though.

ATMOSPHERE

Name Atmosphere Total /25 Comments
Hobbit 6 23 The Hobbit is a very friendly, welcoming pub with a unique atmosphere consisting of students and a mixture of local oddballs.  Anybody would fit in here, even if they didn't fit in anywhere else as it is a rather quirky place but it is totally unique
South Western Arms 5 23 Arguably Southampton's best pub, featuring a lovely old building, superb real ales and an eclectic crowd.  It hasn't gone upmarket and remains true to its roots.
Guide Dog 4 20 A hidden gem in the backstreets of Southampton, this pub is frequented by ale enthusiasts as it offers arguably the best selection of proper beer in Southampton.  Very small and intimate, it's almost like being in somebody's front room/
Junction Inn 4 20 This is a totally unique pub, it's quite old fashioned but very friendly and the people at the table near me suddenly started playing musical instruments and singing while I was in there!
Swan (Woolston) 4 19 A great live music pub
Angel 4 17 A proper pub in the world of plastic High Street pubs we live in featuring an interesting clientele and a very friendly landlord.
Castle Inn 4 17 A friendly and welcoming 'local'
Englishman Inn 4 17 A very friendly and welcoming 'local' pub
Royal Oak 4 16 Very friendly management, never any trouble, lots of students and a packed entertainment schedule.
Platform Tavern 4 15 A lovely chilled out pub featuring great beer and blues and jazz music.
Clowns 4 13 As rough and ready as they come, this student-filled bar is always a laugh a minute, it's a bit cliquey if you're not a student though.
Goblets 4 13 Always worth a visit, fairly relaxed venue with a great jukebox
Varsity 4 12 Heaving at weekends but anonymous.

ATTRACTIVENESS

Name Looks Total /25 Comments
Red Lion (High Street) 6 15 If you're looking for a pub with plenty to see, this authentic Tudor establishment has to be top of the list.  
Reflex 6 14 Gaudy flashing lights a go-go, this place may be tacky but it's very bright and colourful and a shrine to the '80s.
South Western Arms 5 23 A lovely traditional pub interior with exposed beams and railway memorabilia
SoBar 5 15 The interior of this student haunt is ultramodern and very stylish; it has a great garden too
Duke of Wellington 5 14 Another Tudor pub with a very cosy and traditional interior
Square (The) 5 13 This pub makes the 'looks' chart mainly due to the sheer scale of the place, it's huge and impressive and makes good use of the available space (it used to be a cinema)
Ship Inn 5 12 This pub on the edge of the city has a cosy, traditional interior and superb garden
Orange Rooms 5 11 Ultramodern meets 70s chic, this place looks really groovy
White Swan 5 11 While the interior is decent albeit nothing special, the riverside location of this pub makes for an enjoyable summertime drink
Zeb 5 9 Very modern and funky
Angel A late entry but this pub is well worth a visit as there is something different to see every time you go in, plus there's a mural and lots of Motorhead memorabilia.
Richmond Inn Another 'late entry' but well worth a visit.  Traditional two bar pub with amazing garden and authentic old cash register.

BEER

Name Date visited Beer Total /25 Comments
South Western Arms 5/4/2007 6 23 Arguably the best real ale pub in Southampton, this place always has dozens of ales on tap including some locally brewed ones
Guide Dog 27/4/2007 6 20 Another contender for the best real ale pub, this place always has a great selection and the prices are good too
Giddy Bridge   6 17 I visited when they had a Real Ale festival and their idea of having three 1/3 pint glasses, each with a different ale was a winner plus they had a great selection
Standing Order 10/5/2007 6 16 Good selection of ales, they had a Real Ale festival on when I popped in
Humble Plum 3/4/2007 6 15 Great selection of ales and a nice pub
Swan (Woolston) 22/4/2007 5 19 Superb range of ales
Wellington Arms 8/4/2007 5 17 Superb range of ales
Waterloo Arms 8/4/2007 5 16 Superb range of ales
Brightwater Inn 5/4/2007 5 14 Superb range of ales
Duke of Wellington   5 14 Superb range of ales

Rankings by area

Looking for a new local?  Here's a breakdown of the best pubs in each area.  Note: For classification purposes, I divided the pubs into different 'zones'.  The city centre had to be sub divided as there were so many pubs.  With hindsight, the zoning used wasn't great but then again it was devised in the pub!

Zone map (all zones)

Zone map (central areas)

Name Price Entertainment Atmosphere Looks Beer Total /25
BEVOIS VALLEY
Hobbit 3 6 6 4 4 23
Guide Dog 4 3 4 3 6 20
Dorchester Arms 5 5 2 2 3 17
Gatehouse 2 5 3 3 3 16
Avenue 2 5 3 3 2 15
Bent Brief 1 5 3 2 4 15
SoBar 1 4 3 5 2 15
Clowns 4 1 4 2 2 13
Honest Lawyer 1 3 2 4 3 13
Old Farmhouse 1 2 3 4 3 13
Bevois Town Hotel 2 3 2 2 3 12
H2O 1 4 1 4 2 12
Bevois Castle 1 1 1 3 3 9
BITTERNE
Castle Inn 1 5 4 4 3 17
Hop Inn 1 5 3 4 3 16
Humble Plum 1 1 3 4 6 15
Hare & Hounds 2 5 2 2 2 13
Station Hotel 1 4 2 3 3 13
Two Brothers 5 0 1 3 3 12
Big Cheese 3 2 1 3 2 11
Bitterne Park Hotel 3 5 0 1 2 11
Fox & Hounds 1 3 3 2 2 11
White Swan 2 0 1 5 3 11
Winning Post 1 5 1 1 3 11
Percy Arms 1 4 2 1 2 10
Exford Arms 2 4 1 1 2 10
Ark, The 1 5 0 1 2 9
Bittern 1 2 1 2 2 8
Red Lion 1 2 1 1 2 7
BEDFORD PLACE AREA (CITY CENTRE)
Alexandra 2 5 3 3 4 17
Giddy Bridge 6 0 2 3 6 17
Kellys 6 2 2 3 2 15
Wine Bar, The 5 1 3 4 2 15
Bedford's 1 4 3 4 2 14
Reflex 2 3 1 6 2 14
Cricketers 3 2 2 3 3 13
Pensioners Arms 1 4 2 3 3 13
Fitzhugh 1 3 3 3 2 12
Mono 1 2 3 4 2 12
Varsity 1 1 4 4 2 12
Avondale House 4 2 2 3 0 11
Orange Rooms 0 2 2 5 2 11
Lizard Lounge 1 3 2 3 1 10
Seymours 1 2 2 3 2 10
Red Lion 1 1 1 3 3 9
Apartment 26 0 2 1 4 0 7
Chambers 0 1 3 2 1 7
Dock O' The Bay 1 0 1 2 2 6
CITY CENTRE (CENTRAL AREA)
Bar Risa 6 2 3 3 2 16
Firehouse 1 5 2 2 3 13
Que Pasa 2 2 2 2 2 10
Yates 1 0 3 3 2 9
Hogshead 1 1 1 3 3 9
CITY CENTRE (EAST & NORTH AREA)
Eagle 5 5 2 3 3 18
Angel 3 5 4 2 3 17
Royal Oak 1 6 4 3 2 16
Anchor (East Street) 1 1 1 4 3 10
Lord Palmerston 1 5 1 1 2 10
Jones Wine Bar 1 2 1 3 2 9
Goblets 1 1 4 3 4 13
Square (The) 1 2 3 5 2 13
Flares 6 2 0 3 2 13
Old Fat Cat 1 3 1 3 2 10
Hamptons 1 2 2 3 1 9
Whitehouse 2 2 1 2 2 9
Poletric 2 0 0 2 2 6
CITY CENTRE (SOUTH AREA)
Standing Order 6 0 2 2 6 16
Court Jester 1 4 3 4 3 15
Platform Tavern 1 2 4 4 4 15
Red Lion (High Street) 0 2 3 6 4 15
Cork & Bottle 6 1 2 3 2 14
Duke of Wellington 1 0 3 5 5 14
Grapes, The 0 4 3 3 4 14
Bosun's Locker 3 2 2 2 4 13
Ferryman & Firkin 5 4 1 1 2 13
London Hotel 0 3 3 4 3 13
Bar Coda 3 1 1 3 2 10
Bar Ice 1 2 2 3 2 10
Endeavour 1 1 2 3 3 10
Frog & Frigate 1 4 1 2 2 10
Fruit Style Bar 1 2 2 4 1 10
Dockgate 4 0 1 2 4 2 9
Pitcher & Piano 1 0 2 4 2 9
Walkabout 1 3 1 2 2 9
Banana Wharf 0 0 2 4 2 8
Ceno 1 0 2 3 2 8
White Star 1 0 2 3 2 8
Oxfords Wine Bar 0 0 2 4 1 7
Willows 0 0 1 3 3 7
C Breeze 0 0 1 2 3 6
CITY CENTRE (WEST AREA)
Cucchini's 0 0 2 3 1 6
Encore 4 4 3 3 3 17
Hotshots 5 5 1 4 2 17
Quayside 2 3 1 4 2 12
Bambuubar 2 2 1 3 2 10
Joe Daflos 0 0 2 4 1 7
FREEMANTLE
Englishman Inn 2 5 4 3 3 17
Wellington Arms 4 1 3 4 5 17
Park Hotel 6 4 2 3 1 16
Waterloo Arms 4 1 3 3 5 16
Anchor & Hope 2 5 3 3 2 15
Regents Park 3 4 3 2 3 15
Freemantle 2 3 2 4 3 14
Pig & Whistle 1 5 3 3 2 14
Duchess Of Wellington 1 3 2 2 4 12
Stile 1 3 3 3 2 12
Osbourne, The 1 4 1 3 2 11
Rover 1 3 3 2 2 11
Freemantle Arms 1 1 2 3 3 10
Bald Faced Stag 1 2 2 2 2 9
Key & Anchor 1 2 1 3 2 9
HIGHFIELD
Stile (Highfield) 3 3 3 3 4 16
Crown Inn 1 2 3 4 4 14
Crown & Sceptre 1 3 2 3 3 12
Gate (Highfield) 1 4 2 2 3 12
Highfield 1 4 1 3 3 12
Cowherds 2 0 2 4 3 11
LORDSHILL
Sporting View 4 4 3 4 3 18
Malvern 2 3 3 3 3 14
Balmoral 4 2 1 3 3 13
Woodman 2 4 2 3 2 13
Mountbatten 3 2 2 2 3 12
Horns Inn 2 0 3 2 4 11
Four Horseshoes 1 0 2 3 4 10
Bowlers 1 2 2 2 2 9
MILLBROOK
Millbrook            
Ice House 2 5 3 4 3 17
King George 1 4 3 3 3 14
Bricklayer's Arms 1 5 1 2 3 12
Bush Inn 1 5 2 2 2 12
Ship Inn 1 0 2 5 4 12
Anchor 2 1 2 2 3 10
Saints 2 2 1 0 1 6
PORTSWOOD
South Western Arms 2 5 5 5 6 23
Junction Inn 3 5 4 4 4 20
Mitre 2 5 3 3 3 16
Drummond Arms 1 5 3 3 3 15
Bridge Inn 3 3 2 3 3 14
Gordon Arms 2 3 3 3 3 14
Richmond Inn 1 2 3 4 4 14
Talking Heads 2 2 3 2 4 13
Terminal 2 2 3 3 3 13
Waggoners Arms 3 2 3 2 2 12
St Denys 3 2 3 2 1 11
SHIRLEY
Windsor Castle 5 5 3 3 3 19
Shield & Dagger 3 5 2 3 4 17
Park Inn 2 3 3 3 4 15
Brightwater Inn 6 0 0 3 5 14
Crown Inn 1 2 3 4 4 14
Bellemoor Tavern 1 2 2 4 4 13
Brass Monkey 2 5 1 4   12
Manor, The 1 4 2 3 2 12
Blue Keys 1 2 1 3 4 11
Griffin 2 3 1 3 2 11
Salisbury Arms 0 2 3 3 3 11
Winston 1 4 2 2 2 11
King's Arms 1 2 2 2 2 9
SHOLING
Earl Of Locksley 2 3 3 3 4 15
Millers Pond 2 3 2 4 4 15
Bulls Eye 1 5 3 3 2 14
Hinkler 1 5 1 3 2 12
Spike Islander 1 2 3 3 2 11
Gardener's Arms 1 2 2 2 2 9
Chamberlayne Arms 1 2 1 2 2 8
ST MARY'S
Chapel Arms 2 3 3 2 3 13
King Alfred 1 3 2 3 3 12
Kolebka 1 3 1 3 3 11
Plume Of Feathers 2 3 3 1 2 11
Queensland Tavern 3 3 1 1 2 10
Kingsland Tavern 1 3 2 1 2 9
Waterfront 1 2 1 2 3 9
Zeb 0 1 1 5 2 9
Isobar 1 0 1 3 2 7
SWAYTHLING
Stoneham Arms 3 4 2 3 3 15
Fleming Arms 1 1 2 4 4 12
WOOLSTON
Swan (Woolston) 1 6 4 3 5 19
Yacht Tavern 1 5 3 3 3 15
Grove Tavern 2 3 3 2 3 13
Bridge (Woolston) 2 1 2 4 3 12
Pear Tree Inn 1 5 2 2 2 12
Victoria Inn 2 5 2 1 2 12
Obelisk 1 3 1 2 4 11
Manor House (Woolston) 2 2 1 1 2 8