The White Star Tavern, Southampton
📍 0.7 miles from St. Mary's Stadium
About this Pub
Why it's great for Matchdays
On matchdays, White Star Tavern works well as a neutral pre-/post-game base: it shows live football (e.g., listed fixtures on its own events page) and serves food all day, so you can eat before or after the game. It sits on Oxford Street in the city centre, and away-fan guides report using it, with an estimated 15–20 minute walk to St Mary’s Stadium from the area—handy if you want to stroll to the ground with time to spare.
Recent Fan Reviews
Positives: Really comfortable. Great location. Fantastic breakfast. Thoughtful extras.||Negatives: Poor evening meal. Noise at night. Stairs if you are disabled.||The White Star is a great place to stay a few days in Southampton whether for a break or a few days before/after a cruise (which seems to be popular). The rooms are small but clean, comfortable and well appointed. Tea and coffee making is improved on the general fare by the provision of real milk in the fridge in the room and a pod coffee machine. The location is perfect for exploring Southampton on foot with a short stroll to museums or to explore the Old town and walls. Oxford Street itself is vibrant and lively but that does mean you will have noise at night. You may need to use earplugs. There were some thoughtfully provided. It is a listed building so that means stairs. Rooms over three floors of narrow staircases it is not a good choice for the disabled. If you can manage them though it just adds to the charm. Check in was welcoming and simple with friendly staff. Breakfast was excellent, plentiful and great quality. The morning staff were really friendly and helpful. ||I cannot however recommend the evening meals. We only tried it once to see food go back to the kitchen for not being warm enough and then have it returned with a statement from the chef that it was. Not much fun for the woman young involved especially as it was a burger she asked to be cooked through - yes rare in the middle burgers are a thing but some prefer them better cooked and this can be essential if you are pregnant. My own fish that evening was translucent and grey but apparently this was properly cooked too according to the chef. I know nothing about fish clearly and must be growing senile in my mid sixties. The fact I first learned to fillet and prepare cod on the docks at Grimsby more almost fifty years ago shows how out of touch I am. That’s by the by though. Most establishments would simply have tried to please the customer but sometimes arrogance is king.
The check in process was very easy, just took us some time to find the place because we thought it is separated from the pub but the reception is actually right in it so just walk straight in! Room was very cozy and equipped, very thoughtful to provide us with all the basic amenities plus additional items such as water, beer, milk, chocolate, coffee for coffee machine and even a postcard! Staff was really friendly and helpful as well. The breakfast was also really amazing - you get to choose a main and a drink from their breakfast menu on top of a mini buffet spread that offered some really good pastries, salamis, cheese and more, so be sure to leave some extra time in the morning to enjoy it!However, there was a club opposite the place that was opened slightly pass midnight when we were there and if you're a light sleeper be sure to pack some ear plugs to go to sleep early. One of the corners of the wall also had a slight mold issue because the condensation from the bathroom must have caused that in the long run but it shouldn't be a huge concern though it will be nice if that gets fixed!
We had the most amazing girls dinner at The White Star Tavern in Southampton, and honestly, everything was incredible. The service was warm and attentive from start to finish, the ambiance was cosy yet stylish, and the food completely exceeded expectations. The prawns were cooked to perfection, fresh, juicy and full of flavour, the lamb was unbelievably soft and absolutely bursting with rich, delicious flavours. And the desserts… wow! The perfect ending to an already fantastic meal. All in all, such a lovely spot for dinner, drinks and catching up with friends. I’ll happily return here again and again.
Super cute little hotel above a restaurant also run by the staff. The room had everything we needed including some tea, coffee, biscuits, a couple water bottles, a jar of milk and a beer. It was clean and we also enjoyed the game room/sitting area they had available for guests. My only recommendation would be to update the mattress as it definitely felt worn. The hotel is in a cute, lively part of Southampton that has several restaurants all along the block. It got a bit noisy on Friday and Saturday night but settled down around 11pm and the windows did a decent job at cutting the noise from the street. The hotel staff were very friendly and kind and we ate at the restaurant several times. The breakfast was excellent as you can order from their menu as well as choose from some continental options they have available. We also very much enjoyed the dinners we had as well. The food is high quality overall. Definitely would stay again if ever in the area. We also enjoyed how close it was to the cruise port (just a quick taxi ride away).
We are staying here prior to getting on our cruise ship. Rooms are a tad small but have all of the amenities. Great history too! Bar is nice and the food is great. Staff is super friendly and always smiling. There is no elevator, so hauling all your bags up 4 flights of tight stairwells is a bit exhausting. I would definitely recommend and return.