Private Dining in Southampton
A Georgian town house for 8 to 40 guests: one table, a menu written for it and a speakeasy bar to yourselves — dinner that becomes an evening.
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40
Guests, at most
A dinner for eight or a party for forty. One booking at a time: nobody at the next table but your own.
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3
Rooms, one speakeasy
Orchidée upstairs, Maison D’Or below, Nocturne for the first and last drink. Take one, or close the front door on all of them.
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9
Rooms next door
No.4 Carlton Boutique Hotel. The last taxi can wait until morning.
Your table. Your menu. Your evening.
In most of Southampton, private dining means the room at the back of a restaurant. At Maison Carlton it means a Georgian town house on Carlton Crescent with the front door closed: your own dining room, a menu written for your table, a speakeasy bar downstairs, and nine bedrooms next door for whoever stays late.
Birthdays with a zero on the end. Anniversaries. Engagement dinners, christening lunches, the table for the family after a funeral. Or no occasion at all except twelve people you like and a kitchen that has cooked for you before. The chef is in the house, the host stays with your table all evening, and nothing about the night is templated.
Personal. Elegant. Entirely yours.
One long table for twenty, rounds for forty, or six in the window
Orchidée on the first floor and Maison D’Or on the ground floor: two dining rooms with tall Georgian windows, herringbone floors and candlelight, set the way you want them. Linen, flowers, place cards and a printed menu with your name on it come as standard.
Written for your table, not printed for everyone
Three courses, a sharing feast or a tasting menu with the chef in the room. Seasonal, Hampshire-led, cooked in the house and served at your pace. Wines by the bottle or paired by the glass, and champagne from the first minute if you’d like it.
It doesn’t have to end with the coffee
An aperitif in Nocturne before you sit down; the bar to yourselves after. Live jazz if you want it, a nightcap under the lamps, and the stairs to No.4 next door instead of a taxi rank.
Whatever you’re marking, there’s a room for it
Six things people book the house for. The seventh is dinner for no reason at all, and we like those best.
Milestone birthdays
Thirty, fifty or ninety: one table for everyone who matters, a cake from your baker or ours, and a bar that stays open after the speeches.
Anniversaries
The dinner you never quite get round to. Two of you in the window at Nocturne, or the whole family in Orchidée for the golden one.
Engagement & pre‑wedding dinners
Both families at one table before the big day, drinks in the speakeasy after, and the crescent outside for the photographs. Our weddings page takes it from here.
Christenings & baby showers
A long lunch in Maison D’Or or an afternoon tea in Orchidée, high chairs and a quiet corner included. Prosecco for the grown-ups, something pink or blue for the cake.
Hen parties
Not a pub crawl. Champagne afternoon tea, a cocktail masterclass in Nocturne, dinner in Orchidée, and nine rooms next door for the ones who came from London.
Celebrations of life
A private room, a simple lunch, a host who has done this before and no music unless you’d like it. The quiet rooms of the house, for a quiet day.
Private dining rooms in Southampton, four ways
Nobody should have to enquire to find out what dinner costs. Four starting points, each with a price on it and a list of what’s included; the rest is shaped around your table, and a written proposal follows within 24 hours.
The Lunch
- Private use of Maison D’Or (up to 30) or Orchidée (up to 40) for the afternoon
- Two-course seasonal lunch written for your table, with a third course if you’d like it
- A glass of prosecco or a Maison Spritz on arrival
- Linen, flowers and place cards; tea and coffee to finish
- A dedicated host for the afternoon
- For christenings, birthdays, retirements and the family lunch that turns into dinner
The Dinner
- Champagne or a signature cocktail on arrival in Bar Nocturne
- Three-course seasonal dinner written for your table, cooked in the house
- Linen, candlelight, flowers, place cards and a printed menu with your name on it
- A dedicated host from the first glass to the last
- Nocturne open to your party after dinner: cocktails, a late bar, live jazz on request
- Add wine pairings, a cheese course or your own cake, served with coffee
The Chef’s Table
- One table in Maison D’Or, a door from the kitchen
- Five-course tasting menu written with you in the weeks before, around the season and what you love
- The chef introduces each course at the table
- Aperitif and canapés in Nocturne; a digestif at the bar to finish
- Wine pairing by the glass, from £55 per person
- For people who order the tasting menu everywhere they go
The House
- Exclusive use of Orchidée, Maison D’Or and Bar Nocturne from six until midnight
- Champagne reception, three-course dinner, and the bar to yourselves with a bartender
- Live jazz set in Nocturne; your playlist the rest of the night
- Add all nine rooms at No.4 Carlton next door (sleeps up to 18) and breakfast together in Maison D’Or: from £8,500
- Two planning meetings and a run-through the week before
Prices include VAT. Minimum numbers apply (eight for lunch and dinner; twelve in Orchidée on Fridays and Saturdays) and there is no separate room-hire charge on a package. A deposit secures your date; the payment schedule and the final-numbers date are set out in your proposal.
Cocktails & canapés in Nocturne
Hen parties, engagement drinks, the birthday that doesn’t want a sit-down dinner.
Exclusive use of the speakeasy for 10 to 30: a signature cocktail on arrival, canapés from the kitchen, a bartender who remembers names, and a live jazz set if you’d like one.
From £55 per person TBC
Ask about Nocturne receptionsOne address, from the first glass to breakfast
The first glass
Coats taken; a Maison Rose or a French 75 poured in Nocturne. Nobody queues at a bar.
Up to Orchidée
The candles are lit, the place cards are out and your name is on the menu.
The table
Three courses cooked in the house and served at your pace. Speeches optional, seconds encouraged.
The cake
Brought in with the coffee. Or the cheese, if that’s more your family.
Back down to Nocturne
The bar is yours: a nightcap, a live set, the conversation that finally gets going.
The stairs, not a taxi
Rooms next door at No.4 for whoever wants the night to end slowly.
Breakfast together
Maison D’Or the morning after. Coffee first, the debrief later.
Two dining rooms, a speakeasy and the whole house
Private dining at Maison Carlton moves through the house: the first drink in the bar, dinner upstairs or in the morning room, the last hour back in Nocturne. Take one room or all of them.
Orchidée
Graceful Georgian proportions, a herringbone floor and light from tall sash windows. One long table for twenty, rounds for forty, or a single table of twelve in the middle of the room with the chandelier to yourselves.
View spaceMaison D’Or
The heart of the house, a door from the kitchen. Long lunches, family dinners and the chef’s table happen here; so does breakfast the morning after.
View spaceBar Nocturne
Step back to the 1920s. Low light, polished glassware and jazz drifting through the room: the setting for the aperitif, the cocktail party and the last hour of the night.
View spaceThe whole house
Close the front door on the crescent and the house is yours from six until midnight, with nine bedrooms next door if the party wants a morning after.
See The HouseCandlelight, Georgian windows and a very good bar
Two town houses on the finest street in the city, photographed as they are: the dining rooms, the speakeasy and the crescent outside the door.
Photography by Jenny Appleton and Maison Carlton
Next door on the crescent
Stay next door
Nine individually designed rooms — two Deluxe, five Superior Deluxe and two Executive King — in the Georgian town house next door. Book two for the grandparents, or take all nine and the birthday lasts the weekend: dinner in Orchidée, a nightcap in Nocturne and breakfast together in Maison D’Or.
“The breakfast was absolutely superb, with a great selection of high-quality food and excellent service.”DRD01 · Tripadvisor · June 2026
“Beautifully styled and you immediately feel the zen. There are only nine rooms so it’s very intimate.”Lorri H · Tripadvisor · August 2026
“The staff made me feel at home.”Stefy O · Tripadvisor · September 2026
“The cutest, best room I’ve ever stayed at. Perfect in every category.”Julie J · Tripadvisor · August 2026
Guest reviews of No.4 Carlton Boutique Hotel. Read them all
Questions hosts ask us
The practical answers: numbers, minimum spend, menus, cake and music, pricing, timings and how to find us. Anything else, call the events team on +44 (0)23 8110 2222.
Ask a questionHow many guests can Maison Carlton host for private dining?
From 8 to 40 seated: up to 40 in Orchidée, up to 30 in Maison D’Or, and up to 50 for a standing reception across the house. We host one private party at a time, so there is nobody at the next table but your own.
For six or seven, ask about the chef’s table in Maison D’Or or a reserved table in Nocturne.
Is there a minimum spend or a room-hire charge?
Our private dining is priced per person, with minimum numbers of eight for lunch and dinner and twelve in Orchidée on Fridays and Saturdays. There is no separate room-hire charge when you take a package; exclusive use of the house is priced as a whole. TBC
How does private dining at Maison Carlton work?
It starts with a conversation: the occasion, the numbers, the style of dining you have in mind. Within 24 hours you have a written proposal with a room, a sample menu and a price.
We agree the menu together in the weeks before, take pre-orders and dietary requirements two weeks out, and on the night your host looks after the room while you look after your guests. TBC
Can we choose the menu, and do you cater for dietary requirements?
Yes to both. Every menu is written for your table, whether three courses, a sharing feast or a tasting menu. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergen-aware dishes are written in from the start, and a children’s menu is available. Send requirements with your final numbers and the kitchen does the rest.
Can we bring our own cake, flowers or music?
Cake, yes: we serve it with coffee and there is no cake charge. Flowers and decorations, yes, and we can arrange them for you. Music: your playlist on the Sonos throughout the house, a pianist or a jazz trio in Nocturne on request.
Both houses are listed Georgian buildings on a residential crescent, so music stays inside and we don’t host DJs. TBC
What does private dining cost?
Lunches from £65 per person, dinners from £95, the chef’s table from £150 and exclusive use of the house from £6,500, all including VAT. TBC
Every “from” price includes the room, the food and the styling listed in the package; drinks, wine pairings and rooms next door are added to your proposal. A deposit secures the date.
Can we book drinks and canapés only, for a hen party or engagement drinks?
Yes. Nocturne can be yours for 10 to 30 guests, with a signature cocktail on arrival, canapés from the kitchen and a bartender for the evening, from £55 per person. TBC A cocktail masterclass or a champagne afternoon tea in Orchidée can come first.
How late can the evening go?
Dinners usually run until midnight, with the bar in Nocturne serving until then. TBC Guests staying next door at No.4 can carry on quietly in the lounge; everyone else gets a taxi from the door.
Where are you, and is there parking?
3 Carlton Crescent is a ten-minute walk from Southampton Central, twenty minutes’ drive from Winchester and the New Forest, and a short taxi from the cruise terminals. On-street parking and public car parks are close by. TBC
Both houses are listed Georgian buildings: Orchidée is on the first floor by the main staircase and Maison D’Or on the ground floor, so tell us about any access needs and we’ll plan around them.
Can we see the rooms before we book?
Yes. Viewings Monday to Saturday, usually with a glass of something, and a same-week viewing is normally possible. Use the form below or call +44 (0)23 8110 2222.
Tell us about the occasion
A few details and we’ll reply within four working hours, Monday to Saturday, with dates, a written proposal and an invitation to see the rooms.
We reply within 4 working hours-
+44 (0)23 8110 2222Events team, Monday to Saturday
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events@maisoncarlton.comBrochure requests and proposals
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3 Carlton Crescent, Southampton SO15 2EYViewings by appointment
Thank you
Your enquiry is with our events team. You’ll hear from us within four working hours, Monday to Saturday, with dates and a proposal. In the meantime, the private dining brochure is on its way to your inbox.
Your email app has opened with the enquiry ready to go to events@maisoncarlton.com. Press send and we’ll reply within four working hours, Monday to Saturday.
Open the brochure now