Best restaurants in Bournemouth

The clue’s in the name: yes, the clifftop Marriott Highcliff Hotel’s restaurant Brasserie Blanc boasts a French menu designed by Raymond Blanc himself. Come for the amazing views and chic interiors, stay for the fluffy cheese soufflé, excellent moules frites, slow-cooked beef bourguinon and chargrilled Cornish steak selected by Aubrey Allen (personal butcher to the Queen, no less). 

Matt Budden has been running the kitchen at the Hilton Bournemouth since 2015, and takes particular pride in changing the way people view everyday hotel dining. Elevating the standard are meals like chateaubriand with local Dorset watercress, glazed pork loin chop and crackling atop olive oil mash, and roasted whole mackerel served from the restaurant’s own tandoor oven.

A relaxed fusion of café, bar and deli located right on the beachfront, dog-friendly Urban Reef keeps its rotation of meals as local and ethically-sourced as possible. Enjoy the views of while tucking into options like Cornish mussels with cider-braised leeks or rib-eye steak with a side of creamy dauphinoise and watercress salad. 

Beachside bar Aruba brings a tropical Caribbean twist to the UK coast, and not just with its rum-heavy cocktail selection. If you’re feeding a crowd of 10 or more, check out the group set menu which offers a selection of tasty platters of coconut prawns, jerk chicken and signature Aruba wings at a very fair price. 

The recently refurbished, bright and breezy Brasserie at the Connaught Hotel and Spa has a menu spanning both established favourites and refreshingly modern morsels. More adventurous diners will love offerings like the pulled duck leg ragout over pappardelle pasta or chickpea tagine with orange and apricots, while others will be reassured by the presence of old faithfuls like beer battered haddock and chips, and chicken and mushroom pie.

Situated just metres from the shorefront, only the freshest catches are served up in this airy, contemporary restaurant, and you can watch your chef prepare yours thanks to the open-plan kitchen. Lunch is a simpler affair of fishcakes, fish pies and fish finger sandwiches, but dinner gets more sophisticated with delicacies like pan fried scallops and poached cod.

1805 does traditional Chinese food exceptionally well, with high quality ingredients that pack a real punch when it comes to flavour. Admire the surroundings – complete with a full-size rickshaw – as you work your way through bowls of hot and sour soup, homemade prawn curry or Cantonese-style chicken. The lunch set menus also represent great value.

The Green House Hotel’s Arbor Restaurant boasts two AA rosettes, and is the ideal destination for fine dining whether the focus is on the food, rather than excessive fuss. The sustainable, seasonal menu is crafted from as much local produce as possible: the result is outstanding dishes like slow-cooked lamb shank, smoked artichoke risotto and ‘seafood for the soul’. Don’t skip dessert – the salted caramel tart has a reputation for a reason.

Walk along the exterior of the Park Central Hotel and you’ll discover The Crab Restaurant and its extensive fish-filled menu. The options are considerable, ranging from grilled oysters Rockefeller to exquisitely fried soft shell crab, lobster thermidor basted with garlic and chilli butters to medallions of monkfish in saffron sauce. Live music from a pianist provides additional elegant ambiance.

The Libertine, in Westbourne, is a gastropub with a difference. You’re spoiled for choice with a varied menu of British classics, but if you need to whittle it down, the wood-fired pizzas and the steaks, prepared in a Josper charcoal oven, are particularly special. For events, there’s a separate, equally attractive space that can be hired for parties and private dining.