Food & Drink Experiences

Poole and the surrounding area have a fantastic reputation for hospitality, so it’s no surprise that when it comes to all things food and drink, visitors and locals are spoilt for choice. Whether it’s learning to cook, sampling a celebrity chef’s exciting new creations, or tasting locally brewed tipples, you’ll find it all here.

For many years, the internationally respected hospitality and catering courses at Bournemouth and Poole College have produced the next generation of chefs and hotel managers. With such a vast range of restaurants and hotels in the area, it’s no surprise that many ex-students forge their careers here too. Here’s a selection of what Poole has to offer for the food and drink lover.

Celebrity Chefs

Being so close to the coast, we have some fantastic seafood restaurants to choose from.  Mitch Tonks set up his first seafood restaurant, Rockfish, in Dartmouth, and he has now come to Poole. They use great-tasting local fish cooked expertly and simply. Set in the beautiful old pottery building, they serve freshly caught sole, bream, mackerel, monkfish, and pollack, as well as traditional fish and chips. The wine is tailored to go perfectly with your choice of fish. A winning combination.

Not far away at Sandbanks, we have Rick Stein's restaurant. With fantastic views over the water to Poole Harbour, you can relax and enjoy crab wakame and sahimi of salmon, sea bass, and mackerel, along with classics such as Dover sole a la Meuniere.

Feeling inspired? Try creative cookery

If you’re feeling inspired and fancy learning the art of cooking, Julia’s kitchen cookery school based in Poole offers various classes, including Italian, Indian, Thai, or Mexican. Why not learn how to make the perfect pizza while enjoying a delicious glass of wine with some friends?

Independent restaurants

If you want somewhere with a historical feel and a fabulous dining experience, then try the Merchants Cellar in the Blue Boar & Mercants Cellar. It’s an 18^thcentury vaulted wine cellar providing a wonderful atmosphere for dining. They provide a charcuterie, wine, and cheese bar selection, along with drinks. What better way to celebrate with friends and family?

Carrying on with the historical theme, The Guildhall Tavern has a seafood restaurant and lounge. Winners of multiple awards, they are situated on beautiful Poole Quay.  Enjoy locally landed fish, crab, and lobster prepared in French style.

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Afternoon tea

Poole is literally brimming with places to enjoy a special afternoon tea with friends or your family. The historic quayside has some great choices for afternoon tea, and there are some good hotels with fabulous views to enjoy. Many cafes also offer takeout teas, so you can enjoy a private picnic on the beach or in the gorgeous Poole Park.

Microbreweries, wine and gin tastings and more!

An appreciation of craft ales, microbreweries, gin combinations, and mixology is huge in the area, so you can sample the latest cosmopolitan trends in a seaside setting. The town is also a great base for discovering the weird and wonderful brews of rural Dorset; perhaps take a trip across to the Purbecks or venture further afield into Wiltshire and Somerset.

Poole Hill Brewery is home to Southbourne Ales, an iconic brewer in the are, known for their brewery tours, live music, and multi-award-winning ales.

The Brewhouse and Kitchen have multiple locations in Bournemouth, Southbourne, and Poole. They offer a tempting range of tasty meals as well as an on-site microbrewery that produces artisan ales to try. You can book one of their masterclass experiences and learn the science behind brewing, beer, food matching, and gin.

If wine is your thing then visit English Oak Vineyard just outside Poole for a tour of their vineyards and a picnic amongst the vines.

Gin lovers are really spoilt for choice in Bournemouth and the surrounding area, with a popular gin bar in nearby Wimborne. Local artisan gin producers have been inspired by our beautiful surroundings and produced Lilliput Gin, Pothecary Gin and Conker Gin, and slightly further afield in the New Forest, Dancing Cows is rapidly growing a following.

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