Poole · Dorset

Food & Drink in Poole

Seafood landed a few hundred metres from where you eat it, harbourside terraces, village bistros and a strong independent coffee scene.

Poole eats well for a town its size, and the reason is partly geographical: this is a working fishing port, so the shellfish and the day boat catch do not travel far before they reach a kitchen.

The Quay

Poole Quay is where the boats land and where most visitors eat, on terraces looking at the water. It is busiest in summer and the view is part of what you are paying for. The Old Town immediately behind it has smaller rooms and shorter menus.

The villages

Ashley Cross is where Poole eats when the visitors have gone home: a green with restaurants, pubs and bars and cafes round all four sides of it. Canford Cliffs is smaller, smarter and closer to the beaches.

Coffee, cake and everything else

Poole's independent coffee scene is good, and there are delis worth a detour. For something slower, see afternoon tea; for cookery classes, tastings and tours, see food and drink experiences.

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Common questions

Food & Drink in Poole questions

Where is the best seafood in Poole?

The Quay is the obvious answer, since the fishing boats land there, and several restaurants along the waterfront build their menus around what comes in. The Old Town behind it has smaller kitchens doing the same thing with fewer tables.

Where do locals eat in Poole?

Ashley Cross in Lower Parkstone is the local answer: a green ringed with independent restaurants, bars and cafes that stays busy outside the tourist season. Canford Cliffs village is the smarter version of the same idea.

Is Poole good for vegetarians and vegans?

Yes. Most kitchens now carry proper vegetarian and vegan options rather than an afterthought, and several cafes and restaurants are built around plant-based menus. See the vegetarian and vegan section.

Where can you eat with a harbour view in Poole?

Poole Quay has the concentration of waterside tables, and several pubs and restaurants on the Sandbanks peninsula and at Hamworthy look across the water rather than at it.

Planning your visit?

Where to stay in Poole

Sandbanks hotels, harbourside flats a street back from the Quay and the quieter beds out at Hamworthy and Broadstone, with the areas each one suits.

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