Top Restaurants in Christchurch
Where to Eat in Christchurch: The Best Restaurants and Bars
Discover the best restaurant in Christchurch, United Kingdom (UK) including Splinters, Lord Bute Restaurant, The Rising Sun Thai & Pan-Asian, Similan Thai, The Jetty, Brown's Fish & Chips, The Cliff House Restaurant, The Noisy Lobster at Avon Beach, Stewarts Christchurch Garden Centre, Coast Coffee
Things to do in Christchurch
1. Splinters
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 327 reviews
Splinters is the ideal place for you to enjoy a first class dining experience in our private dining restaurant situated on the cobbled street leading to Christchurch's Priory.Specialising in modern international cuisine, our chefs and professional staff will certainly make your visit to us a memorable one.We will first welcome you to the bar where you can quietly peruse the excellent food and wine menus. When you are ready, you will be shown through to one of our intimate dining rooms, each with their own distinctive style, to enjoy your meal in a relaxed and unrushed atmosphere.We have worked hard to earn our reputation with our patrons who enjoy dining out on fine food. Our proximity to the Priory makes Splinters an extremely popular choice for wedding receptions. The same private rooms also make an excellent business meeting and seminar facility.Whatever the occasion, you can be assured you will receive our full and professional attention to making sure you enjoy your time with us.The owners, Paul and Agnes Putt, look forward to welcoming you to Splinters.
Reviewed By Helen G
Several years ago we had a holiday home in the area & this used to be our ‘go to’ favourite restaurant for all special occasions, including celebrating my 40th birthday here with a group of friends.
Having recently come back to the area we decided to try it again, with friends, & see if it lived up to our old memories.
The decor hasn’t really changed at all & it all felt wonderfully familiar. The menu was still varied & interesting, with plenty of choices & we struggled to choose.
Two of us chose the cheese soufflé to start, which was delicious & creamy & the others had the duck wontons & the seafood to start, both of which they thoroughly enjoyed. For mains 2 had the steaks, which were so tender they cut through like butter! I had the chicken breast that came with the most sublime crisp & flavoursome mushroom tart. My husband had the pork, which he said was excellent. We indulged in the most delightful assiette desserts (always our favourite treat) which gave us a scrumptious taste of all their puds! The only thing missing off it was the caramelised pineapple, which we were told by the lovely Agnes, was to die for! So being greedy, we ordered this afterwards to share & she was correct!
We choose lovely wines to accompany all courses & finished off with coffee & petit fours.
We had a wonderful evening. The staff were warm & friendly & it was lovely to see Agnes still there, with her brilliant sense of humour & great welcome.
It was so heartening to see this place hasn’t changed a bit & still lives up to our fond memories. We had a wonderful evening & delicious food. We will definitely be back again & again.
With all the ‘chain’ type restaurants in Christchurch it’s great to still have this one off; friendly, cosy place that serves excellent food & a welcoming atmosphere!
Thank you for a great evening!
2. Lord Bute Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 415 reviews
Reviewed By 444lbiles - Bournemouth, United Kingdom
The experience at The Lord Bute was wonderful, from beginning to end. It was a full restaurant and considering that the staff were amazing, especially the tall waitress with blonde hair. She catered us to everything we desired. Excellent food and service, overall a fantastic evening.
3. The Rising Sun Thai & Pan-Asian
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 365 reviews
winner of Best pub or wine bar and Best business lunch, the Rising Sun Thai Restaurant in Christchurch is the place to eat drink and enjoy. Come and experience the best in pan asian cuisine with drinking premium brand spirits, top wines or maybe a nice real ale.
Reviewed By Sue and Brett J - Dorset
We visited this restaurant for my husbands birthday meal but were unable to get a seat in the main restaurant. We decided on the bar as we do like the food at this place and to be honest we enjoyed the Seating area very much - a little quieter. The food was as usual excellent, wine tasty and service excellent. Thank you to all the staff.
4. Similan Thai
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 218 reviews
Reviewed By Lisa A - Palma de Mallorca, Spain
The food in this restaurant is wonderful. Full of flavour and authenticity. Polite but not intrusive service. Made to feel very welcome. Lovely experience.
5. The Jetty
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Tim F - Ringwood, United Kingdom
Haven’t been for a couple of years and delighted to find the Jetty is just as good. Superb food and great service and atmosphere. It’s quite something to have as much care taken with the bread they make as the main food treats. Every element is crafted with expert skill. Glad to be able to revisit the joy of Alex Aitkens signature passion fruit soufflé, possibly my favourite desert of all time! I could have happily spent the evening eating Dorset oysters, great bread and had several soufflés!
6. Brown's Fish & Chips
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 327 reviews
Reviewed By John C - Highcliffe, United Kingdom
Our Highcliffe fish and chip shop is very good but now we've found an even better one.
Brown's at Somerford has a very small restaurant attached to the takeaway. Early on a Friday lunchtime, many tables were already reserved. It's very popular with locals who often reserve on a regular basis so it's not uncommon to be asked to share.
Large Cod was reasonably priced and perfectly cooked in 'light' batter. Other batter options were available including gluten free. Chips were excellent. A portion of mushy peas was shared.
The lunchtime offer of hake and chips with a hot drink, peas and bread/butter looked very good value. Our only slight disappointment was that we didn't really like the blend of tea. We had a really nice one later at Stewarts (hint, hint..).
Service was very friendly and efficient. Looks like this will become our regular f & c lunchtime haunt - but we must remember to book.
7. The Cliff House Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 536 reviews
Reviewed By Lucy S - London, United Kingdom
Lovely choice of drinks esp local gin, at the bar whilst waiting. Lovely makerel fillet fillet to start, super roasts with fantastic gravy! A good wine list, not too long . I'm not usually one for pud but these, see pictures, we're fantastic. It's a lovely setting. Service was exceptional. Thanks
8. The Noisy Lobster at Avon Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
The restaurant at Avon Beach - now known as the Noisy Lobster - offers breakfast, lunch, light bites and dinner where patrons can enjoy one of the best views in the area.At the Avon Beach resort we also offer beach huts, an ice-cream parlour, seaside shop and takeaway cabin with a decking area to enjoy a great day at the beach.
Reviewed By Linda C - Christchurch, United Kingdom
The Kiosk was closed but the restaurant sells most off the menu as a take away at the same price. Friendly service, cooked to order so lovely and hot and fresh! I had the fish and chips for £7.50 excellent value. Plenty of Seating outside overlooking the sea, or just go and sit on the beach! Can really recommend.
9. Stewarts Christchurch Garden Centre
Overall Ratings
4 based on 294 reviews
Stewarts are a family-owned chain of three Garden Centres, one in Christchurch, one in Broomhill, near Wimborne and on in Titchfield, near Fareham. All have excellent Coffee Shops with 5 star ratings from the Food Standards Agency. At Stewarts Christchurch and Broomhill are open late on Thursday nights, when we have local musicians entertaining with live music. Our coffee shops close 1 hour before the Garden Centre closes. Please see our website for more details.
Reviewed By Rochelle M - Hampshire, United Kingdom
A nice spot to meet for up, lots of Seating space in three different areas within the cafe, Stewarts offers a lot of choice but the portion sizes are quite obscene in size! The store is always nice for a meanander afterwards & the facilities are good. If I were to have requests to up the rating, it would be for a better tasting coffee & overall smaller portions. Nice venue, clean, tidy with nice local service.
10. Coast Coffee
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 243 reviews
Reviewed By Arthur M - Nottingham, United Kingdom
We chanced upon this coffee bar by chance and had a great lunch there. Freshly made egg mayo sandwiches and a roll fully of crispy bacon. There were also lots of delicious cakes. The staff were friendly, the place has a great atmosphere and the prices were much better than some other places along the high street. You should note that as everything is freshly made the service is not very quick, but once the food has been prepared it is brought to your table. We noted that before 1000 you get a free toasted teacake with your coffee! We were delighted with this lucky find before visiting the Red House Museum
