Urban Reef

I have dined here many times, and recently it has got even better. A recent dinner yielded asparagus bundled in proscuitto with sheese and a runny egg on top. This was followed by rabbit stuffed with hog, which was cooked to perfection. Rabbit isn’t on menus enough in my view. Others were equally happy with their choices. Lovely fruity Viognier wine, too. I didn’t pay this time so I can’t say how much, but I know from experience it isn’t cheap. But at this standard it can’t be, really. Sunny views over the bay, good food, fine wine — what more could you ask? Get down there, before they change the chef!

Visiting Urban Reef is like watching a Lord of the Rings movie. Sure it’s aesthetically pleasing, well staged and exciting on the surface ultimately it is an overly, under engaging, dragged out affair.
I once spent forty minutes waiting for the bill for a coffee, I’ve also waited 10 minutes to be seated when I could see open tables.
I feel, like Peter Jackson and last Hobbit film, with its coastal position and lack of competition they really don’t need to try. Tourists will eat and drink here regardless and to be honest, on a summers day it is hard to beat.
That’s not to say it’s all bad. The restaurant’s food is great, if a little pricey and the Thursday night quiz needs to be seen to be believed.

I was very dissapointed with this establishment. The restaurant has a great location with outdoor seating that gives your great views of the beach. We were both very excited to try the cocktails and specials the restaurant had to offer. I ordered the «allagator margarita» and STAY AWAY from this drink! All their cocktails had a description of what is included in the drink and apparently my margarita came with chilli! my drink was EXTREMLY spicy so i asked the waitress if that was normal for my drink and her answer was that yea they should put the chili on the menu, and they didnt even offer to replace our drinks considering its their fault and simply said «hope its drinkable» so that was 7 pounds down the drain. The food was tasty but a bit overpriced i thought. Also, i asked for another cocktail because the one i had was undrinkable they completely forgot about it. I would stay away from this place to be honest or maybe stay away from the cocktails!

This is somewhere that I frequent often through the year and as the sister restaurant to the fabulous Urban Beach, owned by local Mark Cribbs, this has been one of the best additions to Bournemouth in the last five years.
The vibe is surfer cool and relaxing during the day, with live music downstairs on some evenings. Food is locally sourced where they can, with regular specials on the menu that are always yummy. Wine list isn’t extensive, but covers most palates — although the cocktails or are well worth a try too.
The majority of their serving staff are the happiest chappies/​chappesses I’ve ever come across, and seem to be specifically chosen for their friendly manner and positive attitude.
However. the best thing about this place is the view — straight out onto the beach either from the ‘bistro’ type setup and decking downstairs, or from the newly built restaurant decking upstairs.
To top it all off, they really do seem to want feedback and always respond when you give it — usually with an email from the Owner himself who seems to be incredibly involved in making both of his restaurants as great as possible — for us locals as well as the tourists.

Great location with unobscured views of the beach. Food is average, and the service a bit worse. Still, it’s about hanging out on a nice summer’s day, and in that regard Urban Reef shines.