The Branksome — Restaurant in England

Horrendous! We went there on Friday 13th December after our works Christmas lunch. We arrived about 4pm, there is a horrific smell from the hops brewing, but as it was so near to our office, we decided to stay. There were 5 adults (4 women and our male boss) and my colleague had to collect her daughter from school so she joined us. We ordered her a burger for her tea, which was nothing special and definitely not worth the money. The table we were sat on was reserved at 7pm which was no problem, we sat there all afternoon and even played a game of Jenga which the Barman videoed for their website!. At 7 they asked us to move table which of course we did, by this time there were only 3 of us left. One of the bar staff then told us that the child with us had to be gone by 8 o'clock, to which we said of course no problem. We had already arranged to be picked up and were just waiting for our lift! While we were waiting I went to the bar to order us one last drink. At this stage we had ordered a total of 3 rounds this would be our 4th drink .. we were not having a big drinking binge this was just a quiet afternoon off of work chatting and playing games. As I approached the bar one of the bar staff came up to me and said 'excuse me are you ordering drinks for that table there because if you are unfortunately I can't serve you'! I asked why not she then said 'one of you is very drunk and cannot be served' she then walked off. As I knew this was totally untrue, I followed her upstairs where I found her talking to a lady with glasses who I assumed was the manager or landlady. I approached them and politely said ' excuse me you I've just told me that you are unable to serve us but have not given me a valid reason why as none of us are drunk?' the manager then turned round and said .. I don't have to have a reason I just want you to leave my pub!! She was unbelievably rude and the short of it was it boiled down to the fact that they didn't want the 7 year old child in there any more. Even though she had been as good as gold. The Manager made some flippant remarks about how a child shouldn't be in here at this time .. a seven year old at 7.15 who had eaten a meal!! They could have politely advised us that they would have preferred us to leave with the child and we would have understood, instead they accused us of being drunk when we weren't and totally humiliated us... Not a good way to treat customers who have been spending money in your pub all afternoon!! We promptly left to save further embarrassment and went across the road to the Dancing Jug who welcomed us in served us a drink and our lift arrived less than 20 minutes later. There are quite a few of us who work opposite that used to drink in there quite often, needless to say none of us or our friends will be drinking there again! My advice if you have children or you are looking for a nice venue, with welcoming staff then avoid the Brewhouse at all cost ... Go across the road to the Dancing Jug instead, better atmosphere, better drinks, better food, better service and definitely...

This pub is an absolute gem in Bournemouth. From the moment you step inside, you’re welcomed by a warm and cosy atmosphere. The lighting, with its hanging lamps, creates just the right level of ambience—soft yet sufficient. The upper floor, accessible by a staircase, offers a great view of the lower level, adding a sense of openness to the space.

The menu has recently been updated, and I must say, it’s a fantastic improvement. I had the Crafthouse Signature Burger, Big Cheese Waffle Fries, and Buttermilk Chicken Tenders—all excellent, but the burger and chicken tenders stood out.

The Crafthouse Signature Burger is easily one of the best in Bournemouth. The patty was incredibly juicy and tender, cooked to perfection with a beautifully seared crust. The brioche bun was complementing the texture of the burger perfectly. The only slight downside was that the mustard was a bit overpowering, making it harder to fully appreciate the craft sauce, but overall, it was still a top-tier burger. The waffle fries were perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, just as they should be. The buttermilk chicken tenders had an amazing crunch while remaining moist and flavourful inside—some of the best I’ve had.

The drinks selection is equally impressive. I tried their Branksome Nitro Stout, and it was spot on—rich, creamy, and silky smooth, with just the right balance of coffee and chocolate notes.

Service was outstanding, with a friendly and knowledgeable team. A special thanks to James, who was incredibly attentive and gave great recommendations. His insights into both the food and beer made the experience even better.

If you’re looking for a place in Bournemouth that combines a great pub atmosphere with seriously good food, this is the spot. Highly...

We were very disappointed by the service and the food when we were here. Me and my girlfriend came here as part of a holiday before I'm deployed oversea's When we arrived there was no one at the welcome area. Which meant we had go find someone to book us in for are booking after 10 minutes of waiting where signs told us too. Despite being seated when the floor was empty we were not got given a choice of seating and we were sat in the middle of the room by the kitchen. After being seated a while people afterwards us given a choice of where to sit even when we had reserved for a two person table like other customers. We ordered using the QR code which was very easy to use and very user friendly even with me accidentally ordering the wrong starter the staff were more then happy to change my order if I waited which was totally my fault. After having are starters there was no gap between the course so we didn't eat much as we were still full from the starter. When ask by the waiter we said that my girlfriend drink was unbalanced and we weren't happy with the food. He said he was very sorry and after less then 2-3 minutes the manager came over and chatted with us and was very apologetic and expanded about the problems with my girlfriend cocktail and offered us a refund and free desserts. We refused the food as we couldn't eat anymore after the second between courses. After leaving we were happy with how are complaint was dealt with and how we were treated when we raised it hopefully it was just the 1 in 10 situation and that if we return the food and service is...