Beachcomber Cafe/Restaurant in New Forest

This used to be uour 'Go To' local. For coffee, for food, and for entertainment from time to time. However, recently it has gone downhill. Its quite 'tacky' and has become boisterous. The food is essentially cafe style, at restaurant prices, (ie Rip Off). The entertainment, when available is, bearly audible due to the noisy crowd. Best advice - go elsewhere.

I went for breakfast with friends on Sunday and we all felt disappointed. Sausages were pale in colour, fried eggs greasy and bacon barely warm, over priced for what you get. Have had much better quality breakfasts for same price in other establishments. Sadly won't be having breakfast there again.

The best in the area! I cant thank the Beachcomber and their fabulous team enough for all of there help and support for my mums surprise 70th birthday party. From the moment I spoke with Megan and booked the venue, they have been on hand to do anything, organising the food options, welcome drinks and much more. The team helped me with decorations on the night, and Sharon made an amazing cake, which didnt last long at all as it was so delicious. The bar staff were brilliant keeping the drinks flowing, a special mention to Matthew for being great behind the bar. Everyone loved the food, catering for all dietary requirements, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian and Meat options. There wasn't much left so I think that speaks for itself. If you are looking for somewhere for a special occasion, the Beachcomber is the place to go. 5 ***** Food 5 ***** Staff 5 ***** Views 5 ***** Everything Thanks again, Malc, Sharon, Megan and team. x

We have visited here for what will probably be the last time I think, the prices for breakfast are now in line with restaurants which this place definitely is not! Nice friendly staff but the place is holding their loyal customers to ransom with their prices. It's a Cafe no more no less!

We've been going there for years, my wife had the special; a lamb bap. Beautifully presented but the toughest lamb she'd ever had and only managed to eat 50%!! Whilst these things happen, it was the couldn't care less attitude that spoilt it... No let me get you another, or let me knock 50% off that meal as I can see you've only eaten half of it! Nice place but VERY poor customer service!

Popped in for a coffee after being out with our dog for the day. Unfortunately we had to sit inside as it was a gloomy & windy day. The atmosphere inside was dark & gloomy, very drab & tacky and not the cosy vibes we were after. I had our tiny dog on my lap on a blanket as she wanted a little snooze after a long day. Immediately approached by a waitress to tell me that my dog wasn’t allowed to sit on my lap, yes, my lap. A very small dog sleeping on my lap! Thankfully only ordered a coffee which was swiftly taken to go. Would not return. You are either dog friendly or you’re not, and they are certainly not. Average coffee. Avoid

Beautiful views, nice big garden with plenty of tables. Staff friendly and welcoming. Service was quick. We had food from the bbq menu and the main menu. Main menu prices seem to be inline with everywhere else and food was nice. BBQ food we feel was very overpriced £10 for a hotdog which was a small sausage in a small roll, no side/garnish. All bbq food comes on its own, if you want to have sides such as chips or even a salad you have to pay for it. The value for money is the reason for the low review.

Stopped for a drink and snack, and get the dogs some water. We had a couple of pints that were served quickly via the outside ordering point, and we had a corniche pasties and prawn sandwich. Both snacks were good and tasty. Busy pub garden, but plenty of tables.

Have been here before and enjoyed it however today was disappointing. The vegetable pizza was not your normal Mediterranean Veggie Pizza. Raised the review with staff but told “this was more popular than normal Veggie pizza”. We beg to differ. Kind of want to laugh but this was not a good combo. Felt like they’d run out and thought “that’ll have to do” lol! We ate most of it because we were so hungry. Please rethink what people expect from a Veggie Pizza. Lol!!

Lovely service and brilliant views. Thought the breakfasts were brilliant for the price! Very tasty and cooked fresh to order.

We have gone to the Beachcomber many times over the past years and have always enjoyed it. Unfortunately I don’t know what has gone wrong, we went yesterday only to find that they had no decaffeinated coffee available, no Red Bush tea available and the home made Bread pudding was like a lump of stodgy setting cement. This has always been a great place to visit for a light lunch or coffee and the views are stunning but it has failed sadly. I understand if there was a delivery issue but simple stock control would prewarn if you are low on a commonly sold item.

Lovely setting at the top of the cliffs. Nice area with outside seating as well as inside. You place your order and pay and food/drink brought to your table. Sticky toffee flapjack was sheer indulgence. Staff very friendly.

Have been using the Beachcomber for a few months now, for snacks and drinks as my mum is in a care home in New Milton and it's nearby. Wheelchair friendly and lots of young people who seem quite keen to serve and not at all unhelpful. Had mother's day lunch (did pre-book). Mum and my son had the fish and chips and I had the beef roast dinner. I've heard mixed results about their roast dinner but mine was very nice indeed. 2 large pieces of beef with all the trimmings and fresh vegetables. Apple Crumble was a bit 'strange' apple I'm sure was fresh but there were no chunks of apple (filling was a bit runny) and the crumble wasn't very sweet, but that might be personal taste. Watch out for the custard though, that was definitely lumpy!! My son made the comment that it might be nice if they did Sundae's etc, - just a thought. Enjoyed ourselves though and will go again.

After a beach walk we dropped into this nice cafe. It pays to book but we still got a table. We both had a Latte and bacon sarni’s. Stfd were attentive and quick.

Yum! This place has changed a lot since we last visited and feels just a bit more restaurant than cafe now. My fish pie was absolutely delicious and my husband said his beef stew was better than the one at The Pig that same week. Veg was cooked to perfection. Slightly odd that there's now zoned eating times whereas I think it used to be an all day menu. When we arrived only snacks were available but we were made to feel very welcome and could have a drink and some chips while we waited for lunch to start. Obviously a beautiful spot, as it has always been, but the food and welcome are also excellent.

I love this cafe, having been here many times with my late Grandfather, it was one of his favourite places. My husband and I returned to remember my Grandfather with our puppy. It was cold and wet, our puppy was freezing. When I lifted him onto my lap I was told not to by the staff to have the dog at table height. Fair enough I thought, so I moved my chair away from the table to hold him, and again a member of staff told me to put him down. Such a shame, when somewhere says it’s dog friendly, but it’s not friendly at all.

Absolutely love this cafe and always visit when we're in the New Forest - great stop for coffee - and fab cake! - after a dog walk on the beach. Really dog friendly and lovely friendly staff

The location on Barton clifftop means that this place is generally always busy. It's been a while since I've been but the price to quality ratio seems to have gone a bit haywire. £21.50 for a burger & chips? £15 for a plain omelette and chips? You would perhaps understand if the quality was exceptionally good but it's just standard food. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special about it either. Feels like a very high premium for the location in my opinion.

Went for a light lunch on a cold Monday. Ordered 2 hot chocolates which were ok . Shared a ham and cheese panini. So disappointed. The ham was fatty and the cheese was almost non existent. For £ 9.00 I thought was an overpriced lunch . Have been before and had lovely sandwiches. Won’t be returning.

Although we have been in several times before,we went in for a lunchtime coffee,and we're very disappointed in the fact that we couldn't have a seat at a table even though there were at least 12 seats free. We were informed that tables are not shared by different groups.We find this very annoying as most people would be more than happy to share.We were not the only couple who were left feeling deflated,and also surely it makes sense not to loose custom

Visited for breakfast on Christmas Eve. Service and food were superb. We will definitely be returning. Nothing was too much trouble with individual requests taken care of.

Attended a Christmas meal. Starter okay. Christmas dinner -awful. The turkey was possibly processed and impossible to cut. Roast potatoes were so brittle on the outside you needed a hammer to break open and once inside, you found a sloshy wet mash. There was no continuity with the vegetables. Some people got two veg, others got four. My meal went back into the kitchen almost the same as it came out. Sweet - what chef could go wrong with a sticky toffee pudding? This one! It wasn’t even cooked and had large lumpy items inside. It went back. Customer service? There wasn’t any. No apologies or offer of replacements for either the main meal or the sweet and no offer of a refund. I thought I’d wait it out to see what happened and in the end I decided a further complaints wasn’t even worth it. I paid knowing that I would never go back and would certainly never recommend. So, if you have your Christmas meal or any other meal booked here, I strongly advise you to cancel and book somewhere else.

Been going here for brunch for last few years and always enjoyed it. However, visited this week and had the full English. It was frankly not up to the standard it used to be. The sausage and bacon were both burnt and a tiny amount and the mushrooms felt like they’d come from a tin. For the price and comparing what you can get locally I really do think it’s not worth the money. Service was good and very quick. Shame really as do like it as a cafe, but needs to improve before we return.

I have being going to the beachcomber for 2 years and went today to be greeted by a rude member of staff as a result will never go back

Ordered pork from the Sunday lunch menu. £18.50 for thin overcooked loin chops. Luckily lots of gravy to give them a bit of taste but I hadn't expected to have to saw through them. If I had known it was chops I would have tried the beef. Yorkshire pudding nice. Waitress not really interested when I mentioned it wasn't what I expected. Oh well, won't go back again.

We were welcomed by a lovely lady, she was attentive to our dog too. We just popped in for a snack I had the elderflower and gooseberry cake which was delicious, fresh and something a bit different. My partner had the beef loaded fries good size portion with some peppers for a bit of extra spice, he also had a Thatchers Haze which was on draft too. Good value for money.

Didn’t actually get round to ordering food. Hadn’t booked a table so had to sit outside which was fine. We’d arrived at 11.55am intending to have lunch. We were offered the Snack menu which is served between 11.00am-1200pm. We didn’t fancy anything on that but were told we couldn’t have the lunch menu until noon even though once we’d chosen something and our order had been taken it would have been well after noon. We thought the whole procedure was ridiculous and walked away. The Beachcomber is not like it used to be. It used to be much more accommodating with friendly, helpful staff.

It used to be so good but now it's over run with dogs and their owners .How can you have a 5 star hygiene rating when you have dogs sat on owners laps with their heads on tables and licking the table trying to get food . At least it should be Paws on the floor but now they are allowed to do anything and proprietors allow it.

Had a lovely fish and chips and coke there, best fish and chips have had in the area, excellent friendly staff too, can’t fault the food, or the service. Only reason I didn’t give it a 5 was the fact they allow dogs in the restaurant, and one in particular barked a lot, there is a lovely big outside area that is perfect for dogs, I do wish the management would insist on dogs being outdoors Would certainly visit again as the food and staff are great but dogs should not be in restaurants

Great place for a bite to eat whilst out exploring the cliffs at hordle. Dog and walker friendly. I had the roast pork and apple sauce bap- delicious!

At least one visit to the Beachcomber for breakfast is a must on every holiday in the local area. It is just delicious and the full English is a very generous portion. I don't know how anybody can eat the belter version unless they have starved themselves for a day or two prior. The ingredients are locally sourced and of the highest quality. The staff offer a great service and are very friendly and helpful too. The tea and orange juice are very good too. And of course the views are stunning. The ice cream parlour is great too. We always stop by for a cone with a scoop or two when we're passing and the ice cream is creamy and yummy. There is a great choice of flavours on offer. We must try the bbq and/or the evening meal offering the next time we are in the area.

Staying nearby for a few days went here for lunch it was lovely food atmosphere and welcoming there was live music and a barbecue too !

We chose The Beachcomber for a Saturday night celebration of birthdays. We were welcomed warmly and looked after for the whole evening. The restaurant is always clean and tidy and the staff are friendly, happy and helpful. We ordered 2 veggie burgers which were huge and a fish and chips which we all enjoyed. There was live music in the garden and we were offered a choice of where we wanted to sit as most people were outside due to the weather. We had a nice breeze from the door as it was a warm evening. Excellent service and lovely food - we would choose it again and probably will be back very soon. Thanks

Went for Sunday breakfast. Brunch menu stops at 11am then lunch service. Cappuccino - ok to average. Veggie breakfast - not so great (tinned mushrooms?). English breakfast - ok actually. Pint of draught orange juice (!) - rather weak and uninspiring. All forgivable because it’s a great location and clearly popular. Just what you need when your beach trip gets rained off. But please - stop using single use plastic teaspoons… if you need a back-up ‘cos you’ve run out, use something better…

Lovely food, great atmosphere and wonderful views. Service is always superb and the staff are very friendly and helpful

We always make sure we visit this wonderful restaurant when visiting wether it be for coffee lunch or dinner. Today we had our first breakfast, kippers where amazing… a must I had the bacon roll.. Well, bacon was amazing roll was fresh and perfect to eat.. I’m a big fan of brown sauce.. So I got myself two sachets to add to my roll.. Wrong.. it was like adding vinegar. For such an amazing place and excellent food you serve why spoil it by buying cheap accompaniments that actually spoiled my roll..

This was amazing food the fish and chips here was the best we have had, the kids food was a great size to. The staff was friendly and had a smile which goes a long way, they were also great with the kids. You can sit outside or indoors and the service was quick

Delicious full English breakfast with lovely local ingredients. Staff very efficient within a very nice environment. Lovely morning.

My friend and I were told only cake and drinks available. My friend said "I know you are only doing cake and drinks, but is it possible to have a slice of toast?" The waitress said she would ask, came back and said no!!!!! Disgusting service. If we wanted a tea cake, that would have had to be toasted, so what is the difference. We used to be regulars, but no more. We will use Pebble Beach instead. Much nicer anyway.

This is a superb spot to have lunch outside (or inside). We sat outside on one of the numerous picnic benches. You could order from an outside area. We chose tempura prawns with chilli sauce and salad with a side of sweet potato fries (next...

Lovely location and setting but not impressed with food or service Nachos were all soggy from not being prepared and cooked properly loads of oil from the cheese and chilli , vegetable potato cakes were over cooked. The pudding lemon meringue was not homemade looked...

We have visited this cafe before and had a super meal . But today we popped in for coffee and thankfully only ordered one hot dog with onions . Disappointing hot dog for £10 ,bread not get and sausage tasteless ! It wasn’t big ,...

I was with clients earlier this week and we decided to have a mid-morning snack here: good service and the locally-sourced sausages are a revelation.

After sunbathing on the beach at Barton on the Sea it was time for a cold drink & some lunch. The beachcomber always seems to be busy and today there were lots of people on inside and outside enjoying there lunch & at the back...

Garden lunch on a hot sunny June day. Service impeccable! Lovely prawn sandwich washed down with Thatchers cider. Nice garden with umbrella 🌂 ! Very enjoyable

Great service, food and views. We had fish and chips and the chicken stir fired noodles and both were fantastic. Would definitely recommend a visit while in the area

A very casual place, but staff are friendly and the food is decent. They have an outdoor BBQ area which looks cool and quite a bit of love music.

We decided to have lunch here as it was ideal after having a walk along the beach. We were told we could sit outside as inside was full and given a menu to choose what we wanted and to return to the outside desk to...

Lovely roast, succulent beef, and asked how I would like it, rare, medium rare etc, very enjoyable. even had food envy as my brother in law ordered the chicken stir fry which looked fabulous too, Friendly staff, great afternoon visit :-)

Never sat inside but always have a coffee outside after a walk along the beach. Friendly service from the ladies here who always look after you.

Not the best experience. Breakfast average, full English with a coffee and tea for two £26.70. Tea good, coffee indifferent, one piece of toast, one piece of overcooked bacon, and at least you had a choice- beans or grilled tomato but not both. ( Fried...

We popped in for breakfast at the start of our walk to Milton on Sea and popped back for tea and cake after. Staff were very attentive, polite and helpful. Definitely recomend them.

We booked for Sunday breakfast and had a lovely warm welcome on arrival. We were sat overlooking the Needles and the beautiful coastline in glorious sunshine. It was very busy with all tables inside & out fully occupied but there were plenty of staff and...

Just a very strange experience. We’d been out for a walk and just fancied a coffee on our way past. Being a nice day, we thought we’d sit outside to enjoy the views. The sign on the front door insisted we couldn’t enter the building...

late lunch, sat outside was very nice. good size menu, decent food, would go again. toilet was clean, staff were friendly although over worked. great location

We've always had a great experience here. It's a great spot with fantastic views and a lovely beach. We've been coming for years and the staff are always friendly and the food is always decent. We come with our two boys (9 & 11) who...

This cafe has really gone downhill recently- we are local and visited many times in the past- it was much more efficient when you went to the counter chose what you want and then it was bought to you. Recently had to stand for nearly...

Oh what a shame this lovely cafe has been ‘pimped up’ and is now naff and pretentious. We’ve loved coming here for years and enjoyed great food and friendly staff in a homely and welcoming environment. Imagine my surprise when we visited last week to...

First class staff, food and ambience. Thank you to you all for making a lovely meal on Monday (20th); full English breakfast on my husband's 70th birthday (21st); a lighter breakfast (22nd).

We visited on a Saturday lunchtime, we had booked in advance as we know it's a popular place, although the cafe was busy the staff were very friendly and welcoming. The menu is varied and reasonably priced, we all ordered different dishes and they were...

Tried to get a couple of coffees this morning but no tables. I expect the vacant ones were reserved. I used to visit here regularly in the past. But it’s so disorganised I won’t bother in future.

Not willing to serve you if you only want a drink without food. Tried three times at quiet periods and despite empty tables was refused entry including when I was with my husband.

Friendly service but despite informing the restaurant that this was a Birthday meal there was no special response! Children's menu was poor and we were charged the same price for a childrens ice cream as an adults! Perhaps it's easy to get business in this...

The cafe was quite busy and we ordered food we were told to wait at the end to pick it up I went to get a table. My friend came out furious as requested he stood where he was told to then the manager came...

Great food. Great entertainment. Lovely location. Very welcoming. 5 stars all the way. Will return and highly recommend

We visited on one of the music nights. The atmosphere, music and food were excellent along with the service. Thank you to all concerned. Will definitely be back. The Henry's were great!!

Popped into the Beachcomber for a late lunch after a walk at Highcliffe. So did loads of other people so the place was rammed!. We were told food would take 20-30 minutes - no problem to us- but it was delivered in about 15 mins,...

Have been visiting this place for years but feel it has gone down hill a bit. We arrived for breakfast to a lot of empty tables. We asked to sit near the window to admire the views and were told they were reserved. We were...

We visited on Monday, for what should have been a family lunch, and as other reviewers have pointed out, the cafe has significantly gone down hill. My children and I waited in a queue for over an hour to get a table (despite half the...

We have regularly eaten at Beachcomber over several years. The position of it is marvellous ,we have always enjoyed the view and the lunches. Our lunches in November and December have been disappointing. Lamb which had been excellent at the start of the new winter...

I have been coming here quite regularly since moving here 10 years ago but lately the service has definitely deteriorated. A couple of times in the summer we have turned up on hot days to find the outside area closed off due to not enough...

Food excellent value and delicious, Staff friendly and attentive, Superb location with views towards the Needles. We feel lucky we have found a Gem situated in a lovely beach location.

From the time we arrived we were welcomed very nicely. Shown to our table within a few minutes a member of staff took our order. The table was well kept, the seats a very good size so was comfortable. Not like the usual places which...

Had a friends 60th birthday at the Beachcomber. We pre-ordered the meal choice, they are a modest resteraunt, and had a table of eight I have to say the whole group were seriously impressed with what the Beachcomber delivered. We had a mixture of dishes...

Had Sunday Lunch which was Roast Chicken, as no Lamb available, it took a while to get our order for drinks and we had to ask for the Wine menu, we ordered our food which was Roast Chicken and a Vegetarian Roast, when the food...

Arrived wanting lunch, but told short of staff so wouldn't allow anyone on the outside spaces. Offered to provide take away coffee. Waited 20 minutes inside for this coffee whilst people were being turned away at the door due to shortage of staff. Meanwhile saw...

We recently stayed in Barton on Sea and the Beachcomber Cafe was the nearest place to get some food and drinks, so naturally we tried there first. They were fully booked inside, but the weather was just about ok to be outside at 7:30 pm...

We met with our family and ordered Full English and Eggs with Smoked Salmon breakfasts, all prepared and served with a smile, despite being a very busy Sunday morning! Very nice food with a lovely outside space to enjoy it. We will be back !

Called in approaching lunchtime for a drink. Although the Sunday roast sounds expensive on first glance we took a chance and wow! What a treat! Huge slices of lamb and beef both tender and so flavourful. Leeks in white wine sauce, roast potatoes carrots and...

Called in for a coffee . Very popular but not silly busy. Excellent staff, all attentive and knew their jobs well. Food looked good and well priced. BBQ was lit ready for midday onwards. We will be back to sample the fayre.

I’ve been going to the Beachcomber a couple of times a month for quite sometime, it’s such a lovely position overlooking the sea and great coffee but the last couple of visits have been disappointing in as much as I felt the staff were disinterested...

A very friendly service with great food that was speedily delivered. Wouldn’t hesitate to return and recommend to others.

I very rarely negative reviews, but I was not impressed by my visit yesterday mid-morning; we elected to sit outside under the covered terrace, and whilst the service was very attentive by the young waitresses, the girl who actually took the breakfast orders was woefully...

Visited early for breakfast. Excellent and tasty bacon rolls and sausage rolls, loads of tasty filling and a great selection of teas and coffees. Really lovely place, great views, quick service food is served fresh and hot. Returned following afternoon for a drink and snack...

Ate breakfast and enjoyed the brilliant view on a sunny day. So reasonable and fantastic staff! So friendly. Great little breakfast menu. We are outside to enjoy the stunning sea view but inside also looked lovely for a rainy day. Will certainly visit again!

I often meet friends for coffee here but on this occasion visited for breakfast and what a breakfast it was! Delicious scrambled egg with a very generous helping of smoked salmon on wholesome granary toast, with good quality orange juice to chase it down. Amazing,...

I visited with my young daughter and we both had fish and chips. The portions are quite big but the fish was really tasty and so were the chips (and apparently the lemon...) Staff were friendly and helpful. Nice atmosphere in and outside the restaurant....

loved it good service nice food and live music we definitely will go again average priced food chef cooked cream teas and pasties seafood barbeques also held there a fun venue

We were looking for somewhere for lunch, this fitted perfectly. Great location overlooking the Solent and with The Needles on Isle of Wight in clear view. We had a couple of hot pasties that were great. Friendly staff, good service, dog friendly was everything we...

We found this Cafe on our first day of a Short Break. Loved the View and paragliding locals above our Heads! The Cafe had a BBQ that day which we ordered from, Hot fresh food and plenty of options for the Children. We enjoyed our...

Breakfast overlooking the Solent and the Needles was the promise….and the outside garden certainly delivered on this. Service was very good, food portions were large. Had a full English breakfast but being picky, didn’t want to choose between baked beans or fried tomatoes…,I wanted both!...

went a few weeks earlier for a late morning coffee sat outside... waited nearly 25 mins for someone to take our order. OK. Gave them another chance yesterday for lunch as wanted to sit outside as it is a lovely location. A couple of minutes...

Lovely visit. 10 family members, including small children. The waitress was very helpful, putting tables together and getting a high chair etc. Nice choice of food, which arrived speedily. Highly recommended and would visit again.

Like a number of recent reviewers who live in the area and have been regular users, we really don't like the waiting at the rope to be seated and having to wait at the table to order. We turned up on a June day that...

Ordered a full English. Ingredients used were of very good quality. Local butchers meat and food was served quickly. Unfortunately the bacon was dry and hard, the sausage and hash brown were cooked prior and left to keep warm as new orders came in. Also...

What an amazing place, they were short staffed today but that didn’t affect the customers. Lovely and friendly staff. Food was really nice. Dog friendly too. Very nicely decorated

We popped in here by chance for breakfast which was excellent so we went back for a second time, equally excellent. Good food, efficient polite and aware staff, great position overlooking the sea. Highly recommended.

I was just thinking how many times we have been here over the past 5 years, but haven’t given a review !! Well, I can honestly say that the food and service have been consistently impressive. Great menu choices for lite bites, and main meals,...

Been coming here for 40 years and seen numerous owners .The place has been updated but not for the better. I’m unaware who’s in charge but they need to get a grip and take responsibility. Wanted drinks in the garden and walked inside to a...

The location is difficult to beat with the view onto the Needles. Access and parking is easy and you'll see more nice scenery on the way there. We found the food okay. One dish came with ingredients that differed from the menu and an orange...