Blue Reef in Portsmouth

After a lovely visit to the aquarium we needed lunch. The main rush had gone through and so I understand why tables hadn't been instantly cleaned, but I saw no real effort to rectify this. However, looking at the floor, I'm not sure when it had been properly cleaned, the edges were filthy. The place felt run run down, under staffed and a missed opportunity. Can't be helped I guess, but the toilets were out of action. Under the right management and direction, this cafe, in its position, could be worth 5 stars, however I see it has been consistently reviewed badly for years. Come on........ support what staff you have, it wouldn't take much to pull this out of the 1-2 star reviews to something higher. There could be a simple tweak to the menu that would be easy and provide a better choice of food. The Thai curry was acceptable and the chips cooked well enough I write from experience as a director of a coffee shop. You can do better.

I went there as a day trip on my birthday for the day, I love all things aquatic so i normally come here during or near time of birthday or summer time. I went with a friend and it wonderful to go see the fish, but also other coruscations and also reptiles, also insects too. I got my self a few photos and a little green ray beanie bear that was made out of plastic bottles, also I had coke and chips in the blue reef café with caramel ice-cream.

Why did we not look at the reviews before we visited. Giving a one star is being generous. Stale donut, shortbread (ok) nearly cold decaf coffee, latte x 2 one with syrup shot and 2 apple cartons £20.30 Table cleared but very badly wiped over. The decaf coffee was mainly foam with only very small amount of liquid. Might have been warm but time it took to serve, cold. Overall service poor. Our timing to visit was right as it rained whilst inside so we remain dry!. We also visited the Blue Reef Aquarium Portsmouth regrettably poor value and the person giving the 12.00 mid day talk was very clearly just bored!

Slow service was the only person 10 minutes for a cheese roll and a cappuccino that burnt inside of my mouth even after having cold milk added was told cup wasn’t insulated enough when told it was too hot didn’t have anything I asked for so had to settle for cheese with coleslaw on a bed of tortilla chips ?????? Wow worst seaside cafe ever avoid at all costs cheese roll and cappuccino £11 rip off

Myself and my wife took two of our grandsons into this cafe after visiting Blue Reef. My breakfast roll was a very dry bap with the cheapest sausages I have ever tasted. My wife asked for a cheese sandwich, she emphasised that she only wanted cheese in it. What arrived was a baguette with cheese, cucumber, tomato and enough rocket to put a man on the moon. Our 9 year old grandson had chicken bites and chips, he didn’t eat the chicken as he said it tasted awful. Our 4 year old grandson had a children’s cheese sandwich meal which looked ok. Both our grandsons had the raspberry slush drinks which they both dutifully threw up in our front room about an hour later. We have had a lousy evening looking after two sickly grandchildren. Please avoid at all costs.

Not many places open on a November winters day. Not a lot on offer but ok for tea and coffee . Views of the sea.

Firstly prices extortionate £3.25 for a muffin. Seat pads are all damaged and broken. Toilets have 3 soap dispensers only one had soap and taps all have on off issues. Generally untidy and unwelcoming with very sad loose cover tatty sofas too. Wished I had left but grandchildren were hungry, wish I had my £20 back!

Went for lunch after the aquarium with our 3yo and 9month old baby. We ordered a so called kids meal for our oldest with consisted of a huge pile of chips and a deep fried dry piece of fish. She asked straight away for me to remove the fish. I tried to get a bit of the fish for the baby by removing the batter but that was mission impossible. I went to look for cutlery but none were available. I asked one of the teenagers on duty and reluctantly one went to the kitchen to get me some. There was nothing on the menu I could feed the baby with either. I then had to pay £3 for little tub of ice cream for my daughter. Avoid this place.

Went for lunch with my daughter & Grandson after visiting the aquarium , which is also not worth the entry fee, the food was overpriced & disgusting, my little 4 year old Grandson had the so called kids meal which consisted of a huge pile of greasy chips & 3 chicken nuggets , daughter had a chicken burger , the prices are a joke for the awful quality of the food , & my little Grandson had a very bad upset tummy that evening it wasn’t clean & the atmosphere was vile. Was supposed to be a treat , but can honestly say it was a depressing experience & felt totally ripped off .

We took our 6 year old grandson here at the beginning of January and he loved it. The displays and notes are aimed at a broad age range and the little quizes kept him challenged. Once you have paid you have access to it all day so can go out for lunch and still get back in afterwards. A word of warning; most of the feeding times are not relevant on Mondays, though the otters and the Tunnel aquarium are.

In order to get seated we had to wait for others to leave and no offer to clean them between sittings (we did see someone else have to ask but felt this should have been standard not on request). Not all basic lunch items available. Coffee was barely warm even after sending back. Had to stand around waiting for additional cutlery and sauces as they didn’t provide enough for our whole table. Meanwhile my lunch was getting cold. Realised after leaving that 3 kids meals did not come with fruit. Very annoying as had planned to use for afternoon snack but had to go out of our way to buy something else after an already expensive day out. Would not recommend.

This cafe is NOT cleaning the tables between guests. It’s woefully understaffed. You should expect a good half hour to queue then another half hour for your food. Sandwiches and kids boxes not even prepared in advance for the day. I had to ask for table spray. Significant disadvantage to the neighbouring aquarium.

Waited over half an hour for 3 baguettes. Didn’t notify us that they had run out of certain items that were on the menu until the food had arrived (after we had paid), so no salad with our baguettes and the remnants of cheap tortilla chips. Was told that the deliveries weren’t arriving properly because of road closures(?) The food was poor quality and especially for the £7 they charge per baguette. Also made a couple of us feel a bit ill afterwards. We requested a refund and got a refund for 2 meals. No hand wash or sanitizer in the toilets. After reading the rest of the reviews below, I would avoid visiting here until a change of management.

Went here for a quick lunch while visiting the aquarium. It was utterly awful, overpriced, extremely slow service and dirty. Tables had not be cleared and old plates of food were piling up. The chef seemed to be cooking one meal at a time as one table would be served, then the next table wouldn't be served until the last table had finished! It was difficult keeping a hungry 18 month old happy for the hour we had to wait for food. We didn't even bother complaining as it would've taken so long just to speak to a member of staff, let alone anything else.

Came to have lunch after a family trip to the aquarium. The server missed off the order for my 2 year old...this in itself is not a huge deal mistakes happen, when I went up to the counter to correct it it took 2 servers to contact a manager who sighed and huffed, told me I would not get free food and that I had to wait another 5 mins for the food, we were the only people in here not exactly rushed off their feet! My son is now hungry and Unfortunatly not able to eat our food to make up for his being late. Everyone is allowed to make mistakes but I was made to feel like I was trying to scam free food out of them when I was trying to feed my son in a timely fashion!

This must be the most depressing seafront Cafe/Restaurant ever. To occupy such a prestigious location and present such an awful ambiance is beyond words. Who chose the decoration? Victorian wallpaper and nothing in colour/ pictures or decoration to show off the location and create a welcoming atmosphere. Food... well pizzas at £13.95 and burgers at £9.00 come on what world are you living in. A complete disgrace to our seafront and no way to attract tourists, they certainly wouldn’t return after a visit here.

Two stars simply because the baguettes were edible, although quite dry., and the waitress was friendly. Baguettes took 30 minutes to arrive. The place seemed manned by untrained teenagers, with no system in place. We had to repeat our order three times. Plastic straws for drinks? Should be banned. Dirty tables, we had to clean them with the paper serviettes that we eventually found. Staff (kids...?) standing around in the kitchen idly chatting whilst we waited for our food. Whoever runs this place needs to take a look at all the recent reviews - not just this one - and do something about it. As it is, you are an embarrassment to the culinary delights of Southsea.

Half hour wait for a baguette and £2.55 for a bottle of diet coke. Food was edible but not worth the wait or the money

I was very disappointed I couldn't pick my own lobster to eat. What's the point in all that seafood just swimming around?

Long wait for three baguettes, nearly an hour. Two eventually arrived and they were not worth the wait, indifferent to say the least. Gave up waiting for the third.Did get a full refund after refusing to wait any longer. The guy in charge was apologetic and said the problem was caused by kitchen staff not showing up on the Bank Holiday however reading the other reviews since I am not sure if this was the case.Perhaps more worrying was the lack of knowledge around food allergies. There is a sheet that lists the allergens but nobody could explain the information. Decided not to risk it.Overall a poor experience.

I think the staff need way more training and there needs to be all sauces, cutlery and napkins available on show.

Was handy to have a cafe next door, upon walking in tables were dirty, young staff seemed busy and over worked, no management in sight. The queue was huge and took approx half an hour to be served; some of the menu was no longer available (no sign of any notices). MASSIVE leak/puddle at what seemed the only emergency exit to the building which was left with a useless 'wet floor' sign, food was eventually brought; in the wrong, VERY slow order. Requested our table to be cleaned, was done with a scrap bit of blue roll and a dab of spray (bottle wasn't working so the top was taken off and a little soaked onto the toweling). Childrens books available (a lovely touch) if it wasn't for the sticky, dirty pages! For peak season it seemed chaotic and unorganised with what I think was a manager strolling in at points to serve, nod several times & possibly further instruct young staff trying thier best with what little experience they had.

El restaurante es más como un comedor escolar; La comida es muy pobre y muy cara. Las baguettes eran de la variedad al horno, pero no habían sido horneadas. Mi baguette de atún venía con un par de rodajas de pepino y masas de cohetes encima, además de unas tortillas y un plato de chile mayonesa; Era muy extraño y bastante incomible.

Disfruté de la visita al acuario, así que fui a un café contiguo para el almuerzo. ¡Qué error! Las opciones eran limitadas y lo que había era extremadamente caro! Esperamos 35 minutos para nuestra comida. Mi nieta de 4 años estaba muy hambrienta, tomó un bocado de su sándwich, lo dejó y sobrevivió con patatas fritas y yogur. Mi envoltura de atún era horrible. ¡Nunca más!

For a cafe next door to a popular tourist attraction this place is simply awful ! The food we had was very poor & very expensive for what it was . My recommendation : this place is to be avoided !

Fuimos a almorzar después de una excelente visita al acuario y me sorprendió lo caro que era. 20 para 2 envolturas de pollo y maíz dulce con un lado de patatas fritas (que se describieron como chips de tortilla en el menú) y 2 botellas de Lilt. Las envolturas eran pequeñas y apenas alimentaban a un niño.

Mesas sucias y sucias con migas y granos de sal de clientes anteriores, teniendo en cuenta que esto era 10. A las 30 de la mañana, y obviamente desde el día anterior, ¡no abrieron hasta las 10 de la mañana! Los pisos no habían sido barridos desde el día anterior. Los baños eran asquerosos y muy malolientes, uno de los urinarios de los hombres estaba lleno de orina, ¡esto no había sucedido en los 30 minutos que habían estado abiertos! esto era evidente ya que no había puerta en los baños de los hombres y tenía que ser pasado para ir a las Damas. ¡El personal no tenía personalidad alguna y ni siquiera parecía saber qué había en el menú! Evitar, hay lugares mucho mejores y más limpios para comer y beber en el paseo marítimo. No puedo creer que el Blue Reef Aquarium quiera estar conectado a este desagradable café llamado.

We visited in December it was tatty, slow and not a memorable experience ( table milk was "off" etc)

My wife and I took our two year old great granddaughter here while on a visit to the Blue Reef aquarium, firstly we tried to order jacket potatoes but was told that they were only available at weekends so I ordered a wrap, my wife a baguette with chips and we ordered a child's meal deal for the little one, my wrap came after about five minutes a few minutes later my wife's chips arrived then eventually her baguette but no sign of the child meal, after we queried where it was her drink arrived but was the wrong one to what we had ordered, after asking again they brought her a sandwich but we had ordered pizza by the time the pizza arrived she had eaten my wife's chips so we asked for the pizza (which was piping hot and burnt) to be boxed so we could take it with us then we had to ask for the piece of fruit which was part of the meal.

Así que llegó aquí ayer por la tarde después de una visita al acuario. Como una cafetería adjunta al acuario, tenía muchas expectativas! ¡Estaba decepcionado! La comida estaba bien; El personal no tenía personalidad. El área de juego tenía letras de espuma que estaban absolutamente sucias! Nunca he visto jugar equipos como este! Fui a cambiarme de bebé y encontré el cambiador justo encima del inodoro, por lo que tuve que caminar a horcajadas en el inodoro para cambiar a mi hijo. Y el recipiente para pañales también estaba directamente debajo de la mesa y no había ningún lugar donde poner el pañal mientras terminaba de cambiar a mi hijo antes de que pudiera tirar el pañal. Las patatas fritas eran agradables al igual que el bollo y el pastel de té, pero no volverían.

Expensive place to eat and not impressed with the place. Decor shabby. Staff did not look like they enjoyed their job. To top it off no FISH!!

Shocking and appalling service,we waited over forty five minutes for two kids boxes minus half the contents,the baguette I ordered could have been used as an offence weapon and the contents looked like it had been scraped of the floor,they made the easiest twenty pounds today. Also people who ordered food after me were served first.

We were impressed by the interesting choices on offer, and food all tasted like it used fresh ingredients. Service was a bit slow but very friendly. Good view of sea wall and harbour and handy for before or after the Acquariam. Prices reasoable.

Visité Blue Reef Aquarium esta mañana con mi hija y mi nieta (crítica diferente) después pensé que iríamos a la cafetería de al lado ya que era parte del mismo establecimiento para tomar algo y comer algo. Qué sucio y sucio era el lugar sucio. Decidimos inmediatamente no comer nada porque parecía tan sucio y el personal que atendía. Deberíamos habernos ido, pero no sabíamos si había otro lugar donde ir a tomar algo rápido. Mi hija tuvo que comprarle algo de comer a mi nieta, por lo que eligió lo que parecía la mejor opción: ¡un paquete de corcheas que le costaba más de 1 por una bolsa pequeña! ! ! Desafortunadamente tuvimos que usar el inodoro, Dios mío, las damas se rebelaron. Es una pena porque está en el lugar ideal justo en el paseo marítimo, pero ciertamente nunca iría allí de nuevo, ¡ten cuidado! !

Pasear por la playa en un día caluroso de verano y luego detenerse para tomar un refresco debería ser una experiencia agradable. Lamentablemente, este no es el lugar para obtener eso.

Waited nearly an hour for some sandwiches and chips. Dirty tables and unfriendly staff. Wouldn't recommend it at all. Not even for a drink.

Although it was quiet there was an awfully long wait for mediocre food. We had plenty of time to take in the filthy walls, windows and floors. When the food arrived it was very disappointing. Just because it has a rocket leaf on it doesn't make it acceptable.

Staff had a bad attitude and were unhelpful, food was expensive and of poor quality , definitely will not be visiting again!

Dirty and disgusting. Dust built up everywhere, tables filthy, toilets stank and had no loo roll?!

We were only people in cafe unyet tables piled with old trays of food. Floor covered with food and dust. 3 staff stood chatting. Prices to high.

Stopped for a snack as we walked along the esplanade. Tea cake and tea were ok but everything was really dirty, uninspiring and unenthusiastic. Food all over the floor and tables all sticky and covered in crumbs. There were very few customers so definitely no issues with being too busy to clean.

Its pretty much exactly what you would expect - teas coffees, burgers paninis, we only had tea , coffee and a teacake but all simple enough

Went in for breakfast this morning (Great South Run day) and was really expecting them to be a bit more organised. Long queues, slow service and not the brightest staff ever.

Popped into this cafe whilst walking along the seafront to Southsea. It looked cheap and cheerful, but we only wanted a hot drink and a quick bite to eat so thought we'd give it a go.

Popped in for a coffee on way back to the ammusements.

Stopped in at a busy lunchtime had read several poor reviews so wasn't expecting much. Welcome was brilliant and couldn't have been more accommodating. Drinks were served within the first few minutes then food arrived after about 10 minutes surprising seeing how busy it was. We had ordered 2 large Haddock with all the trimmings this was served straight from the fryers piping hot, crisp and certainly large. After a very pleasant lunch and being very well looked after left saying certainly would see us again when next in the area. Started walking along the promenade when we were caught up by the waitress who had made our lunch so pleasant with my forgotten cardigan. I can only say having eaten in some very high class establishments the total experience we encountered was second to none and cannot recommend the Deep Blue Restaurant more highly.

Visited this place Sun.We normally go to Rock and Sole across the path but it was seriously busy evertwhere. Decided to try this place. Ordered cod and chips x2. Given 2 tickets and waited for someone to scream your number out. Fish turned up under cooked (clear in parts green and grey). Served with plastic cutlery and a room to seat with no identity about it. We were given our money back with no quibble. We decided to make the wait and go with the other fish and chip place. Avoid if possible!

After a visit to the blue reef aquarium we called here for drinks, the coffee was acceptable but the toilets were not.One was out of order and the one I used did not flush properly.

Hicimos un viaje a la Blue Reef, que era muy bueno. Sin embargo, este café es pobre. Nos presentamos a las 14. 00, lo cual no es enormemente más tarde en el día, y me dijeron que no había para la envoltura de falafel izquierda, que es bastante, pero que luego tome mi dinero y decir "Ah, también no tenemos peces, "es terrible, sobre todo porque es una atracción del mar y no estaba lleno. Me dieron un reembolso, pero 2 libras menos de lo que debería haber sido así que tuve que corregir las habilidades matemáticas del gerente. El peor poco sobre toda esa fue la falta de disculpa! Por suerte, hay un pescado maravilloso y puerta de chip la próxima tienda que tenía muchos peces!

I came here after a horrid experince at Rock'n'sole just a few yards away. The customer service was lovely and the food was ok and the value was good too. My fav place to get slushies now :)

a seafront café with friendly staff and a welcome cup of coffee for me and cakes for the kids .....( hot food is available )....lol during a family day out

This is a nice little place with plenty to look at and has a glass tube to view underwater. It also has a good playpark with a water splash pool. Ideal for younger children and families and schools.

Hija una envoltura con cosas. £5. Me esperaba más de 95 una pequeña tortilla con hojas de lechuga, tomate y pepino slice barrio detrás un poco de falafel. Pagué 4 libras. 95 para un café (ok) y un pan tostado de aspecto y sabor que teacake como si hizo fecha hace una semana. Se quemó y sólido como una roca. Peor café en el que he estado. Si usted está visitando el Acuario, comer en una cafetería cercana. (Mozzarella Joe es cerca).

Quizás nos atacó un mal día para el café, pero el café era horrible, comida insulsa,

Durante una visita a la Blue Reef Aquarium almorzamos en el Blue Reef Café de al lado, el vendaval de gale storm Doris era demasiado alto para buscar alimento más lejanos.

Visité el café sólo hoy, la esperanza de tener un buen almuerzo en el paseo marítimo, con mis hijos. Me quedé decepcionado. Debo decir que realmente me costó encontrar el menú al principio, finalmente lo encontramos en una hoja de A4 en la pared. El menú era muy limitado, no hay mucho en oferta. El personal era muy inexperto, no podía decir lo que estaba incluido en la comida fuerte de los niños y estaban luchando con el operativo hasta. Me pareció que me cobraron por lo que mencioné, pero aparentemente, "leer el precio equivocado, dice 'Precios a partir de' y no 'el precio es 'que es muy confuso". De todos modos, no había ninguna opciones saludables para los adultos me siento, y bebidas calientes eran muy caros para el tamaño de la tacitas llegó. Pagué casi 30 libras por 2 adultos y 2 niños para comer, que para una cafetería me parece bastante empinadas. El ambiente en el café estaba aburrido, yo estaba feliz de salir. Yo evitaría este sitio en el futuro.

Una fisura pequeña cafetería. La comida era adorable (prueba el pollo hamburguesa con chorizo y queso) y el personal muy amable y servicial. Los precios eran muy razonables. Hay un rincón infantil con juguetes y libros para colorear. El edificio es un poco corrientes y nos quedamos un poco fríos, pero fuimos en uno de los días más fríos del año, así que debe ser bien normalmente.

We went with my 2 nieces aged 3 and 5 and they both loved it especially the water park outside bit. They enjoyed learning about the types of fishes and what they were like. This is a great family day out would highly recommend.

¿Por dónde empezar? El ambiente impersonal? La pizza ordenados, que apareció en una caja para llevar y cuando pedí platos se encontraron con una burlaba mirando? El precio? ? ? ? ? ? 23 libras por una pizza, los niños nuggets de pollo y patatas fritas y un té? ? ? Es este precios de Londres?

Muy pobre. £1. 90 para una taza de papel con una débil bolsa de té y agua caliente, no sólo leche fresca, no cosas de la vida larga, sólo cucharas de madera agitadores. Señoras wc estaba descompuesto, probamos el wc discapacitados pero que no había sido rojiza. Planta estaba sucia. Ubicación privilegiada en el paseo marítimo, pero necesita un completo reacondicionamiento para traerlo al siglo XXI.

Had fish and chips. The fish was atrocious it was hard like cardboard and tasted awful. Staff were friendly but wish we had gone next door

Quizás es debido al horario, pero siempre parecen venir aquí una hora o así antes de la hora de cierre. Normalmente vacío y en proceso de cerrarse hasta la tienda para el día. No hay mucho disponible para comprar.

Great afternoon, excellent selection of sea creatures, otters were show stopper and new turtles were great. Children really enjoyed it and good value for money

Horrible, una excelente ubicación en el paseo marítimo, justo al lado de la Blue Reef Aquarium pero muy deteriorado. entrar por una puerta que abre y los accidentes, las moscas en un post si no se tiene cuidado, y de inmediato un éxito con olor a fritanga. La comida pantallas estaban prácticamente vacía cuando fuimos, excepto por dos pequeñas que pueden en realidad's Pizza han sido de goma! Parecían theyd ha expuesto por semanas. Un par de rollos se sentaban junto a ellos y eso fue todo. La variedad de oferta es pobre y la calidad es mejor. Las mesas y sillas son básicas ordinario y la experiencia en general fue una decepción enorme. Fuimos allí porque estábamos visitando el acuario, pero no volvería. Una pena, porque podría ser genial, pero lejos de eso!!

Very very windy bank holiday Monday and as had been to the aquarium with 2 small children needed to eat quickly.Rather expensive for the quantity of food and very basic cafe.Could do with a refit.Food came very quickly and v pleasant staff

Poor food and poor service... food was very over cooked and tasting of burnt fat the staff were poorly trained if at all...go to the chip shop and eat sat on the beach..........

Llamado para un almuerzo rápido snack el domingo pero me decepcionó. pobre de té, sin leche, comida fresca caro y grasienta. Todos nos sentimos bastante triste cuando hay muchas otras opciones cerca. Servicio de nuestro camarero era entusiasta y servicial, aunque él no podría compensar la presentación de la comida, la cubiertos de plástico, placas de junta, slow food y entrega. Necesita mejorar para competir con antes de visitar otra vez!

Este excelente Café está situado en el paseo marítimo cerca de Clarence Pier, el personal era muy servicial, el café era limpio y ordenado, y la comida y la bebida eran servidos con rapidez, eran muy buena relación calidad-precio. El exterior estaba directamente en la línea de la brisa del mar, pero luego fue por eso por lo que elegimos este café en particular.

Fine for coffee and hot and cold drinks but expensive chocolate offer 1:50 wisper bar, could do with little work but still fine coffee shop and cafe

Average coffee, average prices, very good hot chocolate and one particular staff member went out of his way to be nice when making my daughter's hot chocolate. even though it was nearly closing time, they didn't rush us.

¡Por Dios! Vinimos aquí para una bebida antes de ir a visitar el acuario Blue Reef aquarium principal.

Pedí pescado, patatas y guisantes blandos: cuando la comida al final llegamos los guisantes blandos estaban bien ... la pasta en el pescado era preparado, y las patatas fritas eran las patatas fritas! Además de las tasas obligaría, tuve que comer con un plástico cuchillo y tenedor. Se me rompió dos cuchillos y una bifurcación en el pescado. Cargar los precios me esperaba algo mucho mejor.