Cliffhanger Cafe in Christchurch

Best thing is the view, food is pretty good as well with veggie and vegan options. 2025 still the same good view and similar menu. They also have a lot of special nights with music

We sat outside in the sun and had a very pleasant meal, didn't wait too long and the service was friendly and professional.

Perfect restaurant for a sumptuous English breakfast .

Extremely over priced £13 for 3 small pancakes plain , server got it wrong many times , food liuke warm and had to wait for knife’s and forks . Bacon sandwich arrived late . Was told we were getting Pepsi when it was Pepsi max . Would not recommend

Called in for coffee, great outlook, good service

Popped in for tea and cake. Lovely welcoming staff who promptly and cheerfully served us. Great views out over the sea with generous portions of cake. Lovely setting and friendly service means we will pop back the day after with the grandparents.

We have been to the takeaway part of this restaurant and absolutely loved it every time do we decided to have lunch. So lunch is not cheap. You are looking to pay between £16-£25 for a main meal - starters are around £12. We got our meal and I would say it was great in some places but not great in others. My chicken burger was tiny - I think that’s the smallest fillet and burger bun I have ever seen!! They do give you almost a potato’s worth of Chips so you get filled up by that - but really didn’t really find that acceptable for the price of the meal and then one of our fish and chips was well over done as you can see in the pictures and it detracted from the taste of the fish. This was a huge shame and to have such a discrepancy in inconsistency is not great! It shouldn’t have been served the fish - but it was and we paid £18 for the privilege. I don’t think we would use this part of the restaurant again. It’s a shame - because I was so looking forward to it. The staff were great though and you could have access to free water. The milkshakes were finished in two seconds flat - the glasses look impressive but they actually hold a micro amount of liquid! I know it’s tough out there with finances etc - we could have forgiven the meagre portions - but the fish was one step too far - we shouldn’t have paid for a kitchen mistake.

Lovely food, great service and amazing views. Everyt8me we come to Highcliff we visit the Cliffhanger, it's an absolutely gem of a find.

amazing breakfast (full emglish and pancakes for wife), very busy so slightly slow service, but worth the wait. Great view too.

Nice place with nice views. The fish and chips really wasn’t that good… not sure what awards it won but girl… I’m so confused like was i eating the same fish that is supposedly nationally renowned?

Lovely place. Delicious food. Absolutely stunning views!

Visit for breakfast. Delay with the food, however Amanda handled it perfectly. A credit to the industry with how she works. Food was also good once it arrived. It was a busy Saturday morning as well.

The room was cold as to many windows were open The parking charges were really expensive I would think twice about going back

Lovely spot for a light lunch. I particularly liked the fish pie.

Amazing view, not backed up by the food

Great Quiz night. Fish and chips were excellent. Staff friendly and very helpful. Great views across to the Isle of Wight. Great fun would recommend.

Visited The Cliffhanger on The Fleetwood Mac tribute night. Band were brilliant. Restaurant was great as always. Food prompt, hot and delicious. Lovely waitress Jess (I think) she was lovely, as all the staff are. Nothing too much trouble. Attentive without being annoying. Booked another event night for June. Can’t wait 👍

Last Monday visited with an elderly friend from a nearby home. He completely enjoyed the scampi and chips with peas. They looked good but I thought the quantity of scampi a bit tight. I ordered a double starter of whitebait with aioli dip. I thought the serving was hardly a double portion. The aioli hardly tasted of garlic, I did ask for extra to be added, and the bread slices well on the way to stale. Service excellent food offering miserable.

Had a lovely ‘Brunch’ with family on Mother’s Day! Food was tasty and hot and never disappoints! Although the restaurant itself was extremely busy and food took a tad longer than normal, our waitress was lovely and smiley, along with the rest of the staff, who we could see were working really hard. The Cliffhanger has always been a favourite of ours because of not only the beautiful location and food but the staff too! Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and will be back soon!

Lovely location good food and friendly service and lovely view with ample parking

Can't comment on food, both times we tried to order - lunch and at 5 - we were told they don't serve it. Very rude staff. Sign says cafe and open and sign says they serve food but evidence suggest otherwise.

Great views and nice food, plenty of parking available.

A nice restaurant on top of the cliff. A good place to see coastal erosion, There is a toilet on site. Food look ok

Great location and lovely views with good value food.

A lovely place n when better weather gorgeous outside seating with views

we ordered a ciabatta with ham, cheese and chutney i asked if i could orde another without cheese abs i was told no as they are made up in the morning i there code ordered a cream tea the scones were so hot when they arrived obvious they had been in the microwave too long and were very doughy - not enough cream for two large scones / if fact i left one as too doughy my husbands ciabatta was over cooked and very hard to bite - again left half of it not value for money for poor quality

Good that it is dog friendly, but the prices are more than they should be (not good value for the amount of food you get)

I was down from London and visited this restaurant with a group of friends last night for a Beatles Tribute night which did not disappoint. Parking was easy, the setting was great and the food from a set menu was remarkably amazing and flavoursome. The staff especially Megan and Jess were on point all evening which was remarkable as the restaurant was packed. The band had everyone up dancing and a great night was had by us all. We will definitely be back. Thank you.

Really disappointed with my breakfast I had this morning, poached eggs were rock hard and not runny In the slightest. The smallest bit of sour dough with the thinnest spread of avocado, My friend ordered one of the breakfast mocktails which they didn’t have any strawberry purée (which they did tell us) so we said that’ll be fine, can add something else in or just leave it out but didn’t really expect to still be charged £8 for an orange juice filled with ice. And then to have service charge on top of a table of 2.. At the end of the meal I did say I won’t be paying the service charge as I wasn’t happy with the food, and did raise my concerns however we were in a rush so just ate the food and went. Expected some slight discount considering it was £38- just didn’t feel worth the price at all:(

A great place to spend the money saved on parking 😀

After visiting the Farmhouse Tea Rooms in Burley in the New Forest and although rather cold, decided to travel down to the coast to Highcliffe, unlike my previous visit last summer for the food festival , it was relatively quiet Walked down to the beach, such great views over to the Needles on the IOW, found the restaurant open , so along with my relation, we decided to make a visit I had a chai latte and a piece of carrot cake, and the staff were so helpful , definitely well worth a visit

Nice place to come for a bite to eat and a coffee

Good food, excellent service and, oh, that view - just stunning

Exceptionally friendly service and lovely food. Great when you have young kids!

Excellent quality. Love this place. View is amazing

Dropped into the Little Hanger Takeaway Kiosk close the Cliffhanger only had a couple of Coffees and a Dorset Pasty. Outdoor seating with a very nice scenic view along beach and across to the Needles.

Lovely service, super fast Cliffhanger breakfast. Awesome and unexpected. I have not popped in to warm up with a cup of coffee. Wonderful first experience, and found a few shark teeth on the beach too. Fantastic start to the day!

We visited this week with family and the service was really poor. We were seated straight away and not made aware there would be delays with the food. The drinks came quickly, then we ended up waiting over an hour for three portions of chips and a kids sausage and chips with two very hungry bored kids! When we enquired where the food was we were met with a shirty ‘well we are very busy and it’s all freshly cooked to order’ (not even an apology for the delay). The food was ok, we asked for the bill and the cherry on the cake was the fact that staff had automatically added a service charge of nearly 6 quid onto the bill knowing we had waited over an hour for some chips! We aren’t local but do visit the area often, we definitely will not be returning after that experience. Had we been made aware of the extreme wait times for food before we had ordered we would have went somewhere else.

Ordered chips to take away, amazing chips - best I have had in years and had to buy a second portion 🥳 Great staff

Went to their Tuesday Quiz night which included a meal. Good fun -the quiz master was entertaining. Food was served quickly & fish and chips was very nice.

Came for breakfast, great experience all round. Quickly seated on a table with a fantastic view, where we enjoyed 3 lovely hot breakfasts. We will definitely return, maybe next time, we'll bring the dogs along as there is a designated dog area in their conservatory area 🐩🐩

Can thoroughly recommend the monthly quiz nights. Excellent food included in the price, which is served before the start of the quiz. The quizmaster is a great character and interacts with the whole room making it a fun and entertaining evening out. All the staff are friendly, welcoming and efficient, looking forward to the next one!

Following a fabulous George Michael tribute night pre Xmas, we then returned for a quiz night this week. Once again, Karen & her team were welcoming to all - providing fast, friendly service and making sure everyone enjoyed their evening. Food standards were high and staff were quick to check throughout the evening that every table had what they needed. I am always confident to take family, friends & business colleagues to this venue. A huge thank you, Karen to you and all your team.

I’ve been attending the Quiz nights for a while with my friends, and positively recommend the evening. The Quizmaster is the best ! He’s thoroughly engaging and very funny. Food can’t be faulted, and the staff couldn’t be more friendly and helpful. 5 stars 🌟👍

Fabulous evening yesterday at the Cliffhanger’s monthly Quiz Night. Great quizmaster, wonderful atmosphere and delicious dinner included! Just a really lovely night out with friends.

Absolutely stunning views whilst dinning

Very lovely place 🥰 drink service was great had my dad's wake there. Great food ..couldn't fault it

Lovely place to have food pity they don't do Sunday roast

Wow what an incredible restaurant! Stunning panoramic clifftop views across to the Isle of Wight. Delicious food and drink and first class service! Amazing tribute nights too. Would highly recommend.

A warm cosy escape from the blustery cold winter great view And good service

We’re so grateful for the amazing support from everyone at the Cliffhanger Restaurant! A special thanks to Karen, Amanda, and Steve for making us feel so welcome and treating us to an incredible Christmas meal. The food was outstanding, the staff were wonderful, and the views over the beach were absolutely breathtaking. We can’t recommend this place highly enough!

Only pop it to use the toilet, but the establishment looked clean and welcoming, pretty busy, so that's always a good sign.

Fab lunch, good selection of dishes well cooked and presented. Five empty plates! Service was great, views from the conservatory unbeatable even on a damp drizzly day. Will be back..

Really enjoyable meal. Friendly staff.

Vegetarian option served on New Year's Eve tribute night dinner was a disgrace. I do not consider a quarter of luke warm chargrilled cauliflower in a watery sauce acceptable as a main course for my £110 ticket for the evening. I was offered fish (really ?? for a vegetarian!!) or a bowl of chips instead!! This was declined and I did not eat a main course, as the chef was incapable (or perhaps unwilling?) to offer anything else. This restaurant obviously does not know how to cater for vegetarians. Complaint was made at time and in writing since, but not dealt with to my satisfaction. The general manager Elliot replied to my written complaint agreeing the the cost of a bottle of wine (£25) which was deducted from our drinks bill was not adequate given the circumstances. However, no refund has been received. A very disappointing experience

Beautiful location and atmosphere. Unfortunately the team were not allergy friendly during our family visit. We started ok with a check of ingredients and then when the food and drink were delivered they were just dumped anywhere on the table. When asked for clarity on if it was the allergy meal/drink the waitress wasn’t sure or interested. This resulted in my then 4 yr old being given a dairy meal and being unwell for 4 weeks including Xmas . I’ve not felt comfortable to return since. This was 12/24- only reviewing now because Google maps keeps asking me too!

Good food and good service with a great location.

I visited with my family members for lunch and was left extremely disappointed. I had been previously with a friend for coffee and thought it was great and over looking the sea. Second visit however, really slow service to then be told x2 dishes were out so had to re order and this was about 40/50 minutes in. Once food arrived burgers looked fab but two fish dishes were rubbery and the poached egg was solid. To add to this the food was cold. The arancini dish was ridiculously small for the price, four super small balls with two leaves for the salad on the side, this was also cold. There didn’t seem to be much communication between staff so I felt I constantly had to repeat myself or chase up an order. Chai lattes were the highlight really. It’s just a shame as it was a birthday lunch and we all left a bit irritated. Having said all of that I believe it’s a great place for a pit stop for tea or coffee but little else.

Don't go to the Cliffhanger if you are a vegetarian, New Year's Eve cost £110, starter was a plate of watery tomatoes with 3 balls of mozzarella, main was a quarter of char grilled cauliflower and beetroot and nothing else! The main meal was sent back as it was cold, the returned plate was inedible. The chef was unable to offer anything vegetarian other than a basket of chips, these were declined. Consequently I did not have a meal. Complaint not dealt with satisfactorily on the night, did not receive a refund and the Manager did not bother to attend to apologise. I was given a free bottle of wine! Letter of complaint sent, Elliot replied apologising stating the gesture of wine was not good enough, agreed with all the issues raised and said if was not satisfactory. Words! I have not been offered a refund for the meal or anything else as a goodwill gesture. The Cliffhanger management was given the chance to put things right on the night and in reply to my written complaint before this review, they didn't bother. Disheartening customer service & such a disgraceful way to treat regular customers.

Quite possibly the worst vegetarian meal I have ever been served. New Year's Eve celebration was spoilt because of awful meal for the vegetarian diner. Starter of cold watery tomatoes with 3 minute balls of mozzarella; main meal was inedible cold chargrilled cauliflower quarter, bit of sauce and again watery tomatoes! That's it, awful. Management couldn't care less, despite complaints at time and written complaint afterwards. Offered a bowl of chips and free bottle of wine by waitress. Management could not be bothered or too embarrassed to visit our table. Cost of meal was £110 each for Abba tribute night on NYE. We were seated around the corner where we couldn't see band. Would not normally complain on media, but lack of interest by Cliffhanger prompts review. Cliffhanger, you had our money this time but you have just lost four regular customers of long standing.

Nice place and good atmosphere!

Took an hour to get served, even though we had children and asked to kindly expedite their food. Terrible and chaotic .

This is what an almost £5 each hot chocolate royal (there was some whipped cream and flake) and "giant choca mocha" looks like, it was essentially flavoured water. Really disappointing and clearly not matching it's price point as it was either from a cheap machine or a sachet. Can't comment on the food as we didn't order any. The menu on the website is also out of date as the prices have all gone up since then. The other thing to note as it was busy we ended up in the dog area which is fine, but due to the fact they put a green like carpet down dogs were using that as signal to urinate and worse next to where we were sitting, never seen anything like that in a cafe before

An almost flawless experience. Brilliant location, excellent food, and faultless and friendly service.

We booked the New Year’s Eve ABBA event and had an amazing time. The staff were amazing, especially Nicky who was looking after us for the evening. The band were great fun and the food was very good. We would definitely book again.

Friendly staff, clean and comfortable with good food which is getting expensive for smaller portions. Roof was leaking badly in the extension and management blamed the wind for making the roof move? But in the summer or nice days its only a short walk from the cliff top for stunning views.

A brilliantly planned & very slickly run NYE meal with ABBA tribute band. The restaurant was full with everyone in a positive party mood, and no one was let down. It was such a brilliant night. Really well done all staff involved in making it so memorable! 👏👏

We were out for the day with my 3 year old who is toilet training the outside toilets were shut , we asked nicely to use the toilet and said we were regular customers which we are normally on a sunday in the restaurant the manager wouldn’t let us use the toilet, am very upset and our day ruined as my daughter had an accident as she couldn’t use the toilet will never come here again !!!!!!!!!

Just dropped in for a coffee but had breakfast.

Christmas Party event was excellent. Beautifully decorated venue with plenty of staff. The Soul Train evening was brilliant. Amazing engaging singer. Great menu choices and the food was really good. We all had a wonderful time. We come yearly (in inbetween of course) and the Christmas events are the best

We went at cliffhanger 18/24 for Xmas party it was excellent I had the steak it was delicious the way I like was tender nothing wrong to say all good

Great food, friendly service and fabulous views - wonderful!

Chai latte with views of the sea. We weren't rushed but politely informed that our table was reserved for later (we still had over an hour before the reservation so did not feel pressured at all). Staff were very friendly and the drink was well made. Good atmosphere and they had gone to efforts with their tasteful Christmas decorations. Looking forward to returning and trying more out.

Wonderful views. Pasta dish was delicious. Panini less impressive. Overall good service, comfortable and outstanding views.

Further to my last entry, have just taken my Granddaughter to meet Santa for btreakfast. Absolutely wonderful. Food first class as were all the lovely Elves who served us, oh and Mother Xmas!! Than you for a memorable morning. Plenty of outside seating. Lovely views. Good service.

A great place to meet up with friends for brunch with a stunning view of the Needles... (on a clear day). An no parking charge until April.

Had a lovely sandwich, cake and coffee with a view.

What a lovely place, with a beautiful view. Such great service by very lovely staff. Amanda went over and above to ensure we had a great meal family afternoon tea.

I've been there many times and the service has always been good and the quality of food and drink has always been good. Keep it open by using it.

Delicious cheeseboard, don't think the sandwich was freshly made, had been premade, and chilled, which spoilt it. Great chips. Friendly prompt service. Beautiful view. No accessible entrance. My partner had to negotiate four steep steps.

Over priced food, that is just ok. View is amazing, location is great.

We went to the 70’s themed night for friend’s birthday. Was really good fun. Music brought back many happy memories, well done to everyone that made an effort with fancy dress, food was really nice and lots of it. Fab cocktails, that weren’t even on the menu, thank you barman. We won the quiz 🥳. The whole evening was so good we are waiting for the next 80’s themed one. Our prize was a Birds trifle which I made with my grandson 😋 Well done to the hostess with the mostest.

Updated, summer 2024; This place is large, having significantly expanded. It's become a high volume, tourist processing operation, impersonal and even more expensive. Sadly for us the vegan options seem to have largely been discontinued. The place is all there is on the clifftop in this area. They seem to be milking their monopoly by charging excessively high prices.

Pleasant restaurant, beautifully situated With extensive sea views. Nice food. Nice staff. On a sunny day you can sit outside, gazing out to sea, which would be perfection.

Good food fantastic veiws staff friendly enough but very slow. Beware service charge is added to you bill. If you visit bare this in mind. Good point out of season parking is free. Seasonal parking expensive

Really nice place. Friendly service and great coffee. Will definitely be back.

I was not asked if I had any dietary requirements, nor shown the specials, nor was it explained the difference in where I sat. I, in my opinion, had clearly finished my lunch (clean plates etc put to the side of the table) & no one came to take them away nor ask if I wanted the bill.

Lovely place to sit but it's getting rather expensive there! Coffees are now £4 each!!

We held a wake there for a small party. The staff were very attentive. The views from the bay windows in the restaurant were beautiful and very fitting for the occasion. We ordered a cold buffet and they excelled in this regard. It was absolutely excellent. It could not have been bettered and there was sufficient quantities of the various dishes for everyone. Well done Cliffhanger!

Sunday breakfast. Mine was different, smoked haddock on bubble and squeak., with poached eggs.Very tasty. However my partner had the big breakfast which arrived quickly, but wasn't very hot. Doesn't come with beans,which is odd in my book. They are extra at £1.50 for a small bowl. It was disappointing especially considering the price. £40 for breakfast for 2 seems very pricey. Plus parking to pay for.... There also seems to be a lot of waiting staff. Perhaps that's why They also add a 15 ,% optional. But it's on the bill!! service charge,which is excessive for breakfast. I am never impressed when the service charge is added for you.

Visited on Friday 19th for a soul and motown evening. If you book as a couple, then be prepared to be stuck in the corner in the gallery where you can't see anything. Small food portion. I had the cod, which was overcooked and tough to cut and rubbery. The waitress was very helpful in replacing the meal. The alternative was ok. The singer Lou was average he needed the music to make up for a lost aged voice! Time to hang up the mic!

We stopped by here this morning (sunday) for an impromptu breakfast. We've been before for the tribute nights and we know it's a popular place. Decor and atmosphere was lovely and relaxing, staff/service was great. Breakfast was mediocre. My partner had the cliffhanger breakfast which tasted good but seemed like it had been sat under a hot lamp or similar for a while as the bacon was hard as the eggs were not runny at all. I had the pancakes which were ok but again the bacon was difficult to cut as it was hard and egg was not runny. I made the mistake of using the loo which frankly was not up to the same standard as the rest if the place. It definitely hadn't been cleaned in a whole as there was a layer of dust on everything. The loo seat was grimy especially in the hinge area. It was a shame as the decor of the loo was nice and modern but overshadowed by the lack of cleaning. I reckon they just pop in there to refill the loo roll and soap and leave it at. Even the toilet brush had dust on the casing so that hasn't been used let alone cleaned. My partner had been before in years gone by and said it has gone downhill in the last few years. Not sure we'd go back again.

Terrible seating, placed in dark corner, food very little, and steak unable to eat due to being to tough, compensation given but didn't help.

We only had some chips "to go" from their kiosk - but how nice is it for a restaurant to offer easy and quick snacks as well as full course meals to sit down with? And those chips were probably the best we ever had, I never had such thick cut chips before. They were great. The view from the terrace is simply wonderful, and parking couldn't be easier (although not cheap).

I know, repeating myself again, but great service and atmosphere and once again lovely barbecue spare ribs, thanks Rosy and team cheers 🍻

The service was decidedly slow in a not too busy restaurant and the price of the breakfast outrageous for what you received. We both had the 'good day' breakfast which was overpriced for what you got. Obviously the drinks were extra. I think that £12 each for a breakfast should amount to a lot more than they served up. We wouldn,t use this restaurant again.

Beautiful views and some great gluten free options!

Food good although a bit expensive

Great service and coffee was good also . Lovely views of the sea . Just missed out on a top rating because the toilets were dirty

We attended for a quiz night that was great fun - albeit the quiz was run by an outsider to the restaurant. However, the food was great, 4 choices, all served swiftly to fit in with the ‘entertainment’, really tasty and good choices for vegetarians. The wine was typically priced, and we had a great night !