Cliffhanger Cafe in Christchurch

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!

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.

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 !

Lovely position but the breakfast was a let down. Ordered haddock, bubble&squeak with poached eggs and was disappointed, dry small piece of haddock and over cooked poached eggs Also when we asked to sit outside, the first fine day for a while, the staff warned us it was wet but didn't offer to wipe down the table or seats or even offer a cloth for us to sort out.

Excellent food, great customer service Sally was our server, she was very friendly and efficient. The food and drinks were piping hot, sounds simple, but so often things are served lukewarm and I find that off putting.

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

We had an excellent evening meal with fantastic views . The staff were attentive and very welcoming. We have been here numerous times now and would definitely recommend the restaurant. My only concern was the dogs sat on customers laps coming very close to tables ,very unhygienic and definitely frowned apon by environmental health. Clear signage should be in place stating paws should be on floors !

Bacon sandwich was delicious, Sunday morning, coffee, family, sea view and sunshine... Perfect

Very friendly staff. Children’s meals are good value for money. Adults had fish and chips - very nice. I had the chicken burger and it was so dry I couldn’t eat it. Such a shame as it was recommended by the server to have. I should have looked at the reviews here before ordering 😔 I would have sent it back/ given feedback but no one checked in on us after we had our food delivered.

Ran out of salads or healthy options and only had fried food left or burgers. We only had an iced coffee. The main out door seating area at the front didn't have any shade only shade was at the take away point.

Had wonderful service yesterday from Zoe. Nothing was too much trouble. Fast, efficient service. Found alternatives for me and served with a smile and so polite. Credit to your restaurant. Thank you Zoe. You made my day and my dogs day too! Many, many thanks. Sally xx

A relaxed dinner with work colleagues who had travelled down from Manchester, Burton upon Trent, and Amersham. A little disappointed as we'd gone there for the Moules, but they'd had such a busy day, they'd sold out! We kicked off with grilled Halloumi and the Mackerel pate. Both dishes were well presented, and the verdict was very tasty! Mains were the Crab Salad (Specials), Butternut Squash & Goats Cheese Salad, and two Cliffhanger fish pies. Accompanied by Blush Pinot Grigio, and coke for the designated driver ( :-) ), the meals were again well presented and full of the main ingredients. The fish pies were piping hot, bursting with various types of seafood and all dishes were again packed full of flavour. This will definitely be the place we come back to in the summer.

We are in the area on holidays & saw the restaurant whilst on a walk & wanted to dine there. Booked simply online. We had booked for the garden room but were shown to a table in the restaurant & wow what a view! Stunning clifftop views able to see IOW & Needles. The food was absolutely first class, especially the chips, best restaurant chips we've ever had (and we really like chips!!). The staff were really something else, every waitress & the hands on manager. A* to you all & thank you for creating such a wonderful atmosphere. If we lived closer we'd become regulars! 100% recommended.

Excellent service and a high quality breakfast.

Lovely location, good place to sit out of the wind. Excellent service.

Perfect beach front breakfast, our old favourite doesn't do breakfast anymore. A pleasant discovery of a new option. Great poached eggs, sign of a perfect breakfast

Lovely views but the breakfast (£14) was very average. It all seemed quite tasteless and both of my fried eggs had a large amount of uncooked white surrounding and covering the yolk that had to be scraped off.

I’ve been going here for years and been impressed with the food on many occasions however the last two times that I’ve been, I’ve been more than disappointed. Today I went the haddock that was served on the Chewton Bubbles which had already started to turn in addition to it being over cooked, and the poached eggs had solid yolks. The bubble and squeak cake had probably been microwaved as it was cold in the middle. My partner just ordered the scrambled eggs that were also inedible. You pay when you order when you sit outside so it was such a waste of money. Previous to this I went on a busy sunny day and ordered Calamari. The batter wasn’t cooked through and was running out once you bit into it. I didn’t send it back appreciating that they were busy and they had said they were understaffed. I continued to eat what I could but regretted that as that night I had all the classic symptoms of food poisoning and realised that if the batter wasn’t cooked it was unlikely that the squid was too. I emailed to let them know rather than leaving a bad review as I thought that they could benefit from the feedback. They responded saying that they’d give me a call but never did or responded to my last email. Such a shame as it’s been a favourite spot for a long time.

Great service and menu choice in a very pleasant atmosphere.

£4.60 for a small glass of orange juice, not even half a litre it was more like 300ml, absolutely horrendous pricing. You can buy 1 litre of organic orange juice for half that price.

Absolutely blissful,great location, friendly service, 1 thing please a little more jam with 2 scones 😄

Lovely staff, amazing location but above all, delicious food. The fish was in lovely, crispy batter and the chips were divine. The portions were generous. I had the salad with butternut squash and goats cheese. It was very tasty. The staff were able to offer advice for people who needed gluten free food, but gf items are listed on the menu too. The Dorset Apple Cake, served warm with icecream, was one of the best I've tasted. Eating at the Cliffhanger was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

I have always been very well attended to for breakfast, this time they didn't have pancakes and they brought a potato cake without asking me if could exchange it, I was dissatisfied, I hope that next time they ask me if I want it exchanged.

Was an ok meal, the chicken was a bit tough but I did eat it all. Parking was interesting, loads of space just make sure you pay on the app. It's not the restaurants car park so not their fault, was just a pain to sort out. We had a nice time and would probably go again.

Had are dinner then sat outside with many customers enjoying the holiday & the breeze, as it was hot & humid. Played in archads, & loved the crazy golf. The hole holiday was a pleasure, Naishe treated us so well. We will be returning, sorry I messed up as it said buzz bingo surverywhich I completed they changed to yours, so I missed most of the important parts. But we were treated very well 100% lodge upgrade, facilities hot tub staff so friendly & accommodating. 100% on everything fantastic family break. 😆🙂🙂❤️❤️❤️🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Shocked that we had to collect out cutlery, napkins, menu's. Tables not cleared before deserts. Will mo recommend.

I wish zero stars was an option, 90 minute wait for food. Incorrect food taken to tables. Staff walking around like headless chickens, genuinely awful experience

Great location,food is always well cooked and presented. Menu quite good also. Very busy during summer months,good to book in advance for the restaraunt.

AWFUL ICE CREAM Hardly tasted any cream, mix must be incorrect, too watery! Live minutes away but will stick to the Beach Hut in future

Excellent food (as always). Very busy with a function so we had to go to a till to order anything we wanted, 1st time here that it's happened but food,(scampi, fish & chips and a fish pie) piping hot, smashing chips. We will go back, we always do.

Good food and service. Lovely location.

We love this place! Food is always freshly cooked and tasty, and all the staff are a warm and welcoming! The views are to die for. The outside food cabin is an added bonus to grab a coffee or an ice cream after a hard day on the beach. Would highly recommend and look forward to returning very soon!!

The Cliffhanger restaurant is a wonderful place all round. Food is delicious, the views are amazing, and the staff are friendly and so helpful. Well worth a stop here.

Everything was lovely. The only thing wrong was the seating. It was very uncomfortable, I could not sit back in the chair and it was very hard

We visited a little while ago for breakfast. The food was beautiful, great service and lovely views. Will return soon.

Great service, lovely food and fantastic views, what's not to love 😁

A disappointing visit to the outer eating area where we had to order a the till and pay before eating. The leek and potato soup was flavourless and the tomato just tasted sweet. Both were accompanied by sliced bread, which is very unusual these days. The ciabatta was reasonable but extremely hard to bite and chew. My nephew did enjoy his scampi and chips. We were surprised that condiments were offered in small plastic packets - not only are they difficult to open, but they are also extremely bad for the environment. We have had better experiences in the past.

Lovely place to sit but it's getting rather expensive there! Examples, 1 scoop whippy icecream £3.00, 2 scoops £5.00!! 50p to add a flake. Coffees have got smaller too

Thank you to TJ, Erin and the team at Cliffhanger for a fabulous 30th anniversary celebration meal. You made our evening special, food and service was first class!

Excellent customer service by Patrick this morning. I ordered a coffee and wanted a dog ice cream for my dog. As they didn't have any in the take out, he went across to the shack and got one. Patrick is polite, good customer skills and exceeded customer expectations

Simple menu but the food was cooked perfectly. Will consider going back again when we're down that way next year.

Terrible. Sunday morning, early, so nowhere near full. Order at the bar but still put 'tip' option on the pay terminal (I've come to you) Tasteless, lukewarm unappetising vegetarian breakfast. Despite its location, I won't be returning.

Lovely place with lots of seating. Indoor or outdoor, the choice is yours. Sat in the garden room by the window overlooking the amazing views of the Isle of wight. Great food selection, reasonably priced. Ordered the Chewton Bubble and loved it. Lots of flavours. Friendly staff. Our hot drinks took a little while to arrive but that did not bother us. Lots of parking (£3.80/2hrs) I will definitely return next time in the area.

Visited for breakfast and was not disappointed. It's not the cheapest but very good food. If this place was an animal, it would be a mountain goat wearing a top hat and a monocle and a great moustache.

Lovely location, overlooking the sea. Well organised and friendly.

A lovely outlook, good service, mediocre food

Highly recommend The Cliffhanger Restaurant! The staff were super friendly and made us feel right at home. The cocktails were fantastic – especially the passionfruit martini! The menu had lots of great options, and everything tasted really fresh. The place gets even more fun later in the evening with a DJ, and the conservatory area is really nicely decorated and has such a nice atmosphere. Definitely coming back! Thanks to everyone at Cliffhanger!

Very good. Came here years ago and didn't think much too it then but, things have changed and the food etc was very nice. No complaints at all.

Holiday meal , first time at restaurant, very enjoyable. Excellent

Nice views, service good, food is basic nothing special but Very over priced. Wouldn't go again lots of good restaurants in the area.

Thank you to the friendly helpful staff today who provided a fantastic afternoon tea for 24 people! The area was great and all set up when we arrived and the food was lovely!

The staff were excellent and the food was good. I visited at a very busy time, and the staff were informative and reassuring when my food took a while to be prepared.

delicious burger an chips right on the seafront

Food was incredible. Location is beautiful. Service speed was only thing that stopped from full rating. Staff were friendly and helpful.

If you like slow service or overpriced, poor quality food then by all means visit this restaurant as it ticks all those boxes. We arrived at 7pm to be told they had run out of mussels (this restaurant could not be closer to the sea, so how is this possible). There were a number of large groups and it was very clear that they were understaffed. We had to chase our puddings, 3 balls of ice cream and a frangipan tart, as it took more than 30 minutes to arrive. The crab was absolutely tasteless and over priced. This establishment left us feeling ripped off. The best aspect of this restaurant is the view. Never again!

Loved the view here and the tea and scones was delicious. Thank you

What an amazing location, and such fabulous food! We went as a party of eight for a celebration breakfast. We were all impressed by the menu selection and appreciated that everything was cooked to order. This did mean some plates came out individually at a time....but without fail, every plate of food was faultless and beautifully cooked. Will be going again👏👏👏

Visited the Cliffhanger on Saturday for lunch, had a lovely welcome from the lady on the door who seated us in a lovely spot by the window- the views were amazing overlooking the needles & The Isle of Wight. The food was truly delicious & the service prompt x We shall certainly return again with our friends

Amazing place!! Came with me and a group of friends for a birthday, not only was the views amazing as the sun was setting. But the service, food and overall experience was outstanding!! Will definitely be back and cannot reccomend enough!! THANK YOU

Arrived at 11.50am and wanted takeaway vegan sausage rolls and drinks. Told we could have the drinks but needed to join the queue again at 12pm for the sausage rolls. Sat and waited for them only to presented with the greasiest, toughest examples known to man...and woman...and dog! Two coffees, a hot chocolate, a green tea and 4 sausage rolls to take away for nearly £30! Never again.

Very disappointing £3 a cup for a paper cup of tea, no enquiry about adding milk, cup full to the brim of horrible weak tea. I bought a prepacked Flapjack no offer of a plate or serviette. Sullen service. What a waste of a beautiful location.

Really bad experience today....the whole experience and waiter service was a shambles.....took over an hour to get even the starter...ran out of time and had to cancel rest of order. Real shame as menu looked good. The management needs sorting...could tell it was an absolute chaos with waiters going to the wrong table etc

Really bad service had to wait over an hour and a half having asked a few times what had happened to our food...we then had to cancel as we had run out of time. They weren't even that busy

The view and location are second to none. Food was fair, though the scrambled eggs seemed a bit odd but otherwise no complaints. The service however wasn’t great. We went on Father’s Day and there were long waits for food which is to be expected. We were given a dirty highchair which we cleaned ourselves, no problem, these things happen. When we asked to swap something on the breakfast because one of the table was keto were immediately told they don’t make changes. We hadn’t even finished asking and found the flat and quick refusal unusual for a restaurant. We arranged to swap certain items ourselves so everyone would have enough to eat. We asked for colouring when we saw it at another table, but it wasn’t offered off the bat. My little one who had been patiently playing while waiting for his food asked a server if he could have a biscoff biscuit that he’d seen come out on lots of saucers only to be told they came with large drinks. I asked our waitress when she came past who said we couldn’t have 1 as they were only served with coffee. We had ordered 2 large teas and an apple juice by that point, and I get that there shouldn’t be an expectation but food was on a one hour wait at that time, and it would’ve cost them maybe 10p for an unwrapped generic biscuit to please a 6 year old who had been waiting so patiently. And given the effort the restaurant goes to for its doggy visitor who don’t order off the menu, it made us feel a bit unwelcome and seemed very stingy. When the bill came they hadn’t deducted our deposit which was probably a genuine mistake and was fixed immediately but it all left a bit of a bad taste in our mouths and certainly wasn’t what we expected. It’s a pity because really it was the lack of flexibility in service that ruined things and the location is lovely so it’s very disappointing all round as we won’t be going back, and I had hoped we’d found somewhere a bit special.

Great food,lovely people with excellent service.

Best thing is the view, food is pretty good as well with veggie and vegan options.

Tasty muscles, needed a bit of bread and butter for the sauce!

Not impressed. Ordered a takeaway full cooked breakfast, bacon was stone cold, the rest of the whole breakfast was only mildly warm. Expensive I expected better, not worth another visit.

A nice place to meet with friends for a coffee and a catch-up.

Stopped here for a cream tea. Stunning views and friendly staff. Quickly seated and ordered a lovely cream tea with 2 large scones. Definitely worth a visit and we will 100% be back!

Asked for 2 sausage rolls - 40 minute wait, had 2 cakes instead, they were horrible

Really lovely location overlooking the sea, food was good quality and tasty, big portions - highly recommend

Sunny Days ,are for places like this ,excellent.

We went in to The Cliffhanger and ordered an afternoon tea - we were given one sugar and a two boiling hot scones. They were also wet. Clearly been pulled out of the freezer and microwaved. Manager/ owner to interested in hugging young staff to notice us trying to get her attention to complain. 01/06/24. Very poor.

Very expensive. 2 small coffees, a milk shake(all in paper cups) & a carton of juice, set us back £15!

Very nice for coffee and or cider. Food looked very nice.

Great place to eat and grab a coffee.

A great location - very popular - best to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

Ordered a cheeseburger from the takeaway, it was lovely and not to pricey.

Lovely setting for lunch on a sunny day

Very expensive for what you get...

The fish was very average, the burger also weak.

Great breakfast with several options. Will be visiting again . We sat in the conservatory where dogs are allowed .

Lovely views. Can see needles isle of Wight. Only had drinks which were good

This staff very kindly and helpfull

We went for a birthday lunch. Our experience started well, the waitress at the desk was very welcoming. Our large disappointment was over the chef. My friend asked for her bacon to be well done and was told they’d have to ask the chef as it was pre-made. Our waiter came back and advised the chef had said no!! When you are paying £14.50 for a ciabatta you’d expect the chef to be able to grill the bacon a bit more there and then. I felt highly embarrassed that this was where I’d chosen to take my friend.

Wonderful place for breakfast. Great views. Staff very friendly and efficient. Excellent produce. Highly recommend

The food was nice but the prices are too high. Google says it's family friendly but not at those prices. I suppose they charge it because of the view. £18.50 for fish and chips, £17.50 for a burger and £6 for a milkshake and £8.50 for ice cream. Hmm.

Lovely spot at the top of Highcliffe. Very popular, so expect a wait.

Fish and chips were not nice today. Have been before and enjoyed more. Not sure if just a bad batch. Wont risk it again. Lovely view of the sea

Seems a little off to visit early afternoon to be told tables with views are reserved, why else would you pay nearly £5 for tea if not for the view 🤔 Please open the windows ,its like sitting in a green house

Great spot for a bit of lunch or just a coffee with great view's.

Lovely restraunt with a fantastic view

We visited for a snack and brought the dorset pasties, having never tried them. The staff were very busy and the queues were quite long, but everyone was friendly and the service was good. The pasties were warm.

Easter Sunday lunch for 11 of us at 1pm. Service was excellent with a calm and kind waitress and a lovely guy who kindly took a family photo for us. The food was extremely tasty and served with acceptable timing. Prices were reasonable and the menu gave us some great choices, was freshly cooked and thoroughly enjoyed. We would not hesitate to return.

The restaurant is located in a good place, bright. Staff smiling but the ribs were not really good as it wasn’t cooked with the sauce and it the bbq tasted more like a cheap ketchup

What a shame today, the venue was too busy. Took well over an hour for our meals to arrive. Food was good. But when the restaurant is full and they are serving loads and loads of take away meals to customers outside in cardboard boxes that they sit at the numerous tables outside, the service to us that booked a table inside many days ago, we end up waiting over an hour for our meals. My fault for going there on a busy weekend + their fault that their kitchen can’t cope and they won’t say No to more orders for outside 😡 then they charge a 10% service charge 😡

Lovely ice cream on the cliff top. Friendly and great menu. Special mention to Amanda for saving my sons ice cream! 5 star rating.

Great food in an excellent location. The staff were great, but service could have been a little quicker. The portion sizes were great and was great value. Would definitely eat here again.