Riggers Restaurant RNLI College in Poole

Redeemed themselves the following evening - had exactly what we had wished for. Lots of lovely, friendly staff. Couldn’t have asked for more. Will certainly go there on our next visit to RNLI College and Riggers.

Only four items on the main menu, one of which, lemon sole, was already discontinued ("only had five of them"). Didn't fancy any of the other limited choices. Left, and went to the local chippy restaurant.

Dined at Riggers on a Saturday evening whilst visiting the area. The staff were efficient and the food delicious. Good selection on the menu and bright, modern dining area. Reasonably priced. Would return and recommend to others.

Lovely fresh hot food, well cooked and so reasonably priced. The staff were friendly and helpful and the view from the windows was gorgeous . Would recommend and will look forward to another visit

We visited your restaurant for the first time on Wednesday 7th August at noon for lunch, the restaurant and atmosphere was lovely, the food was good too and very reasonably priced, however the service given by the woman serving our food appalling. She was rude and morose, I am happy to share details if you so wish but not on the public forum. Despite her, we enjoyed our lunch and had afternoon tea after our Factory Tour.

Excellent place to eat and contribute to the RNLI. Do the tours of RNLI and lunch in between. Fabulous day out

Great food plenty of it. Lovely surroundings and excellent value. Pleseant staff but could sometimes be more observant on table clearing etc. IN general very good looking forward to a return lunch soon.

Have visited couple of times in last month for snack etc. Beautiful settings. Love the place. Decided after coffee and cake to have snack, as last time. Its lovely and clean and the presentation is splendid. I had soup this time, and as it was only just after noon, was literally within first few customers. Very tasty. Only criticism is that it was only warm. My companion had jacket potato and same thing - warm but not hot. Same criticism as food on last visit, other than that thoroughly enjoyed visit. Would be only thing i would like changed, it would put me off.

Sunday lunch. Beautifully cooked beef and cauliflower cheese to die for plenty of choice of vegetables excellent view would imagine on a really sun day it would be perfect sipping something cold on the veranda/patio. Definitely going to book again

What a disappointing visit to Riggers. We had been on the tour of the All Weather Lifeboat Centre which was very good btw and had chosen to book a table for lunch at Riggers. Having booked several weeks ago we had asked for window table but were basically told we would get what we were given as there were a lot of crew in that day. Fair enough it is the lifeboat centre and the crews need feeding but why have a booking option for the general public if our custom isn’t wanted or welcome. There were options such as bangers and mash, chicken pie, cajun chicken - the mash potato was extremely lumpy. Portion sizes are good and prices reasonable, but this is very much a canteen type experience. I wouldn’t go to Riggers again as we felt we were a nuisance, in the way and not welcome.

Really enjoyed the Riggers restaurant. Lovely vibe, clean, great service, friendly staff. The food was awesome for dinner. Loved my chicken skewers and reasonable prices too. Nothing too much trouble for the staff with superb views of the harbour. On a warm day, outside seating as well along with an upstairs bar accessed by a spiral staircase. Alotv of care and attention to detail. Our breakfast the following morning was lovely. It was busy but it didn’t feel so. Good choice of high quality hot foods along with cereals, fruits, yogurts and the largest croissants I’ve ever seen. Good quality OJ and coffee. Great breakfast RNLI

I went on a RNLI Course at the college the experience was really good as crew member. But the restaurant it wasn’t as good what people said it was before. First the service was okay, service very slow and when we came down for lunch i ask for chicken because it was a buffet but when i ask for more chicken the chef refused to give me more, which was bad of them. I don’t know what company what took over but this is not good enough. I got told it was really good before, but now i wouldn’t recommend this to anyone.

I took my mother and father here for a Sunday carvery. FOOD: The carvery was well presented and the staff serving at the carvery were both friendly and engaged with diners. The food was great, the servings generous and the price was very reasonable. There was a choice of 3 meats, pork, beef or turkey (or some of each), crackling, stuffing, Yorkshire puds, roast potatoes, glazed carrots and parsnips, cabbage, cauliflower cheese, gravy and accompanying sauces. STAFF: All the staff I engaged with were very professional, friendly and helpful. Drinks service was swift. ENVIRONMENT: The restaurant is decorated and laid out nicely. We were fortunate enough to have a table right next to the window overlooking Poole harbour. There was gentle music playing in the background at a suitable volume and the general atmosphere was relaxed. I highly recommend this restaurant for a Sunday lunch. I will definitely return and look forward to trying out both their weekday lunch and dinner menus in the future.

Excellent value, good variety and quality, pleasant and helpful staff. And a wonderful view. Certainly worth visiting as an add-on to a tour.

Stay - 5 months ago. We've stayed at the RNLI College in the past and gave it 5 stars on each trip but this visit was totally different. 1. Beware...Room 201 is next door to the housekeeping office / laundry room, on both mornings at 7:00 am we were woken up by the door slamming from the next room and housekeeping staff meeting outside our room, speaking loudly before they started their working day. The room was more like an office, and where all the cleaners congregated and started their working day? 2. We were also kept awake both nights by loud music from two events till 11.30pm. We also made a verbal complaint to reception in respect of the early morning wake up calls! 3. We decided to eat in the Riggers restaurant on Friday night - it was full and we were advised to find a table and order food at the upstairs bar. We made our way upstairs only to see that everyone else had been told to do the same. The poor bar steward (Scottish guy) was alone working like a trojan. He kept smiling and dealt with the long queue of guests admirably. His customer service skills were excellent. He certainly deserves a medal or pay increase for the way he handled himself! He had no support and or assistance from any of his fellow staff. I waited 20 minutes to order drinks and food which is totally unacceptable, not the poor bar steward fault but clearly restaurant management who were not to be seen. The food to be fair was of good quality and arrived quickly. To sum up AVOID room 201 at all cost and Poole town centre with its large selection of good restaurants is recommended!

1st time back since the week before lockdown! Overall a great experience; just a few niggles. Some of the tables were in urgent need of maintenance. The food could have been a bit warmer and tastier. However, overall it was a great meal and we will be back in the future. And remember you are supporting a great cause, the RNLI, by eating there.

Sadly, after visiting the RNLI restaurant a couple of times this month I will not return as the food was just terrible. I believe RNLI have changed caterers and there is no comparison with the last caterers who were just perfect. I have been eating at RNLI for many many years, sadly I am now looking for another venue.

So glad we found this place on Tripadvisor. It's a hidden gem, fantastic location and food. Staff were amazing, took time to chat with us, even though they were short staffed. It's a must visit, next time we'll stay in one of their rooms, now we know they exist!!

We asked if they were serving food and were told yes so bought drinks and sat down with a menu. Went back to order food to be told the chef wouldn’t do it because he was prepping for a function. No offer to refund the drinks we wouldn’t have purchased if we had been told they weren’t doing food when we asked.

Meal was nicely presented and tasted really well. Staff very friendly and attentive. Teh restaurant was very clean with a relaxed atmosphere.

I almost never write restaurant reviews, but we had such a lovely time here. Out steaks were cooked just perfectly, and the meal overall was fantastic. All the food looked very good and the menu was diverse. The restaurant has a really nice atmosphere, was...

The Vegan options on the menu were limited but myself and my partner decided we were going to try the Gnocci. We had been camping so we really wanted something home cooked and fresh. The waiter came back to the table after we ordered our...

The RNLI's restaurant offers a good range of food, with excellent salmon and fish & chips. The setting has good views over the Poole Harbour so make sure to reserve a window seat. The kitchen is not the quickest, so the food took a fair...

Part of the RNLI College, a fantastic find which I've reviewed separately. I thought that dining here would be of the 'college refectory' type. Is was very wrong! The quality is excellent (the fish is delivered fresh every day - and it shows); the staff...

When we arrived at the restaurant we were greeted by lazy staff members who seemed to have more interest in their phones than greeting the customers upon arrival. The blonde lady who seemed to be a shift manager was rude and dismissive towards customers. The...

We ate outside with 2 dogs. Staff were really friendly and helpful, even bought out a dog water bowl. Food was excellent. Lovely to watch the world go by on a sunny evening.

What a Find! We came for lunch after the Launch a Memory event and were amazed at the location of Riggers, the view , staff all very friendly and even though we chose just a simple lunch of jacket potatoes (lush fluffy) cheese and salad,...

Spotted this on Tripadvisor and thought we would give it a shot, very disappointed having arrived at 20.00 the starter and mains were served and every thing over by 20.45. The starter took less than ten minutes to arrive and the pork steak tasted as...

Tasty food, reasonably priced, stunning harbour view, attentive and friendly staff, brilliant kids pack including bubbles!! And the bonus that eating here helps raise funds for the RNLI!

I’m writing this as sitting here upstairs having coffee , our second coffee as first ones were cold ! We’ve allways visited the RNLI and never been disappointed but today was a different story . We sat upstairs in the cafe/bar and the whole place...

Enjoyed a lovely relaxed meal overlooking the harbour. Good menu, good value, good service and great taste! Would definitely recommend walking just that little further away from the quay to this restaurant. Moreover, money spent here goes towards saving lives at sea, so it’s for...

Stayed at the hotel complex for two nights on Thursday and Friday. Friday teatime we bought and sat outside enjoying the sun only to be told we would have to vacate seats as they had a big party arriving…so guests do not matter eh! Later...

Oh dear, we were staying at the RNLI training college ( where the restaurant is situated, and had made a reservation some 3 weeks previously, only to be shown to a table crammed into a small space away from any view and so incredibly noisy...

I decided to book this restaurant as it was my husbands birthday and so pleased I did. The view was amazing, the staff were great and even done a little something for my husband, which I really appreciated. Can’t wait to return

Our first lunch visit to riggers. The food was really well cooked well prepared and well presented. Staff were very friendly and attentive especially the three youngsters who were operating the tables. We will definitely return. The only slight negative would be the furniture could...

What a great location - lovely food while looking at the sun setting over the sea in a restaurant which is an architectural delight.

We took my parents for Sunday lunch. There was a good choice of meats, beautifully cooked fresh veg - really delicious food. The staff were super friendly the restaurant is really well presented and spotlessly clean - all with an amazing view of the sea....

It doesn’t start well when you’ve waited for 20 minutes minutes to order drinks for the table, then to be told, ‘sorry the big boss is here so we have to look after him first’ service was awful, after we finished the mains we put...

What a delightful restaurant, to be recommended to anyone. Would definitely go there again. Exceptional views of the harbour, attentive service. Very high quality of food and copious quantities. I enjoyed a delicious lamb shank and assorted vegetables; sea bass also excellent.

we enjoyed Sunday lunch before joining one of the RNLI Discovery tours a good selection of meats or fish with a big selection of vegetables warm and friendly service definitely a place to try, if only for a drink at the upstairs bar the location...

This was our third visit to Riggers restaurant. We do normally eat here when we stay at the college. The service and food on the Friday ( the 11th) was very good. Prompt , attentive service and well cooked delicious food. I can only assume...

Ordered pork chops, asked for new potatoes instead of chips, came with chips, when it arrived with potatoes, they were cold in the middle, and I only ate a few, I didn't ask for them to be heated up as my friend had almost finished...

Situated within the RNLI College, the restaurant offers a good choice of food throughout the day. Lovely bright, airy setting with great views over the quay.

We had a group meal involving our church at Riggers. The service was excellent and the food was very well presented withe good choice. Many mains are well below £10 and drinks are also competitively priced. I would definitely recommend a visit.

Lovely meal for a girly evening out. Friendly service, amazing food and pleasant atmosphere. Will be back for the Sunday carvery!!!

Eat here as we were staying in the hotel but were really surprised at just how good the food and ambience was here -coupled with brilliant service. Top marks and VERY VERY good value.

Plenty on offer for all tastes and the breakfast was included in the price we paid for the room. The staff are efficient and polite and, in general during our stay there, Covid precautions were paramount.

We have been a few times but never for the carvery, lovely atmosphere and views over Holes Bay. The food was excellent including a vegetarian choice. Very reasonably priced. Very good value and staff all very friendly, our waitress Kiera was delightful. Plus it’s good...

We were invited to join some friends for a meal at this establishment that we did not even know existed, great beer, an interesting menu and very friendly service!

We ate here every night during our stay at the RNLI. There were plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, the food was delicious and the service friendly. Lovely setting looking over the quay. Highly recommended.

Really loved the food and view and service was fab as well. My son got his pizza and because he’s autistic it was too runny for him they straight away did him some cheesy garlic bread which he loved. It was no problem at all...

Where to start.Looking forward to returning to this once popular restaurant.Pre booked a table for Sunday[not serving roast dinners] upstairs with a view. Table was not laid up or prepared so a young chap proceeded to spray and wipe down.He then hovered so I presumed...

My mum had a voucher given for Christmas and asked me to take her. Being a grown man, I thought the sandwiches, egg may, salmon and ham would of been better. Still, the only reason I am putting up this review is the scones (my...

The setting was great, the food was good and well priced considering it over looks the water. The only problem was the service, the girls were more interested in chatting to each other than looking after their customers. I had to go to them to...

The menu was limited but the food was always piping hot ,the staff were so helpful and made your visit special and if the weather is good you can eat outside with stunning views.

Everything we ate yesterday was definitely store bought. Really really poor food and lazy cooking. Nothing felt freshly made, the burgers felt reheated, the bacon was burnt, prawns were shop bought and the desert wasn't even warm. Only thing stopping it from a total disaster...

Great food, good service at a reasonable price, for the amazing location, very Covid safe and staff very friendly.

A lovely cream tea today at RNLI poole. Thankyou for giving us more time to use our gift because of covid lock down. Lovely warm welcome by waitress and felt relaxed with all new rules we have to abide to. Will definitely return in near...

All was clean and safe. There was plenty to choose from on the menu. The staff were happy to be flexible with our choices. Our food was tasty and well presented

Superb food and wine for evening meal in a fabulous setting. Baked salmon and lamb shank both fab. Merlot also excellent.

Decided on lunch here as been a couple of times for dinner, chose a southern Fried chicken sandwich, in bloomer bread, came with a mixed leaf salad, the chicken had been carefully laid at the front of the sandwich to make it seem full and...

Unfortunately my mother in law sent us a voucher for our wedding anniversary to eat at Riggers, we had to either put it in the bin or suffer another disastrous trip to the RNLI we thought it would be disrespectful to bin it or let...

Good selection of food and drink. Licensed. Sandwiches, chips, great fish and chips. Great views of Holes Bay

This was our first visit on a Sunday since the new two sittings regime has been introduced. We booked for the first sitting at 12 noon. There were crowds of people all arriving at the same time as everyone had to be checked in and...

My husband and I attended the Riggers Restaurant for the Sunday lunch. It was our wedding anniversary and my Mother had given us a voucher for the restaurant as a gift. There are now 2 sittings. The first which is at 12 noon, I had...

Had two evening meals here and two breakfasts.Ate here first night of stay with intention of going out second night. So impressed stayed in and ate here second night. Food all freshly cooked to order, loads of it and very tasty.Breakfasts had a huge choice ranging from full english, freshly cooked omelettes through to danish pastries, croissants and cereals. Served as a buffet, no excuse to go hungary.

It’s a shame I’m writing this as our previous visits to the Riggers Restaurant have been good.We arrived at restaurant at 7.30 and ordered our meals , they arrived a hour later , and cold !We asked the waiter to take them back and heat up , they came back after a while and still not hot !!!! So they went back again and apologise from the waiter ,saying their probe wasn’t working !!!After another hour , I asked the waiter what the problem was , he didn’t know and the chef did not take any notice and carried on preparing other meals ! I asked to speak to the Manager who tried to speak to the chef to find out why after over two hours we still didn’t have our meal , I’m afraid to say he didn’t have much luck , for some reason the chef carried on as though we weren’t there waiting ! We feel the chef was well out of order as the Manager and waiter , AJ were trying to sort it out and helpful . After over two hours we had our meals , and guesse what ! My steak was cold and my husbands vegetables were tepid ! We left the food ! The Manager said we didn’t have to pay and apologised , AJ the waiter was helpful and obviously frustrated as the chef was not listening ! We would rather have payed and had a good HOT meal ! I’m sure this is a one off but we didn’t expect it at the RNLI .

Spent two nights at the hotel and chose to use the Riggers restaurant both dyas. The breakfasts are phenomenal. Unreal amounts and such high quality. Evening meals are fab good choice, limited by way of sweets though.

We stayed at the collage for the weekend, and had Saturday lunch, evening meal, and Sunday breakfast here. Also tea, coffee and hot chocolate in between! The choice is super, and the food is excellent. The service was very attentive, without being intrusive. I would not hesitate to revisit, but it is a 3 hour journey each way. Such a lovely setting, all in all, I will return one day.

Great service, great view, great menu. The kids portion was very generous. Would recommend a visit. Good for couples and families.

We had both dinner and breakfast in the restaurant and everything was great. The choice was superb and staff couldn't have been more helpful.

I can’t believe in all the time we have been visiting Poole we missed this. Great location, lovely food, good choices for people with dietary needs/vegetarian/vegans. Staff were lovely, and reasonably priced. Plus you are supporting the RNLI. Loved to so much went two days in a row and will definitely go back. Highly recommend!

Excellent good plain food and well labelled. Gluten free and dairy fee options. Very well priced and helping a good cause.

Went for a Sunday carvery, reasonable prices, tasty and the atmosphere was lovely and relaxed. The staff were very pleasant. Would recommend.

We spent 2 nights in the RNLI hotel which we thought was excellent. We had Dinner in the restaurant on both nights and throughly enjoyed the Pizza, so much so I had it on both nights, the waiting staff were atentive polite and courteous. We also had Breakfast in the restaurant which was also very good although the scrambled eggs were not to my taste. Will definitely recommend this restaurant to friends and family

Lunch visit before going to Poole Lighthouse Theatre.

This place turns into a very reasonably priced carvery on a Sunday. We enjoyed perfectly cooked beef with a selection of “home made” tasting veg and Yorkshire pudding. The weakest element where the roast potatoes which could have been cooked for longer. Staff were happy and efficient. For an after dinner coffee we moved upstairs for a wonderful view over Holes Bay.

Visited just before Christmas with friends. Enjoyed a really good meal at an excellent price. Staff were friendly. Really nice feel to the place. Will definitely return and recommend. Value for money.

I ate here a few times about a year ago and I was always very pleased. But visiting recently it seems as though things have badly gone downhill. First, the menu has changed and has gone towards the burger and pizza route whereas before there were some great salad starter and fish mains on offer. Second, decided to go with the Christmas menu. Bland orange and grains salad starter, a decent piece of cod ruined by a tacky topping and possibly week old roast potatoes (and who puts fish with roasties anyway?) ... no reason to return.

My partner and I were staying in Poole and decided to try the RNLI Restaurant for our dinner one evening. The interior is very attractive, with a wooden spiral staircase and the lighting was soft and gave a nice atmosphere to the place.

We're long term supporters of the RNLI.

Shown to table , waited 15 minutes ( restaurant not busy ) to be asked if we would like a drink , this took 10 mins to arrive , then told to go get carvery , which at best was Luke warm ( obviously no temperature checks done ) staff seemed happier to sit chatting rather than see to customers . We left after main course .....sorry will not be returning

We were a family of 8 having lunch. The staff were excellent, they interacted well and were really polite and helpful. The food we couldn’t fault and the view brilliant. After lunch we went upstairs to the upper viewing gallery for a coffee and we played scrabble. There’s a little RNLI shop on site so the grand daughter was happy and the prices were very reasonable. My only gripe would be that the table needed a good clean down after the last customers - it was a little sticky.

Service was nice and friendly but honestly the food was so bad I would be shocked if anyone would eat there then return. Burger was clearly from frozen, as well as the watery vegetables, and my sister was served what could only be described as powdered mash potato. Nothing remotely lives up to the descriptions on the menu. Very disappointing

Service here was really good - polite, friendly and efficient though the table was sticky and tap water wasn't filtered. The location was great as well. But when the food came what a disappointment. It certainly didn't live up to the reviews. The hake was covered in a bland odd sauce, the vegetables appeared to be from a frozen packet, the mashed potato tasted as though it was from powdered and as such was inedible. The burger didn't look home made but just from a packet. The meal was cheap but the food was much cheaper. Don't know if we caught them on a day without a chef but I'd expect better from the RNLI. The bar is worth a visit though especially in daylight.

Read the review hear so went with family and wow what a fantastic evening food great and staff the evening was lovely and the food Is to die for will be back thank you rnli for a nice evening

We decided to try Riggers for lunch as we were in Poole for a weekend. We had read the reviews and it didn't disappoint us at all.

We have been here for a buffet lunch many times, when in the area and love the selection of food on offer. This was an evening visit with an a la carte menu and waiter service.

We visited with some friends one evening recently. The food was very good with a good ambience in the restaurant and reasonable value. Waiters were friendly, service was slightly slow and one main course came after the rest but generally top quality food in a nice location.

A good varied and affordable menu. One night we had a long wait as they had two weddings and had lost our booking.

There was a nice atmosphere, our food was great and our waitress Jessi was exceptionally polite and very helpful.

Group of 10 for senior citizen’s birthday on a Saturday lunchtime. It was not a busy day.

Little known restaurant located at the RNLI College overlooking the sea does a very nice carvery on a sunday at very reasonable price would recommend

The setting of this restaurant is lovely and the modern design is quite special.

August 24th 2019, four of us ate here on sat night. The service was good and the food come out in a timely manner. all the meals were tasty and the view to where you eat from is second to none. Shame the two sails bridge had broke once again. We had a starter , main and pudding. all were good qualities, hot and tasty.

We are currently enjoying a lovely meal overlooking the harbour. I had the hake wrapped in smoked salmon and my husband had the steak. Both were delicious!

We stopped in for an evening meal for 5 whilst visiting Poole, we had a verity of meals between us and all were fantastic, exceptional views and friendly staff

I’ve been many many times for breakfast, the local constabulary use as a second home, the staff are wonderful the views brilliant the foods mainly great( a fried egg might be a bit hard), however if you ask the chef guess what they’d cook you a fresh one. Sunday lunch is always packed and the staff are great

Run by the RNLI to generate funds for the RNLI. Great food, and lovely view over Poole Harbour. Parking on site. Well worth a visit

We ate at Riggers one evening, the food and service was good.