Rockfish Poole in Poole

Popped in on a Sunday afternoon. Very pleasant. Staff were lovely. I made a poor choice for a starter, but my wife's was lovely. The mains were spot on, and we both had a very pleasant afternoon.

Staff were so attentive, great service and the food was to die for. Dover sole was cooked perfectly, and a great selection of wines on offer.

Not many people in there which made us suspicious straightaway. Then we saw the prices and understood. Very overpriced. Half the menu was unavailable. Food was OK but the one thing we really disliked is the fact that people are allowed to bring in dogs. Dogs in a restaurant? Totally unacceptable. We saw some of the staff actually petting the dogs. We hoped they washed their hands before handling food! Not somewhere we will go back to.

We had a really fantastic dinner at Rockfish - the £10 fried plaice and chip special was absolutely delicious and fantastic value. The fish was so fresh and tasty and the chips were perfect. We couldn’t recommend it enough!

Super fish restaurant on Poole Quay front. Restricted but ample menu complimented with daily specials caught that day. Good atmosphere with excellent friendly and helpful front of house staff. Limited wine, but again sufficient choice. Tempura prawn and veg starters were delicious. Daily special of halibut was outstanding - cooked in gorgeous garlic butter. With chips (as much as you want to order and reorder). BUT... the first portion remained unfinished. Why? For the first time ever... They completely devalued the absolutely gorgeous halibut. Chips were fine.. But.. Wow.. The fish. Only non fish main was also chosen - chicken milanese. Again, beautifully cooked and really tasty. Limited dessert menu, but not primary purpose of first visit. Decided to go with knickerbocker glory.. See photo. Delish 😊. A super overall first experience of this venue. Would HIGHLY recommend a visit. Recommend booking in advance, as it clearly is a popular venue. Public car parking is 5 minute walk away. Will definitely add this to my must go again restaurants in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch area. Thankyou to all the staff for a lovely dining experience.

We had a lovely meal & excellent wine Service was great.

The food was so good that we returned for a 2nd night to sample more of the menu. The hake with the unlimited chips were excellent. Everything is fresh, the batter & tartare sauce was so tasty. We also loved the oysters, Sardines, fritto misto, Tinned makeral. Prawn tacos. Yum! Alex the waiter was excellent. My only comment would be for the tall waitress lady. She said they couldn't serve me one scoop of ice-cream. Apparently, it's a 2 scoop minimum, even though I had one scoop the night before.🫤

Value for the money and the staff are lovely, have been here a few times and have never been disappointed.

Had a fabulous meal here,the service was great friendly staff,had a booth which was cosy and intimate tried oysters for the first time!!!

I went there with my girlfriend it was really busy put all it was nice

Really nice food and lovely people! Thanks!

Poole is blessed with great fish restaurants and this one is definitely in the first division. Whilst there are standard menu items including unlimited chips and unexpectedly really good starters out of the can, it is the fresh selections that really impress. You never know what is going to be on the menu as it's always freshly caught. John Dory my choice off the back of a whitebait starter. Highly recommend, but would also recommend booking, particularly at weekends, it gets busy

Great addition to the Quay - atmosphere is nice and lively, food is excellent. The only thing knocking a star off is the service - it was a little hit-and-miss, but overall not much of a deal. Book ahead for busy nights like Fri/Sat.

"Excellent evening! Have visited Brixham restaurant many times, Poole did not disappoint, fab food, lovely warm atmosphere, great service, thank you to the whole team!"

Fantastic fresh fish cooked expertly. This is one of the best places to go for fresh fish meals. Unlimited chips is also a nice addition too. Have been here quite a few times and never been disappointed.

The gluten free options and level of detail and assurance was amazing 10/10! Lovely waitress, great service. Highly recommended

The food is great and a lovely atmosphere

Lovely visit to Rockfish. Maitre d was very welcoming, great personality for front of house. Staff were very friendly and attentive. All our food was delicious.

A great experience. Fast, friendly and efficient service and awesome food from the team at Rockfish Poole today. Well done guys ! Great work !

We booked a table at Rockfish for my wife’s 40th and weren’t disappointed. They allowed us to have a cake delivered and stored in the restaurant as a surprise and sang happy birthday to my wife (which she’s hated the attention ha). The food was great, and Andy who served us was fantastic - very friendly, knowledgable and accommodating. My son was having a melt down and Andy came to rescue and talked to him about the fish and brought out an alternative. Never had such great customer service before, and we’ve been to the exmouth Torquay and Brixham branches before. Just like to reiterate how much Andy is an asset to Rockfish and we look forward to coming back next time we’re in Poole :)

The hake and chips were excellent, fresh and light crispy batter, extensive fresh fish diner we 👍

Fantastic fresh food. Great options. And wonderful service. What more could you want! …I highly recommend the monkfish tail and haddock fish and chips!

Love this place so much. Food, service, staff all perfect. And will never tire of the spoof shipping forecast in the toilets. Peeing was never such fun.

Absolutely the best fish and chips I’ve ever had!!

A wonderful place to eat. The food is fresh and prepared to a very high standard. On both occasions we have eaten here, we have taken the staff recommendation when choosing our meals, they know their food!! Really friendly atmosphere. The staff are some of the most attentive I have experienced in the UK. Special mention to Andy, who not only gave great service but also used our names (from the reservation details) to make us feel incredibly welcome. The two other staff were also amazing, although I didn't catch their names. Our second time here, and we will be back soon. Thank you Rockfish Poole.

Spectacular, especially loved the catch of the day.

Edit: just been back again to take mum out for Mother's day. What can I say, apart from better than ever 👍😋😍 Absolutely love this place. Only the second visit, but the staff, the food & the attention to you the customers - outstanding. I'm coeliac, mum's in a wheelchair. Yet they couldn't be more helpful & accommodating. Nearly everything on the menu can be done for coeliac's, which is fantastic. Additionally, love the fact that you get amazing tasty unlimited chips with some main meals 😋😋😋 Definitely recommended ❤️

Great chefs. Nice service. Useless and rude front desk for reservation.

We visited in a Wednesday evening after booking on line. The decor & atmosphere of the restaurant is lovely, chic & relaxed at the same time. The waitress provided me with a glass of Prosecco as I was celebrating my Birthday, which was a lovely touch. She was very knowledgeable about the menu & went through the days specials. We both tried the chowder which was simply incredible! I’ve had chowder in the UK, & USA and this was one of the best ever! I would revisit this restaurant just to have that again! For mains, I had hake with chips & side order of peas. The portion was large & also had homemade tartare sauce plus unlimited chips (if you had room)… My husband had the whiting, chips & peas in a curried sauce which he really enjoyed. Unfortunately we had no room for dessert but the choices sounded excellent! I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you live seafood & if I lived nearer I would be a regular.,. 🥰

Lovely staff and ambience, food was delicious, highly recommend, will defo come again ( try the tacos , delish)

Everything was perfect, the food was amazing and almost every dish was available gluten free. The staff were very attentive without being intrusive. Lovely atmosphere and great decor!

Fantastic! A lovely restaurant for delicious fresh fish. All staff very attentive and friendly. Unlimited chips also a bonus! Can’t wait to go back.

Family meal celebrating our Sons 18th whilst staying in the area. Great service by a fabulous Waitress who made us feel so welcome and was just perfect for our evening. Food was scrumptious, the little welcome birthday card from them to my Son on the table was a lovely start to proceedings too. Great range of tasty food, it all came out looking and tasting great. Really enjoyed our evening and so pleased we went there. Thank you!

All the staff were friendly and professional. Food was amazing. We visited everyday of our long weekend

Was a great meal celebrating my wife’s birthday . Superb fish

Nice place. We really enjoyed the food. Oysters, cuttlefish, whiting tasted great and very fresh. Worth a visit if you're hungry.

Absolutely loved our visit to Rockfish last night. I’d checked the menu before we booked because I’m a vegan and there were both starter and main options available. Our waitress Ellie couldn’t have done more for us and was so fantastic at explaining everything and making sure my meal was vegan as well as all the fabulous fish options. Lots of fantastic attention to detail and the food was amazing. The batter is so light and nothing seems heavy or greasy. My husband loved his Sea Bream and Greek salad Just a really good experience, thank you.

Been a few times at various times of the year. Very busy in the summer, still open sometimes after closing time. Sometimes have to wait a while. The queue can be down the road. Food is ok.

As a retired London restaurateur it's all too easy to be critical of other dining out experiences, as all the good practices I tried to implement in my award winning Wine Bar/Brasserie in Chelsea never actually fall away. I rarely feel strong enough to take time to right a review but my dinning experience with two friends for a Friday lunch was exceptional - served solely by Toni Jay (probably her stage name🙂) - her presentation of the Days delights were exceptional physically ringing around the various dishes of note on the menu with a marker - never seen that before - the chosen fish dishes were delicious and served in good time - including all the small but important details bread, sauce, water etc. - During the 2/3 hours we were there she passed by silently checking our status never intruding unless required. Conclusions Food 5Star - Service 5Star - Ambience 5Star

Great fish selection and beautifully prepared together with lovely welcoming staff as always. What more could anyone ask for? Thank you.

An great seafood restaurant. The service is excellent and the staff friendly. The fish we had was cooked to perfection. Our Tarte Tatin desert was superb.

Exceptional! Wonderful fresh fish and great service. It was relatively quiet when we visited so difficult to rate the atmosphere properly but pretty good nonetheless. Our one disappointment was the lack of any draft beer and the poor choice of low/no alcohol beer.

Nice modern decor with a cosy feel. Ordered the fish and chips which was cooked perfectly. Chips were unlimited, which was good as you don't usually get that in restaurants! The curried mushy peas were an absolute delight for a side dish. I don't usually like mushy peas but this was delicious, a nice touch to the meal. Had a few specials on but nothing to my fancy. Overall it was a lovely experience, the service was top notch. Will definitely go again :)

I have been in this restaurant with my partner and my dog. The manager greeted us asking to close the door saying that it was windy outside. She then rushed to the system and looked for a table to assign us saying commenting that she didn’t want to give us another person’s table she then escorted us to a table and literally sat next to me explaining the various dishes that they had and drawing with a smelly pencil on the paper menu/table cloth. She spent roughly 10 min doing this literally sitting in our table. While she was performing this a member of the staff dropped some utensils and she commented “oh she does this in every shift”. We then proceeded to order, the food arrived leaving about 20 min between the started and the mains, which anyway it was ok as we were not rushing. The portions were ok but we left hungry, the fish is fresh and tasty tough, so well done to the sea, the fisherman and the chef. The floor service is very very basic and not friendly at all, even if the lady tried her best. No water bowl was provided for my dog, which is something that you would expect from a non busy dog friendly restaurant.

wow wow wow. food amazing and staff so nice love the building aswell. the calamari was lush.

First visit. Had been recommended by friends. Awesome. Very warm welcome. Food was so delicious. Between us we had monkfish, fisherman's mussels, bream and I had the haddock and chips. Staff amazing and friendly in particular Eve who looked after us. We will be back. Going to have an evening dinner next time. Have been wanting to try here for a while. So glad I finally did

Amazing place. We come from far away to eat here and it never disappoints. Amazing place, food and service!

We’ve now visited Rockfish in Poole three times. Our first visit was incredible, and the second time was also great. However, on our most recent visit, the experience was only just okay. While the fresh fish remains a highlight and the decor continues to impress with its cool vibe, we did notice that the seasoning and overall care in the dishes seem to be on the decline. The food felt a bit rushed, which is disappointing considering the quality we’ve come to expect from our earlier visits. On a positive note, the staff are consistently friendly and knowledgeable, which always adds to the dining experience. With a bit more attention to detail in the preparation of the dishes, Rockfish could easily recapture the excellence of its earlier days.

Fantastic food, superb service.

Delicious food, great atmosphere and service!

Always good fresh fish of the day.

Food was excellent as always. TJ was our waitress and she was excellent and very attentive, couldn’t have been more helpful. Thank you.

LOVED our lunch at Rockfish. Our two spaniels were treated like royalty - as were we. This was our first visit to the restaurant but it certainly won’t be the last. The staff were brilliant, so lovely to be served by people who clearly love their restaurant too. The food was faultless, we left very full and happy! Thank you

Again yesterday evening (February 2025), we were delighted with the service at Rockfish and the quality of the food: Oysters, Cockles, Mussels and Monkfish all wonderfully prepared and delicious. Also worthy of mention is their 'house' wine, the Pinot Bianco Veneto, which is good value at £26. Rgds Alan & Sue

Thank you to Kali our amazing waitress and the chef it was so tasty and in a fun atmosphere. Trying to teach my son fish comes from the sea and not Tesco

Fish 'N' Chip restaurant 'par excellence'. Very nice welcoming place with a great atmosphere. Food was cooked very well, and the fish was super fresh. (Their motto on the plates was 'Tomorrows fish is still in the sea'). Staff wrote on the tablemats what fish was bought earlier on and available. -Nice touch & original!. All the staff were really friendly and gave great service. Big mention to Ellie, & thanks to all. Martin & Evie. Ps We just turned up on 30th December at 6.00pm and was lucky to be seated, so recommend you book.

We were so pleasantly surprised what a lovely evening we had. Ambience was very good and buzzy, food was excellent with such fresh fish (straight out of the harbour) and Kali and Ellie were so accommodating and friendly. Nice touch with the Birthday card and drink too. Thank you and look forward to next visit.

A very nice fish restaurant. Friendly staff. Very good food and the portions are very large.

This was a birthday celebration, party of six. Tip top service from arrival. Fabulous fish selection. Everyone cheated their plates. Our server Andy was particular knowledgeable of the dishes and wine pairing. Thanks to the whole team. We'll be back!

We were five friends who had an early supper after a boat trip on a Sunday. We had booked having been unable to get in without a booking on the Saturday evening and having had a delicious meal we know why! The staff were super friendly, helpful and nothing was too much trouble. The food came in a timely manner and we all enjoyed our fresh fish dishes very much.

Amazing restaurant, beautiful food and service from Andy and TJ was impeccable. Thank you all the team! We had a wonderful time and will be returning again soon x

It was great all around. Their menu had many gluten-free options, and they had some lovely dog treats (see picture).

We arrived at Rockfish on a cold, wet and windy evening with the weather dampening my enthusiasm. However, as soon as we arrived the friendly staff and warm atmosphere helped change my mood and provide a great evening. We had the fish platter and I thoroughly recommend to ensure you are able to try as many of the superbly cooked fish as you can. Each was well prepared and helped fill my tummy!

The food was delicious, good service and kind welcoming staff. I would say the prices are slightly higher than other places. Otherwise, such a good restaurant.

Best fish and chips I’ve ever had. Came back next day for meal and it was insane. Just amazing. Thank you so so much. The service, the food, the atmosphere. Amazing

Excellent venue. Loved the food and service

Kali our waitress explained the evening options of seafood and was totally prepared, very friendly, helpful and vivid.

If fresh fish, cooked perfectly is what you are after - this is the place!!

We arrived at Rockfish between what might be considered normal lunch and dinner service slots, when many restaurants close for an couple of hours, so the restaurant was relatively quiet. The dining room felt spacious with its high ceiling and partitioned seating and everything was bright and clean. Sadly the staff seemed a bit muted and despondent. After a half-hearted welcome at the door, we had to stand around whilst they found one of the many empty tables for us. It all felt a bit beige After MONKFISH SCAMPI starters we both plumped for the SEA BREAM with NEW POTATOES. No complaints about the food as such. It was all ok, on a par with any other fish and chip restaurant. Whilst we appreciate Rockfish's sourcing ethic, all in all it seemed a little expensive for what we got and I'm sure that the atmosphere is much better when the place is busy.

Blown away by this place. Everything seemed to be very good. The team were all excellent and engaging. Our waitress TJ was outstanding - very courteous and knowledgable. A great experience.

First visit to Rockfish but certainly wont be the last. Great atmosphere, lovely meal and we could hear each other speak. Very enjoyable.

Lovely little restaurant specialised in seafood. We are lobsters which was excellent. The veg tempura, unlimited chips were really good. Their mushy peas with curry sauce was interesting and flavorful. Would visit again

I visited at lunchtime having chosen this because I am on a keto diet at the moment. I had the set lunch, wine and coffee. The fish was very fresh and perfectly cooked, the coffee was good. OK the wine was a bit of an extra, but it was very good for the price. It is years since I had a lemon sole and this was brilliant, I’ll be back.

We were in Poole to see the truly amazing blues singer, Beth Hart. We booked this restaurant, situated right on the quay side of Poole harbour, and we were very pleased we did. Rockfish, from Mitch Tonks, is a large restaurant space, with an open kitchen. We were warmly greeted by Anette and she served us really well, describing the menu and the available fish then looking after us beautifully throughout the meal. I chose: - Mussels: freshly harvested rope grown mussels steamed with white wine, bay leaf, onion garlic & butter Followed by: - Pan-fried gurnard fillets (caught in deep water, nice & firm, slightly oily, with a wonderful flavour), "unlimited chips" and spinach The mussels were really fat and full of flavour, in an excellent steaming liquid. The gurnard equally good: wonderfully fresh, cooked perfectly, with a great flavour. Chips perfectly crispy with fluffy insides. A great meal in a really good setting and with excellent service. Thank you Rockfish. (And then onto a fabulous, storming performance from Beth Hart!) (Also posted to my food blog on Instagram @AbbeyKing16)

We were in Poole to see the truly amazing blues singer, Beth Hart. We booked this restaurant, situated right on the quay side of Poole harbour, and we were very pleased we did. It's a large restaurant space, with an open kitchen. We were warmly greeted by Anette and she served us really well, describing the menu and the available fish then looking after us beautifully throughout the meal. I chose: - Mussels: freshly harvested rope grown mussels steamed with white wine, bay leaf, onion garlic & butter Followed by: - Pan-fried gurnard fillets (caught in deep water, nice & firm, slightly oily, with a wonderful flavour), "unlimited chips" and spinach The mussels were really fat and full of flavour, in an excellent steaming liquid. The gurnard equally good: wonderfully fresh, cooked perfectly, with a great flavour. Chips perfectly crispy with fluffy insides. A great meal in a really good setting and with excellent service. Thank you Rockfish. (And then onto a fabulous, storming performance from Beth Hart!) (Also posted to my food blog on Instagram @AbbeyKing16)

If I look like I'm asleep, it's because my taste buds have gone to heaven. I had oysters, the best mussels ever! Followed by the most divine Brill and new potatoes and a palettable devil's roughage, because you have to. Andy was the best, he recommended the brill, such a good choice.

What a find this was! Lovely cozy atmosphere. Ambience was good. Excellent service.Very attentive especially to my aunt who has dementia. Wide range of fish caught that day on menu. Food was tasty and I really have not tasted food like that for years! Very flavoursome. Would definitely go there again. Thank you !

Great and friendly staff. Excellent quality food and we also love their tin fish available on line. We've been to Dartmouth and Poole and it's our go to South coast retaurant

Rockfish is a small chain that has it spot on when it comes to a light lunch or casual evening meal. They employ staff with good knowledge of their menu and the seafood is really fresh from the simplest half pint of prawns to their excellent fish dishes. We have already visited Weymouth and it was equally excellent 👌

Can't fault the service but the place was almost empty so it might be different when busy. Smoked haddock was amazing as were the tempura prawns.Squid main was a bit of a let down in my humble opinion they were cut extremely thin and just tasted a lot like just heavy batter.I feel the prices are a bit expensive for what you get.That said it was a nice treat and the best thing it's dog friendly 👍

My Mum and I were so impressed with the staff service and attention to detail when taking my Grandma out for a birthday lunch. They when above and beyond to be helpful and it was a lovely lunch out. Thank you so much.

First time visiting, had the fish and unlimited chips deal. Staff friendly, food nice although had to re request ketchup. Drinks a little pricey but guess that's normal as in a lovely location. My gripe is they add a £1 discretionary charge for charity to the bill. Perhaps they should reassess this as people tend to donate to charities of their choice and this has never happened to me before in a restaurant. Had my daughter with me so bit my tongue and paid. Felt the tatic of adding this to the bill without even asking is wrong, especially as the CEO/top dogs in many charities are on 6 figure salaries. This is why I research when I donate for a good cause.

Wonderful Saturday night evening meal, excellent food. Attentive staff, would highly recommend.

Best fresh seafood I had in a long time. Fit to feed a ‘seafood fussy enthusiast’ European like me who grew up by the Mediterranean Sea! The service and staff were absolutely lovely! And their presentation of the manu included a complimentary live drawing of illustrated seafood/fish characters! So original and sweet. Great fun. Thank you

Just had an incredible late lunch at Rockfish in Poole! From the moment we arrived, the service was exceptional—friendly, attentive, and perfectly timed. The relaxed, coastal atmosphere made it feel like a true getaway, letting us unwind and fully enjoy our meal. The fish was the star of the show, cooked to absolute perfection—so fresh and flavorful. Paired with a delicious cocktail and a crisp, chilled white wine, it was everything we could’ve hoped for. Highly recommend Rockfish for anyone looking for a tasty, laid-back dining experience!

Don't forget to visit this wonderful restaurant, traditional fish and chips. I love it!

Best fish restaurant on the quay. Outstanding food, service and atmosphere. Recommended

Amazing atmosphere and fresh delicious seafood!

What a fantastic place for fresh fish the atmosphere is great.The knowledge of the fish & the service that Ellie & Bel gave was fantastic & definitely a place to return to.

Every restaurant should have a waitress that just comes to your table to ask "Time for more chips?" Top notch service and beautiful fish (even according to the Croatian girlfriend which is high praise)!

In the UK, from the US. The staff was awesome, and the food was 10/10. If you're staying in Poole, get your table reserved! It's worth it.

Fantastic place, delicious food. I recommend it.

Food was perfect. Service was great

I have not had the pleasure - since I was turned away, at 5 o'clock. It seems the restaurant was 'busy and booked'. Interestingly, there were only 5 customers seated, and 90 minutes later, the place was still less than half full. - As a local, I shall think twice to bother entering this place. Just for the sake of this review, I have tried 2 more times - and with the same result. The joint is mostly empty or half-empty ...

Great fish restaurant, fresh fish, well cooked, excellent service and atmosphere. Not that expensive either. Great value.

We had a simple but truly delicious meal at Rockfish in Poole. Fish and chips main, I had the hake. Very fresh tasty fish, delicious unsalted chips just the way I like them, with extra chips included although we didn’t need them. The homemade tartare sauce also delicious. Dessert was 3 sorbets - so light but perfect to finish the meal. And a pot of Exmoor tea in a ForLife teapot. Just perfect. Service was friendly and so efficient. Worth every penny. Thank you, Rockfish Poole.

Imagine you were invited to a friend's house somewhere in the Mediterranean. While there, they cooked you a meal with love and care. This is how the fish tastes. It's the freshest we'd ever had in the UK and the tastiest by far. I need to come back to try so many of the other dishes on the menu. Highly recommended.

Lovely food and service, reasonably priced for a restaurant. Only downside small portion of chips which are unlimited and waiting time for some more took to long. Would have been nice to just have a big bag full and not have to chase waiter for more even though they are unlimited. Manager guy was extremely friendly and food was excellent and fresh. 9/10.

Had a delicious meal here yesterday. We were spoilt for choice from the extensive freshly catch of the day menu. Lovely location right on the quayside. Very welcoming & helpful staff. Quiet at this time of year, so an extra treat for efficient service. Modern, clean atmosphere. 👌🏽

Had a fabulous girls lunch there on Saturday. Andy who looked after us was amazing. Attentive, professional and fun. Loved the food. Can’t wait to visit again.