Rockwater in Poole

Great food in a lovely location right on the beach front. We visited with friends and our 2 children, for a late lunch. Staff were very friendly and accommodating. It was a busy service but they managed to move us to the sofa area when we wanted to stay for another drink too

Hannah G was fantastic from once we arrived to when we left .it made such a difference she obviously enjoys working with you .

Great view and good variety of menu.

Visited Rockwater Branksome yesterday, family of four and our pet dog Bella, we ate upstairs on the roof terrace. Service from Lucy was excellent, the fish and seafood plates we had were fantastic. Loved the fact that a restaurant serving such great food was so dog friendly and we could all relax and enjoy the experience. We’ll be back!

We walked in and had no booking, they accommodated us well, as it was busy, and we were seated on table 1. The service was great and really helpful, we had a waitress called Natalie who looked after us and was great with our kids. Will be going back.

Food was better before. Quality of food not adequate to the price. Cocktails so-so. You can go for the view but not for the "great food". It is quite pricey for the experience in my opinion. Service still nice.

Hannah G was amazing. Super accommodating to my son and very friendly :)

Beautiful location and lovely drinks and pizzas! But have stopped here for coffee before on a walk with a friend and the service charge is added even for just a hot drink which does take the price up a bit. Understand on food orders and groups but does make the price alot higher, this should be optional rather than just added. It is dog friendly so you will find dogs in the restaurant

Extremely rude and unwelcoming and impolite member of staff that served us last night. The place has definitely gone downhill and the service levels are not what they should be. We actually left due to bad service! My friend and I came to sit down outside and wanted to order a hot drink and some food, the waitress only bought an alcoholic menu and didn’t ask us if we wanted food and only assumed we wanted alcohol. It was quite cold so we asked for blankets and she was rude and abrupt and told us ‘ No there was no blankets’ . When she came back to ask my friend what she would like. My friend said she would like a hot drink, my friend is European so has a bit of an accent and the waitress looked at her and again was really rude when asking her ‘what ? ‘ a what drink ? ‘ and pulled a bit of a screwed up face not understanding what my friend had asked for. When I intervened I said ‘ a hot drink , like latte / coffee ? ‘ the waitress then again was rude and said “ we do but Im going back to serve the other people down there as I’m just so busy “ The table behind overheard and the man sniggered about the waitress saying “ great hospitality ‘. I was actually quite shocked at how rude she was, and even if she was ‘so busy ‘ , it’s not what you would expect a waitress to tell a customer and be so hostile ! Her manner in how she spoke to my friend because she didn’t quite understand her accent was most concerning to me , and I refuse to pay for bad service so we actually just got up and left ! I have been coming to Rockwater since it first opened and there was always good service and polite and friendly staff even when busy. It’s disappointing the place is definitely not as good as it first used to be, either due to understaffing or poor recruitment . This staff member clearly lacked customer service and care skills, she was extremely rude and abrupt and I was disgusted in how she spoke to my friend so rudely as she didn’t understand her accent , she didn’t realise I was English as I watched her interacting with my friend talking to her in such an unpolite and unprofessional way!

Lovely venue & food, great Addison to the area, Sandbanks next time!!! No zero alcohol on menu or available, a shame.....

Lovely place great location great food and service may was brilliant can’t wait to go back

The mushroom pithivier was nice. Potato’s were overcooked The Yorkshire pudding was so oily it was oozing out. Veggie gravy tasted and looked like baby puree. Overall the food was average. Not sure I’d have it again. No dogs should be allowed in as paying customers are eating food it’s unhygienic and people could be allergic! The waitress that served us wasn’t that friendly. Overall it has put me off from coming back again.

Lovely food, great atmosphere and May our server, was fantastic.

A really warm welcome and attention straight away meeting everyone's needs. The 6 of us plus our dog were upstairs with the exceptional view of the sea and blue sky. We are a group of veggies, vegan and meat eaters and nothing was too much trouble. Beautiful meals and desserts. Even the dog was spoilt with attention and treats. Would highly recommend 😍

We ate here today with a group of 19. service and food was very good. We ordered in advance. Reuben our waiter was fantastic, efficient and great fun. He really made the experience memorable for us.

Birthday treat Service upstairs was amazing - thank you Jamie for looking after us on my birthday

Fantastic place for an early evening coffee

The service definitely needs work. This was the 2nd time trying this place and it’s just not getting better in terms of service. We walked in to the front desk and 2 members of staff not only completely ignored us and carried on their private conversation, the walked away from the desk leaving us waiting and looking for someone to check in with. We were shown upstairs and then left again at an empty desk where another couple were also stood waiting frustrated. We had 2 small children and we were eventually seated but it took over 20 mins before I eventually got up with my 2 year old to find someone to take our order as our little ones were hungry. Once ordered the food came quickly and was nice, but nothing reflective of the price or how beautiful the setting is! The servers were very helpful and friendly once we got their attention but they just don’t seem to be fully trained on top level service or are under staffed. Just a simple smile and ‘I’ll be with you in a few minutes’ would make all the difference when customers arrive. Then checking if customers have ordered where there are still menus on the table is to a minimum.

Visited for Mother’s Day - food was great - especially the treacle tart with ginger - just amazing! Service from both Lucy’s (do you need to be called that to work there?!) was just perfect 😃 Tom the chef did the restaurant proud and we’ll be back!

Beautiful restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking the beach. Extensive food and drink menu. Recommended for summer and winter months. The staff are very friendly and professional too.

Great food, great service and great view.

Had simplicity when arriving for a booked table, 15 mins too early. The staff made us feel welcome and seated us comfortably in the bright dining cafe and we had some gorgeous pizzas for lunch - atmosphere wasn't too busy

Mae was a great waitress. Food was very good. They made room for us when we hadn't booked and the view was incredible.

Mae was our lovely server tonight, very helpful and attentive. The view of the beach is lovely in evening, the food is spectacular with only a couple of vegan options but all super tasty. Lovely evening overall, expensive but worth it for a special occasion or catch up with good friends!

Food was nice but I think overpriced at £21. Service was very slow and we were waiting too long for our order to be taken, and a table who sat down after us had their order taken before us so it made us feel ignored.

Great atmosphere, beautiful restaurant, lovely food and drinks. Fantastic service by May. Highly recommended especially when it’s sunny.

Lovely food and excellent waitress. Adriana

I'm still giving this place 5 stars because of previous visits. Our last however, was bad. It's not just bad for this place but bad in general. Service was slow, they had no excuse for this, they were not busy. My wife received her food, and there were nuts on it, which was NOT on the menu. This is a serious and heinous error on the establishments part. Because of this, my wife has already vowed not to return and as she is my wife, that means I won't be either. Rockwater asked me to contact them directly over email. 1 week later and I've heard nothing!?

Lovely bream for lunch. Henry enjoyed his pizza too! Our waiter Ben was excellent

Such lovely views and service was good! We enjoyed the food, but I wish the coffee was better for such an exclusive location (that's just me being picky though as there's so many great coffee places in the area)! Will be back!

Wowsers £25 for a cider too and medium glass of wine! Plus seated behind a massive wall so no view. Not impressed at all

Beautiful spot right on the beach.

Last Wednesday afternoon, my friend and I, along with our four children, arrived at the restaurant without a reservation. I anticipated we might be turned away, but instead, we were kindly asked to wait a few minutes. Ruben generously prepared a table for us! He went above and beyond to make us feel special, and each child felt like the most important guest as they ordered their rather elaborate ice cream selections. He patiently took their order, despite several changes. Thank you for your kindness, Ruben, and your patience in accommodating us! You made our afternoon!

Great lunch with friends, Katie was very kind and efficient and served us with such grace and personality! The Shepherds pie was delicious, too!

Fabulous setting, service was slow, nice friendly ambience and friendly staff, confusing with bar menu for one bit of restaurant and another menu for another. Not enough plant based options, sadly. Nice decor. Would I revisit? Yes, but for drinks only at the moment.

Buyer beware!! Great location great service but boy do you pay for it! £16.00 for 2 pints! Including a service charge that came out of nowhere. Higher prices than Belgravia London 😱.

Arrived on a lovely march day waited to be seated which was fine, staff were slow which I can understand when busy. Order our food and drinks, drinks come very quickly as did the food. We had ordered some chicken wings to share to start but they come at the same time as our mains, a pizza and a ceasar salad. The ceasar salad was supposed to come no anchovies and added chicken, the salad come with blue cheese not chicken, we waited for someone to come back no one did so I got up to find someone. When I told the waiter they said I’ll get you a new one no apology nothing, returned to the table started our chicken wings and after 15 minutes eventually after asking how long it would be the salad with chicken arrived, although it had anchovies this time. Rather than bother complaining my partner just picked them out as we didn’t what to wait another 15 minutes as I had already finished my food. The pizza was okay burnt in places the chicken wings were nice but the ceasar salad was very bland and not very nice. The food was okay service was very poor not a single apology for the food mistakes never once asked if we wanted anything else or if the food was okay. Really poor for a place that changed £98 for this. Would highly recommend avoiding this place as very overpriced for bang average food and rubbish service.

If you’re looking for friendly high quality service, look elsewhere! My review isn’t based on one visit alone, my review is based on multiple visits across the last 12 months. Being local to the area, we have given Rockwater multiple chances to be the venue it can and should be. Whether this be for a coffee in the morning or drinks in the evening. The service is very slow and certain managers and hosts are not very welcoming or look interested to help. Often we just get turned away, whilst empty tables are visible. One occasion I had to get my coffee from the bar itself as it was just sitting there going cold. I’ve also waited over 30 minutes for an Aperol spritz when the place was 25% full. Upstairs seems to always be closed for a ‘private event’ when you can clearly see no one is up there. Such a waste of space, especially on sunny Mother’s Day! Today we were told to find a table outside and a waiter will take our order. We sat outside for 20 minutes before I had to get up and find a waiter inside. Who then came and took our order of two drinks. 20 minutes later our drinks had still not arrived, it’s not even busy! You wonder why ??? So we left. This is 3 of many more occasions where service and staff have been extremely poor. I genuinely don’t want to leave a review like this but enough is enough and it seems to be a recurring theme. Rockwater Branksome…. Sort it out!

The food and ambience was excellent as was the customer service from May, who was awesome and a credit to the company. All in all a wonderful experience and I am happy to encourage my friends and colleagues to visit. Many thanks Kevin

The food here for breakfast is absolutely delicious! Highly recommend the banana bread and eggs benedict. Our server Monica , went above and beyond, accommodating every request with a smile. She ensured we had everything we needed and made the experience here amazing. The only adjustment I would change is for the upstairs to be no dogs.

Great place on the seafront, we sat outside on a lovely sunny day for lunch, fantastic friendly service, good food and beverage choice. Caesar Salad a bit pricey but tasty.

I had the best red velvet cake ever thank you Andreana and Ben - delicious ♥️

Amazing views , good food , slow service still worth a visit

Excellent red velvet cake today. Perfect with a coffee. Thanks to Ben for recommending

Family brunch can’t fault anything or anyone all working as a team served by a lad called Jensen very professional cheers mate for looking after us

Amazing food, gorgeous restaurant, stunning views, roof terrace is an amazing experience definitely worth a visit if your in the area. Highly recommend.

Great good had brilliant service thank you jensen for looking after us much appreciated will definitely be returning

A really nice spot, very well decorated. However service was incredibly slow, and waiting staff impatient and rude. Head to The Noisy Lobster down the road for great service

Food was great but the level of service is the worse I’ve experienced. Never been gaslighted by a waiter before until going here. Jensen was appalling. From getting things wrong, being nonchalant about it, not communicating why he had to wait soo long for our food, not asking if we wanted more drinks while we waited and the worst part was trying to bully the table into paying for the service charge. Then we declined to pay it he made out it was because we couldn’t afford it. Then he said it was because it’s how his system is for the bill and it couldn’t be removed. I could go into more detail but I think my point is proven. Avoid at all costs.

Great location and stunning views over the beach. We had fish and chips which were delicious.

Lovely location, great drinks! Adriana was excellent, service was over and above!

Friendly service, delicious food, sumptuous ladies room and a view to die for. Anna, our waitress, was friendly, efficient and had a great sense of humour.

I can't remember the last time I had to wait two hours for my food.... The first dish arrived after 50 minutes, we were with two small children... in my case I didn't order starters, it took me 2 hours to put the first piece in my mouth... desperate. It was my first time and certainly my last. Apparently this is a recurring situation... The waiters were friendly but in this situation it was of little use....

Thoroughly enjoyed celebrating my husband’s birthday with brunch at Rockwater yesterday. Excellent food, attentive service and what a location!

Liam was the best, made every drink asked for and offered brilliant service. thank you for a lovely day out!

Service is so slow here, sat down outside to get a drink and waited more than 15 mins with no acknowledgement despite speaking to the person at the host desk who advised us someone would be over to take our order so we just left. Really annoying you can’t just order at the bar like a normal place too. Really nice atmosphere and location tho

Great place for breakfast and lunch, great food, wonderful location and super service today from Anna. Thank you

We arrived mid afternoon on Sunday. No one greeted us on arrival and we were ignored by several passing waiting staff. After I told a waitress there was a vacant table outside, she agreed we could sit there. No one appeared to take our order, so I found a member of staff and asked for a menu to be told only drinks were being served outside and there was a 2 hour wait for tables inside. We left, appalled by the lack of attention and fed up with being ignored! Politeness costs nothing.

Staff were fantastic..asked for more blue cheese for my burger & they arrived with slices of. May in particular was a delight.

We love it at Rockwater , one of our favourite places with excellent cheerful service from Hannah . See you soon 🌞

Great Service by Hannah G, been there a few times and she is always great. Great setting and lovely place. My bug bear and irritation is card payments only and the automatic service charge of 12.5% which I dislike with a passion ...

Disappointing and Unwelcoming Experience I was really looking forward to dining at Rock Water with my friends, but unfortunately, our experience was nothing short of disappointing. There were five of us, and despite seeing multiple empty tables, we were told there was "no space" for us. It seemed like the staff simply couldn't be bothered to push two tables together to accommodate our group. Rather than making any effort to be accommodating, they just turned us away without a second thought. It was frustrating and unwelcoming, especially at a place that should pride itself on hospitality. If you're looking for a restaurant that actually values its customers, I'd suggest going elsewhere.

Would have been a much more enjoyable visit, but almost every table inside had dogs next to the table or under the table. At one stage, there was constant barking from a couple of dogs. There was a horrible doggy smell and I just don’t want to be surrounded by dogs while I’m eating a lovely lunch out in what should have been lovely surroundings. Totally put me off and we won’t be back. Note / I AM NOT A DOG HATER!!!!! But come on….. there is outside seating.

Arrived as a group of 5, young waitress greeted us, muttered something about finding someone inside to talk to and vaguely pointed, then scurried off - making it unclear what to do. We were then awkwardly waiting in the door way for someone to give us further information, I believe 3 staff members walked past us at without even looking at us. When a man in a shirt came over he said he didn’t have availability for the 5 of us even though there were empty tables upstairs and downstairs. Apparently only able to seat 4 at a time - Seems very odd rule? I am disappointed as I had heard good things about this place & it’s in a stunning location. Safe to say I will not be recommending this place.

my boyfriend and i had a lovely meal at rockwater on a sunday eve, lovely atmosphere and great food, as was the service! we were served by may (not sure on the spelling sorry!) who was wonderful and catered to our needs perfectly 🥰 she was very helpful and friendly, we couldn’t have asked for better service! thank you :)

A Disappointing Experience – Avoid This Place! I recently visited this restaurant with my child, looking for a table inside. Despite having empty tables, the host told us that everything was fully booked. However, after checking again, we saw that this wasn’t true. When we re-entered, we encountered a young woman who had just seated another group without a reservation. She then told us she could find us a table. As we were being led to the table, the host whispered to her that if we were only having drinks, we should sit outside. The waitress then quietly informed him that we actually wanted to eat. We were seated at a low couch-style table, which was uncomfortable for dining. When we requested a proper dining table, we were told it wasn’t possible, even though there were available tables without reservation signs. We ordered pizza, which turned out to be the worst experience—excessively oily, falling apart, and made with poor-quality mozzarella. Being experienced in the hospitality industry, I could immediately tell that the cheese was of terrible quality. The Caesar salad was even worse—a disgraceful dish with only three croutons and three cold chicken pieces, likely refrigerated for days. The table we were seated at was dusty and dirty, which was completely unacceptable. And at the end of it all, they expected us to leave a tip? Absolutely not. Yes, it’s a beachside restaurant, but everything—from the welcome to the service and the food—was a disaster. Avoid at all costs.

I recently visited Rockwater in Bournemouth on a busy Sunday, and unfortunately, my experience was very disappointing. After queuing outside for 20 minutes, we were told there were no seats inside, despite being able to see at least five empty tables. When we asked about sitting on the roof terrace, we were informed that it’s only available for drinks, which wasn’t communicated anywhere, not even to those waiting in the long queue. The restaurant advertises a breakfast menu, but we were told we could only order pizza. It would have been helpful if this was either posted on a sign or mentioned by staff while we waited. The location is beautiful, and it has the potential to be a great breakfast and lunch spot for those enjoying the beach, but it’s clear the place is disorganised. Things took a turn for the worse when my friend kindly asked if they could inform people in the queue about the limited menu, only to be met with a dirty look from a young blonde lady. Frustrated, we decided to visit the takeaway hut for a break, but the coffee was awful. It was supposed to be a latte, but it was more of a burnt, frothy mess. The pastry was dry and unappetizing too. Overall, there seems to be little care put into the quality of food or service here, and I won’t be rushing back.

Brilliant service by May (unsure on the spelling), she was very helpful, funny and attentive. Food was very nice and atmosphere was great, very nice by the sea.

Good food and great service, Ben was great!

Poor menu choice and expensive, poor quality food, bad service and over priced cheap wine , all in all a very disappointing evening but very expensive I will not be returning to eat again!

Wow! This place is awesome! Firstly we want to give a big shout out to Hannah. In a busy, selfish world a lot of restaurants have lost their dedication to customer service. It was a joy to be waited on my Hannah and all the team at Rockwater. They are so focused and full of cheer and so attentive ! The food is absolutely gorgeous! Pizzas and Wings next to the ocean, a dream! Thanks Chef, chefs! 🧑‍🍳 Thank you guys, sorry can’t remember all the waiters, waitresses names.. Can’t wait to return soon! Claire & fam & friends 🙏🌊🥂🍕🌞

Lovely place with gorgeous views. Looking forward to going back and enjoying the sunshine on the terrace with delicious food and a drink.

Unfortunately my meal was rather disappointing, I chose the shepherds pie at £20, guess what that’s all it was? Looked somewhat lonesome, so added to it with green salad a few sprigs of lettuce and Chinese leaves, minimal, & not worth £6. Back to the pie, slow cooked lamb several chunks, 30% tender 70% tough & fatty, inedible, poor quality. The only reduction was they half priced the pie, still tooo expensive at £10. This place tries to be classy but fails on all counts Service was slow, very limited selection but I would expect better because of that. So keep on ripping of the tourists as they come & go can’t imagine going back if I were a local.

Had a great lunch today with a good friend. Thank you to our lovely waitress Katie 😊

The coffee is amazing in there will be back to try the food as looked amazing to .

Great food and service (thank you May), was very quiet when we visited. A very pleasant walk from Bournemouth

Food fantastic, service excellent, staff all very friendly and genuine, highly recommend fish and chips!

Came here for breakfast and service was overall lovely. We were looked after by the crew. Daniella our server even made sure my mum's birthday was extra special with a birthday plate and her service was warm and personable all together. It will be interesting to see how lunch and dinner service is, will be coming back!

I had a great experience at Rock Water. Ben provided fantastic service—he was friendly, attentive, and really knew the menu. The food was excellent, and the atmosphere was relaxed. I’ll definitely be back!

I had a great time at Rock Water. Ben's service was top-notch, he was friendly, attentive, and really knew his stuff. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was just right. I’ll definitely be returning!

Great food and atmosphere and Ben was amazing and a credit to the place

Exceptional service by Ben he was great. Always catering to our needs and made us laugh lots. Food and drinks were also fantastic.

I had a bad experience. Services are very poor from start to the end. Manager are very rude. Overpricing for what they offer. Avoid this place!

I came in the other day with my girlfriend for breakfast and I have to say i’ve never met such welcoming staff! Our server was Daniella and she was fabulous, attending to all our needs, dietary requirements and questions. The food was also lovely and I think the chef was called Holly, however it is on the pricey side. Overall an amazing experience and would recommend.

Fabulous location obviously but it is ridiculously expensive and you just feel like you are being mugged off, their kiosks are a rip off too, it just leaves a bitter taste in your mouth as you know they are just taking advantage of the location. Food is good but the breakfast was a disappointment, my wife was still hungry after and it cost too much to be left hungry

We had lunch here this week. I had the bacon chop and my friend had the fish and chips. Food and wine were really great. Service was exceptional from Andrew the host and Katie our waitress. Such a great place and fantastic location. Will definitely go back.

Had a great time. Tried the margarita minis and loved them all! Ben served us and he was super attentive, friendly and kind. Would recommend.

I was greeted by a bubbly young girl on the door, blonde& glasses & although busy they squeezed me in & looked after by a young man with glasses- very attentive-the food took a little while but delicious when it arrived- Also you views are beautiful-5star

This place is awesome. Service was amazing. We had the best lady serving us. Great location, beautifully decked out and great food. What a special place right on the beach. Highly recommend

Popped in after a dog walk on the beach for coffee. Ended up having a delicious gluten free pudding!! A very large portion! Depending on appetite I would advise to share the apple and rhubarb crumble!😋 Staff were very attentive and accommodating for my dog who even got a little treat❤️. Will definitely be returning to try a gluten free meal.

Been coming here for a long time @ 7am for tea toast and marmalade now all of a sudden it’s we only serve pastries till 8am this makes no business sense because your chef is there already anyway your loss if you want an early breakfast find somewhere else people take care.

Great food, great views, and great interior design. Our server, Anna, was lovely and very helpful!

Hannah is a really hard-working, friendly waitress who goes the extra mile for her customers.

We stopped by Rockwater for a last minute lunch with our 2 year old grandson today, and were so kindly welcomed by Stacey and the team. We were recommended the Caesar salad, which was 10/10! We gave our compliments to Chef Holly! The coffee was also excellent. Highly recommend!

Popped in to Rockwater this afternoon for an impromptu lunch with my family. What a wonderful experience! Our server Rhys was super friendly and accommodating, and recommended a gluten free pizza from Chef Max. All I can say is - Wow! As a celiac it’s so amazing to find such delicious gluten free food. Will definitely be returning! 5*

Real laid back atmosphere with great food. Anna delivered excellent service and could not have been nicer and they were incredibly flexible with the meal “tweaks” for the kids to get everything just perfect.

Really lovely place. We had pizza but will try something else off the main menu next time. The staff were friendly (Stacey I think) really looked after us. Looking forward to our next visit.

Could tell head chef, Adam was in today. The Rockwater burger was amazing!! Setting an example as to how things should be done... Presentation, taste and portion size spot on. Service amazing as always, happy staff, always polite and happy to accommodate. Thank you 👍 🙏

Hannah’s service was friendly and efficient. The toasted banana bread was delicious! So good I’d finished it before I thought about taking a photo so you’ll just have to go and see it for yourself!

Andrew at front of house is always welcoming and charming, whenever I pop in. Rockwater at Branksome is my local favourite place ! All the servers are professional and efficient even when they are very busy. Today Hannah took my order, she is a ray of sunshine, thank you to the whole team.