The Beacon Lighthouse Eatery in Poole

Booked a table here as we were going to a Valentines Concert at Lighthouse - we have always tended to do this as there is nowhere else within easy walking distance and it means we can be sure of a parking space if we arrive a couple of hours before the show begins in the theatre. The day beforehand we were sent an e-mail to say the menu was a special valentines one, and although the food on offer wasn't our favourite food we decided to stick with it. I might also add that with the booking comes an instruction to say that we can only have our table for an hour and a half. We arrived ten minutes early and saw that there were already two other couples seated, so we went in and were shown to our table. We chose our starter and main, but decided not to order a third course until we'd finished our mains, in case we were too full. The first course arrived very promptly, and was good - and this, combined with the fact that they had obviously made an effort to make the restaurant look cosy, lulled us into a sadly short-lived sense of security. I repeat that we had been told our table would only be available to us for an hour and a half, so after waiting another twenty minutes for our main courses, during which time we were fairly certain that we saw it being delivered to another table, I alerted a member of staff and said I thought we might have been forgotten. Off she went to the kitchen, and within a couple of minutes it arrived. So far so good, sort of. Our waitress was apparently new, and only on her second ever shift, according to what we heard her telling other people. This does not excuse the fact that an hour and a half after we had arrived, by which time we should have been leaving, she had managed to completely ignore us even when she went to adjacent tables, so we were left for almost half an hour staring at our uncollected plates and with no opportunity to order a sweet or coffee. Eventually we were able to attract the attention of another member of staff and explain that we had been ignored and that it was now too late for us to have a sweet or coffee as the concert was starting within a short time. She was extremely apologetic and spoke to the person I believe was in charge, coming back to tell us that we were being given a 10% discount for the appalling service. That was kind of them, but it was also the last time we will ever eat there. It has had various incarnations over the years but there have always been problems of one sort or another, and frankly we have had enough. This place could be a little gold mine if it was run properly, but...

Had a lovely pre theatre supper in this restaurant. Good menu choice and wines,ideal when attending Lighthouse Service was pleasant and helpful

Turned up here around 6pm before a performance on the off-chance they may have a table, was advised by who appeared to be the maitre d’ (she carried a highly important-looking radio in her back pocket) that there’d be a table in what was a roped off semi-formal dining area around 6:15pm and suggested we sat at the bar to wait, she promptly brought over some menus… so far so good. We did this. Then 6:15pm came and went, no update, 6:20pm came and went, 6:25pm passed... no communication from the maitre d’ who stood expressionless at the restaurant desk, uninterested in any customers (even those WITH reservation were simply pointed in the vague direction of their assigned table. At 6:30pm, as we noticed that even those sat in the restaurant area were still having to order at the bar, we tried unsuccessfully to get the maitre d's attention - she continued to alternately stare motionless into the middle distance and texting on her phone. We eventually went up to the bar, just as other customers in the dining area were doing, and placed our own order to eat in the bar area - no one, neither the maitre d’ who by now was watching my OH order - or the bar staff who took the order and bar table number said this wasn’t possible. Our meal which was totally unremarkable eventually arrived at 19:10. Over an hour after we arrived, and 40 minutes after we placed our order. No apology. The Maitre d’ continued to walk around looking miserable and unapproachable. Don’t use this place. Disorganised and not interested in its customers.

i got 1 acholic free lager and 1 J20 . before we went in for a show. £17.60 RIPPED OFF they are profiteering. take your own in and you can get the same for £6 from the shop across the road.

Really don’t be tempted to go for convenience if you are going to an evening show. The eatery is cold and harshly lit. The food is truly awful- small portions of watery curry and tough undercooked aubergines in veg chilli. The service is either grumpy or flippant - “How was your meal?”….”a pretty bad actually”…”Oh I’m sorry to hear that, I’ll tell chef“ (so not bothered by criticism!!) No one around us was enjoying it. Everyone was expressing disappointment to staff who almost seemed to find it entertaining! We wanted to support our local arts venue but will not return to eat again.

We came here for a pre show dinner and were very disappointed. Firstly the service. Despite being quite quiet staff told us on arrival that they didn’t offer table service and we had to queue at the bar -cafeteria style - to order and pay. Having done so, drinks came in dirty plastic glasses and we had to carry these back to the table. When the food arrived it was dire. We both ordered vegetarian dishes and these were extremely small and watery in texture. The aubergine in the chilli was tough and undercooked whereas the sweet potato in the curry was so soft it was the consistency of baby food. Flatbreads were cold and rubbery and sour cream dip had a thick skin on the top of it. Worst of all, staff have obviously been asked to ask customers how was the food when plates are cleared, not before. When you tell them it’s not great they really don’t seem to care. Just awful in every way. The reputation of an arts venue like the Lighthouse is being actively undermined by this cafe. Please - if you’re coming to a show, don’t eat here. It’ll spoil your evening.

Such a lovely theatre but an awful restaurant. Staff very friendly and it looks good but the food is poor . My wife had lasagne it was cold in the middle so was sent back and guess what my wife was ill last night . I had the chicken breast burger it was so tough and dry it was awful. Such a shame . Don’t bother .

The staff were pleasant but I was disappointed with my lunch, 2 lunches for £14. We went for the sweet potato curry which was served up warm-ish, not hot and was quite runny so more like a soup. Not a very substantial meal I'm afraid.

I was not able to have a hot meal despite there being tables available. Beware - it is ESSENTIAL to book if there is a performance at the Lighthouse that evening.

This was advertised as a pre-theatre dinner. When we got there, it's a self service cafe! Jacket potatoes that had been kept warm all day, dry pork chops and a pathetic salad which consisted off a few leaves and coleslaw. There was no vegan option and this cost £11. Dreadful service.

On a hot day, my friend and I wanted a decent light lunch. Other places we tried were all baguettes, paninis and jacket potatoes. This place offered an absolutely wonderful falafel and halloumi salad. I assume you can get a pre-show meal here, too, but for us it was midday on a Saturday. There was hardly anybody there, which was a shame when the food was so good. (Could do with music more suitable for the clientele - when all customers are over 40, rap doesn't seem ideal!