The Bunker Cafe in Christchurch

I’ve been here before and had a really nice beef stirfry, one of the specials. On this occasion we were very disappointed. I had a baked potato which was very dry and flavourless. My friend had leek and potato soup, which came with a piece of sourdough bread. It was really thick and gloopy and she was unable to finish it. It’s also quite pricy. The menu is quite limited. They do daily specials but none of them appealed to us. There’s a large free car park that serves the parade of shops so that’s a bonus.

Just had drinks..very friendly staff really looked after us . Brilliant.. will definitely be back.

We celebrated my 21st birthday in style at the bunker cafe. Carrie and her staff were fantastic and couldn’t do enough for us and my guests. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was great. I would highly recommend the Bunker Cafe for any special occasion. Thank you.

Great food, reasonably priced and a lovely atmosphere. Highly recommend.

Love this cafe. Great food and atmosphere.

Great location. Unfortunately it has gone down hill. What used to be a well cared for venue is now a drinking boozer for the owner and her questionable friends, who only want a boozy early evening drink, 3pm in the afternoon in a respectable area is not where one expects to find drunks from early afternoon . Surely there is a pub near by for this not a restaurant /bistro. I can’t blame you though, if you have the dosh to make it your own place and discard the money makers for you business, well fair play to you and good luck.

Use the Bunker as a regular stop-off, decent coffee & food. Service is varied with lovely staff, except for one (always ONE) who has her husband/family drop in after work & she has to drop everything to chat and bring his drink!!! She gives the vibe she doesn’t like working there Other than that lovely place.

Easy parking and a lovely atmosphere. It’s a bar AND a cafe. I tried a green smoothie and it was lovely. One VEGAN cake option - apricot flapjack that’s delicious. Good quality coffee too. Nice selection of tables and a little outside seating area. Nice local walks up St Catherine’s hill too.

Absolutely amazing place. Staff so friendly and professional and genuinely make you feel welcome. Food is lovely and cannot be faulted. Definitely a place not to be missed.

Great coffee ☕ choice of cakes and cheerful staff 👍

Loved it. V friendly. Food good and they were very accommodating

What a rubbish place. Stood for ages at the bar while three people cleaned glasses. Don't know what the food is like. I gave up, walked out and went somewhere else for supper.

This is a very friendly cafe. Dog friendly too. It was already busy at 10.00 on a Monday morning. Special thanks to Gill who was very kind to us.

Great friendly staff with really good produce! Great outdoor seating area for breakfast!

Bunkers St Catherine's Hill Sat 13th July 2024 Called in fir first time. Warm welcome, busy outside. Nice atmoshere inside, breakfast good. Service was a little slow but it was busy. Many thanks Julian

Had a party there, food was excellent

Totally overpriced 2 x crosiants a £3:50 each service was oh so slow, will not be returning to this area, the cook emerged from the toilet area carrying 2 bagels in her hand into the kitchen presumably to be prepared for a customer not the most hygienic.

We came here because the place is open till late. Glad we found this place. Friendly staff and great service. Ambience is cosy. We only had coffee. Looking forward to trying out the Gluten free options such as Pizza. People around us were enjoying their wine, food. Nice place. Definitely visit again

Very friendly & attentive staff. Food & coffee very good, also dog’s catered for with their own menu! They even have wine & cocktails. Highly recommend

Coffee was boiling hot and asked for flat white and received just a normal coffee.

Held private function for 50 friends and family, all catered with platters and pizzas plus Pimms on arrival. All went well, great team to ensure the relaxed and friendly environment. MAGIC.

A nice busy place . We visited on Easter Sunday so food choice was limited but was good . It was nice to find somewhere open on our travels and as I say it was packed out .

Great place, staff and service second to none. Both Amy and Laura are a credit to the Bunker management. Amy especially deserves credit for her customer focused attention.

Nice place. Nice staff. Very average breakfast. Expensive and small. Standard sliced bread. No apparent thought about quality ingredients. Disappointed

Fabulous experience! Loved the friendly atmosphere in here. Looked after so well by Paul, Carrie, Isobel and one other lady today! Dog friendly sausages. Dogs made so welcome. Great coffee and cake too! Favourite place! Water bowls provided for the dogs and dog cuddles. Thank you!

Wonderful experience on sunday, booked for a group of twelve and despite disruptions on the phone (very bad connection) on initial booking, they phoned back to confirm on the date of booking. Seated our party very promptly and formed a good system to take all our orders in the quickest way possible! Would recommend 👍

What a wonderful place just on the edge of St Catherine's Hill for a drink and a bite to eat + very good for an evening family gathering 👍

What lovely service on a Sunday morning. Fantastic coffee and a sausage bap! Set me up perfectly for the dog walk! Thank you

Great food and service get there early to beat the crowd lol!!

Lovely visit today with friends (and the dog!). Friendly service and great atmosphere! Would highly recommend visiting

Always a good spot for a snack or a meal... Tasty food!!

Visit regularly on a Sunday and the staff are always efficient and friendly even when under pressure!!

Visit regularly on a Sunday and always efficient and friendly staff even when under pressure!! The food is well presented and tastes great.

We went yesterday for breakfast and the food was excellent,the staff were efficient and friendly and the atmosphere was really nice with a mixture of diners &,dog walkers all of whom were very responsible keepers of well behaved dogs.i would recommend the bunker for any function you may hold however large or small.

I’ve had the best Sunday morning ever

Whilst we were eating a member of staff decided to sweep up, not very nice looking at a pile of dust and dog hair. Another staff member then climbed onto a bar stool and dusted the light fittings, unbelievable!!.

It's so close to being very good, just a tad expensive, a little cramped and not the biggest selection of foods.

I visit here regularly, so decided time for a new review. It’s tucked away in a parade of shops at St Catherine’s Hill, so unless you knew it was there, you could well miss it. Staff are always friendly & it is very doggy friendly ( our dog knows he gets treats there!!!) In good weather there is also seating outside. Most recent visit was after a dog walk where I had an awesome bacon roll, it was packed full of bacon & delicious. I noticed when inside that they have evening events. Great cafe & is good to support local.

Great tapa’s evening at the Bunker, good food and service. Thank you all.

Excellent place with great warm friendly service. Went for brunch and it was delicious with excellent Illy coffees. All the menus (breakfast, lunch and evening) were well thought out and good. Nice atmosphere, will definitely return.

We have used this Cafe many times before, so it was easy to decide to return to this well run cafe. We had almost forty local residents for a Xmas get together. The staff & owner were very efficient with the bar service and great food. We shall return! Thanks again Carrie. P

Tasty food, decent prices, service with a smile.

This is a cosy cafe with both indoor and outdoor seating. The coffee and service were great and the price reasonable. I didn't eat but the food looked good!

Comfortable place to be, very dog friendly. Would like staff to be more aware that customers are trying to attract their attention to order more coffees.

Coffee is the best illy tasty Great spot to catch up inside or outside tables

Called in for a coffee & breakfast after a morning walk. Service is excellent, atmosphere is very relaxed.Food is freshly cooked & nicely presented & the coffee is lovely

Great food and coffee. Lovely service! Dog friendly!

Lucky to have this place nearby.

Randomly bumbed into this place. Supringly good atmosphere and good coffee, reasonable prices excellent service, friendly staff, outside seating.

This is one of those restaurants / bars / cafes that you don't want anyone else to find! Even if the venue deserves it, you want to keep it all for yourself. My wife and I popped in for breakfast and were more than pleasantly surprised. The Bunker is certainly one step - or several steps - above your average café. For starters it's much cleaner than the average greasy spoon, and even the breakfast menu is more wide-ranging and diverse. The front of house staff are extremely pleasant, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Truly deserving of a 5-star rating. But more than that I notice they have a full bar, and my attention was drawn to a couple of choices for the craft ale enthusiasts like myself. We noticed that the evening was advertised as being paella night and if we hadn’t made prior arrangements my wife and I would have been making our way back to The Bunker, paella being one of our favourite dishes. They also advertise Pimm’s o’clock time, so there’s a definite Mediterranean accent to the venue We shall definitely be returning.

We came in today for lunch, and will definitely be returning. I did not mention an allergy and when the food arrived they were very understanding and quickly changed my order which I was so grateful for. The staff are really kind and understanding. Lots of seating outside too and fabulous coffees.

Amazing paella night at The Bunker tonight. Food was epic. Full of amazing seafood. Lovely staff as always. Good wine 🍷 Mucho gracias. 🍤🥘

Such a good evening meal we went back for brunch the next day!!! The staff were so lovely and went out of their way to help. Lovely vibe throughout the evening. Brunch was great….. definitely recommend this special little cafe😁. THANKYOU!!!

I thought this was going to be just another regular cafe, but to my surprise it was top class. The coffee is just right not to bitter. Offers different milks ( I went for oat). Decor is of a fancy bistro that gives it the modern day feel, not like a greasy spoon. I came on a Saturday and had a danish open sandwich, with prawn and egg. It also sells wines and beers so I might be back in the evening for a few.

A cracking little gem hidden away in a parade of shops. Great atmosphere, great food, great staff, great drinks.

Fantastic staff friendly great coffee.

Thank you for hosting a wonderful party, such a great venue and thanks to all staff who worked so hard. Would recommend the Bunker as a perfect party venue.

Arrived at the restaurant and completely ignored. Unbeknown to us the rest of the restaurant had been booked out for a 21st birthday party, none of the staff or manager bothered to apologise for this. When we asked to pay no member of staff bothered to bring bill and when this a finally came we were ignored in regards to paying for it. When we demanded to pay and leave the manager was rude and abusive. Please avoid this place, very rude manager!!

Arrived at the restaurant and completely ignored. Unbeknown to us the rest of the restaurant had been booked out for a 21st birthday party, none of the staff or manager bothered to apologise for this. When we asked to pay no member of staff bothered to bring bill and when this a finally came we were ignored in regards to paying for it. When we demanded to be allow to pay and leave the manager was rude and abusive. Please avoid this place, very rude manager!!

We booked a table three weeks ago and when we arrived we were completely ignored!! Apparently there was a private party but we were not told this when we booked. We were put in the corner next to the toilet which was very cold as the door was left opened as people went in and out!! Not once did anyone come and apologise for the slow service infact the Manager was so rude I thought we were at Fawlty Towers!! The food was cold and very unappetising. I definitely would not recommend this place to anyone.

Booked for a post wedding celebration the food provided was perfect and the staff exemplary in the way they hosted the evening, cant recommend enough!

This is a friendly, sensibly priced establishment. The menu isn't extensive but does represent excellent value. The staff do everything they can to help make your visit pleasant. I come here fairly regularly and have never been disappointed. The sole negative: skimmed milk unavailable.

First visit today and it was lovely. Only thing I'd suggest is I'd much of preferred fresh orange juice instead of from a bottle. Nevertheless, I'd still recommend and return.

High quality customer service and really good products, amazing coffee and fresh cakes.Deffinetly will return.

Love it here, always good food, service and atmosphere.

Really good family place to go including with the dog. Really hospitable people with good honest food and good range of drinks. Although not a pub this is how pubs ought to be. Worth a visit.

Last minute booking for a valentines meal. Set menu, 3 courses £29. It was delicious. Super steak, great cheese board. Fab bottle of wine. Nice vibe with really friendly staff. Will be back!

Nice food nice people and great service but very pricy.

First time here after many recommendations, serves illy coffee, fine Dorset apple cake, & licensed...on the lesser side, very small menu, just panini's and a few specials, overall a splendid place, if a little pricey

Always great service and good food/drink

Great service. Good food and lovely friendly staff

Lovely cafe & dog friendly, coffee & Sausage Sandwich very impressive with great service

Lovely food, good wine, nice atmosphere and friendly, attentive staff. Highly recommended. Three of us had pizza including a gluten-free option - all of us enjoyed what we ordered. The treacle sponge pudding with custard was perfect! 😁

Very relaxing and friendly service with nice selection of food

A cosy, funky bistro, coffee shop, bar and hang out. Lovely staff.

Delicious food, lovely atmosphere and dog friendly. The staff are brilliant

Had a lovely catch-up with a friend yesterday and the cafe was lovely with Christmas decorations. Staff were friendly and smiled at us. Table service too! Delicious cakes and food, a delightful place and a hidden gem.

What an excellent place to have breakfast, just coffee and chat. Great atmosphere and very reasonably priced 👍

Great food & reasonable prices served by friendly staff

It depends who's working the kitchen to what you get, went in the week Caesar salad excellent, popped in for lunch to get the same and the 2 dishes may as well been different dishes , unbelievably poor, lots of young staff , but nobody really knows what's going on , left table for 3 mins had our drinks taken, asked for them back .......just ignored 🤔

I love this place, even though it takes a taxi ride to get there. Great food, ambience and dog friendly means I will always be back.

Here’s another out-of-the-way-eatery, just off the Main Airport Road into Christchurch. Closed on Mondays but open late on most other days, the Bunker is a Wine bar, Restaurant and Cafe, though the friendly staff probably have another word for it. Until recently, One of the finest items on their food Menu was their home-made beef burger, of proper cow meat, not this soytofu pap - “DANGER, Will Robinson - Soylent Green is here and coming to a venue near you - soon..!” Oops, apologies, mixing my movies there..! And back to the Bunker Burger, which was served with fresh fries & ‘slaw - and tasted luvverly. Unfortunately, at time of last eating there (mid-September), their chef had received a better offer and departed to another diner, so the Menu was a tad meagre - though what was available was lovely. Drop In and Park easily, do your grocery shopping, get the dog groomed & wash your laundry while having a nice lunch - In or outside In t’sun..

Went this morning for breakfast. Very disappointed. Bacon over cooked, eggs hard and sausage burnt. The toast had been buttered and we weren’t asked if we wanted this. Will not be going again ☹️

I would categorise this place as "Good" if that rating was available. We were told about the Bunker some time ago by someone we got talking to in another cafe and, although we have passed the parade that it is in several times since, this was the first time that we were passing at a time when we needed sustenance. The ambience is good and the staff were friendly and efficient. We ordered two bacon brie and cranberry paninis and cappuccino coffees which were all quite nice. I wonder though, if I had read some of the previous comments about cleanliness and hygiene, whether we would have still visited.

Excellent breakfast, great service. Lovely addition to the hill. Can’t wait to revisit.

Very disappointing - forgot meals, side dishes and drinks and had to keep asking where it was. Quality of food has declined too. Staff nice but not competent.

I love the breakfasts most of all. The choice may be limited, but the food tastes amazing. The staff are so friendly and helpful even when they are busy, which is most of the time. It is a very relaxing environment.

Our first visit on Thursday and we were so impressed with the staff, even a lady on her first day! She kept on smiling which is a fantastic way to make people feel welcome. Brekkie was first class and so were the salmon n poached eggs 😁 then the most important side... Dog friendly.... Let's just say our collies were spoilt rotten, they even had a Pupachino!!!!! Can't recommend this place highly enough, we liked it so much once we'd spent 3 hours at the beach we popped in on the way back for a cake to eat later at home.... The cake didn't make it home 😁

Stopped here for breakfast and have to say it was outstanding. Food was really good and excellent value for money. Friendly staff and nothing was too much trouble . Would definitely come back here again.

My wife and I popped in to get a snack lunch. We ordered two paninis which were freshly made and very enjoyable followed by a piece of lemon drizzle cake and a frangipani plus a good sized pot of tea for two. The food was...

Excellent coffee, illy brand, lovely staff, lovely food - just lovely my lovelies 5 stars and a big kiss X

An adorable family run bistro near to St Catherines Hill. Home cooked food with a lovely outside area.

They forgot my meal I then waited 10 minutes to see what was happening. everyone else had been served. On a table of 5 with 5 sets of cutlery bought to the table by staff I waited then another 10 minutes until my friends had nearly finished before I was offered a cake as an alternative. Not good enough.

If I could give no stars I would awful breakfast poor quality bacon, beans just watery the only good thing was the coffee. Rang to complain but was told maybe chef has taken his eye off the ball as he is leaving .......poor excuse !! Will not be using again 😡

I found this place quite pleasant, however a bit expensive at nearly £10 for a sandwich & cup of tea

Visited with a friend and we brought along our 3 dogs too (clean and well behaved dogs and owners are welcome here), Greeted by our Waitress and made to feel very welcome. There's lots to choose from on the menu and something for everyone. It's...

Sorry Bunker Bar, I accidentally deleted my review in edit and it only showed as deleted AFTER your response! Oh well, you get a plus from me and I look forward to another Wednesday! I still don't know who the actual owner is but I guess that's not important. :D

Superb service and great food. Stopped for breakfast as we were driving past and so glad we did. Plenty seating inside and out. Dogs welcome. Lots of parking and easy to find.

Great evening with family and friends. Food good and service spot on. One of our group ordered a side of coleslaw,but was upset that it didn't have red cabbage as one he'd had before at a lunch time visit. Only tiny blip. Would def recommend...

Absolutely lovely place! The food was delicious and the staff were very friendly. Pet friendly and welcoming atmosphere.