The Iford Bridge Tavern in Bournemouth

I wrote a review of this place 5 years ago when last staying in the area, and didn't give it many stars. However, we returned this evening for food, as we are staying at the nearby Meadowbank Holiday Park, and it's a nice walk along the river. The food tonight was really really good, and for the price paid was excellent value for money. There were 3 of us and had the Pork Tomahawk, the mega mixed grill, and the small mixed grill with a side order of garlic bread. All 3 meals were really good, really recommend the food and in particular the Pork Tomahawk.

Visited today for two fish and chip meals and peas excellent customer services Good quality fish.chips.peas. Very clean.Good value for money

Great menu and able to accommodate large party of 13 whilst on our holiday. We returned in the same week.

Really good food , arrived swiftly even on a busy night. Friendly staff and good prices. The only reason it get 4 stars not 5 is due to the very loud dance music playing whilst we tried to eat and talk.

Me and my family have come to this pub regularly and it always used to be one of our favourite places to eat. Recently the last few times we have visited we have been disappointed. I ordered medium rare steak, it comes well done and is extremely tough and chewy. The kids pizza was pretty much burnt and the kids all day breakfast was a skinny dried up sausage with chips and beans. We did order Mac and cheese which was lovely. But overall I feel it was a waste of money as most of us were disappointed and didn’t enjoy the meals. The staff are always so friendly though.

Amazing great staff ,great food and service was really quick, will highly recommend this pub to my friends and family . Thank you

We had the fish and chips and lasagne , they were both very tasty and enjoyable and at such a cheap price , staff very friendly

Staff was very friendly and helpful and made our visit very welcoming. Food was tasty and hot , will definatly be returning.

Simple pub food and good Doom Bar beer at a reasonable price in a sunny garden. Unfortunately next to a busy road.

Just had some amazing service from the manager here. Sorted out my parking ticket, no questions asked. Then there was an issue where my order went to the wrong restaurant, he got the food served to me regardless and was very apologetic. All meanwhile being friendly and sincere. The food was also delicious. Very grateful for the top service, highly recommend.

Cant say anything bad about this place.

Very recently I attended a special celebration of life , & was blown away by the warmth & support from all the staff . The food was plentiful & varied . Thank you all ❤️

Ordered at the table. Paid for the tip up front… Ordered at the same time as the table next to us. They had eaten and left before our food arrived. No starters only three main courses took 1hr 15 mins to arrive. Mixed grill steak ordered rare (came medium) had finished the entire plater in 15 mins (was really shy of meat) Tomahawk grill was good and the Big beef was great. Service was however slow ordered at 14:31 on a Saturday… be prepared for some long waits. Overall, nothing to write home about, unlikely to go again.

May be cheap and cheerful however the quality vs price is very good. Team are generally friendly.

I went here with my dad and ordered food ,.I unfortunately ordered something that I couldn't then eat.Lewis was so good ,changed my meal with no comment as this was my fault,was very kind and professional.We will be coming back thank you once again.

La comida fantástica y el personal son siempre serviciales venimos aquí a menudo y siempre disfrutamos de la comida y el servicio El menú ofrece una gran selección, el personal siempre comprueba los requisitos dietéticos servicio es rápido, las mesas están limpias , fácil reservar una mesa

Ensalada lateral dominada por cebolla roja con cebolla de primavera, sin aderezo pocos tomates, menos pepino y agua. No nos preguntaron cómo era nuestra comida por primera vez y somos habituales. Por favor, cambie la ensalada de nuevo a estar bien aderezada con un montón de tomates frescos y pepino.

Maravilloso menú nuevo. Tardamos un poco en elegir, pero cada uno tenía diferentes opciones de la sección Sizzling del menú. Comida muy sabrosa. Personal atento y amable. Volveré por más. Gracias.

Nice service, good value for money, great food. It’s a good place to eat, no improvement necessary.

It is a great place to bring children families friends and loved ones together to enjoy the food and drinks here. There is parking available onsite but it is first come first serve basis. There are also offers available for food and drinks especially shots if you fancy. There is also outside sitting area to enjoy the views. Definitely recommended for everyone Thank you and have a great day 🙏

March 2025 Great service with a warm welcome and still the best Pub in Bournemouth for value for money & they just do it right. 😁 An excellent service and quality food .... Thank you and Keep it up👍🏻

Really enjoyed the night at the iford, unfortunately ran into some parking issues but Lewis was amazing and handled it all for me, highly recommended great people.

We are regular visitors to the Iford and never fail to enjoy the occasions.

A very good local, food is good, as is the service, using it regularly.

go here every week ,always pleasewd

The staff were very friendly and the food was good for the price.

Tasty, friendly & excellent value...5 Stars!

Don't like that they no longer do the sizzling chicken skewers

Food was good .. Enjoyed the evening ... Staff were exceptionally pleasant throughout

Good food great service but please get rid of having to register your car

It’s banging but on a personal level, i do love the food but it’s too good and the people are to nice, they need some nob-heads and stat. Also feed up my boy Clarence, currently in the pen for tax evasion. 🙏

Very happy with my visit to Iford Bridge, bar staff were very friendly, food came out quickly and super good value!

Very enjoyable lunch indeed. Staff were polite & friendly, the food arrived in good time & was hot. Prices were very reasonable & was a nice atmosphere. Will definitely go again

Great experience as always. The staff are friendly and the food is great. Always have a good time when I visit

I had a steak and I could hardly cut through it. I was going to bring it home for my dog when they came to clear the table when they asked if we were happy and I told them no. So we got a free pudding but it would have been nice for a member of staff to come up while we were eating to ask how our food was. Don't know if I'll be going back again Shane as I only live around the corner I think

Normal, yet well attended Pub, too close to car fumes yet surprisingly good, well priced food. Decor dated, carpark controlled by input of registration number in the bar. Somewhat surly male bar staff, but the unsung youngest staff a delight.

great staff, and food very good.

Every time I have been the food has been excellent, with nice staff and more than reasonable prices

If you enjoy waiting an eternity for disappointment on a plate, this is the place for you. After what felt like a lifetime of sitting in a dreary, soulless room, my food finally arrived— , bland, and looking like it had been thrown together by someone with a deep-seated hatred for flavor. The service? Nonexistent. I’ve seen glaciers move faster than the staff here. No updates, no apologies, just an endless wait for something that wasn’t even worth the effort of lifting a fork. By the time it arrived, I wasn’t sure if I was more furious or just completely dead inside. Save yourself the misery. Go anywhere else. Eat literally anything else. Chewing on cardboard would be a more enjoyable dining experience.

Excellent Pub and Food. Staff are great. Well done to all of the team.

We came on the 40% offer, food was good 👍

Good food at reasonable price, great service and friendly staff

The food and service was amazing today. Lewis and his team are always super friendly providing great value and tasty food. It is family friendly meaning we can eat with ease.

Great prices and the quality of the food was excellent

Really great priced food and drink service great too

There's always a lovely welcome at The Iford. Lewis and his team do an amazing job of looking after us. The food is always piping hot and tastes delicious. Definitely worth a visit no matter what day of the week. From Andrew and Shirley, Bournemouth. 👍😋

Friendly staff and a good plate of food at a fair price

Clean, tidy, nice staff. For a family orientated chain pub the food was excellent and very reasonable. Recommended

The service was good food lovely

The Iford Bridge is a great pub grub venue. I've eaten here quite regularly and have always found the food and service to be great for the price point. The food doesn't pretend to be anything other than pub grub, but it is always hot, tasty and generous as well as great value. The main difference with Iford for me is the staff; the restaurant always runs smoothly, even when busy. This evening, the restaurant was busy as they had a discount deal running. Our order had a small error, but it was dealt with smoothly and easily thanks to Joe, who sorted the problem quickly. When our food arrived, it was hot and tasty. If you're looking for great value pub grub, then I thoroughly recommend The Iford Bridge.

Went in for dinner and a few drinks. Staff were friendly and smiled the whole time we were in there. The food was great even decided to get dessert because we enjoyed the mains so much

Fabulous pub. Staff so friendly and helpful. Good Food and service. Great prices and lots of offers. Salmon was delicious

Great meals at very good prices.

Not a building. Lovely spot. Old bridge, new bridge, nature walks along the river. Herons, cormorants, ducks and swans... Woodland and grassland spots. A lot of people use it as a setting off point for their paddle boards.

Fabulous pub with great staff. Excellent value for money. Food was lovely

The food is amazing and good value for money, the staff are all welcoming and an overall lovely place for family's

The sausage in the mixed grill was great. The garlic bread was full of flavour. The chicken in the buttermilk chicken burger and the mixed grill was really overcooked and dry, some bits were very tough and not edible. The tomato in the mixed grill was very overcooked and sloppy. The mushrooms were slightly undercooked. The steak was tasty but very gristly and chewy. The gammon was seasoned well but quite dry. Both portions of fries were too salty. I had too pints whilst there, a Carling and a Coors, both tasted unfresh (perhaps they are popular beers and bottom of the barrel or the pipes need cleaning). Service was great considering it was busy. Last time we ate here, we had the exact same meals and it was amazing, cooked perfectly, completely the opposite this time.

First time away from the home for Christmas Dinner, had been previously to the Iford and was always very happy with everything, we were placed on a table write next to the window which was prefect, there were seven of us, two of our main course’s didn’t arrive with the other’s But we were kept updated all the time and were given a complimentary drink each, you can the quality of a place when something goes wrong (happens to everyone) and the staff could not have done more and it was no major wait. I Would recommend anyone for Christmas Dinner at the Iford, great value, quality, atmosphere and especially service. The only thing was that the ladies toilets were not clean, one tap didn’t work and two of the toilets locks were broken, but this did not alter the fact we had a lovely experience there and would go back again at a drop of hat. Thank you and Happy New Year.

Great food , great value, great service

very helpful,friendly staff,excellent service.

We had awesome service tonight by the all staff at the Iford pub, special mention to Grant, Ellie and Callista for accomodating our needs and the chefs for the awesome food! Nice little touch telling us about the car registration system so we don't get a ticket like that! 👍🏼😁 Very friendly approachable and happy to help. Thanks guys 😀

What a lovely place to go, the staff very welcoming and efficient.

Christmas day lunch , very disappointing. No Christmas feeling in the dinning area we were shown to . Service was very rushed , didn't feel welcome. Booking through the app was was difficult. Staff didn't seem able to help when I phoned pub direct. Food was good . But my husband did not eat ,as he felt rushed and uncomfortable. Will not book though web or app again . Spoiled Christmas day .

Great food at great prices, cracking staff

A lovely and friendly place to visit. Wonderful variety of well cooked meals.

Amazing service for a large group of us

Amazing Christmas dinner. Thank you kitchen staff a pat on the back for you all.Also good work from waiting staff and managers. Be seeing you soon.

THe food and the service was good the staff were kind and helpful and we were very happy the place.

Great value and really nice food and great service

Had a xmas 3course meal today and it was all lovely was hot presented well and tasted good the staff were so busy but coped so well well done

Took my team at work for a lunch. Reserved online, good Comms beforehand to check reservations. On arrival, parking was straightforward and barman explained how to log my reg on their system. Long wait for food but we were told that. Good atmosphere, cosy pub, comfortable. Food was really good for the price and I was able to get lunch for my team as it was so reasonable.

Food was great. Staff were friendly and helpful

The staff are lovely & the food was hot & very tasty

What has happened to the iford, we used to really enjoy having a meal here, however we booked a festive meal for last night for the family. We paid a deposit and pre-orderrd the food, but when arrived and was shown to our table there was Christmas crackers or napkins it was just laid out as normal, the starters arrived, can't fault those they were lovely. But when one pig in blanket it came to the Xmas turkey dinner it was shocking, processed turkey!! Really!! Frozen roast potatoes and tiny Yorkshire pudding carrots and sprouts, one pig in blanket, unfortunately no effort spared. On the up side the staff were lovely as usual

Can’t rate this place highly enough for their customer service skills in particular. My Mum and Dad are regulars and they are always treated so well by all the staff here. I joined them for a meal this week and can see why they love it so much, it’s the little things like bringing a dessert spoon over without having to ask for my Dad as he struggles to eat with a knife and fork after his stroke. Adjusting the menu so he can have mash instead of chips again because he struggles with certain foods. They were greeted so warmly, despite being incredibly busy, it was just lovely to see. Good choice of food, quick to arrive, good sized portions, hot tasty and great value for money. I really can’t recommend it highly enough.

Just want to say thank you to the staff especially Brad who went out of his way to be helpful.

One of our favourite places to visit as a family for dinner. It's great pricing and great food.

Good food at reasonable prices . Staff work hard and always friendly.

Staff are really friendly & helpful. Food was delicious as always.

Helpful service despite being a muster point for flooded locals residents. Sizzler options have changed (wanted Chinese belly pork but no longer available). Bbq beef rib sizzler very tender and tasty. Used our 2 for 1 cocktail voucher, much appreciated.

Easy to book, great food reasonably priced and friendly service

Dined Saturday night 22/04/17 food was best it has been for months trying to pick it up so will have to wait and see went back 06/05/17 unfortunately standard has slipped again decided not worth going back wasting money find other eating places just dined in here again just to try absolutely rubbish food and staff no point in complaining nobody takes any notice can truly say stay and home or go elsewhere save being ripped off

Lovely food good price and welcoming staff

Popped in for a quick meal. Found the app a bit longwinded, but the food was tasty and of a reasonable price, as was the beer. Nobody was on the bar when we went in, so we had to wait a few minutes to be shown to a table.

Went here with work colleagues. 12 of us. Really great service. Food came out all together nobody had to wait everyone really enjoyed the food. The service was faultless. Great staff. Nothing too much trouble. Great experience. Thanks

Great atmosphere shame some of food was cold but rectified by staff macaroni cheese loved by those that had it

A meal with family, a friend and her grandson went well and food and service excellent as usual 👍🏻

Bonito pub amable con personal muy acogedor. El personal era muy bien informado y servicial para decidir qué comida elegir

Food was ok, delivered speedily. Staff were lovely. Remember to login in your car reg if you park in their car park. You simply can't miss the signs reminding you.

The Iford bridge . Hubby myself Grandson and his fiancée came to celebrate their recent engagement. All staff welcoming - service was on point. A good choice of ales and some great soft drinks. We were absolutely blown away the standard of the food every mouthful was delicious. Presentation was good and food piping hot. The ambience in restaurant was great the desserts were equally yummy. We will definitely be returning soon

I just want to clarify that I don't mean any malice towards this business or the employees. It's not my intention to hate on anybody, I just want to share my genuine thoughts and experience at this pub. I'm pretty disappointed and a little upset at the last few times I have visited here. I'll start with the positives. The pricing isn't too bad, definitely not as expensive as some other establishments. I think the pricing is pretty fair. Parking is usually pretty good too, on busier days like weekends you might have trouble parking but usually not too much of an issue. Unfortunately, the service and food quality just isn't good. The waiters/waitresses are SO miserable I've never seen anything like it. On our most recent visit, the lady who delivered our first meal (for our young child) put the plate on the table and said "E R kids meal". No eye contact, no manners, me and my family were gobsmacked. How disrespectful? Clearly she needs a lesson in respect and manners no? There is one young gentleman who is pretty nice but all the other staff act so bored and uninterested it makes the atmosphere in there so depressing and unwelcoming. Also, you will never get a thank you for tipping them. I know it's optional but I always tip the best I can and never once had any sort of a thank you. How lovely. The food can be a hit or miss. The last two visits we ordered steak, the steak I got delivered was 100% fat which is a real shame. It's only around £10-£15 so I'm not expecting a 5 star steak but I was really disappointed with it and ended up not eating it. However some of the other food is really good, the fish and chips is lovely and I really enjoy the chicken gyros wrap. My niece said the cheese pizza on the kids menu was really good too. I also really enjoy the skin on fries so I recommend those. I have also noticed that on some occasions that the glassware and cutlery are not the cleanest which really puts me off eating with them. In conclusion, I don't love this pub but I think with a few improvements it could be a great place. It's just a shame that the staff are so miserable. The food I think is mostly good but there's a few things, like the steak, that definitely need improving. Thank-you for reading my review.

Comida familiar, buena relación calidad-precio. Amplia selección de menú. Ofertas especiales disponibles. El personal siempre es muy amable y está limpio. Gran ambiente. Por lo general bastante ocupado, así que la reserva aconsejado.

Excellent food, excellent service and great value for money

En un día húmedo fuimos a almorzar al Iford Inn, y encontramos que muchos otros tenían la misma idea! El personal y la dirección nos recibieron agradablemente, y nos aconsejaron que podría haber una espera de 30 minutos para la comida. No teníamos prisa, pero estábamos encantados cuando nuestras comidas llegaron rápidamente. Como de costumbre, la comida estaba muy bien cocinada y presentada, y disfrutamos de nuestras comidas. Gracias.

Good food, good service, good value

Service was fast, friendly and prompt. Staff were very welcoming and the food was excellent

service and food great as always

Excellent value food and it was really nice too

Enjoyable meal, staff very attentive regarding safety procedures and service.

Food is always of a good quality though not fancy. I love their lasagne & fish & chips. Very good value but the best thing is that the staff are always so friendly & welcoming.