The best restaurants in Mudeford and Friars Cliff Christchurch South West

I booked the Upper Deck for my husband’s birthday, it is a wonderfully styled restaurant with a real mix of features, from an Asian style elephant statue to ducks wearing skis on the wall. We arrived early and sat at the bar for a drink, I was driving so we both had a glass of Noughty - a non alcohol sparkling, you couldn’t tell it was alcohol free, it tasted exactly like any other Prosecco. Upon being taken to our table we both ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio Rosé, Cockle Popcorn and the Artisan Bread & Dips (Tzatziki, Hummus & Aioli) - the wine was cold and crisp, and the cockle popcorn crunchy. The bread on the other hand was toasted rather than being fresh bread but the tzatziki and aioli were creamy and flavoursome, the hummus however was a little tart, possibly from a little too much lemon juice. To start I ordered the Sticky Xo Pork - Braised pork cheeks in Asian xo sauce, toasted buttered crumpet Pickled onions, hot honey plums & coriander and my husband ordered the Salmon Terrine - Layers of oak smoked salmon and dill butter served with horseradish mousse, avocado & watercress. The pork was tender and just pulled apart with no effort at all, the crumpet and plums were a little odd but the crumpet soaked up the juices and the plums added a tang to cut through the sticky pork. The terrine was delicious and the horseradish mousse paired very well, although there was far too much of it which felt a little wasteful. On to the mains…. My husband ordered the Partridge - Red wine partridge breast, fondant potato, butternut squash, wilted spinach & red wine sauce and I went for the Stone Bass - Roasted stone bass fillet, cep puree, wilted spinach King oyster mushroom and rosemary sauce. The partridge was very taste with just the right level of ‘bite’ to not be tough or chewy. The bass was delicious, flakey fish cooked perfectly with the intense mushroom flavour running through the dish. We decided to add some sides as well; Skinny Fries, wonderfully crisp and piping hot, plus Truffle Mac & Cheese which had a real punch of truffle flavour. For dessert, our waitress recommended the Assiette of Desserts; miniature versions of a selection from the menu; Warm Dark Chocolate Fondant, Cheesecake, Panna Cotta & Ice cream - everything on the plate was delicious, the stand outs were the fondant which had a decadently rich taste and glossy melting centre, as well as the ice cream, smooth a creamy and all 3 were flavours were intense. My husband was presented with a Happy Birthday plate with fresh homemade cube of fudge and a homemade brownie truffle bite - a lovely touch to the end of the meal. All staff were very friendly, our main waitress was wonderful, giving us time to choose, allowing time before requesting the next course so we had time to relax and just enjoy our time. Unfortunately we didn’t catch her name and it wasn’t on the receipt. The evening restaurant manager was also on the ball and attentive. The lighting in the restaurant was turned down for the dinner service and the seating areas for 2 people by the windows don’t have lights above them so my husband had to use the torch on his phone to read the menu properly. A few alterations and this would easily be 5*!

Shame on the management for evicting the local artist Paul Dolman from his studio, we are all eating elsewhere now

Another stay at another Harbour Hotel for a Spa escape. Once more a very good experience. Spa treatment excellent! Dinner was also excellent and very tasty. Our server, Phil, was great.

We were too early to arrive at our destination so decided to stop for a coffee. The place was so good we called in again on the way back to buy takeaway pasties. Friendly staff, good coffee, good selection of pastries and snacks, very fair pricing. A good, clean stop for eat in or takeaway

Always called in for coffee and sandwich but now changed hands so not been back this month, not able to review new ownership

I was lucky enough to be invited to eat lunch here on Christmas Day. The food was good, nicely prepared and presented, as well as plentiful. Only note would be that even on Christmas Day I would have liked just one lighter option. The staff were amazing. Attentive, courteous, slick and despite being very busy, they went out of their way to be smiley and charming. It was pricey, but where isn't on Christmas Day - the staff made it special, so a big thank you to all of them.

Waited over an hour for a take away to arrive and then they had missed out some dishes and the food was not even hot My wife phoned up and told them they missed out some of the order and said the rest of the order was not hot.She was handed over to the owner which was very aggressive and told her to bring it back.We will NOT ever be returning to there again they need up they’re game especially when there is so many takeaways around

The team are always efficient and polite and the food Great.

Great restaurant, with fabulous views. A very hard working Maitre D' called Hannah is just the best at looking after your dietary requirements . Very friendly atmosphere

My daughter just fell over and hurt her hand. Charged me 20p for ice 🙄

Took work colleagues out for dinner just before Christmas. Lots of different meals ordered. All came out at the same time. While group commented on how good Their meals were and wondered why they had never been before.. will definitely be back in the new year. Great service, great atmosphere and great food. Would recommend to everyone

Had a 2 day break in Christchurch and had lunch here both days. Really good atmosphere and mix of locals and tourists. Food great, beer excellent, staff super friendly. Pub is very dog friendly, has a big outdoor seating area ( not recommended in February) but does get busy in the spring and summer.

Awful food and overpriced. Visited yesterday with my wife and kids. Quoted 15 min wait - stood at the hatch waiting for 40 minutes before the food finally turned up. The haddock was virtually non existent inside a mass of a very hard, overcooked batter. And of what little fish I could find it was dry as a bone. Came away feeling hungry and ripped off. Not worth the visit.