With its glorious beaches and rocky landscapes, Bournemouth is the beating heart of the county of Dorset and a real southern gem in a country usually known for having a rather disappointing coast.
If you’re one of the many holidaymakers enjoying some quality time in this coastal resort town, then you may well be wondering how to start the (hopefully soon to be fun-filled) day off right, and the answer to that is, of course, by enjoying a smashing breakfast from one of Bournemouth’s many delicious eateries.
Whatever your tastes, whatever you’re in the mood for, you’re bound to find something to whet your appetite on this list of Bournemouth’s best breakfasts.
Below we will list the 5 best places to grab breakfast in Bournemouth:
Café Erte Lounge & Bar
Café Erte (pronounced Ertie, they say) claims to be Bournemouth’s first Art Deco café and lounge bar, and it boasts a very respectable range of homemade foods and specials along with all of the usual café fare. When it comes to breakfast they have the kind of good and hearty British breakfast that we all know and appreciate, starting at a very affordable £4.95. With sausages, baked beans and eggs galore, it may not be the most innovative, but Café Erte is definitely the one to go on this list for the classic fry-up lovers amongst us.
Vegetarian and vegan friends need not despair as they also have separate vegetarian and vegan Erte Breakfasts (£6.45-£6.95), featuring toast, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, hash browns and vegan or vegetarian sausages respectively, plus eggs done however you’d like for the vegetarian option.
If you’re perhaps not in the mood for such heavy fare first thing in the morning and would like something a little lighter, there’s a rather broad selection of sandwiches, toasties, baguettes and paninis which are sure to tickle your fancy too, from a mouthwatering Ploughman’s on crusty bread with caramelised onion chutney and Somerset brie (£6.45), to a fancy-sounding Prawn Marie Rose sandwich (£5.95).
To wash this all down with, naturally, there are all of the teas and coffees that one would expect, and there’s even soya milk available at no extra charge, which is good to know to accommodate any vegans or lactose intolerant guests. If it’s especially warm when you visit, you can get your coffee iced for a more refreshing experience, and for a mere 50p extra you can add a shot of vanilla, caramel or hazelnut syrup to make your coffee just that little bit more special. You are on holiday, after all, and you really ought to be making the most of it!
Urban Reef
Boasting a 4.1-star rating on Google from almost 2000 reviews, Urban Reef undeniably has a stellar offering on its menu to go with its impressive location and famous views.
Their breakfast menu is served until 11 am, and on it you’ll find their Surf’s Up breakfast featuring Dorset pork & leek sausage, smoked back bacon, two free-range Flambard’seggs, New Forest mushrooms, roasted tomato, baked beans and lovely buttered toast for £8.50, or if you’re in the mood for a treat you can go for a fresh stack of thick and fluffy pancakes topped with real maple syrup and smoked bacon for a mouth-wateringly tasty sweet-and-savoury contrast. As they say on their website: you can’t beat it!
Perhaps Urban Reef’s strongest feature is the appeal they hold for the healthier crowd with a wonderful range of muffins, porridge, breakfast jars (the overnight oat craze has spread far and wide) and various juices and smoothies, which are great on the go.
For those seeking something a little more upscale, the breakfast plates are sure to be intriguing. Using more select components such as sourdough bread and charred lemon, there are four options here to suit your appetite and coming in a more substantial form to fill the belly, without being as heavy as a fry up.
If you’re bringing younger ones with you then you’ll be relieved to hear that Urban Reef is very suitable as they are noted for their kid-friendliness and are only too happy to accommodate families by offering all of their breakfasts (or anything else, for that matter) in smaller portions for half the price to children under 12, so that the little people in your life can chow down on quality grub too.
Hiker Café
While it’s a little more out of the way, the Hiker café is not one to be overlooked. Located to the south of Christchurch, if you’re out early exploring the coastline of Bournemouth then this is the ideal stop to refuel with a tasty breakfast or brunch. With outdoor dining available and fantastic views of Hengistbury head, this is definitely one of the nature lovers who like the idea of drinking in beautiful sights and clean air along with their freshly-ground cup of joe.
If you’re going to be having a big day ahead seeing what Bournemouth’s countryside has to offer, then the Hungry Hiker Big Breakfast should be the perfect option to keep you going – or you could even bump it up to a Monster breakfast with double the bacon and sausages and a couple of hash browns thrown in for good measure.
If gluten or dairy is a problem for you, you will be gratified to find that there are options for you here and they are clearly marked, with alternative breads, spreads and milks available on request. Naturally, vegetarian and vegan options are available too, although it must be said that you won’t find anything very original and it’s on the simpler side, but there’s nothing wrong with a bit of simplicity to start the day off right sometimes, especially if it’s going to be fuelling you for a day in the country.
Moose Kitchen
The Americans are pretty well known for going big when it comes to their food, and breakfast is no exception. Canadian food is not exactly the same, but there is a very decent amount of overlap which means that you too can enjoy one of Bournemouth’s best breakfasts in the popular Canadian-styled restaurant aptly titled Moose Kitchen. Only founded in 2017, it’s a relative newcomer to Bournemouth, but the authentic Canadian cuisine, great staff and funky rock memorabilia décor has been a great success thus far, ranking a very impressive #2 out of #815 on TripAdvisor for all places to eat in Bournemouth, and maintaining a full five-star rating.
They have some real treats here but it should first and foremost be noted that their breakfast menu is only served in a narrow window of 10 am-12 pm on Sundays, so you’ll have to time this right if you want to feast on their offerings.
The majority of the breakfast menu is taken up by several variations on a ‘Canadian breakfast’, which is not too dissimilar to an English one, featuring bacon, eggs, toast, sautéed potatoes, and the option for some classic Canadian fluffy pancakes with the always-indispensable maple syrup to sweeten the deal. Indeed, if you want to go fully carb-centric, a simple stack of warm pancakes and syrup alone is available at a respectable £6, and if that doesn’t tickle your fancy then the next equally indulgent option is a freshly-made warm and sticky cinnamon bun with lashings of cream cheese frosting – incomparable to a mass-made cinnamon bun or roll and not something we see so often in Great Britannia, so if you like gooey, sugary, cinnamon-y goodness (and who doesn’t?), it’s definitely worth checking out while you have the opportunity.
South Coast Roast
Now we’re moving past the Canadian and flying halfway around the world to Australia (or at least our tastebuds are) to the South Coast Roast. This hip hangout is small, cosy and especially well suited to you coffee aficionados out there as the team use a variety of roasters from all over the world in all of the formats you’d expect with lattes to double espressos, and a variety of alternative milks are available for a small surcharge. It should be noted that south coast roast is committed to reducing waste and as such do not provide takeaway cups, so you’ll either need to sit in to drink or bring your own, which may well be a problem if you’re travelling light.
If you like to drink your breakfast then South Coast Roast also has some rather intriguing juices and smoothies on offer with “High Vibes Juice”, “Liquid Gold”, and a showstopping, very unique “High Tide Cold Brew”, which is actually infused with the recently-trending CBD oil, said to help with an assortment of health issues – and no, it won’t be getting you high.
In terms of edibles, we’re in luck here because pretty much their entire menu is made up of breakfast and brunch foods.
Their Aussie-inspired Bondi breakfast is loaded with avocadoes on toast, gherkins, grilled tomatoes and poached eggs on a bed of rocket and zingy chilli jam, with a choice of meats, halloumi or mushroom and corn fritters to meet every dietary requirement in a scrumptious way.
Other options are their brunch special, made with such delectable ingredients as maple-caramelised onions, homemade vegan cashew cream cheese, smashed butternut squash and locally-made sourdough bread.
If you’re looking for the best breakfast in Bournemouth you could always try the Bodia bowl, which may not make for a traditional breakfast, but is definitely a tasty one. This heaping, safe-for-vegans bowl is full of harissa-roasted carrots, pomegranate olives, avocado, seeds and spices and a gorgeously tangy mango salsa. I can’t think of a better way to start the day than with this bowl of healthy goodness.
That concludes our guide on where to find the best breakfast in Bournemouth. Do you agree with our favourites? Let us know in the comments section!
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