Eight years ago I came here for a boot camp and decided I never wanted to leave. I fell in love with Southbourne the minute I first set eyes on on it. This gently buzzing suburb 3 miles east of Bournemouth is small enough to feel cosy, yet big enough to have everything you need. It has a growing reputation of being a haven for foodies. And, of course, it’s right next to the beach…
Southbourne, or SOBO as locals love to call it, is centred around Southbourne Grove, a 500 metre long stretch of road lined with a wonderful selection of shops, bars and restaurants.
Southbourne does, in fact, extend further along this road in either direction, although the road changes name, running for just over a mile from Pokesdown Station to Southbourne Crossroads.
One road further south of this is Southbourne Overcliff Drive, which follows the cliff top, from where the beach can be accessed via a series of zigzag paths or a funicular railway. Running between the two roads are a series of residential streets and Fisherman’s Walk park.
Below is my pick of what Southbourne has to offer:
How to get to Southbourne
The A35 runs between Bournemouth and Southbourne. Buses No m2, 1b, 1c, 33 and U3 all stop in Southbourne Grove, at the end of Fisherman’s Walk. In addition, during the summer, the No 70 Breezer bus runs along the coast, linking Southbourne with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and stopping at the other end of Fisherman’s Walk. Pokesdown Station is 0.5 miles away, with direct trains to Bournemouth and London.
Parking
There is free roadside parking along Southbourne Grove and Overcliff Drive, but finding an empty space can be a mission. In central Southbourne, there is a Pay & Display Car Park in Woodside Road, which costs £1.40 for an hour (£1.90 for 2 hours). Further details can be found here. There is another Pay & Display Car Park in Seabourne Road, the same tariff applies (details here).
Shopping
Southbourne Grove has a small branch of several supermarket chains, a chemist, plus butchers, bakers and a greengrocer (no candlestick makers) for all your basic needs. There’s also a library and a Post Office. If bagging a bargain is your thing, there are plenty of charity shops to choose from.
However, it is more renowned for its independent stores. And when it comes to food and drink, Southbourne amply provides, especially for my two favourite things; cheese and wine.
High Street Chains
- One Stop Convenience Store
- Co-op
- Boots
- Sainsbury’s Local
- Tesco Express
- Nisa Local
Food and drink Shops
| 1 | Wenzel’s |
| 2 | Webster Family Butchers |
| 3 | Wild & Ginger |
| 4 | Cake Box |
| 5 | Bakehouse 24 |
| 6 | Parlourmentary |
| 7 | TD Fruits |
| 8 | Earth Foods |
| 9 | Quaff & Tipple |
| 10 | Tasty Bakes |
| 11 | Haywood Wines |
| 12 | Mark’s Meats |
| 13 | Wholistic Roots |
- Wenzel’s – Dubbed the ‘posh Greggs’, this recently opened bakery has the advantage of being open 7 days a week, so you can get your sausage roll fix round the clock
- Webster Family Butchers – Butcher
- Wild & Ginger – Recently opened bakery, stock sells out quickly and shelves are often empty, sausage rolls too soggy for my liking and have an overpowering taste of thyme
- Cake Box – Egg free cream cakes
- Bakehouse 24 – Artisan bakery specialising in sourdough.
- Parlourmentary – Primarily a cheesemonger, also sells other deli goods
- TD Fruits – Greengrocer
- Earth Foods – Health food shop
- Tasty Bakes – Well stocked family run bakery, does an excellent chorizo sausage roll
- Haywood Wines – A large selection of wine, plus some local beers, ciders and spirits, including Conker Gin (manufactured in Southbourne)
- Mark’s Meats – Butcher
- Wholistic Roots – Health food and holistic therapies
Independent Stores
- BH6 – Books.
- Emporium@55 – Gift shop offering training and employment opportunities for people with learning difficulties.
- Flaming Nora’s – Toys and gifts. The store has recently been split in two and an ice cream parlour added.
- Haberdasherdo – Haberdashery, it also runs sewing, knitting and crochet workshops.
- Southbourne Cards – Cards.
- Sugar Mango – Women’s fashion boutique.
- Party Store 4 U– Party supplies.
- Southbourne General Store – Hardware.
- Margery Daw – Ladies’ fashion.
- Kooky Too – Clothing, gifts & home wares.
- Jamboree – Pre-loved clothing.
- Planthouse – Newly opened house plant shop.
Charity Shops
- Hope And More
- Oakhaven Hospice Trust
- British Red Cross
- Age UK
- The Salvation Army
- DEBRA
- Dorset Blind Society
- St Martin’s Charity Bookshop
Eating and Drinking
There is a huge choice of great cafes, restaurants and bars in Southbourne. Southbourne Grove (plus the road extending slightly further in either direction from Pokesdown Station to Southbourne Crossroads) has been dubbed the Sobo Mile. This stretch of just over a mile boasts a plethora of foodie experiences.
Restaurants
| 1 | Restaurant Roots |
| 2 | SOBO: Fish & Grill |
| 3 | Dicky’s |
| 4 | Makla |
| 5 | Villa Toscana |
| 6 | The Larderhouse |
| 7 | Tiien Thai |
| 8 | Chef Carlos |
| 9 | Baffi |
| 10 | Bodega |
| 11 | Sobo Nobab |
| 12 | Santorini |
| 13 | Samoa |
- Restaurant Roots – Michelin listed restaurant offering a tasting menu for upwards of £99 a head.
- Sobo:Fish & Grill – Fish restaurant, which has recently rebranded to include steak. There is an alternative children’s/vegetarian menu. Why vegetarians are lumped with children is a mystery. They also offer a set price lunch menu plus a pensioners’ set price lunch menu.
- Dicky’s – Dutch inspired brasserie. I’ve not eaten here as the vegetarian menu is rather sparse and uninspiring.
- Makla – Moroccan restaurant with basement Fez Lounge.
- Villa Toscana – Italian.
- The Larderhouse – Boasts a former top London chef and charges London prices. Great food, though. Upstairs is The Library of Liquor cocktail bar.
- Tiien Thai – Thai.
- Chef Carlos – Spanish.
- Baffi – A popular pizzeria.
- Bodega – Recently opened Spanish restaurant specialising in tapas.
- Sobo Nobab – Newly opened Indian restaurant.
- Santorini – New Greek restaurant.
- Samoa – Newly opened restaurant specialising in burgers, tacos and cocktails.
Takeaways
- Smithson’s – Traditional fish and chip shop. They also sell ‘cat fish’; bags of leftover fish scraps for cats. My cats love it when we go here!
- Da Nino – Italian (only open Thursday to Saturday).
- Southbourne Tandoori – Indian.
- Thai Kitchen – Thai.
- China Lounge – My favourite Chinese, excellent food and friendly service.
- Southbourne Fried Chicken – Fried chicken and other junk food.
- All India – My favourite Indian.
- Yoo & Mee – Chinese (newly opened – used to be the Golden Oryza).
- Harmony – Chinese.
- Southbourne Fried Chicken – Burgers etc.
- The Indian Ocean – Indian.
- Fanelli’s – Pizza, fast food.
- Skinny Malinkys – Originally a hot sauce company, now also a takeaway specialising in burgers (with sauce, of course).
- Dolphin’s – Newly opened, specialising in fish & chips and kebabs.
Cafes
- Velo Domestique – Primarily a bike shop, but also has a café, particularly popular for its breakfasts.
- Coffee#1 – Local chain of coffee shops.
- The Bake House – Sandwiches, burgers etc.
- Syd’s Slaps – Cafe serving breakfast and sandwiches during the day, which transforms into a lively night time venue some evenings. Probably not the best place to take children as the garden doubles as a dog toilet and the amount of salt on the kids’ meals is substantial.
- Costa Coffee – Chain of coffee shops.
- Hungry Husky – Traditional café, particularly popular for its breakfasts.
- Harry’s Coffee House – Coffee, breakfasts, sandwiches, cakes.
- Jubilatte – Church based community café.
- Brown Dog Coffee – Dog friendly coffee shop selling organic coffee, breakfast and sandwiches.
- The Schooner – Family run coffee shop which also sells sandwiches and cakes.
- Cafe Riva – Cliff top café/bar with a great view. During the summer, the café spills outside with an ice cream kiosk, bar pop-up street food and live music.
- Little Perth – Coffee and flower shop.
- The Yam Cafe – Newly opened cafe specialising in sandwiches and salad bowls.
- Enzo’s – Describes itself as a deli/cafe/bar, it offers breakfasts, sandwiches and salads. Plus drinks, including alcohol for the daytime drinker.
Pubs and Bars
Whether you’re after a fancy wine bar with its own in-house sommelier, some real ale or just a regular pub, Southbourne has it covered. It even has its own gin distillery and a bar in a bus on the beach.
- The Way Outback Brewing Company – Microbrewery with taproom.
- Sobo: Sommelier – Wine bar with wine school, where you can learn more about your tipple and what to pair it with.
- The Wight Bear – Focuses on real ale, but has a wide selection of cider and locally produced wines. There are regular events such as music, comedy, quizzes and even the occasional beer run.
- Renoufs – Cheese and wine bar. Specialises in cheese (and charcuterie) platters accompanied by a flight of wine.
- SoBo Beach – Beach front pop-up with bar in a double decker bus.
- Conker Distillery & Tap Room – Gin distillery which offers tours and has a tap room where you can sample their wares on a Friday and Saturday evening.
- Brewhouse & Kitchen – Chain of microbrewery pubs. As well as food and drink, they offers a brewery experience and activities such as beer and whisky tasting. There is a popular quiz on Tuesday evenings.
- Ludo Lounge – Tapas, burgers and cocktails.
- The Commodore – A cliff top pub with a beer garden – part of the Greene King chain. Provides stunning views, a good range of beers, an extensive gin menu and pub grub style food. Food quality is erratic – I’ve had some good meals here and some terrible ones.
- The Grove Tavern – Traditional pub offering live music, quiz nights and TV screens for live sport.
- The Spyglass & Kettle – Another cliff top pub from Greene King with similar views and menu. Runs popular live music events on Friday evenings.
- Aperitivo – Italian themed cocktail bar.
- Run Ashore – Newly opened bar with pizza menu.
- Dancing Jug – Newly opened wine bar.
Beaches
Southbourne may only be small, with a population of around 19,000, but it can boast two Blue Flag Beaches; Southbourne Beach and Fisherman’s Walk Beach, accessible from various points along the cliff top. Or just take a stroll along the Overcliff and enjoy the view from above.
Southbourne Beach
Southbourne Beach, accessed via St Catherine’s Path or Warren Edge Path, is in the midst of some renovation. In the meantime, a trendy new pop up, SOBO Beach has been installed, consisting of a row of brightly coloured shipping container food stalls selling burgers, Chinese and Ice Cream with a double decker bus bar and cocktail shack.
Fisherman’s Walk Beach
Fisherman’s Walk Beach is accessed via Fisherman’s Zigzag or Gordon’s Zigzag, or by the cliff lift. It has a kiosk, a lifeguard station and public toilets.
Parks and Gardens
Fisherman’s Walk
Running between the clifftop and Southbourne Grove is the pleasant tree lined linear park called Fisherman’s Walk. This Green Flag winning park consists of woodland, formal and informal planting, lawns and an ornamental pond. There is a 1920s bandstand, which still hosts various events throughout the year, and public toilets.
Seafield Gardens
Green Flag awarded recreation and sports ground with a bowling club, tennis courts, fairy garden and children’s play area.
Tuckton Gardens
Gardens with riverside walks, golf course, café and toilets.
Attractions
Hengistsbury Head
This Green Flag Award winning Site of Special Scientific Interest is both a stone and iron age archaeology site and a nature reserve. Hengistbury Head is home to over 500 plant species, 300 types of birds as well as insects, reptiles and small mammals. It has a Visitors Centre with Gift Shop, two cafes and a ferry to Mudeford.
Conker Distillery
The Southbourne based Conker Distillery boasts being Dorset’s first gin distillery. Coincidentally, it started around the same time I moved here! It also produces coffee liquor. Tours are available on Fridays for £25 per person, including a guided tasting and the Tap Room is open to the public on Fridays.
Street Art
Southbourne isn’t as arty as neighbouring Boscombe, but it is home to my favourite toilets. ‘You have a favourite toilet?’ You ask. Yes, I do. This previously unassuming building has been transformed by the very talented Tech Moon to display a maritime theme, with each side painted with different marine life and water gods. More about Southbourne’s Street Art can be found here.
Events
Various events are held throughout the year, mainly centred around Fisherman’s Walk.
Shake & Stir
The key event is the Shake & Stir vintage festival, which this year takes place at the end of June.
So, like I said at the start, everything you need is catered for, especially if like me, your primary needs are cheese, wine and a beach.
Southbourne for Children
I’m not advocating wine for children, they’ll have to stick with cheese and the beach. Other activities for children in Southbourne include:
- Fisherman’s Walk – Playground and mini golf (booked via Café Riva)
- Immanuel Church – Igloo Soft Play & Sensory Room
- Nova Artsplaycafe – Café with play are, which runs arts & craft sessions
- Pokesdown & Southbourne Children’s Centre – Baby massage, holiday club and youth club
- Seafield Gardens – Playground, fairy garden and tennis courts.
- Southbourne Library – Wriggle & Rhyme, Toddler Time
- Tuckton Gardens – Play area
- Haberdasherdo – Craft workshops
I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.
- Updated: October 2025
Jane's Midlife Journey 
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