+44 1202 203601
Crab at Bournemouth, nestled within the elegant Park Central Hotel, offers an exceptional fine dining experience dedicated to fish and seafood lovers. This sophisticated restaurant serves up fresh and imaginative seafood dishes that celebrate the best of Dorset’s coastal bounty in a warm, smart-casual setting. Whether you’re indulging in a quiet midweek dinner or celebrating a special occasion, Crab at Bournemouth promises a memorable culinary journey.
The menu is a treasure trove of sea-inspired delights. Signature dishes like the Moules Main with Skin on Fries and Dorset Rock Oysters on Ice showcase the pristine quality and naturally briny freshness of the local catch. For those craving something heartier, the Whole Crab with Garlic & Butter or the Half Lobster offer rich, succulent flavors that melt in your mouth, embodying seafood bliss. The Seafood Platter and Hot Fruit De Mer for Two make for festive sharing platters perfect for dining together, while the Catch of the Day Seabream and Seafood Linguine impress with their expertly executed, delicate tastes.
Not to be overlooked, their take on classics like the Fish and Chips with Chef Surprise and Posh Fish & Chips elevate familiar flavors with inventive touches—served alongside two special sauces and accompanied by the chef’s delightful prawn surprise, these dishes offer a fresh twist that lingers pleasantly on the palate. To round off your meal, the dessert selection offers temptations such as the Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sorbet and the Black Forest Cake with Cherries Kirsch, ensuring a sweet send-off.
The atmosphere at Crab at Bournemouth strikes a lovely balance between relaxed elegance and intimate comfort. Diners often mention the friendly, attentive service that adds a personal touch without rushing the experience. A live pianist on select evenings infuses the space with a refined charm, enhancing the sense of occasion. While some guests have noted a quieter ambiance midweek, this often translates into attentive, unhurried service that allows you to truly savor every bite and moment.
Real customer experiences vividly capture the restaurant’s appeal. Don Corleone praises the “seafood bliss by the pier,” singling out the whole crab and lobster dishes as show-stoppers, complemented by an elegant musical backdrop. Pearl Agius highlights the freshness and uniqueness of the plates, from fried soft crab to vongole pasta, combined with delicious homemade bread and warm service. Klaud Elzanowski appreciates the excellent, friendly staff and quality dishes like battered fish and mussels for special occasions, despite the slightly higher price point. Craig K62 is a loyal visitor, delighting in smoky grilled crevettes in the fish soup and perfectly presented scallops in their shells. Meanwhile, Marta D relished the perfectly cooked Fish and Chips served with inventive sauces and was impressed by the outstanding service, even if the atmosphere felt less cozy at times.
In summary, Crab at Bournemouth stands out as a haven for seafood aficionados seeking fresh, expertly prepared dishes with a refined yet approachable vibe. Whether it’s the indulgence of whole crab cooked to buttery perfection, the bracing taste of Dorset oysters, or the comforting richness of their Sunday roast options, this restaurant delivers gracefully on flavor and experience. With a commitment to quality and a genuine care for guest satisfaction, Crab at Bournemouth is a shining pearl on Bournemouth’s culinary shore.
Contact: Park Central Hotel, Bournemouth BH2 5AJ, United Kingdom | Phone: +44 1202 203601
The Crab at Bournemouth is seafood bliss by the pier. The whole crab and lobster dishes steal the show, and the live pianist adds elegant charm. Friendly staff and a smart-casual vibe make it a delightful evening out.
Lovely spacious restaurant serving fresh and unique dishes. The restaurant was quiet as it was mid week. The service was good albeit a bit slow but the food was delicious. We had fried soft crab, vongole pasta and mussels. All tasted very fresh. The home made bread was delicious. Would recommend.
4.5/5, great tasty food and fantastic friendly service. Bit pricey but worth it for a special occasion. Was a bit quiet but it means our service was especially excellent, the battered fish and mussels were very delicious!
We always visit here every time we are in Bournemouth for the weekend. Again we were not disappointed - the food was amazing and rhe staff were friendly and attentive. Had the fish soup which was lovely, full of salmon pieces and two large crevettes that had been grilled on open grill which gave them a lovely smokey taste. My partner had scallops, 4 large ones served in their original shells. They were cooked perfectly. We both had an amazing plate of halibut in a lemon butter sauce served with truffle mash with asparagus and Chantelle mushrooms and grilled artichokes -so delicious, again cooked perfectly. So nice I forgot to take a picture of the main course If you want fresh great quality food cooked perfectly then definitely recommend you try this. Specials were whole bass or whole bream. It is not cheap but you get what you pay for, we will be back again!
We had Catch of The Day (Sea Bass), and Special Fish and Chips. Both were super delicious, perfect taste, perfectly cooked. It was the first time we had Fish and Chips with 2 special sauces, yummy. They even gave us 1 prawn on the side (it was chef's surprise). The prawn was also really delicious. The service was excellent, the staffs were friendly. But the atmosphere was not really cozy because it was noisy when we had dinner there. Free wifi for customers is available. Toilet for customers is available.
Went for a midweek meal. It was quiet, so we got a table without a reservation. The staff were very nice and took our order promptly. We had anti-pasti to start, and this was quite a small portion for a sharing dish, only one type of meat, but it was very nice. For mains, we had mussels and fries. It was a large portion of mussels, and the sauce was very nice. A lot of the mussels were quite small. Considering how quiet it was, we had a long wait between courses. We enjoyed what we had but found most of the dishes on the menu very expensive. I would have liked more choice of non fizzy soft drinks, but that's just me. If you don't mind the wait and happy to pay a little more, they have a good selection of fresh fish and seafood.